I guess I've been lucky that this hasn't been my experience (will be 20 years working full time this June - yikes!) I've had jobs where my mission parameters w

I guess I've been lucky that this hasn't been my experience (will be 20 years working full time this June - yikes!) I've had jobs where my mission parameters were outlined (we gotta achieve X by Y date) and I've had jobs that were vague opportunity areas (here's a team of X people, we think there's an opportunity in Y, see what you can do). The "worst" is I've had managers that asked me a ton of annoying questions to make sure I've done my due diligence, which in retrospect I appreciate. So I guess that's to say, at least some "civilian jobs" offer that indeed so don't be discouraged - hopefully you will eventually be in one that gives you more latitude.