You’re reaching the end of your Air Force career, whether that means your contract is ending or you’re eligible for retirement. It can be exciting to transition to a new stage of your life, but it can also be stressful and challenging. You may not know what to expect and have a family to think of during this time or maybe you don’t know how to prepare.

Below, we’ll go into depth about the importance of preparing for your transition, provide some tips for preparing, and discuss important considerations to think about when you’re in the midst of your transition.

The Importance of Preparing for Your Transition

If you’re not prepared for your transition from the Air Force to the civilian world, it can make a stressful time in your life even more difficult. As part of your transition, you’ll likely experience some instability, so it’s important to take the steps to prevent unnecessary challenges or hardships. You’ll already be dealing with things like:

●Financial instability

●Identity change

●Routine and structure change

●Career uncertainty

●Loss of community

●Social isolation

Preparing for your transition can make it easier to deal with the challenges above and can even prevent them from becoming stressors in your life during your transition. It’s not possible to prepare for every challenge you’ll face, but you can use different methods to make it easier to adapt.

8 Tips for Preparing for Your Transition

Many Airmen experience challenges when transitioning out of the Air Force, but you can ease some of these difficulties by making an effort to prepare for your transition. Below are some tips we have to help you and your family prepare for your upcoming transition out of the Air Force.

1. Expect a Gap

It’s not guaranteed, but there may be a gap between your Air Force employment and your civilian employment, and it’s important to prepare for this possibility. Because of this, there may be a delay or a gap between your paychecks, even though you still have bills to pay.

Since there is a possibility for this gap, you want to start saving early enough in your transition period to cover your expenses until you can secure a job and a stable paycheck. If you can, you should save enough to cover six to twelve months of expenses just in case the gap period is longer than expected. With these savings, you will have plenty of time to find a good career.

You may have a shorter gap than others, which means you may have extra funds saved. You can put this extra cash towards other expenses or savings accounts, such as paying off debts sooner, emergency savings, or funding toward a new home or vehicle. In an ideal situation, you would be able to secure a job shortly after leaving the Air Force, but this isn’t always possible for everyone and it’s better to be prepared rather than have no savings to cover your expenses.

2. Start Paying Off Your Debts

During the preparation stage for your transition, you should try to pay off as much of your debt as possible. It can be difficult to determine whether you’ll be making the same amount of money in the civilian world as you were in the Air Force. It’s possible that you may find a job that pays less, or maybe you find a job that pays the same but you have to deal with a higher cost of living. If you try to eliminate what debts you have before you officially leave the Air Force, it may be easier to manage your expenses in the civilian world.

If you don’t know where to start, make a list of all the debts you owe with all the important information, including the amount owed, the interest rate, and the lender. Once you have all the debts listed in front of you, you’ll know how much you owe and which debts you should start paying off first.

Try to start with the debts that have the highest balance and interest rate as these can spiral out of control quickly. If you don’t have a lot of debt, you can also start with the smallest first to get them out of the way before moving on to some of your larger debts. If you’re having trouble determining what debts to pay off first or how to start, you can find financial professionals at your Air Force installation who can guide you.

3. Look for Employment Early

If you wait until you’re out of the Air Force to start your job search, you could go months before finding stable employment and a steady paycheck. Rather than wait until you’re out, start looking for your next job while you’re still in the transition phase. The first step is to spruce up your resume, which you may be unfamiliar with if you’ve spent a significant amount of time in the Air Force. If you don’t know how to write one or want some help crafting your resume, you can find help through the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) office.

Keep in mind when looking for a job that you’re going to want to compare salaries to the cost of living in your chosen area. When you’re in the Air Force, you will either be living on base or you’ll be provided with a Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), which is adjusted based on the cost of living in your area. Most civilian companies don’t make adjustments to their salaries or hourly pay based on living costs, so you’ll need to account for this expense when choosing where to work after your transition.

You should also consider how much it will cost to support yourself and your family in the civilian world, which means accounting for rent or mortgage payments, utilities, vehicle payments, childcare, and any other expenses you’ll have. Once you know how much you need to pay each month, you can start to line up job prospects that meet your financial needs.

4. Learn About Civilian Benefits

Receiving benefits is easy in the Air Force. After you enlist, you’ll be able to easily enroll in benefits like TRICARE or your retirement savings, also known as the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). However, enrolling in civilian job benefits can be more complicated, and some jobs may not offer as well-rounded benefits as the Air Force or you may have to work for a company for a certain amount of time before qualifying for their benefits.

It’s important to educate yourself about civilian benefits and research any that you’re unsure about since they will be important factors when considering your job prospects. Ideally, you would want a job that has the same benefits or better than what was offered to you in the Air Force, especially when it comes to healthcare and retirement.

5. Participate in Professional Development

You’ve gained a lot of skills in the Air Force, but that doesn’t mean you should stop learning. There are plenty of opportunities for professional development once you leave the Air Force, even if you plan on staying in the same career field. The more you learn, the more opportunities will come your way, giving you the chance to better provide for your family and reach your career goals.

As a former Airman, one of the benefits you get to take with you after leaving the Air Force is access to the GI Bill. You can have your education covered by the GI Bill if you want to delve further into your career or learn something new. There are always more classes you can take or certifications you can receive to develop your skills, increasing your chances for new or better career opportunities.

6. Connect With Others

It’s not easy to transition out of the Air Force, even if you do your best to plan for everything. It’s a big life change to go through, and there will likely be challenges you’ll face as you adjust to the civilian world. It’s important to stay connected to members of your support network, including other Airmen you’ve met during your career and the friends you’ve made along the way. Apart from providing support, staying in touch with those you’ve met in the Air Force can be an excellent way to network for future opportunities.

As important as it is to stay connected with your existing network, it’s equally important to make connections with new people you’ll meet in the civilian world. You can find more support and networking opportunities by connecting with more people outside of the Air Force in your local community.

7. Help Your Loved Ones With the Transition

If you have a spouse or children, it’s likely they’ll face some challenges adjusting to civilian life after you leave the Air Force. For example, your spouse may have their own career and family that they have to move away from once you leave the Air Force, and your children may need to leave behind a familiar school setting and their friends. It’s important to provide your loved ones with support as you start the transition process so they can better adjust to a new way of life.

You won’t always be able to stay by your current Air Force base once you leave, and moving can feel as isolating for your family as it can for you. Make sure you’re encouraging your loved ones to stay in touch with their friends and family so they have extra support from their loved ones while they adjust to life away from the Air Force. There are also post-military support groups you can encourage your loved ones to join with you if they’re finding it difficult to adjust.

8. Make Sure You’re Ready to Adapt

Things will be different in the civilian world, and you will be required to adapt to these changes in order to thrive in the world outside the Air Force. Some of the changes you can expect include a new job, altered routine, new environment, working with civilians, changes to personal relationships, and more. You need to be willing to adapt to these changes so it’s easier to adjust to life in the civilian world. It may be difficult for you to manage these changes but try to focus on positives like having more time with your loved ones and the chance to settle down in a permanent location.

Important Things to Consider During Your Transition

It’s not guaranteed to be easy to transition out of the Air Force, and there are certain challenges you’ll face along the way even with the most preparations. Here are a few things you should consider doing during and after your transition to ensure it goes as smoothly as possible:

●Start early: One way to negate some of the challenges of your transition is to start as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the easier it will be to prepare, especially when it comes to arranging your finances, move, and employment. You should also help your family prepare for some of the changes they’ll go through in advance so they’re not surprised at the end of your transition.

●Take initiative: Part of your transition includes finding new employment, and being proactive about your future can help relieve some of the stress of your transition. Taking the initiative means reaching out to employers and looking for job opportunities before you leave the Air Force. Ideally, you would be able to set up a new job you can start almost as soon as you leave the Air Force, relieving the stress surrounding finances and job security as part of your transition.

●Find support: Since the transition out of the Air Force can be challenging, it’s important to find support in advance so you know you have it when times get tough. That means connecting with loved ones, friends, or even a professional counselor if needed.

●Prioritize self-care: The transition process is difficult for many Airmen, and it can take a toll on your mental health without the proper care. You will need to take proper care of your physical and mental health to sustain your overall well-being, which you can do by practicing self-care. Getting enough sleep, eating right, exercising, and engaging in activities you enjoy are all things you can do to practice self-care.

Finish Your Air Force Career the Right Way With AUSI

In most cases, you’ll start your transition out of the Air Force well before you officially leave active duty service. In the meantime, you’ll need to keep your uniform in pristine condition for each day you still have to show up to work. At American Uniform Sales, we offer AFI-compliant OCP uniforms, rank and insignia, footwear, and more. We even offer gear like bags, packs, and cases to help you with your daily and long-term operations. If you need to replace some worn-out parts of your uniform or want to look your best to finish out your career, check out our selection. You can also contact us if you have any questions.