Are you ready to make the leap?

2012 is a leap year – a time when, traditionally, as you may know, women are ‘allowed’ to propose to men. And, whether you’re on the male or female side of that equation, it’s clearly an event that requires a fair degree of preparation. Prepare to ask and prepare to be asked – just in case! – so you are ready to react to the consequences, good or bad. Most readers will be aware of the maxim ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ and – much like a leap-year proposal – your move into a new, civilan career is an unusual event: it’s not something that comes along every day (indeed probably only once in a lifetime), and yet it’s an occurrence that also requires solid preparation. Perhaps even more so than a proposal of marriage – unexpected or otherwise!
And, because your next move on leaving the Services is something you’ve been fully expecting and – it is to be hoped – working towards and planning for, you will know that your preparations, laying the groundwork for your future, will make all the difference between success and failure … between making the leap successfully and crashing back to down to earth like the disappointed recipient of a refused proposal.

Life hinges on such key defining moments for all of us. Each one is influential in its own way and can have an important bearing on the rest of our lives. So, when it comes to such pivotal moments, the decisions we take are of the utmost importance. Like a happy and successful marriage, your next move career-wise could, with the right approach and preparation, set you up for fulfilling future employment, which is surely something that all our readers are seeking.
If the idea of personal fulfilment career-wise excites you, you may be considering self-employment. If you are, you will no doubt be aware that conventional wisdom holds that it makes sense for you to work for someone else first, before starting your own business. That way, you can learn how the civilian world operates (at someone else’s expense) and experience the realities of cash flow, VAT, equal opportunities, expenses and marketing, before taking full responsibility for them yourself. That really is solid preparation!

Or perhaps you should go for a franchise (as featured in this month’s edition), which will ensure that you receive support from an experienced organisation to help you negotiate your early learning curve. With franchising, you will receive assistance with critical business factors that you may not otherwise identify for yourself, and will be able to take advantage of a tried-and-tested model that has already succeeded elsewhere. Similarly, working as a manager for an umbrella company offers the opportunity for you to, by and large, run the show, but with the security of established back-up as and when needed.

Although the above advice has much to recommend it, it is possible that an immediate start-up is something that a few people can tackle successfully – although it clearly makes sense to test your bright idea while you are still earning a salary in the Services, if you can – between tours, of course. Ideas may be based around military skills, or something quite different and personal. For example, the team that established British Military Fitness exported training that is familiar to every Service person to the outside world. Other Service leavers have formed small TV production companies, produced souvenirs and insignia, and opened specialist shops. These days, more and more people are enjoying interests, hobbies and activities that used to attract only tiny audiences. So, there is room for individuals and small teams to seize on an interest and exploit it commercially. But, as ever, preparation is the key!

And, if you are following the more conventional route of working for someone else, to help you prepare fully for this, too, there are ELC – which we take a close look at in this edition – ideal for the key core modules of learning, at level 3 or above. During your last years and in your resettlement phase, SLC and IRTC can be used for specialist qualifications, specific awards or to ‘top up’ earlier learning. Only you can decide what to learn, how and when.

As well as ELC, this edition of Quest also looks at the security industry – an area familiar to all Service people, and where, as the sector becomes more regulated, Forces training and experience is becoming ever more relevant. Similarly, oil and gas exploration and delivery have many trades and skills in common with the Armed Forces. Britain is crying out for skilled construction workers to join a workforce that is ageing, especially as the sector is predicted to pick up from the second half of this year. Fand, as mentioned above, for the budding entrepreneur, we cover franchising – what it is, how to research it and how to find out if it is right for you. And perhaps you are more suited to a future in health and safety than you think? Check out our feature in this issue. Finally, in a new article for Quest, our resident business coach Keith Turnbull takes an honest look at some of the difficulties that might arise when you make the transition from your military career to being back home on a permanent basis.

And don’t forget that in-depth articles on all the career areas covered by Quest during the course of the year are always available on our website: visit www.questonline.co.uk and click on ‘Careers A–Z’ for the full list.

Above all, when it comes to the impending marriage between you and the demanding ‘other half’ of your career, the key is as ever to think ahead and act early. And, like a leap-year marriage proposal, change can certainly be something to accept gracefully – provided you have already put in the preparation necessary for a flourishing future!