Saturday, November 7, 2009

Career Burnout & the Benefits of Deployment, Travel & Port Visits

90-days is a long time for some but to most it’s an enjoyable time. Here are 4 items I have learned from the last 4 port visit related to Career & Benefits:

Use your benefits & save Money: When asked a Sailor, did you enjoy Bahrain? The usual answer would be, I have been there and it’s boring. Sign up for tours and explore the country. Not only you save money from subsidize rate of MWR but you don’t walk around and end up buying “stuff” because you are bored or you did not do anything on days but sleep and more energized at night going to clubs (something I regretted doing during my younger years). Did you know that an “unguided” all-day tour bus of New York City cost around $75 (you only pay an average $35 for a full guided tour on different country courtesy of the Navy)

Your attitude and manners 24 hours / day matters. This is the new and more competitive Navy and your posture on and off duty could affect your career in the long run. Develop a good habit and know every culture of the country you are visiting.

Appreciate the Respect & Honor you get: As you email your friends and they find out that you are out and about defending our country in harms way – you gain more admiration and their high opinion of you increases as you continue to deploy.

Spend quality time. Those times in port should not be wasted: call your family, send package and tell them how much part they have in this campaign. Spending quality time at work is also important by efficiently using your break by means of programs like MWR, ESWS / EAWS, NCPACE, Navy Reading, United through Reading, collateral duties and others means to prevent job-burnout from your 12 hour work. Lastly, one thing I regret from my 1st few years in the Navy was having only photos mostly of drinking spirits in a bar and never earned my warfare sooner.

If you have any valuable career advice to pass that may help a Sailor out, don’t keep it to yourself,
submit your counsel, guidance & opinion to Career Wise editor and be a mentor to many.

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