old crow

Bay Area resident here. For the record, all the weapons/magazines/ammo I had when I retired were lost in a tragic boating accident and I was unable save anything before I moved to CA. I am now totally defenseless like all the law-abiding citizens in CA. Of course you should comply with all state laws, but I have heard people say that local government officials only know what you tell them.

You could just have said "typical Californian" (From a guy suffering life in the Bay Area)

I just closed on a VA IRRRL with Amy (PilotWife2) from NBKC. I got a fantastic rate on a VA Jumbo loan (thanks CA). Contact her direct to see what she can do for you. This is my second time using NBKC and they've been great both times. I'm a very lazy man and I barely had to lift a finger to complete the paperwork. Two Thumbs Up.

Thanks. Stupid CA home prices preventing me from getting below $510k for a bit longer.

What would the going rate for a VA 30yr (had it for 5yrs already), 800+ credit score, $600k refinance in CA?

Anyone got the Bowflex 1090 adjustable dumbbells? Is it a 30% discount on those as well?

I had the pleasure of 3 bottles of the Younger last month...amazing. If the Elder is selling for $7+ a bottle, I shudder at the Younger pricing. Sorry to derail this thread.

Where the hell can you find a case of Pliny? Best I can find is individual bottles.

Stop...just stop

"2" to JeremiahWeed and Day Man. 1-page resume with clean/professional look (no stupid-ass fonts), "civilianized" job titles. and metric-based bullets devoid of military jargon. Ignore the garbage that TAP (taught/teaches) for resumes. YMMV with TAP, just reflecting on my TAP. STAR. Learn it...love it or get smashed in interviews.

Networking...I got nuthin special to recommend. LinkedIn can help, but it all boils down to who you know. Former colleagues, people from the gym, school, church, Grinder, etc. Don't be afraid to reach out Recruiters. Yup...use them as best you can. I've gotten great offers/opportunities from corporate recruiters reaching out to me on LinkedIn. Pimp your LinkedIn account and remember that it is NOT Facebook. Random resume blasting. Not much success for me. Prep Yourself: 1. Start early. I started a year before retirement (and did it half-assed) and I was way behind the curve. 2. PMP is useful. Don't just think passing the test will be enough to get hired. PMP will help you stand out, but it's not a magic bullet. I was able to work "Project/Program Manager" into my last two OPRs to help demonstrate tangible examples. 3. Six Sigma/Lean. Depends. Since retirement I've worked in production for Amazon and in non-defense manufacturing. Six Sigma was useful in getting both of those jobs (more than PMP). I went with Villanova to get my Green Belt just so there was a legit school/organization behind the training. I don't see the value in getting a Black Belt for my current/future job. 4. STAR format interviews. Learn how to answer questions in STAR format and practice often. Part of the issue(s) I've seen interviewing veterans is translating what they did in the military into "civilian speak". Lose the acronyms and tell me about metrics. I highly recommend the book "How to Interview like a Top MBA" for examples. 5. Metrics. I wish I had a better knowledge of Excel and data manipulation/visualization. If I could go back in time, I'd work on getting super smart on Excel (macros, pivot tables, slicers, dashboards, etc). In my civ experience, metrics win battles and wars. No one gives a shit about my Powerpoint Ranger skills.

YMMV. I told them I was only available for one location...the one close to my house. Wasn't a problem. Also, when I interviewed folks for Amazon, that was NOT one of the questions I asked. (In fairness, that question might be asked by the recruiter or HR). "Too many 12 hour days"....yup....like every day. Holiday season (Peak) is the worst...16+ hour days 6 days a week, but it's all part of the "wonderful" experience. Big 2 on the PMP. I've found it to be very helpful post-AF. However, I found the Syracuse program to be crap...didn't prep me to pass the exam. Some of it may be my fault for treating it like a CBT, but still. (The exam is no joke...don't expect to pass without a lot of studying). I did a 1-week Boot Camp for $2K. Passed the test first try. Consider the Boot Camp + $500 exam fee + yearly PMI membership to be an investment in yourself. PMP + MBA + military = $$$. (And having Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, etc on your resume/LinkedIn helps a lot as well).

Not sure it's a "golden unicorn" but here's some details about a certain large company that rhymes with "Bmazon": - Loves hiring military officers. FGOs typically roll into an Operations Manager job. CGOs/SNCOs into an Area Manager job. My OM counterparts were all retired O-5/O-6s and most were former AF pilots. - Operations Manager = $110K-ish per year + $50K first year bonus....plus stock. Second year bonus is $45K. Awarded 300+ shares of stock upon hire (vesting over 4 years). Not sure how much stock given now, but that is 300+K in stock...not too shabby for a mouth-breathing moron with a shitty AF-mandated Masters Degree. - Easy growth and promotion opportunities - 4 day work week (mostly) which is cool, but you could end up on shift work - Rough company culture. Most managers bail at the 1-2 year point. Agree with many of the previous points that have been pointed out. Corporate 'Merica is looking for leadership. Don't be afraid to apply to jobs that aren't in your technical wheelhouse....you'd be surprised at what doors can be opened because of your military leadership.

I got my MBA online at a degree mill and there were no issues on the civilian side of the house when it came to looking for work. I'm looking at getting a Doctor of Business Administration at a brick and mortar school, and the source of my MBA was not put into question. If you want to work in a high paying job in NY, Chicago, LA, etc...it would probably help to have gone to Harvard, NYU, Stanford, etc. The true answer in my mind is "it depends", and each case is different. I hated the job hunt, and am fortunate to have landed something 6 months after separating. Same here. I work for a Fortune 50, non-defense related, company and my AMU Masters isn't viewed negatively. If fact, I'm paid the same as my Harvard MBA peers. "It depends" is the real answer...that and "Haters gonna hate"