Life After The Military

by Will Jagdon

I retired in June 2016 and moved to Oahu, Hawaii. Here is my advice:

1. Relax. Accept that military retirement is the start of something new. Think of it as you are back in high school...full of endless possibilities. So follow your passion and start over. Give yourself 3 years at the most. I’ve been preparing for a teaching career with 3 MAs, but it didn’t workout. So after 2.5 years, I started a fun business catering to tourist.

2. Passion. Find your civilian passion outside the military. If you’re a Ranger, SEAL, Green Berets, do something related to it. Hunt rare orchids in Indonesia or train for triathlon. I got addicted to surfing in Hawaii. Surfing here is truly heaven.

Answer this question to find your passion: What would you do today if this is your last day on earth?

Hope this helps.

Aloha!