Career Boundary Crossing: The Importance of Networks for the Transition from the Military to Civilian Employment

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Research on the transition from the military to civilian life tends to focus on challenges such as unemployment, alcoholism, violence, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) even though these problems affect only a minority of veterans. In contrast, this study analyses what forms of economic, cultural, and social capital (Bourdieu) are obtained during military training and service and how they are transferred to civilian employment. I argue that during the transition from the military to civilian employment, all three forms of capital are important. In particular, social capital in the form of formal and informal networks plays a crucial role with respect to transferring cultural capital or skills from one field to the other, but also for the investment (or borrowing) of economic capital. Boundary crossing between different fields – in this case organisational and work cultures–requires the transformation of habitus. The notion of a ‘veterans’ habitus’ is introduced. This study contributes to the understanding of career transitions and is based on biographical interviews with veterans who served in the British military.