Second Military Careers - Military Times

Not a company — a cause

Carlos Maldonado loves his job, and he loves living in Jacksonville, Fla.

His transition from Navy aircraft weapons systems instructor to the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic was seamless.

“I retired on a Friday and started work on a Monday,” Maldonado said.

Thanks to his background in management and training, he originally taught medical scheduling for the nonprofit hospital. He became radiology desk supervisor a year later and now manages 28 people.

As Maldonado knows, working for nonprofits doesn’t necessarily mean working for free. The organizations are many and varied, from one-person rural offices to multi-billion-dollar operations.

Mayo Clinic topped Forbes Magazine’s 2006 list of largest charities by total revenue at more than $6 billion. The hospital system employs about 5,000 people in Jacksonville and more than 50,000 systemwide.

People Maldonado served with haven’t been so lucky in their transitions, he said. Maldonado emphasizes preparation.

“Learn all you can while you’re in the military, and start preparing at least two years out,” he said.

One expert adds: If you want to work in nonprofits, the best first step is to volunteer.

A job you believe in

“You’re not working for a company — you’re working for a cause,” said Laura Gassner Otting, author of “Changing Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector.”

You may earn less than your counterpart in a for-profit company, but turnover makes it common for qualified people to advance quickly in the field, according to Gassner Otting’s book.

How to get started?

First identify the problem you want to solve, then decide how you to go about it — recruiting members, staffing help lines or awarding one-time philanthropic gifts, for example.

If you’re considering a career in nonprofits, here’s Gassner Otting’s advice:

Get active.

“Start volunteering in whatever cause you believe in,” she said. You’ll find out what it’s like on the inside, gain credibility, earn experience for your résumé, build a network and start learning the language of nonprofits.

Local communities

United Way is fourth on Forbes’ list of largest charities, but Steven L. Romine’s job definitely has a small-town feel.

The retired Navy lieutenant commander is executive director of the United Way of Camden County, Ga. United Way raises money that it divides among affiliated nonprofit programs.

Romine had his bachelor’s in physics and an MBA earned while an operations officer at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.

“It just felt like it was my time to give a little back to the community,” Romine said. “I had no desire to go to work with defense contractors.”

Had Romaine known what kind of work he’d be doing after the military, he’d have picked a master’s in public administration instead.

“There’s no average day,” Romine said. “I do everything from take out the trash to make calls on CEOs about running campaigns in their communities.”