<p>I know there is a lot of overlap between the military and the AE field for obvious reasons, so I imagine there are a lot of veterans in the private sector as well. Do they bring the military culture with them?</p>
<p>Edit: epic typo in topic name. sorry!</p>
<p>Nope. Not that I or anyone else that I know have ever witnessed unless perhaps you work for AFRL or something.</p>
<p>Are you trying to avoid or cling to it?</p>
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<p>Avoid. </p>
<p>Disclaimer: I recognize that there are exceptions to everything I say here.</p>
<p>I served. I know that all organizations have some degree of a pecking order, but the military wears it on their shoulder (or collar/hat). Your opinion is only heard if you have the right rank. The culture discourages constructive criticism and asking “why” and is the cause for a lot of the serious efficiency issues in the military. Innovation and creativity are severely hindered because sticking out of the crowd is the worst offense. I want to work in an organization where critical thinking is not only permitted, but sacred.</p>
<p>In the private sector, if a leader doesn’t perform well, they get replaced. In the military, leaders are picked for their rank/seniority. Their goals are not to lead well, but to persuade the government to increase their unit’s funding so they can implement some terrible idea they had that will be labeled a great success as long as it doesn’t result in something catastrophic. </p>
<p>Leaders in the military tend to think that they are Gods that should never be questioned. They believe that they are entitled to their position because they joined ROTC and/or have been in for X amount of years. I have worked with retired military who got civilian jobs with the military, and I found that they sometimes brought this mentality with them as civilians. </p>
<p>Oh, and if some idiot I work with gets a DUI, I don’t want to be called in on a weekend to receive group punishment for it.</p>
<p>This was my experience in one branch of the military. I am sorry if you feel differently and/or had a different experience. I know these issues are not unique to the military, but they are in my experience much more pronounced. I had a great experience in the military and wouldn’t change it for the world, I just couldn’t work in that environment long-term.</p>
<p>Kamel,</p>
<p>After reading that, I have zero doubt you were in the military and I left for similar reasons. Trying to improve a process or save money only meant your unit would get less money next year, and that was frowned upon.</p>
<p>Yep. It’s a broken system.</p>