Employment Gap

[bjj3345]

Hey everyone, been lurking for quite some time and had a quick question for those in the know.

I joined the Army straight out of high school back in 1999, served for a little over 4 years (stop lossed), then ETS'd. After ETS'ing I soon enrolled in college and have been studying computer science for the past 4 years. I am about to graduate, and was considering applying for an open police officer position here locally. The thing I'm worried about is I've not had any jobs, except for a 4 day temporary stint at a local ISP, in the last 4 years while going to school. Just wondering if you guys/gals think this lack of employment history will be looked at negatively.

Thanks in advance for your help/advice.

[TheCoolHypedOne]

You did 4 years of duty...what job is better than serving your country? on top of that you have a 4 year degree. This sounds better than good to me.

[Wanabe]

From undergoing several processing i can say they will def. ask how did you support yourself without a job for that long. If you have a good answer then it wont raise any flags i dont believe. On the other hand i have no clue at how they will look at the fact that you have never had a job and havent worked for so long because your past employer is a big aspect looked at to determine how responsible you are, but you also have military under you and a degree. Honestly i dont think you should have any problem. Keep in mind i am not a investigator or a LEO just someone who has been around it for a few years now and i can only speak from questions asked to me and the reactions given.

[bjj3345]

First of all, thank you both for you input. I really appreciate it.

I supported myself through college by drawing a check every month from GIBill and Army College Fund. It was more than enough to pay the bills/tuition, so I never bothered getting a job; just focused on school. I see both of your points and am still somewhat worried that my lack of need/desire to get a job for the past 4 years would be looked at negatively.

Anyone else have input? Thanks again.

[Kimble]

If you had a legal, legitimate method of supporting yourself while full-time in school (ex: GI bill), you're fine. If you were grindin' crack on the street corner, you'd have a problem, but if Uncle Sam was floating your ride during college because of your service, I couldn't imagine any department having issue with that... assuming you're not delinquent on any of your bills or have tremendous credit card debt due to using your Visa to buy Papa Johns, Natural Light, and textbooks.

[jm1985]

I'm not a police officer so I can't say for sure, but I have been through the hiring process a few times. I have a 4 year degree with no military background. I have had numerous jobs with different employers throughout HS and College and I can say that I would feel more confident if I were in your shoes with military experience and no employment history. Besides like thecoolhypedone said serving your country is a job, and it's one that takes more committment and hard work than any job in an office or department store. So IMO if you have a clean background you won't have trouble getting hired.

[bjj3345]

Thanks again everyone for your input. It's made me feel a bit better about turning in this app. After sitting and thinking about it, I don't know what I'm worried about. It's not like I can change anything. So I'm just going to hand in the application tomorrow and hope for the best. I'll be sure to post a followup with my success or failure in hopes that the information will help someone else in the future with a similar situation/question.

Thanks again, and good luck to those applying.

[lcc0305]

Just make sure you indicate on the application that you were a full-time student during those dates. You probably already knew to do that, but I thought I'd throw that in.

[retdetsgt]

You sound like a good applicant so far. Don't sweat that part.

Good luck.

[Kyle G]

From undergoing several processing i can say they will def. ask how did you support yourself without a job for that long. If you have a good answer then it wont raise any flags i dont believe. On the other hand i have no clue at how they will look at the fact that you have never had a job and havent worked for so long because your past employer is a big aspect looked at to determine how responsible you are, but you also have military under you and a degree. Honestly i dont think you should have any problem. Keep in mind i am not a investigator or a LEO just someone who has been around it for a few years now and i can only speak from questions asked to me and the reactions given.

4 lettersMGIB. Its funny because there was a dozen people i knew that elected not to participate in it.

[normal1]

I have worked in IT for 7 years and 6 of those 7 years have been working as a Consultant and Contractor. I have been (technically) fired 4 times in those 6 years, so yeah, I think it's fair to say that I have _way_ more to worry about than you when it comes to employment history. That said, I wish I had your history lol - Best of luck.

Give it a go and see what happens! And thank you for your service!

[bjj3345]

Thanks for the encouragement and advice. I wanted to give an update and say that I got a call earlier from the Chief asking if I would be willing to come in and take a written exam. Of course I said yes, now I have to figure out what will be on the exam lol.

@ Kyle G: MGIB was a godsend. I too know of several people that elected to opt out. MGIB + ACF + Top-Up program had me making more money after I ETS'd and wasn't working then when I was active duty. lol

Thanks again all.