When Petty Officer 1st Class Jerry Hutchinson joined the Navy at age 19, he never expected to make the Navy a career. But, in a year he'll retire with 20 years of service under his belt.

The Phoenix native has already begun his search for a new job. He admitted that he is a little anxious about leaving the military.

"I know I'm going to get a job, but I'm scared," said Hutchinson, 39. "The economic situation is not the best, but I'm getting out in 12 months, so hopefully it'll improve."

Hutchinson is just one of many members of the military preparing to start a new life.

Feeling anxious about starting anew is pretty typical for transitioning military, especially the older ones who have been in a while, according to James Bradford, a retired Navy veteran and a Transition Assistance Program instructor for the state Employment Development Department.

"It's not that they have anything to worry about in terms of their skills or abilities or even their confidence, it's just that they don't know anything else," Bradford said. "They've been in an organization for 20 years and a lot of them joined right out of high school ... now they're getting out of the military and they're really scared."

Having enough time to prepare for their new life will give the military member a much better chance of success once they get out, said Gaytha Melone, a work/family life consultant at the Fleet and Family Support Center on Lemoore Naval Air Station.

One way military members can prepare for that transition is by attending a Transition Assistance Program workshop at least six months before getting out of the military.

The week-long Department of Labor workshop provides transitioning military personnel with information on veterans benefits, resume writing, job search and interview tips, stress and financial management, local employment resources and other topics.

"Preparation is key to a successful transition, and that preparation needs six months at least, because you can't financially prepare in less than six months," said Melone.

But, for military personnel who haven't had the time to prepare, Melone said one option is to take a job with one of the government contractors on base.

"If they can get a contracting job, it can allow them to transition more slowly," Melone said. "It allows them to have a job that supports their family while they look at their options in a more leisurely fashion."

Navy veteran Matt Beyer, 39, recently took a job with a contractor that provides aircraft maintenance services to LNAS.

Beyer, who retired from the Navy in February 2009, had hoped to retire in Fallon, Nev., where he owned a house.

But, after he was unable to find a job in Fallon, he took the aircraft maintenance job. As a corrosion mechanic, he does painting and body work on the F/A-18 jets. The job includes sanding rust and chipped paint off the jet's surface, and stenciling squadron markings on the jets.

Beyer said he doesn't mind the hard work, but he has had to swallow his pride a bit.

"You went from being someone people look at with a lot more respect... to all of a sudden you're starting all over again," he said. "You're starting from the bottom."

Airman Apprentice Christian Jones is one of the younger military members to separate from the Navy. The 21-year-old will be leaving the Navy in less than two weeks.

He said he wishes he had more time to prepare.

"We came off the ship only three weeks ago, so I've had no time," Jones said, during a break from TAP workshop. It was not a good situation."

So far, he's only been offered a $12-an-hour tow-truck driver job in San Diego. He said he doesn't think he can survive off that, so he plans to return home to his hometown of Dunsmuir, Calif., a town with a population of 2,000.

He said the best-case scenario would be if he could get a job with the U.S. Postal Service, but for now he will take what he can get.

"I will do just about any part-time job or full-time job," Jones said. "If I have to do two or three part-time jobs, I don't mind it, as long as I can pay my bills."

Joe Wright, Kings County Veterans Services officer, is one example of a veteran who has made a smooth transition to civilian life. Wright served 31 years in the Navy before retiring in 2006.

"It was a big step because I'd been in the military for so long," Wright said. "In my particular case, I kind of walked right into this. I retired on a Friday, and on the following Tuesday, they called me and said I had the job."

As Veterans Services officer, Wright helps other veterans with their disability and pension claims and any other assistance they may need.

According to Wright, making a successful transition all goes back to planning and preparation. This includes getting an education while in the military.

"If you're going to get out and really do what you want to do, instead of doing what you have to do because that's what's available, you've got to have an education," he said.

He added that networking is a good tool as well. He recommended that job-seeking veterans should be talking with friends, their local Employment Development Department representatives, the Kings County Veterans Services office and veterans services organizations such as the American Legion.

"You need to talk to people and find out about different positions and things going on," Wright said. "If you're going to sit around and look in the newspaper want ads for jobs, you're probably not going to get one-if that's all you're going to do."

"Planning is everything," Wright added. "Do your research before you get out. Be ready to go. And that goes back to the education, and resume and networking-if you do all those things before you get out, the chances of getting frustrated are far less."

(Sept. 20, 2009)