The Global SOF Foundation (GSF) jointly hosted the inaugural Modern Warfare Symposium and Expo at the Iron Mike Conference Center on Fort Bragg last month. Following the two-day event, we supported a SOF for Life transition seminar hosted by Joe Musselman of The Honor Foundation (THF).
I have participated in a few of these, and to be frank, I learn a lot each time I sit in. Joe provides a lot of material in an eight-hour session, and it is really eye-opening. The seminar participants leave inspired and focused on making their transition great.
THF’s Full Transition Course: Higher Salaries in Less Time
THF’s main focus, however, is a 15-week transition course that meets for 3 hours every Tuesday and Thursday evening. They run a Fall and Spring course, and their results are unmatched. They are getting over 95% of their “Fellows” (graduates) placed into careers within 23 days of their transition from Active Duty.
To give you some idea of how good that is, the SOF for Life Program has conducted a transition survey with over 550 responses. In the survey, the average person was underemployed or unemployed for 9 – 15 months. Yes, you read that right.
THF fellows’ average salary is over $125,000, and that number goes up every year. To give you a sense of how that stacks up to the SOF for Life Transition Survey results, the average salary post-Active Duty is $70,000 – 85,000 for E8s through O5s. Some get more and some get less, but that is the norm outside of Washington, DC.
To give you a better idea of what THF does, I encourage you to watch this short video clip about the Foundation.
It’s 2018…Of course you can participate virtually!
THF has three campuses, but they also have a new Virtual Course. The U.S. SOF community is spread out across the country and with forces deployed all across the globe. The number of deployments is going down, but the force will always have a high DEPTEMPO. Often, for SOF deployed or based away from a THF Campus, the THF Virtual Course will be their only hope.
If you are an operator or a SOF enabler assigned to a SOF unit, then you are eligible to apply. The application process requires you to do some work, but it’s worth the time you put in. The course is also free once you get in.
I would encourage everyone that is 18 – 24 months from leaving the service to go online and apply at: https://www.honor.org/
Don’t mess up your transition.
I have been out for 4.5 years, and in that period of time I have witnessed a lot of people leaving active duty. Those who prepare and invest in the process do well. Those with a “friend” or “buddy” who is taking care of them generally struggle…and some run into serious issues.
If you are not sure what your plan is going to be, you need to pull the trigger and take the course. Your nation has invested in you, and you have done things most people can never do. Those strengths can be applied to “life after the military” and THF Virtual Courses offer you something beyond standard TAP programs, and it’s designed specifically for SOF.
If you have any questions about SOF for Life, THF, or the Virtual Course, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
– Stu
GSF President & CEO