What are some of the reasons people decide to leave the Coast guard after their contract is up?

- Jen

I would venture to say that some people just want to serve their country for a time then return to civilian life. Others want to learn a trade or earn money for college. Some find that circumstances change or they develop new interests. And some discover they are not cut out for military life. I'm sure there are as many reasons as there are people.

My oldest daughter's separation date is this coming Saturday and she chose not to re-enlist because she's worn out, plain and simple. She loved the work she did.....spent over a year and a half on a buoy tender in AK and then after MST A School, was fortunate enough to work on one of the icebreakers.....but she struggled with some medical issues throughout her four years and was so exhausted after fighting all that, she decided it was time to come home. It's a shame, too, because she was really good at what she did and if only she'd been able to get all her health issues taken care of, she really could have gone far with a career in the Coast Guard.

Laurie

I believe you may see more people leave as the billets stagnate with slow to no upward movement. The wait list for A school is so long as to disuade people. You can only enjoy nonrate status so long. If you are on a cutter or station that you are not happy with it could be forever getting to a new location. Some people enjoy the companionship of their shipmates and some people struggle to get along in a group. It doesn't make them bad people, but military type lifestyle becomes stressful for them. They are often not too political and it tells in their "up the ladder road blocks". The physicals that don't get scheduled, the boarding crew slot that is given to someone else, the not being given important info because you you had watch during the development and so on (this type of we don't like you can be relentless). Then, there is the moving. Family second, service first, hard to find a life partner that wants to follow someone else around. Then if you do(find a partner to follow you) you miss birthdays and holidays and after a while they may change their minds. The pay while ok is certianly no path to wealth and riches. As far as serving your country, I believe four years is certainly a respectable service term. To stay past your original enlistment is at best a difficult decision. The Coast Guard is a great service, but there are reasons to serve your time and leave particularly in the current budget/billet enviroment.

bob hit it right on the tip.

My relationship ended because of moving in the Coast Guard.
Starting with my own, I missed everyone in my family's birthday, every holiday, and my sister's wedding.
I felt like I owed my country something, and the Coast Guard was the best way to help my country, help myself, and help my future family.
I could see a big factor on slowing billets, I don't want to stay a nonrate forever, I am fine with it since deck consists of me as leading seaman and another nonrate, and 2 bm1s, so I've been able to step up and fill where we used to have a bm3 at. It gets old to be the nonrate, but it's only helping me learn patience. Plus I could be somewhere far worse. This transfer season we had 70% of my unit transfer, it's hard to see shipmates, friends, families leave, like when you graduate high school and everyone goes their own way. I am going to find it hard to pick up my life, move somewhere else and start all over again when I transfer.

But saying all that, I wish I would have signed for 6 and not 4, I see myself getting out after 4 years, 8 years, or doing the whole thing. I just applied to Penn State and I would love to get the whole degree paid for with tuition assistance and not touch my GI Bill.

excellent feedback! thanks!

Some people leave because they find better paying jobs also. For some, there's more money to be made on the outside. For others, there's less. If you do decide to get out, just make sure you have a good plan, and a good backup plan. That goes for retirement too. The retirement pension is good, but we all need to think about our 2nd career when we retire. If you're a good planner, you should be fine.

While I am divorced from my Coastie... the military, the moving, the stress of traveling, the unknown of moving had absolutely ZERO to do with our divorce. I absolutely loved military life, I loved the challenges and as a woman I grew so incredibly much for the challenges I, we, faced. I will love my Coastie until the end time, we just weren't meant to be husband & wife. If you find the right person, he or she will follow you to the end of the world and back.

E,

This is the only job where you can have a conversation like this, and not get fired.

E: Sir, we have a problem.

CO: Is the crew safe?

E: Yes, sir.

CO: Did you sink the 41'?

E: Yes, sir.

CO: But, the crew is safe?

E: Yes, sir.

CO: Good. Get back to work.

Love that Gears!!

For some of us it's simply a matter of when to retire, as in my case.

The service changes constantly. The essential rules stay the same but the leadership changes which affects the direction and focus of the service in general. Staying satisfied on a daily basis becomes a moving target. I'm not saying one has to be happy every day, I don't think that's possible anyway. What I am saying is when overall job satisfaction starts to take that downward trend, akin to a bear stock market, it's time to consider leaving. Whether that leaving be the end of a 20+ year career or life change at the end of a contract (officers would resign) everyone comes to that point somewhere along the timeline.

When you feel you can no longer make a difference or contribute effectively -- move on and let others do so.

I wander how many nonrates think twice seeing the new A school list. Things are getting worse every month.

The grass is not always greener...it is tough everywhere right now...one should be ecstatic to simply be employed with phenomenal benefits in this stage of our economy...there are hundreds of thousands maybe millions without employment, without medical benefits, without educational aid and even without homes...many have lost everything...There are hundreds and hundreds of people in line behind you just hoping and waiting for a glimmer of a chance to get in the USCG and they would be tickled pink to be a non-rate right now.

Times are tough everywhere it is better to endure with a steady pay check and your basic hiearchy of needs met then not... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow...y_of_needs

It's just the desire for advancement. I know nonrates that are happy being an e3 and throwing trash with no responsibility, but that's not for me. I can't wait for when I get advanced, new unit, more responsibility than the trashes during sweepers.
I'm lucky my unit treats nonrates really good, small boat coxswain, btm, R&S PO, etc.

I'm still trying to learn to be patient. It's hard to learn a lesson when it goes from 6 months to 12 months to 24 months.
On another note, dive class cancelled and was last chance for 6 weeks, I waited 6 hours with a friend for the new iphone yesterday to find out they didn't order mine.(yes I am a nerd lol).
Today is just not my day lol.

I am still proud to be in the CG, hasn't been a day where I wasn't.

Ezekiel97,you sound like my boy who's been in 2yrs now....His patience is getting thin and he's looking at the early out offer....He's not to happy w/ his command unlike you and I think thats really affecting him...his cousin is on a different 378 and he loves it...but that is life and you have to learn to deal w/ both.....but I still cant get a straight answer on how long is a nonrates 1st tour on a 378 is it 2 or 3 yrs before they can transfer or does it go by the needs of the ship

They typical cutter tour is 3 years with the exception of PBs which are 2 years. So, if everything stays normal he should transfer during his regular rotation. Where he actually goes is a crap shoot.

Some of the new guys to our 110 are getting 3 year orders, thought that was only for the 87s. I'd rather stay at my current unit, know what I am getting into, than get random orders to like a 378 where I wouldn't come close to being a coxswain on anything. My transfer date is 09AUG11, I pray that if I have to transfer, they left me transfer during transfer season, is there even transfer season for nonrates? Just hope the supplemental list is open so I could possibly get slated a BM3 job as an SNBM.

Posted By ezekiel97 on 16 Jun 2010 02:10 PM
Some of the new guys to our 110 are getting 3 year orders, thought that was only for the 87s. I'd rather stay at my current unit, know what I am getting into, than get random orders to like a 378 where I wouldn't come close to being a coxswain on anything. My transfer date is 09AUG11, I pray that if I have to transfer, they left me transfer during transfer season, is there even transfer season for nonrates? Just hope the supplemental list is open so I could possibly get slated a BM3 job as an SNBM.

My son was in a similar situation: He's at a small boat station now, which he likes, but since boot camp he's always wanted a WPB. He still had (and has) a long way to go on the Supplemental Advancement List. The detailer sent him a short list of open BM3 billets to pick from. One (and only one) WPB on the list. His current station was on the list. Nothing else on the list appealed to him; he was seriously bummed about the whole thing.

So, he puts the WPB 1st and his current station 2nd and who knows what else after that. And, guess what? He got re-assigned to his current station for two more years. The bonus is that, next time a transfer comes up, it will be during the regular transfer season and he'll get a better shot at a WPB.

There's a moral in there: He wouldn't have gotten re-assigned to his current station without a recommendation from his CO, which he wouldn't have gotten unless they thought he was worth keeping. He didn't earn that overnight or by doing One Good Thing. He earned it a little bit every day. He certainly wouldn't have got it if he spent all his time complaining about his situation.

Now he's all fired up about completing both his coxswain quals and proving to them that they didn't make a mistake by keeping him.

Wepprop, very cool for your SNBM, I was hoping for something similar. I am just trying to stay at the top of my game, and hope for the best.

Im surprised he didnt get our WPB, our bm3 we were getting isn't coming anymore and we are BM3less lol

I'm hoping the supp list opens up around next year so hopefully I can grab a bm3 billet as SNBM rather than going from SN billet to SN billet.

What is a WPB?

My son is on an 87' and his tour is only for 2 years. I have to say that while things have slowed down significantly, they are still moving. I don't understand why they are still taking new recruits in every week. At this point patience is the name of the game. It's really been that way all along for every military service, hurry up and wait!

Since they've been letting people get out before their enlistment is up, I personally know of 5 people that have taken advantage of it. Like it's been said before. Military life isn't for everyone, whether it be having to follow orders, moving often, being away from family, hours. I mean you have to listen to your boss in the civilian world as well, but the ramafications of not showing up to work in the Military are far worse! That scares some people, leaving them feeling trapt. I grew up in a military family, and I'm excited to see a new place every 4 years! Times are tough guys, we'll get through it!

WON = Patrol boat. 87' or 110' cutters are the current incarnations.

WON=WPB

Hoping the 5 billion dollar budget increase helps us out. But Marie I wander the same thing, why bring more people in, if you can't situate the people already in.

Oops. Typo. Sorry...

If you stop bringing people in and the economy does a flip the other way and everyone decides not to re-up, decides to retire, gets out willingly... then you have a lot of middle management people with little to no leadership and little to no underlings to be brought up into middle management.

Recruiting has to slow to accomodate available positions but there is no way it can cease & desist 100% for any length of time. That just does not make practical business sense what so ever.

well hopefully the 5billion dollar budget increases means some of us get A school lol.

Posted By Old Guard Macie on 14 Jun 2010 08:31 PM
While I am divorced from my Coastie... the military, the moving, the stress of traveling, the unknown of moving had absolutely ZERO to do with our divorce. I absolutely loved military life, I loved the challenges and as a woman I grew so incredibly much for the challenges I, we, faced. I will love my Coastie until the end time, we just weren't meant to be husband & wife. If you find the right person, he or she will follow you to the end of the world and back.

True but the constant stress, unknown and loneliness will put a huge strain some relationships. I'm becoming very aware that the military wife life is not the life for me. I can't handle it. I don't really like it. I LOVE that my husband LOVES what he's doing. He has so much pride in his work and seriously looks forward to going to work. And it makes me so sad that I can't hang ...maybe it'll be better at our next billet. I don't love being away from him, never having a schedule or having one that changes daily. That I can not plan on anything...even approved leave. That I'm worried that even though he's not on a high endurance cutter that he will be absent from the birth of our baby. I'm ready to settle down and be able to have a schedule that I can count on. I'll follow that man to the depths of hell but doesn't mean I'll like it. lol

Cassie,

I can understand that. It isn't an easy life, not by any stretch of the imagination. But the benefits are so tremendous, the idea of seeing places you would never have dreamed of seeing much less living there... it's all a pretty amazing life albeit stressful as hell at times. Is Marsh in this for a career or is he just doing the 4 and out?

I have to say if there was a station that could have driven us to divorce, it would have been New Orleans. The work was easy, the schedule was great... in 18 months he literally stood ONE duty day away from the house. He traveled a lot but never had to stand a duty section. However, racism & prejudice were alive & well when we were there. That was very, very hard for me to get used to & we had a 2 year old. He was too young to explain to him that there are narrow minded, stupid people in this world. I didn't want him believing some of what was said, even in our own quiet little neighborhood. That station was killer for me. Luckily we short toured out and went to Valdez. It might be the station... keep your chin up and look forward to transfer season and make the best of where you are right now. You might get to the next place and it might be better & easier than you could ever imagine right now.

My point to my post was simply to let people know that even though Jim & I are divorced, the CG was not the cause of our divorce. Its hard but it can be so much fun, too!! Good luck girly! How's that little munchkin doing? I hope the pregnancy is a good & happy one.

Macie

Macie-

At this point I'm very bitter towards all the benefits and being excited about new places...All I want is to be back in San Antonio and be in my home. I'm for sure one of those people who can't adjust to the military wife lifestyle and now that I'm here I know that it's not the life for me. At this point there is no way I would support a career lifestyle, it's possible that the next station will change my mind but it'd have to be something awesome cause this is the billet from heck. His Chiefs wife said after 14 years in that this was by far the worst billet they have ever had, so it's not just my imagination.

I totally get your point in the post, I just know that the CG can impact a marriage in a negative way as well.

Mae is doing good, getting so big and is turning two on the 24th of this month! I can't believe it! Pregnancy is going good, everything is looking good. I've started to pick out names...I'm pretty excited about them =)