You'll never get in. I know a guy who does hiring for a federal agency. He says they always have shit employees because their agency requires them to hire the veteran over the non-veteran no matter what. He is always so raging angry at hiring time after being forced to reject for candidates with experience for Pedro who did his two years in the corps.
That may also be a reason why I've seen this job open a few times recently. They can't get someone in there with the technical knowledge they need. It's hard to be a multi-discipline self-directed electronics tech when all you have is two years on a boat.
I've worked in an institution that had veteran's preference, so I know what you mean. It's a definite mixed bag. On the other hand, I learned a lot of field sabotage methods from these guys.
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