Choosing A New Career As A Military Spouse
Being the spouse of a military personnel member is a unique challenge. Moving around to different parts of the country and even overseas will happen with a military spouse. This means that you will have to uproot your life every few years, including leaving your job. If you are interested in a new career path, it is a good idea to take into account your unique status as a military spouse. Here are three steps to take when going about a new career choice.
Go for a large career field
One of the things that you will want to take into account when going for a new career is that you will not always be able to move into your target area for that career field. A narrow career, such as library science, may lead to few options if libraries are not hiring near the military base where you live. A more general field, such as education or business, leaves you with a wider base of options. You can go into teaching, administration, and educational plan development with an education degree, which leads to more choices.
Choose an online school
If you have to pack up and move within a few months of receiving new orders, this may not bode well for attending a brick-and-mortar school. Find an online school that offers benefits for military families. Some will offer discounted rates or specific grants for the military member and their dependents to go to school. Online schools that have your career track along with career counseling are the best investment, as they can help you figure out your post-collegiate career goals. Career counseling and interactive professors can make your college career and job search a lot smoother.
Reach out to programs like University of Maryland University College for more information.
Consider working at home
You can also choose a field that will allow you to work from home. This way you will be able to maintain a long-term job without having to search for a new one when you move to a new military post. There are a number of degrees that will work well with at-home jobs, such as English, journalism, business management, accounting, and economics. Figure out a work-at-home career that you would be satisfied with, such as proofreading and editing, bookkeeping, or e-commerce management. Choosing a career that allows you to work from home can keep you with an assured job despite the moves that you will make as a military spouse.