Late bloomer's job prospects?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Will employers at top companies ask for references from the military (I was enlisted before I started college)? </p>

<p>Basically - I have four years of military school/work and don't have any great references from that time period. My job involved sitting at a computer by myself barely interacting with anyone (never deployed etc). For that reason, I'd talk to my supervisor once per week or so. During my 2 years working, my supervisor changed about every 3-4 months (they'd get deployed, sent to training, etc) and never got to know me. </p>

<p>So, unless I hunt down someone who at best barely remembers me for a reference, I have nobody to account for 4 years of my life.</p>

<p>Edit: The reason I could see this looking bad is because the military offers so many ways for an ambitious person to distinguish themselves - and I didn't.</p>

2

<p>I completely agree… I haven’t been asked for anyone specific yet. I just state I received an honorable discharge and a few awards I won on my resume. But, if someone were to ask, I don’t even know how to get in touch with previous supervisors, the best I could do is old colleagues.</p>

3

<p>Yeah, all of my old boss’s have changed duty stations a few times, that’s just how the military rolls.</p>

4

<p>I would recommend making a Linkedin account and trying to find them that way. I have been asked for my old supervisors for references for a security clearance it was a pain when I had no contact info for them.</p>

5

<p>Get some internships or participate in undergraduate research. Then you have references.</p>