Airman Ronald Quiming and Petty Officer 3rd Class Chris McGlaughin have done their time in the military. They've been to Iraq, and now that their service in the U.S. Navy is coming to an end, it's time to look for work as civilians.

"I expect it will be different," Quiming said.

As part of his transition, the 21-year-old sat through a class this week at Naval Base Ventura County where he learned about managing personal finances. Quiming's goal is to enter the world of business.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people leave active duty.

The number exiting each base differs, but last year about 805 people went through the transition programs at Naval Base Ventura County, according to Mary-Jean Owens, the Transition Assistance Program manager.

Owens teaches several monthly seminars on making the transition to civilian work.

"Essentially, we teach them job-search techniques, résumé writing, interview skills," she said.

"We help them assess their skills as well, and their employability relative to the job market."

McGlaughin, 28, is an aviation electronics technician and hopes to continue to work in that area when he gets out in August.

"I'd like to pursue a career in integrated systems repair," he said. "That's what I enjoy doing."

He spent a morning at an Oxnard veterans' job event earlier this month, walking among the 40 employers and service providers who attended.

Los Angeles-based security services company Andrews International was there.

The company regularly hires former military personnel after they exit, according to Dan Hoffman, senior vice president of Human Resources and Legal Affairs.

"They're very mature and disciplined, very professional, loyal and dedicated," he said.

A variety of employers attended the Oxnard event, including Teledyne Scientific, the California Department of Corrections, WellPoint, Nordex Media, Embassy Suites, Saalex Solutions and Vons.

Veterans make great employees, Owens said. "They are physically fit, internationally astute, flexible, adaptable and ready to roll."

Job transition training

The most recent U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that 52 percent of veterans in California are employed from four to six months after they receive job assistance services.

Nationwide, 60 percent are employed during that quarter.

Injured servicemen and servicewomen get specialized job transition training through the Disabled Transition Assistance Program.

Those sessions provide exiting service members with vocational rehabilitation services as well as the services provided under the regular Transition Assistance Program.

While they get plenty of assistance finding jobs in the civilian sector, ex-military personnel still face obstacles.

Adjusting to a different culture is one of them, said Carl S. Savino, who writes career guides for the military's Transition Assistance Program offices.

The military, he said, "is much more structured, disciplined, top down than in the civilian work world."

"Sometimes people have the perception that a military person is very rigid and without orders can't function, can't think outside the box."

That's a perception Savino tries to help military people overcome.

Breaking military habits

Many servicemen and servicewomen have never negotiated salaries or benefits, because those are predetermined in the military.

"They have lots of assistance and resources to assist them in that process," Savino said.

Owens also said there's a cultural adjustment, which she said can involve breaking military habits, simple things such as no longer putting hats on every time they exit buildings and learning not to say "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am."

For senior officers, exiting the military to join the American work force has challenges as well.

"They continue to wear their rank," Savino said.

"It's great that you've obtained that rank," Savino said of the senior officers, "but once you make that transition, it's time to let the hair down, take off the rank and prove your worth."