Question

Hello,
I have an unusual question I hope someone will answer: How does an officer separate his/her professional life (24/7 selfless service while in uniform) from his/her personal life (I want to do the things I want to do in terms of personal values, attitudes, and personal lifestyle?) They all have personal lives, and some two income officers earn a lot of $$$ yet, why do most start non-profits as opposed to LLC's? They seem very different from civilians in terms of wants, needs, and desires. Is it because they all live in a closed society? Are they really that much different from the average civilian? Can they separate professional values from personal values? Thank you for your consideration.

little lulu said:

Hello,
I have an unusual question I hope someone will answer: How does an officer separate his/her professional life (24/7 selfless service while in uniform) from his/her personal life (I want to do the things I want to do in terms of personal values, attitudes, and personal lifestyle?) They all have personal lives, and some two income officers earn a lot of $$$ yet, why do most start non-profits as opposed to LLC's? They seem very different from civilians in terms of wants, needs, and desires. Is it because they all live in a closed society? Are they really that much different from the average civilian? Can they separate professional values from personal values? Thank you for your consideration.

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Seems to me they were different from people who remained civilians to begin with, which is, at least in part, why they went into the military. I can't speak to how they keep their personal and professional lives separate other than to say, like all professionals, they often can't. In the business world the needs of the business sometimes takes precedence over your personal life. The same is true in the military. How they keep it separate when they can keep it separate I'll leave to others.

And as my son's girlfriend often tells him - "Civilians are people too!"

I think you are mistaken over what is publicized versus what is actuality. Plenty of grads start for profit businesses, and some do pretty well. Ever heard of Kimsey? Co-founder and president of AOL. Non-profits just tend to get more attention because of what they do and the feel-good effect of lots of people wanting to be associated with them. Yes, there is a side to the selfless service that makes them a natural fit for service members.

As for personal/professional life (or work/life balance), that's an individual call. I know plenty of officers and corporate execs that pour every waking minute into their job. They either tend to be single or have no real family life. I've known others that started that way, and when kids come along, made a conscious choice to throttle back on their career. At some point, you have to decide where your priorities lie: not everyone can be a brigade commander or a general officer, but that doesn't mean that the Army doesn't need consummate professionals in the field grade rank and it doesn't diminish the success of a career. Each job has different time demands and responsibilities, so you can find your niche and still be that professional committed to the Army Values and have a personal life.