Balancing a Job While Being in the Military?

I've heard people can have civilian jobs while serving in the military. How does that work? Is it realistic to pursue a career outside the military while serving, or should I focus on just one thing?

The reality of balancing a civilian job while serving in the military varies depending on the type of service you opt for—active duty, reserves, or National Guard.

Active duty is a full-time commitment. Military members on active duty are deployed for months at a stretch, with duty hours varying greatly depending on job specifications and deployments. The intensive time commitment makes maintaining a parallel civilian career challenging while on active duty.

However, if you opt to serve in the Reserves or National Guard, you are only required to commit the equivalent of one weekend each month and two weeks per year for training, allowing for a civilian career during the rest of the time. Many reservists and guardsmen maintain full-time civilian jobs or pursue higher education during their term of service.

Remember, even in Reserve or Guard roles, your military responsibilities must always take precedence. It requires a strong commitment and disciplined time management skills, especially during periods of deployment, training, and duties. Moreover, it's important to maintain a transparent relationship with your civilian employer regarding your military obligations.

Lastly, some might leverage their military skills to advance their civilian careers. This could be in areas like medicine, engineering, IT, law, etc., where the skill set learned in the military is directly applicable to civilian jobs.

So, it is realistic to have a career outside the military while serving, as long as you're in the reserves or National Guard and you manage your time wisely. Check with your local military recruiter for more personalized guidance.