'I Was Single And Adventurous''I Was Single And Adventurous'

Signing up for the reserves or the National Guard is a patriotic decision, but it can also be a smart career move. In interviews with several reservists serving in IT roles, it's clear that there are volunteers who see benefits for their private-sector lives as well.

Maj. Cedric Wynn, a 34-year-old former Java-software developer who now serves in the Marine Corps reserves, says he was warned by some that a long stint in the military would set his career back. "From a coding standpoint, it's hurting because it's time out" of the dynamic private development sector, he says. "But from a management standpoint, I know it's helping me." Wynn manages two other Marines and multiple responsibilities.

Wynn had worked for a company called Hiwire Inc. in Irvine, Calif., before moving to Baltimore with his wife earlier this year. He received his orders while looking for a job in the Washington, D.C., area.

Initially, he was assigned to make sure applications used in the Corps were certified and categorized correctly. But when his orders ended in September, he signed up again, this time with an organization within the Corps called Manpower Plans & Policy. "We identify requests sent to us from various commands," Wynn says. "Then we find individuals [among the inactive reserves] who would like to be mobilized to meet the requests." He says he'll look for a leadership role in an IT department when his current commitment expires in September.

Like Wynn, Marine Lt. Col. James Graeme was without a job when the military option arose. Before getting laid off, Graeme worked for LandAmerica OneStop Inc., a company that sells real-estate services, where he managed the integration of clients' systems with LandAmerica's. Today, he's managing the process of getting legacy Marine applications identified and certified.

"I enjoy the duty part" of being a reservist, Graeme says. He started this stint in January. "It's difficult work, but I'm enjoying what I'm doing. And the marketplace is not looking too good right now."

At least this time around, the military has found a place for Graeme that keeps him in IT. He'd been activated for the Persian Gulf War as part of a unit. Stationed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, he nodded when asked if he wanted to be an intelligence officer. One two-week crash course later, the newly minted intelligence officer was gathering summaries from field reports about enemy activity and terrain. He compiled the summaries in reports and pushed them up the chain.

"I saw the whole war," Graeme says. Asked why he didn't push for a similar post this time, he tells a familiar tale. "I was single then and adventurous. Now, I'm married and have two kids."

Not all reservists will find themselves close to the front lines of a war--in fact, most won't. They're primarily designated to fill the void when regular troops ship out, but there's still a bit of adventure to being called up.

Few know exactly what to expect upon their return.

Master Sgt. Roy Jordan, an IT team leader for electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc. when he was called up right after Sept. 11, 2001, admits to some anxiety. Jordan's tour is over next month and he returns to Circuit City on Jan. 2.

"It's almost like, 'Wow, I'm going to be the new kid in town,' " the single father says. "I'm anxious. I have been gone for a long time. I haven't been part of the processes that have continued to mold the organization."

Federal law requires employers to take reservists back and give them like jobs and resume salary, benefits, and tenure as if the absence had never happened. Circuit City, like the other employers contacted for this article, voluntarily gives reservists differential pay while they're out. The company makes up the difference between military pay and what their employees were making the day they were activated.

"I'm sure I'll be joking and kidding around as soon as I get back," Jordan says. Still, he says, he doesn't "have the comfort of knowing that I can come back and pick up exactly with what I was doing."

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