Navy – Six Years and Dispatcher – Fourteen Years
In 1988, after serving six years in the United States Navy as a Crypto logic Technician Operator (CTO) and attaining the rank of Second Class Petty Officer, I decided to leave military service and become a civilian again. I’ll never forget how empty it felt leaving the service after having given so much of myself. Still, I felt as though I was gaining a new and uncertain freedom; anxious of what the future had in store for me after I’d been under so much control for so long.
The discharge process took about two weeks to complete. During that time, the Navy did not offer any resources to help me transition back into the civilian world. I’d spent the last two years of my enlistment stationed aboard a Spruance Class Destroyer in Yokosuka, Japan. There was no Internet and being overseas, we did not have access to any of the job fairs that I’d seen organized while previously stationed stateside. Two weeks later after returning stateside, I walked out of the Pearl Harbor main gate feeling like a freed man. (I’ll spare you the details of how twisted my head had become after six years in the service with the last two years mostly spent at sea with 350 other men on a destroyer in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. If you have ever been deployed on a Westpac you’ll know what I mean….good times if you can remember them.)
I didn’t waste any time getting into school and pursuing my interests in photography. I used up my veteran’s educational assistance benefits pretty quickly and my savings as well. Luckily, I qualified for student aid and did not have much trouble affording college. I worked part-time jobs and went to school full time. One of the hardest adjustments I had to make after leaving the service was not having the financial security that I enjoyed while being in the service. In the service everything was pretty much taken care of--food, clothing, rent, etc. I easily saved $25,000 during the last two years of my enlistment. Living on a limited, tight budget in college was hard to get used to. Through the years I spent in college, I would regularly scan the classified ads for summer jobs and employment opportunities that I qualified for. The ads for Public Safety Dispatchers were always there no matter what city I was in and the starting pay always seemed somewhat attractive. I had the minimum qualifications and would have no trouble passing a background investigation after holding one the highest security clearances anyone could have in the military. About the time I graduated from college, I came to the realization that I was going to need some form of steady, secure income and was soon filling out applications for Public Safety Dispatch positions in the area I lived.
I’ve been a dispatcher for twelve years and have worked for two separate agencies. I enjoyed the work that I did when I was in the military and found Public Safety Dispatching very similar. Shift work was an easy adjustment because I knew what to expect after my experience in the Navy. The level of accountability that is inherent with dispatching was also something I was accustomed to after having worked in naval intelligence. Public Safety Dispatch positions are the perfect opportunity for anyone leaving military service. They are an excellent stepping stone into a career in law enforcement or to pursue educational goals.
Webmaster's note: This veteran is featured in the photo with the Jobs in 911 logo.
