Career Transitions: An Empirical Examination of Second Career of Military Retirees

We examined the prospects of successful career transition from the defense forces and into the dynamic and turbulent civilian career, focusing on possible antecedents for success in the second career. Based on a sample of 202 high level retirees from military and civilian defense organizations in Israel, our results indicate that preparations for retirement, social capital, perception of organizational politics in the new working place and work-family conflict are related to the dependent variables and affect the retiree's success in their second career. In addition, organizational commitment was found to serve as a mediator in these relationships. Implications for theory of career development and change, as well as practical implications and recommendations for future studies, are discussed.