Navigating Career Transition Challenges for Veterans in India: A Grounded Theory

Veterans in India face significant challenges when transitioning to civilian life, such as loss of income, identity, and status, alongside cultural displacement and employment difficulties. Despite their valuable skills, many struggle to find equivalent civilian jobs, necessitating comprehensive resettlement efforts. This study aims to understand these career transition challenges through the lens of career construction and counseling. An exploratory study using grounded theory methodology was conducted, involving interviews with 15 veterans who transitioned to civilian employment. The study identified key themes: assessment of civilian career opportunities, lack of mentorship and financial security, skill set mismatch, stereotyping, cultural dissonance, and identity conflict. This research contributes to the relatively unexplored field of veterans’ career transitions in management literature and can help practitioners—such as career development professionals and counselors—develop interventions and support systems to enable smoother transitions for veterans into civilian careers.