DH is an 05 and just hit 20 years. He is thinking of retiring in the next 1-3 years. He is in the SOF world and has had a fantastic career, but all the deployments/moves are taking a toll on us and we're both thinking it's almost time. He is kind of flummoxed about how to go about starting a new career, though-- the service has been his life.

Any stories or advice? If you or someone close to you has been in this situation, how did you go about figuring out your next steps? Where did you look for jobs, and what did you find? Did you go abck to school first? do you like what you're doing now? was it harder/easier/different than you thought to begin a new career? Any tips or words of caution?

Here is a little bit more information. He does not want to end up just putting on a suit and going off to write memos and powerpoint slides in the same Pentagon offices he's worked in before-- he doesn't really have the temperament to be in a desk job doing analysis. He is not crazy about becoming a "beltway bandit," but probably would be open to working for a defense contractor if there was something really interesting and meaningful he could do. He's a good writer and very strategically oriented, and he has had a tremendous variety of roles in his past work. He's a bit of a techie-- not by education, just by inclination-- with some interest in doing something entrepreneurial and tech oriented, and he likes travel (shortish trips! I don't want him stuck overseas for lengthy periods). He wants to do something that feels "meaningful," whether that is government work, NGO work, policy work or inventing great new apps for the iPhone or whatever, and something that offers variety and challenge.

Advice needed! Thanks.