Editor’s note: The following article was contributed by Operation New Uniform. The content may be edited for clarity, style and length. Find more at http://www.operationnewuniform.org/.

So you have completed your service and received your DD-214. The time has come to put away your uniforms and start checking off all the things you said you would do when you got out. It is every veteran’s privilege to celebrate their separation however they choose, but before you go, allow us to propose one question.

Where is your next paycheck coming from?

Getting out of the service means many things for a veteran. It is an exciting time, full of newly found freedoms, choices and opportunities. However, it is also a time that signals the doom of the guaranteed 1st and 15th paycheck. Let’s be honest, we all grew pretty comfortable with the fact that, so long as we behaved and re-upped every few years, our paychecks and benefits were going to be there. If we are even more honest, our mindsets probably went beyond worrying about having a paycheck and focused on how we would spend that guaranteed money. Nevertheless, we never considered the looming potential of the money not being there twice a month.

For civilians, this was never the deal. While we went about our business in uniform, each day was a grind for them, having to prove repeatedly that they deserved a paycheck from whatever organization that had them on the payroll. Because if they did not, that organization would find somebody more equipped, better skilled or more experienced. This was the reality they went to bed with every night ― a real, clear understanding that their paycheck was not guaranteed. Now, with your uniforms in their garment bags, it is your turn to gain this clarity.

As veterans and trainers at Operation New Uniform, a veteran service organization located in Jacksonville, Florida, we have had a front-row seat observing the many challenges veterans face when transitioning into post-military careers. While navigating a process with more questions than answers, we too often see veterans clawing out an existence unemployed, underemployed or with a complete lack of meaning. Pride turns to regret, and confidence gives way to depression. You probably have a friend that fits this description. Veterans transitioning into employment in the civilian world are the entire reason our organization exists: to integrate Confidence, Community, and Careers™ into the transition process.

On the first day of training at Operation New Uniform, we present our veterans with a choice. As part of the approximately 1 percent of the population that has served in the military, you can choose to either A) wait for a company to identify your value and actively recruit you, or B) get on the same page as the 99% and go compete for your opportunity. Make no mistake: Veterans have a huge understanding gap that makes the transition challenging, but filling that gap begins with a sense of competition.

Your next set of orders will never arrive. Nobody is going to tell you where to go to work. The 1st and 15th has dried up. And, contrary to popular belief, the business community is not actively looking for you. Nor should they. In the end, it is your responsibility to get busy demonstrating that you deserve to beat out the others who want that opportunity and paycheck. Otherwise, where will that paycheck come from?

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