Job Advice for Transitioning Operations Specialists (OS)

1..  Resume
Get your resume complete and make it look PROFESSIONAL.  I have reviewed numerous resumes from college grads and transitioning sailors over the past few months, and their resume's sucked.  It looked like they put it together while sitting at Starbucks, with no thought or very much care. After all, any company you send your resume to, this will be their first impression of you.  Make yourself stand out.  With budget cuts and lay-offs, folks with advanced degrees and numerous years of experience will probably be competing with you for the same job.  Just want to pass on some basic resume tips:

• Make sure you spell check and grammar check.
• Make sure you are using the proper words. For example: their vs there, too vs to vs two, sea vs see, etc..
• I personally do not mind "Navy Lingo" since I understand it.  However, there are some recruiters and hiring managers that don't know what specific acronyms might mean.  If you use an acronym in your resume, make sure you define it, ie "I was the Leading Petty Officer (LPO) in a division of approximately 45 subordinate personnel...."
• Make sure you expand on your LPO duties - to include leadership, supervision, responsibility, etc..
• Make sure you include any personal awards/quals beyond the basics, such as a NAM, ESWS, Purple Heart, etc.  Good conduct awards is nice..but they are a dime a dozen.  So are sea service ribbons, etc..
• If you can get letters of recommendation from your LCPO, DIV-O, OPS BOSS, XO and CO, that would be awesome.  But I think letters of recommendation through the OPS Boss is more realistic.

2.  Job Opportunities
There are lots of opportunities available, and to be honest, quite difficult to capture them all here in an email.  So, I will try to give you some basic types of places to look.  Of course, it all depends on where you want to relocate.  Be advised, relocation expenses USED to be the norm.  Now, with our current economic situation, that benefit has pretty much ended.  So, wherever you land, you will have to move there on your own expense.

• GCCS-M:  From my days in the C4ISR community, there were NUMEROUS opportunities for GCCS-M operators and technicians.  Since I have been out of that area for the past few years, I am not sure what the requirement might be for those kinds of people.  But I assume with CANES in full swing by now, the requirement for GCCSM experience hasn't decreased.  However,  I do believe that the majority of the jobs for GCCS-M will be out in San Diego, since that's where SPAWAR is located.  SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare - http://www.spawar.navy.mil) is the system command that oversees GCCS-M.  You *MIGHT* be able to score a job working the GCCS-J program.  However, I assume that work will mostly be with the other services (Army, Marines, and Air Force)
  
• AEGIS:  Lots of work in AEGIS right now, since we started building more DDG 51class ships.  You should be able to utilize your AEGIS skills in various areas such as T&E (Test and Evaluation), Validation and Verification.  Also, AEGIS is going thru this "Modernization" effort for the older CGs and DDGs.  So, you could get involved with that here in DC.
• SSDS:  Same as AEGIS. Plus we (the Navy) are building new CVNs and a bunch of new amphibs.  LSD(X) is in the planning stages and is supposed to start construction in 2017/2018 timeframe.  I don't know much about the amphib side though.
• Operations/Staff Duty:  Might also want to check out jobs supporting the Atlantic/Pacific Fleet commands. God knows there are enough of them.  The jobs there could be varied and probably extremely admin in nature dealing with ship operations, mission/exercise planning, TYCOM (Type Commander) availability planning  etc.
  

3.  Job Searches
a.  Web Searches (the usual suspects) using keywords such as: Navy, USN, WNY, Navy Yard, NAVSEA, Naval Sea Systems Command, PEO IWS, PEO SHIPS, SEA 21, DDG Mod, CG Mod, GCCS-M, GCCS-J, AEGIS, SSDS, Amphibs, LPD, LHD, CVN -21,etc..

• Monster.com
• DefenseTalent.com
• clearancejobs.com
• indeed.com
• USAjobs.gov (FYI..government/civil service jobs.  Will need a degree for any job with Navy)
• WashingtonPost.com
• Norfolk/Va Beach Paper
• SanDiegoTribune.com

b.  Locations: For the best chance of finding a good job utilizing your Navy experience

• Norfolk/Va Beach (NSWC PHD VB Detachment, Atlantic Fleet Commands)
  
• King George/Dahlgren VA (NSWC Dahlgren)
• Washington DC (Washington Navy Yard, NAVSEA, NAVFAC, etc)
• Washington DC Metro (includes Northern Va and Maryland)
• San Diego (PACFLT Commands, SPAWAR/SSC)
  
• Los Angeles/Oxnard (NSWC PHD)

c.  Major USN Defense Contractors (you can use the location and keyword search from above when looking at these companies for jobs)

• Lockheed Martin
• Northrop Grumman
• Raytheon
• General Dynamics - Advanced Information Services
• BAE Systems
• SAIC
• AMSEC
• Gryphon
• TASC
• TSC
• DRS Technologies
• Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH)
• Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA)
• Plus, there are ton's and ton's of small contractor/contracting companies.

Watch Out If You're Opposed To Queer Nation

Is it just me, or is this country going downhill EXTREMELY fast since Obama was elected? And he still has 60-something days till he assumes his dicktatorship. It surely does not bode well, seeing what the next 4 years may have in store for us. Maybe its time to find that island in the south Pacific, or some other country to live in temporarily till the country straightens itself out. Or, a more radical idea, the country should just divide itself. The Left-Wingers can move (AND STAY) west of the Mississippi, and the Conservative Right-Wingers can stay east of the Mississippi. We will then have the United States of America (East Coast) and ObamaQueerNation (West Coast).

Speaking of dicks..

I thought I would take a break on my Anti-Obama tirade(s) of late, to address another issue that has dominated the news since our General Election on November 4th. I previously blogged about QueerNation/HomoPhobia. It appears that the homosexuals in our nation are not happy as of late, and if you don't support them, prepare for the onslaught.

Opponents of gay marriage in California are suffering the effects of a childish tantrum thrown by those who lost on Proposition 8. There have been attacks on Mormons for leading the fight for the ballot initiative as well as racial slurs hurled at African Americans because 70% of them voted "Yes" to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Now these activists have taken their derangement to another level; they are publishing lists of ordinary people and businesses who donated to the "Yes on 8" coalition:

In addition to protests, gay activists have begun publishing lists online exposing individuals and organizations who have donated money in support of Proposition 8. On AntiGayBlacklist.com, individuals who gave money toward Proposition 8 are publicized, with readers urged not to patronize their businesses or services. The list of donors was culled from data on ElectionTrack.com, which follows all contributions of over $1,000 and all contributions of over $100 given before October 17. Dentists, accountants, veterinarians and the like who gave a few thousand dollars to the cause are listed alongside major donors like the Container Supply Co., Inc. of Garden Grove, Calif., which gave $250,000. "Anyone who steps into a political fight aimed at taking away fundamental rights from fellow citizens opens themselves up to criticism," said Wolfson. "The First Amendment gives them the right of freedom of speech and to support political views, but people also have the right to criticize them."

This is stupid and self defeating. Rather than trying to change their opinion, they are making these people enemies for life. And carrying out in such a manner like this against people who oppose gay marriage based on their religious beliefs borders on bigotry.

There are other means of protest to make your displeasure known than targeting individuals. The ONLY thing this childish attitude accomplishes is that it will alienate the "straight" voters and such propositions will have their fate sealed next time its on the ballot.

Just a final thoughts. Where is the ACLU to protect these individuals and business owners right and privacy to contribute to political issues? Isn't it in their charter to support ALL citizens civil liberties? If they just want to support the radical left, they should change their name to reflect it. Last time I checked, the political process is our most fundamental right and obligation as Americans. It's amazing that those who supported "Prop 8" are not publishing lists of businesses and individuals who financially supported the "Vote No" on Proposition 8. Maybe we should take the fight to their level. We are more educated and mature than that. Thats why it will never happen.

Why do fags always think the "straight" people are out to get them? Are they heterophobic?

Obamaconomy

So far as I can tell, no one has ever figured out how to simultaneously grow an economy and reduce the gap between rich and poor. When economies grow, the poor get richer and the rich get richer, but the rich get richer faster because they make more investments. When economies shrink the opposite happens: the poor get poorer, but the rich get poorer faster as they watch their investments shrivel.

So if a President wanted to, say, "spread the wealth around" or "redistribute the wealth" he'd find himself faced with a stark choice. Is he prepared to cause a recession, or even a depression, in order to achieve this goal?

Because I believe that's the only way to achieve it.

How does this impact our current Presidential contest?

Barack Obama has proposed to do two things that will give us an idea as to which way he wants to go on the question of whether to grow the economy or spread the wealth.

He has proposed a "tax-the-rich and give 95% of us a tax rebate" policy. Anyone paying attention already knows that 40% of the country doesn't pay any Federal Income tax, so they would get a government hand-out. A check in the mail. A "rebate" for taxes they never paid and never would have paid. A chicken in every pot.

If it sounds like the promise of a politician unconcerned with the truth that's because it is.

Obama has also proposed to let the Bush tax cuts of 2001 expire. He hasn't said it as many times as he has promised not to raise taxes on 95% of the country, but it remains part of his written platform. If this happens taxes will rise for 100% of all Americans who pay taxes. Some people who didn't earn enough to pay taxes in 2008 will suddenly find themselves bearing some of the burden again.

Meanwhile, the poorest people will still get their welfare *cough* I mean "rebate" check.

Why is it Obama can say with a straight face that he will cut taxes for 95% when he'll actually raise taxes for 100%? Because the Bush tax cuts were enacted by a Republican administration. That's why. To the Democratic Party leadership, they lack legitimacy. They don't count as something that really happened. And when they expire, it just means things are returning to normal. The dark days are over, and we get to start over from where the Democrats left off under the Clinton Administration.

Ergo, raising your taxes doesn't actually count as raising your taxes.

What will happen when taxes go up? Obama will turn a recession into a depression that might last 3 years, until somebody gets elected to rescue the country from him.

Will the Democratic Party see a recession, or a depression, as a bad thing? Not if their goal is to "spread the wealth around". A recession or a depression will result in a reduction of the gap between rich and poor. They will have achieved their objective, and in the process they can press forward on their agenda to de-legitimize not only the last 8 years of the Bush presidency, but to de-legitimize all economy policy begun since the time of Ronald Reagan.

Take us back to the days of malaise under Jimmy Carter.

I kid you not. This is where we're going if Obama gets elected.

Unless he's smarter than he looks(which is possible since he looks like a complete inbred moron), and "spreading the wealth around" is as much of a lie as giving 95% of us a tax break is. If he really wants the economy to grow, all he has to do is leave the Bush tax cuts alone. Recognize that Republican presidents are legitimate, and their policies aren't perpetually and permanently harmful.

Is that so hard for a Democrat to do? Yes it is.

Embarrass "The One" and Face the Consquences

For a frightening preview of the consequences of questioning Barack Obama consider the case of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka Joe the Plumber.

While the ACLU, shrieking right to privacy, chastises the government for legally tapping a person's phone in the interests of protecting its citizens, they have been strangely silent about the numerous Ohio government workers who plumbed the state's computers seeking personal information on dangerous private citizen Joe the Plumber after he had the sheer audacity to question the Democratic presidential nominee. Little Green Footballs has a round up of a couple of these illegal searches on Plumber Joe.

Helen Jones-Kelly, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, confirmed today that she OK’d the check on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher following the Oct. 15 presidential debate.

She said there were no political reasons for the check on the sudden presidential campaign fixture through the Support Enforcement Tracking System. (snip) Amid questions from the media and others about “Joe the Plumber,” Jones-Kelley said she approved a check to determine if he was current on any ordered child-support payments. Such information was not and cannot be publicly shared, she said.

Sure. Right.

Oh, and by a totally amazing coincidence. Helen Jones-Kelly also happens to be a maximum $2300 contributor to the Barack Obama campaign.

Proving their abilities to spot the country's real enemies and investigate and out them

Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner admitted yesterday that a member of the media made the request of the Toledo Police Department for Joe ‘the Plumber’ Wurzelbacher’s records, NewsTalk 1370 WSPD is reporting.

The police clerk who so willingly complied with the media is now being charged with Gross Misconduct. The cowardly media person who was so willing to violate Wurzelbacher's privacy for some juicy non scoop has not been identified--probably claiming the right to privacy.

You Don't Say..Obama Supporters Break Privacy Laws Using Government Computers??

Stopping at nothing to slime an ordinary citizen who only asked a question of Obama, some media outlets apparently used information available only from government computers - private, protected information on Joe the Plumber - in their attempts to smear him:

"Public records requested by The Dispatch disclose that information on Wurzelbacher's driver's license or his sport-utility vehicle was pulled from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times shortly after the debate.

Information on Wurzelbacher was accessed by accounts assigned to the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers, the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Toledo Police Department.

It has not been determined who checked on Wurzelbacher, or why. Direct access to driver's license and vehicle registration information from BMV computers is restricted to legitimate law enforcement and government business.

Paul Lindsay, Ohio spokesman for the McCain campaign, attempted to portray the inquiries as politically motivated. "It's outrageous to see how quickly Barack Obama's allies would abuse government power in an attempt to smear a private citizen who dared to ask a legitimate question," he said."

The Obama campaign denies they were involved.

There is no doubt in my mind that they were involved. However, the media was the workhorse in this effort to dig up as much dirt on Joe that they could find. Many reporters have their own sources in these departments who, either for free or a small fee, will access the information requested. The trick for the reporter is not to directly divulge where they got the information thus protecting their source as well as giving themselves plausible deniability if their editor asks. The journalists will usually use the information as background and to generate leads on where to look for other, legally obtainable information.

But this is usually done to do stories on criminals or people accused of a crime. Employing these tactics on an ordinary citizen is outrageous abuse and smacks of police state tactics. Any journalist - or Obama partisan - who accessed these records should be tracked down and arrested.

The case of Joe the Plumber brings to mind Reagan-era Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan's famous words after being acquitted on trumped up charges by Democrats:

"Where do I go to get my reputation back?"

Given how the press has gone after Joe, no doubt he will be asking the same question.

Just What Is He Afraid Of..

Evidently, Obama was here in my hometown today, speaking at our university. Too bad football was more important than going there to protest. However, had I known, I would have been there, signs and banners in hand, and just daring his GOONS to do something about it...

From the Free-Lance Star...

What a douche. Is this a preview of things to come?

Remembering 9/11

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks that forever changed our nation. Please remember and honor those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, as well as those who responded with courage and selflessness in the aftermath. I urge you to also take a moment to remember the victims of terrorist acts around the world, and to HONOR and THANK our armed forces everywhere who continue to serve bravely to safeguard our freedoms.

Sick and Tired of the Political Left

Noted Obama Disciple and traitor to this country(as far as I am concerned), Camille Paglia writes in this months Salon.com:

"Oh, the sadomasochistic tedium of McCain's imprisonment in Hanoi being told over and over and over again at the Republican convention. Do McCain's credentials for the White House really consist only of that horrific ordeal? Americans owe every heroic, wounded veteran an incalculable debt of gratitude, but how do McCain's sufferings in a tiny, squalid cell 40 years ago logically translate into presidential aptitude in the 21st century? Cast him a statue or slap his name on a ship, and let's turn the damned page."

I am really get sick and tired of reading and listening to the Democrat/Communist "issue" that they seem to think that John McCain is only running for President because he was a POW during the Vietnam War. NOBODY ever claimed that this was his qualification. John McCain even debunked those rumors.

This is the deal. John McCain served his country in one of the darkest, loneliest places on earth, a place few have been and where none would ever want to be. Upon capture, he was initially denied any medical treatment and left to die. He did not die, he chose to fight on. He was routinely interrogated and tortured, but he continued to fight. He was offered freedom by his captors, he refused. He was brutally beaten, broke under tremendous pressure, and then had to rekindle that spirit to fight. Put simply, John McCain stood tall in Hell.

For the five years he was imprisoned, John McCain had to face the consequences of his decisions alone. By contrast, Senator Obama's was able to dodge difficult decisions by voting "present." One of the hardest decisions by John McCain was to choose to stay imprisoned when his captors would let him go. By contrast, a difficult decision for Senator Obama was to move his nomination acceptance speech from an arena that housed 40,000 to a stadium that could seat 80,000. One person made the decision to honor his country, the other to exalt himself.

There are many other admirable qualities, such as intelligence, which qualify John McCain to be president. What John McCain's "horrific ordeal" represents is human self-sacrifice. John McCain sacrificed himself, i.e.: his body, for this country. Only a man that loves America, this nation of human liberty, would so sacrifice. That is the greatest of all reasons to elect someone to be President - Love of America - Loyalty to America - Sacrifice for America.

That leftwing twit, Camille Paglia desperately wants to turn the page because she does not want to be constantly reminded of the fact that the Republicans have a heroic veteran and her side does not. There is nothing in Senator Barak Obama's life that can come close to the circumstances John McCain had to face alone....and that is Presidential. Presidents have to make tough decisions and live with those consequences. Of the two candidates, I know John McCain will make the right decision when he is all alone. He has demonstrated that ability and that is experience that cannot be matched by his opponent.

Ms Paglia, you are a obviously left wing sloth with no ability to see what is good for this country and what is bad. Maybe we should cast a statue of you, and put it in NYC's Central Park, that way all the doves and birds can roost and shit on it. Better yet, just leave America and join your brethren in some other left-wing nonsense country.