My Husband and I discuss the topic of leaving the military life one day, pretty often, as do many other military families. We all know that someday there will, most likely, come a point when we have to make that big transition to civilian life. However, the thought of leaving everything we know behind and starting all over, is scary; sometimes it scares me more than deployments. Right now, the military life provides security for our family, and to give up that security isn’t an easy decision. There are so many issues that need to be discussed. Where will we move? Will we both be able to find a job? What about medical and dental insurance? How much money should we save in advance? All of these questions are equally important but the issue is, “Will we be able to find a job?”
Leaving the military and entering the civilian workforce, can be stressful, especially if you have no idea where to start when preparing for the big change. Thankfully, there are resources out there to help veterans create resumes, gain work related experience, and find good paying jobs. G.I. Jobs and NaVOBA are two magazines that provide articles and resources, to help veterans with employment in the civilian world. Along with providing articles, G.I. Jobs has a list of “The Top 100 Military Friendly Employers.” While, NaVOBA connects veteran owned businesses and provides insightful articles about running your own business. The Military also provides services such as job fairs and workshops for soldiers to help with the transition to the civilian world.
Yet, even with the resources that are available, some veterans still have difficulty finding a job and right now in the media that is the kind of story that gets the headlines. As stated in the G.I. Jobs article, “The Real Story Behind Veteran Unemployment Rates: Perception vs. Reality,” there are so many veterans that make a smooth transition to civilian life and find very good jobs, but their stories do not get the kind of media attention, that unemployed veterans do. This is why so many people, including myself, are afraid of civilian life because of the so called, “high rate of unemployment among Veterans.” Usually, when we hear about veterans in the news, we hear about the PTSD and the TBI, their difficulty with unemployment, and all the struggles these people face. These are very serious issues and it is a reality for many veterans but the fact is that this isn’t a reality for all veterans.
In my personal experience, I have seen veterans who make a smooth transition to civilian life and others who have struggled with finding a job. My uncle, Marcelino, was a United States Marine and was unemployed for some years, despite all of his job skills. However, I also have friends that I have met as an Army wife, who have been able to find a job within a month or two after leaving the military life. Each person’s situation is different and depending on their location, and what jobs they are applying for, their transition to civilian life can be smooth or rocky.
The following is a very informative video by economics correspondent Paul Solman, about Veterans and the issue of unemployment, (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june11/unemployment_04-01.html). I believe this is a great video and can be a real eye opener for many people.
If you and your family are making the transition to the civilian life, please take advantage of the resources your Branch has made available at your military installation. For more information about G.I. Jobs and NaVOBA please visit their social media websites below.
G.I. Jobs
Website: http://www.gijobs.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GIJobsMagazine
Twitter: http://twitter.com/gijobsmagazine
NaVOBA
Website: http://navoba.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NaVOBA
Twitter: http://twitter.com/navoba
Great info Gabrielle! When my brother left the Marines after 8 years, he also had a difficult time finding a job that would use the skills he had obtained in the service. He ultimately decided to go back to school and that helped him ALOT!
Love the honest perspective about military life and the future of military veterans. These are uncertain times for most Americans and our brave military members desire all the support they need to transition to civilian life. Great post!
Thank you ladies for your comments! 🙂 The thought of civilian life is scary. I agree with you Migdalia, having a degree is helpful! My Husband and I are both focusing on our degrees, so when the time comes we will be have something to offer potential employers.
Thankfully, the Military has some workshops/briefings, free of charge, to help Soldiers prepare for Civilian life. 🙂
Great information. When my uncle left the military, he had a smooth transition to civilian life but he was lucky and got a good government job.
I do not have close family in the military so I cannot imagine these kinds of concerns. But it opens up my eyes to yet another kind of influence media has on people’s lives and their perceptions. And that is a whole other topic that probably isn’t appropriate here!