Even though the 1990s ushered in a cutback in government expenditures and reduction in the number of government employees, certain functions must continue. The military received additional billions while other government services were cut. The armed forces are the best place to start our survey of jobs because although we have a military establishment made up of volunteers, the door is wide open to young men and women who can qualify for admission. What makes military service so attractive is the opportunity to obtain vocational training. At a time when education is expensive and beyond the reach of many, it makes sense to investigate a career with one of the military services.
A word of caution here: whereas previously many high school graduates and others looked upon the military as a last resort employer, this no longer is true. All the armed services are much more difficult to enter than they were previously. A good education is a big plus because almost 94 percent of the new recruits are high school graduates and nearly all of the balance have earned high school equivalency certificates. "Be mentally, morally, and physically qualified," a recruiting officer advised those interested in applying to one of the services.
The Armed Forces
The four principal military services, Air Force, Army, Marines (actually a branch of the Navy), and the Navy, offer a wide range of career opportunities in clerical and administrative work, electrical and electronic occupations, and hundreds of other specialties, many of which are related to transportation.
Transportation is essential to all of the services. You may enlist in any one of a variety of programs that involve different combinations of active or reserve duty. Job training available to enlisted personnel may depend on the length of service commitment, general and technical aptitudes, personal preferences, and most of all, the needs of the service at that time.
It would be impossible to list all the career opportunities available in the various services. The following list is typical of transportation skills that are transferable to civilian positions if you should decide to resign from the service after completing your enlistment. The numeral that follows each listing indicates the number of weeks training is required. You should bear in mind that the technological changes and needs of each service vary from time to time, hence courses that you might have hoped to take can be dropped or altered.
There are many excellent benefits for those serving in the armed forces. For example, you may earn thirty days vacation a year, obtain very inexpensive life insurance, have low-cost dental and medical care, and you may visit the commissary and post exchange where you can do your shopping and find year-round bargain prices. Best of all, you can retire after twenty years of service with a generous pension.
Don't ignore the army as a possible means of entering the transportation field. It operates its own airline, its own traffic control system, and, of course, motorized equipment of all kinds.
Each of the services publishes pamphlets that describe entrance requirements, training and advancement opportunities, and other aspects of military life. These publications are available at all recruiting stations, most state employment security offices, and in high schools, colleges, and public libraries.
The Navy Military Sealift Command
One unusual branch of the service is the Navy's Military Sealift Command, which employs civilians both ashore and at sea.
MSC has a variety of positions on its ships, such as those for licensed steam and diesel engineers, licensed deck officers, radio officers, deck and refrigeration engineers, able seamen, oilers and firemen- water tenders, electricians and machinists, yeoman-storekeepers, and cooks and bakers. Competition is keen for most positions; however, the greater the skill an applicant has, the better the chances for employment. On shore the MSC utilizes naval architects, marine engineers, marine transportation specialists, and computer specialists.
Applicants for positions at sea must have the appropriate U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Marine documents or validated documents with the necessary endorsement. For further information write Office of Information, Department of the Navy, Washington, DC 20350.
In some of the larger municipalities you may find agencies that regu-late taxi and limousine service within the city borders, or the operation of the transit system. There may be an agency that provides automobiles and drivers to transport municipal employees on official business. As in the case of the state, the highway department may offer job opportunities for drivers, mechanics, and other job assignments. Consult your telephone book under the listing for your city for the proper name of such agencies, or visit the civil service commission.
The customs service was one of the first government agencies created in 1789, its purpose being to assess and collect the revenue on imported merchandise and to enforce customs and related laws. Today it has some 14,000 employees, most of whom are located at the nearly 300 ports of entry. A few are assigned to overseas posts.
The customs service enforces its own as well as approximately 400 laws and regulations for 40 other federal agencies. It also conducts a variety of anti-smuggling programs.
Although this work has nothing to do with the actual transporting of people or goods, it is, nevertheless, an essential part of our transportation system in that travel and shipping of goods to the United States are involved.
