Julia

Julia Gitis recently ended her first assignment at the Department of Defense. Read Part 1 here.

Surprise! 6 Reasons I love working with the US Military

People who know me are always surprised to hear me gush about how much I love my job. No one in my immediate family or friend circle has a military background, and let’s just say I went to college at UC Berkeley. Before I came to the Pentagon, I naively thought the military was a group of mean guys who killed people. Now I work on the Joint Staff, the entity that supports the top military adviser to the President. It didn’t take long for me to have a .mil email account before I realized how awesome working with military personnel really is. Here are six reasons why.

1. They work as a team.

Teamwork in the military has left the strongest impression on me. The sense of cohesion in our office is very strong (not having cubicles helps). I am consistently impressed by how quickly new employees feel like part of the group—and not just part of the group, but part of a family. The serious content of our work, juxtaposed with the camaraderie and humor of our office, strikes a great balance. My colleagues are kind, thoughtful individuals who are committed to helping and filling in where necessary. And the teamwork makes sense— military personnel frequently transition to new tours, roles, bases, and ...