Last week I had to make a choice: to extend my contract of service with the US National Guard, or to let my contract expire and leave the military for good. This was a big decision for me and my business, one that I didn’t take lightly. Although the National Guard is a part-time job in the military, it still requires a big time commitment and many sacrifices on my part.
I’ve been in the military in one form or another for almost ten years now. I joined the Army in 2000, traveled the world, learned a lot, and had a wonderful time. My contract ended in 2003 and I decided to stay in the military part time, serving in the National Guard. I’ve been serving in the National Guard ever since.
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the military. Although I don’t always agree with how our country uses it’s military, I believe it is an honorable organization full of amazing people. That’s why I’ve stuck with it up to now.
This time around, when I was asked to reenlist, it was a harder decision than it has ever been before. My computer business is one of the main catalysts in my struggle to make a decision this time around. As always, I had to factor in the positive and negative outcomes of my decision. I was left making some uncomfortable choices, but choices that I feel will be beneficial in the long run not only for me, but for my business.
Reasons to Stay in the National Guard
The People – The people in my unit are the number one reason why I have stayed in this long. Our unit is very much like a family, and we all support each other through hard times. This is a great resource to have when starting a business. If my business fails, I’ll have that support system there to help pick me up. If it succeeds, I have about 40 people who are either potential customers, or know someone who can be a potential customer!
The Experience – In the years I’ve been in the military I’ve had the opportunity to travel to many destinations on the government’s dime. I love traveling and I love learning from being in new places and around new cultures. I think this helps out my business by giving me a more tolerant and worldly view on things, which can translate into better service to my customers. I also receive training in important skills like first aid, which can also prove helpful in business and in life.
The Money – I’d be lying if I told you some of the incentive to stay in the National Guard isn’t monetary. It’s great to have an extra pay check every month. This will no doubt come in handy when I first start running my business full time and may not be able to make enough at first. Also, by reenlisting I’ll be eligible for a nice extension bonus, which I am very interested in putting toward my business to help it get off the ground that much quicker.
Reasons to Leave the National Guard
Time Commitment – This is the biggest reason why I’m thinking of ending my time in the National Guard. The time I have to commit to making drills, which sometimes fall on weekday evenings, has been taking time away from my business, time I could be spending both in business preparation and with customers. This is also going to be a big hindrance on my business when I have the two weeks of drill during the summer. This will be two weeks where I wont be able to work and service customers. Thankfully, the National Guard, and especially my unit, are very flexible with their soldier’s time. They understand we may have circumstances in life that will call us away from duty, and we have the flexibility to miss drills and make them up at a later date.
Possibility of being deployed – Although the unit I’m in is not likely to be deployed for an extended period of time, the possibility is still always there. So far we’ve been fortunate enough to avoid deployment and I feel comfortable that our situation will stay the same. Of course, if we ever are deployed for an extended period of time, the effects of an extended leave of absence from my business will be devastating.
My Decision
After weighing the pros and cons of my choices, I decided to sign the dotted line and extend my service in the National Guard for 6 more years. The reasons are as follows: 1) The extra money earned from drills and via the bonus will help contribute greatly to my business and allow me to get it off the ground sooner, 2) the flexibility that the National Guard provides will ensure that I can continue to serve while still keeping my business as my number one priority, and 3) I simply love the people I serve with.
The point of this whole post is to emphasize the fact that I ‘ve realized, from now on, every major decision I make in life will have a possible impact on the success of my business. Failing to include the future of my business in these decisions may have negative impact on my business. I also count myself lucky to have the freedom to make these decisions freely, thanks to those who have served before me.
What hard decisions have you made that may have lasting effects on your business or career?
Renee says
Congratulations on deciding to serve six more years in the Guard! Chip talked about finding a Guard unit around here to join but he’s got so many medical issues it might be a problem.
Any decision is going to be hard; some are just worse than others. I have a feeling it’s going to be difficult for me to find a job after being out of the workplace for six years. I never intended to take all this time off but being in central Texas wasn’t beneficial for me career-wise. Unless I wanted to teach or go into the medical field, there were very few jobs I could do. VA Beach should have more opportunities for me and it’ll be a struggle but I’ll make it. I doubt six years away will hurt me in the long run.
Matt R. says
Sounds like you have quite a big endevour ahead of you! It’s tough to find work in this job market and having been out of the workforce for so long will make it even tougher. But all you can do is try your hardest and see what happens.
Ever connsider starting your own business? That way you don’t have to worry about how long you’ve been out of the workforce! 😉
Renee says
HA HA…I couldn’t run my own business. I would get too frustrated plus I would probably change my mind about it a zillion times. I took marketing in college. I know all about business plans and whatnot. No Thanks!
bosborne says
Matt, I commend you on your thoughtful decision to stay with the National Guard. It is nice to have the money, but I don’t think you can beat the extended family and frineds you have met. Those people will be there for you in some capacity for the rest of your life! The hardest decision I ever made was when I got my first teaching job. I trained to be an elementary teacher and really wanted to teach kids around third grade age. However, my first job offer was to teach in a middle school, specifically eighth grader. I was didn’t think I could teach kids that old and to tell the truth, I was a little afraid of them. But I took the job as I wanted to work as a teacher and figured once I had some experience I could go back to elemenatary school. Well, I have been a middle school teacher for over twenty years and I LOVE IT! So, you never know where your choices will take you. Good luck and may this newest decision bring you much happiness.
Dan says
I just saw this post and didn’t realize it was posted in Feb…Congrats on the signing and I think it was the right decision. We actually won a business contract one for the sheer fact that I was a retired Marine and had that on our capabilities letter. The President of the company was actually a Col in the National Guard.
I got a call that evening from his secretary and she said “The Col said to tell you that you have been selected to provide out IT support”, which I thought was pretty amusing that she referred to him as Col.
Next week when we went in to do our initial setup of things the “Col” said “Why didn’t you start our meeting out with “I’m a Retired Marine” he said we could of stopped right after that.
Great guy, great company and fortunate to land it.
Just got my official retirement certificate (30 year mark) a few weeks ago.
Matthew Rodela says
Haha, yeah, this was Feb 2009! It’s been a while, but I definitely think it was the right move. Especially now that I run the business full time, the folks in my unit become potential customers or referrers of customers.
I was hired at my previous job as an intern because I was serving in the military, and the manager of IT at the time was a veteran. It’s definitely a helpful notch to have in your belt when working with others who have served.
Thanks for your service Dan and congratulations on the official retirement!