Ways of Seeing and Not Seeing Cognitive and Perceptual Perspectives

Just the relatively simple act of moving house or jobs can be stressful for many people especially if they have been in one place or position for quite sometime . This is especially so if the change entails an almost complete overhaul of not just your job , your house but your life and how you operate as a person

Such became my case some 25 years ago when I decided to leave my work in a New York City hospital behind for a career in the military specifically with the Navy . Some people couldn

't understand it at the time since I was leaving the relatively sure and safe confines of hospital work along with the decent pay it provides . I already had a family at the time and just had the birth of my first child so taking a pay cut to join the navy might have seemed crazy to some then

So why did I do it ? Hospital work lacked upward mobility . While my co-workers seemed to be content on not advancing their careers and just retiring at the posts they currently held , this was not for me . Somehow I wanted to feel that there was progress in a relatively more tangible way

Joining the Navy was a big decision . If it were as easy as some people may think it is , then that would be great . Quite honestly , a lot of people would be surprised just how "off base " their perception of life and work in the navy may be . The biggest illusion that I think most people have when joining the Navy is that you are going to make a lot of money and because you are on a ship , you are never in harm 's way

My wife will be among the first to testify just how nerve-wracking it can be especially for the families . Given today 's current events and volatile situations , in to have a successful career in the Navy you must have an understanding spouse . Times are tough now , and ships are being ed away from homeport six to eight months out of the year

One of the hardest parts of entering the Navy was boot camp . I had to adjust to the reality that someone only slightly older than me with no responsibilities in life was telling me what to do . As I soon learned age was not a factor during boot camp , everyone was treated as children as this was part of our indoctrination into the Navy . Hard as it was we had to unlearn the life of being an individual civilian and instead grasp the team culture of the Navy

While the way life in the armed forces as often portrayed in the movies range from glamorous , the reality of it is it can be pretty mundane at camp . After all , we still are individuals trying to get by with the demands and rigors of military life as well as our own personal affairs

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