Submarine Networking

Every submariner knows that who you know is as important as how well you've done your job when it comes to getting your next set of orders; having an old shipmate as your detailer is better than being Sailor of the Year when it comes to getting that cushy shore duty job or sea duty in your desired homeport.

One thing I found after I retired is that the Submarine Brotherhood still exists when we go looking for our career after the Navy. Moving to the Boise area without a job lined up, I was lucky enough to find a retired submarine Admiral here in town who seemed to know everybody, and was willing to take time out of his schedule to introduce me to his network. It was through one of those connections that I got my current job.

While in the past most of the networking was probably done through digging through old E-mails and Christmas cards to figure out who you might contact when it came time to start looking for a new job (especially if you were planning to move to a non-Navy town), the 'net has made looking for network contacts a lot easier. For officers, one new source of information I've found is through the Gold Dolphin Network via LinkedIn; the website for this group is here. I'm sure there are plenty of other resources out there; which ones have you found that worked for you? What stories do those of you who've transitioned to CivUS have about fellow Submariners helping you find your next career?