Whether you are starting out or starting over, a trade career could be the most flexible, fastest, financially feasible route to a career that you love and from which you can make a good, no, a great, living.

“Believe it or not, 77 percent of all women in the workforce are segregated into 20 occupations out of the 440 occupations out there,” said Lauren Sugerman, National Policy Director and co-founder of Chicago Women in Trades. In fact, those 20 occupations have a least 80 percent female workers.

So, why try to squeeze into such a tight situation when there is plenty of room elsewhere?

The Manpower 2015 Talent Shortage Survey indicates for the sixth consecutive year, skilled trades were the hardest jobs to fill nationwide and for the fourth consecutive year they were the hardest to fill globally.

But that was the past, right? What about the future?

A McKinsey report from 2014 estimates there will be a shortfall of 85 million trade workers by 2020. http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Education-to-Employment_FINAL.pdf

If you aren’t at all familiar with trade careers, consider this: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, among the top 20 fastest growth projections is wind turbine technicians.

The projected change in employment between 2014 and 2024 is 108 percent, compared to the 7 percent average growth rate for all occupations. These workers, who install, maintain and repair wind turbines, are projected to earn a median income of $48,000 per year or $23.46 per hour after technical school or community college coursework and on-the-job-training. Certifications are not mandatory, but they will make you even more marketable.

You may not have ever heard of wind turbine technicians, but similar occupations include electricians, electrical installers and repairers, heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics, plumbers and pipefitters. All of which had a median salary between $44,000 and $53,000 in 2014, are projected to have growth of 12-14 percent and will add between 39,600 and 85,900 jobs during those same ten years.

Those numbers are enormous, considering the average growth of all occupations is just 7 percent.

Can it get any better? It sure can!

“Apprenticeships in the trades offer the opportunity to earn while you learn,” said Sugerman. “I call it ‘the other four-year college’ because you don’t come out with a big tuition bill,” she added. “With an apprenticeship, you can earn 50 to 90 percent of what a journey worker would make in unionized skilled trades."

Chicago Women in Trades cites this example in its handbook:

(http://chicagowomenintrades2.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Participants-Guide_2014_lowres.pdf)

The median pay for nursing assistant professionals is about $9-12 per hour (or $24,000 per year), you pay for the training and there are few opportunities for advancement.

A bricklayer, on the other hand, could make about $15 per hour as an apprentice and can increase to $30-40 per hour ($76,000) at the end of four years. The training through an apprenticeship is free and provided on the job, so you earn while you learn. Over a 30-year career, that could mean the difference of $1.4 million.

By now, you are probably trying to figure out which skilled trade job is the right one for you. Sugerman, a former elevator constructor, advises the women she works with that the best trade career for any woman is one that matches your skill sets and interest – where can you see yourself spending eight to 10 hours a day? It should also be a good fit and be one that is available in your area.

“If you get into a trade that you enjoy and that you can handle, you’re going to love it,” said Jackie Townsend, a bricklayer in Chicago. “ The pay increases are great. Right now I am at an 80 percent apprentice. I get a raise every six months (roughly $3-4 per hour). Once I top out at journeyman, I’ll still get a $2 raise every year. You’re always guaranteed a pay increase, and you get great benefits. You also get a pension.”

Of course, everything in trade careers is not peaches and cream, just like it isn’t in any career.

“Women are scrutinized more as are racial minorities,” said Sugerman. “We have a different set of challenges because we are not part of the good-old-boy network. That’s why we will keep working to create policy for equal pay and equal access to apprenticeships and to improve cultural competency to help women working in the trades.

For more information, resources, videos and stories from tradeswomen, visit http://www.chicagowomenintrades2.org. Policy and regulations can be found at http://www.regulations.gov and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship.

By Christine Cioppa

You’ve sent your care package with loads of necessities, reading materials, pictures, and goodies, including those cookies he loves to share with his friends.

What else can you do to help keep the love alive in your marriage during deployment?

On this Valentine’s Day, whether you’re getting some “face-to-face” time virtually or exchanging emails, Mary C. Curran, PhD, ABPP, licensed clinical psychologist and practitioner at Avera Medical Group Behavioral Health, explains what type of communication you need to help keep your marriage healthy.

“It is a difficult thing because the person who is deployed doesn’t want to complain and neither does the spouse who is left,” Curran says. “And so what you are dealing with is superficial exchanges. And both of them are expecting something more real. But, you probably don't want the person in the military describing all the scary things he is seeing because it just causes the spouse to be anxious. And it is not helpful either for the spouse at home to go into great detail about all the problems that are going on there.”

So, instead of talking about the fact that the washing machine has just broken down and the kids aren’t behaving or the car is dead and stuff like that, Curran suggests keeping the conversation positive and upbeat. And if there are problems in the relationship, then work on that later when your loved one returns home, perhaps with couples’ counseling.

It’s not just negativity that should be avoided. Sometimes being upbeat about all the great things you’ll do together when he gets home hits a nerve.

“I see them after they come back. What I hear is that the wife has no understanding… and he doesn’t want to share it,” Curran says. Also, what she hears is that some of them don’t like the spouse talking about and dreaming of what they are going to do together when the deployed spouse gets back. “So, to say, ‘we’ll go dancing’ or ‘we’ll have a big party’ or things like that probably isn’t that helpful.”

Curran also finds that some military members, when they are away, come back and just want to be alone.

“They could have been deployed three or four times and have post-traumatic stress disorder after the first one and they haven’t talked to anybody because they are in the military for 20 years and they want to stay there. And when one or the other is experiencing post-traumatic stress or other kinds of things that they can’t talk about or won’t talk about, you automatically have problems with communication,” she says.

Instead of complaining or discussing what you’ll do when he’s back home, Curran suggests steering conversations toward what’s happening in your life and in the kids’ lives, if you have kids. “The spouse that is away is missing out on all the growth spurts from the children, the accomplishments in school, and the friends that they have.”

It’s also important for each of you to talk about who you are hanging out with.

“What I hear when they come back is that the spouse that is deployed sees the military as his family. So he comes back and the [other] spouse doesn’t know who these people are, and doesn’t know anything about them. I think sharing about friendships and relationships is important so that when they do come back together there isn’t this big void of people that the spouse that was deployed knows. It is the sharing of the daily relationships more than the daily terror,” she says.

That’s not to say you should avoid addressing these stressors and burdens of your individual lives indefinitely. You can share it. 

“You do that when you’re together. And when you are apart, and you talk to each other, you keep it positive. ‘I love you,’ ‘I miss you,’ ‘This is what is going on in my life,’ ‘This is kind of what is going on,’ ‘These are the people I’m with’,” Curran says.

Retirees will pay more for their healthcare under the 2017 proposed Defense Department budget.

Under the plan, Tricare will be re-aligned into two plans that reward families for using military treatment facilities. Under both Tricare plans, active duty families who use military facilities will pay nothing.

Families who choose the plan that includes civilian doctors will pay between $20 and $250, depending on the type of doctor and service provided. 

Retirees face additional fees. Annual enrollment fees may rise as much as $900 per family. Pharmacy prizes will double in many cases.

The Tricare re-alignment is the only major facet of the budget that touches military families. There are no changes to housing allowances or commissary benefits because Congress has already moved on those issues. Current legislation aims to change commissary prices based on region. The amount of Basic Allowance for Housing that troops will receive will decrease each year until the amount only covers 95 percent of troops' cost.

For a complete look at the new Tricare pricing structure, visit http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/09/budget-proposal-includes-major-retiree-tricare-fee-hikes.html

By Tiffany Shedd

The Department of Defense is revamping the EFMP program.

This has been in the works for almost a decade, but very few people in the EFMP community know about it. Any changes to this program will most likely affect everyone enrolled.

You must post comments today if you have concerns about the program that you want addressed.

If you or a family member is enrolled in this program, you have until February 9th to submit comments that will be read and considered as part of this DoD reform.

Here is s link where you can make your comments.

You can also read the proposed changes. http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOD-2011-OS-0127-0001
 

Make your voice heard.

This program and how it is used is important to many of us. Get your comments in now and let the DoD know how important this is.

Pass the word on to your other EFMP friends too.

Need a passport, or need to renew? You might want to get that paperwork submitted ASAP.

U.S. officials warn that they expect passport processing to be backlogged through 2018. Why? A U.S. law in 2007, dubbed the western hemisphere travel initiative, required any U.S. citizen travelling to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda to hold a passport.

That year, U.S. officials issued 18 million passports because of the new law. Most of them are due for renewal in the next two years, meaning lines and waits are about to become longer.

If you do not plan to travel further than Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda you can opt instead for a passport card. These $30 cards are issued to U.S. citizens who currently have a passport. The cards can be issued much quicker than a new passport. Travelers cannot use them for international air travel, though they are good for those driving north or south of our borders, or venturing out via cruise ship.

To learn more about the passport rules, visit the Department of Homeland Security website at: http://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative

By Tiffany Shedd

When I married my solider, I had to do a lot of military related paperwork and rigmarole very quickly. He was already on orders to go to Alaska, and because it’s considered an overseas assignment, I got the news that I needed to have an EFMP screening.

I had no idea what this entailed or why I was required to have it. Being an extremely new spouse, I didn’t even have anyone to ask. Today, I would have done what I always do when I am unsure about something: Google it.

Luckily for me, it ended up being a non-issue, and I was sent on my merry way to Alaska. Hopefully after reading this post, you won’t be as confused or concerned about your upcoming EFMP screening.

If your service member gets orders to an overseas assignment that can accommodate family members, every member of your family must appear in person and go through an EFMP screening. The first place to start (if you want to skip Google), is to check out your service branch’s EFMP website. For the Army, here is a link. This will give you a very broad overview of what the screening is and why it’s required.

This is just a screening, this means that you’ve filled out a questionnaire about your medical and health history and then you have an appointment with someone to go over that information. If you are an Army spouse/ family and want to get a look at the forms ahead of time, here’s a link with the forms available for download.

While for most people going to these appointments will be given a clean bill of health and sent on their way, during this process the Army identifies 12 percent of family members who qualify as having special needs during this screening.

This is only a screening, so if you or a family member is identified as having special needs for the first time, then you will likely be referred to your PCM for further screening. This can slow down your PCS process, so it’s important to get your EFMP screening done as soon as you can.

The screening process can sometimes take up to 30 days to complete due to a variety of factors, such as staffing and availability of appointments, issues that arise during screening, back up with paperwork (getting your medical records from previous duty stations can take a while if you don’t have hard copies already on hand), etc.

If you or a family member is already a part of the EFMP program, everyone, including your EFMP family member, will still need to go through this process. Overseas or OCONUS deployments add extra challenges to EFMP families, because your arriving duty station may not have the medical or educational resources that you or your family member(s) requires.

Even if you already have orders with family members on it, it’s possible that that could change after your screening. It can be frustrating and infuriating even, but I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a country far from home and find out the nearest pediatric neurologist was six hours away while my son was having a cluster of breakthrough seizures.

So, yes, this screening is another thing you have to fit into your already busy PCS schedule, but honestly, it’s for your own good. I went into my appointment not knowing what to expect. I didn’t know if there was an exam or if my history of migraines was going to prevent me from joining my husband.

I answered the questions honestly and waited to see how it was going to work out for me. For some of you who have been struggling to get resources for a family member, this may actually be a catalyst that spurs that into action.

Be honest and prepared. It may not work out the way you hope, but it will work out for the best care for you and your family in the end.

PCS season is coming.

And leaving, is tough.

I’m not talking about prepping for the moving company, making that long drive or flight or collecting all the medical, school and military records. I’m talking about leaving.

Walking away from friends.

Visiting your favorite local restaurant for the last time.

Turning the key in the door to a house you may have felt the most comfortable in.

Looking around this small piece of the Earth and knowing that you may never step foot here again. Ever.

It’s hard.

I’ve had several friends PCS this month. Watching the feed on their Facebook page was heartbreaking. They loved where they lived. They logged every last meal, laugh, moment.

And then, the photo of the airport gate.

Military life is, I believe, one of the toughest lives for a family. The best military wives I know understand that nothing is forever, and they embrace every single place they live – the good, the bad and the horrible. They find something spectacular to love, even in the most difficult of places.

The most successful military wives find that there is always pain when they leave. They worked hard to build a life here and be happy. That is hard to leave behind. In other places, they literally feel they need to be dragged away because they just don’t want to go.

I hope the people they leave behind, the neighbors who worry about the impact of the military on their quiet lives and the naysayers who believe we are all trouble, understand that we take a piece of them with us everywhere we go. That we have happy memories. That they are part of the stories we tell, the laughs we share and the memories we tell our children when they can’t quite remember a name or place.

They have helped create the fabric of our life and we are forever grateful.

So as you PCS this year, stop amid the craziness of the preparations. Walk to your favorite place in town. Have lunch with a friend you are leaving behind. Take a deep breath and look around. Soak it in.

You may never see this place again. Take a moment to make sure you carry it with you. Always.

It’s only January, but it’s never too early to talk about PCS’ing.

Moving overseas brings with it a whole new set of challenges. Chances are, if you are moving abroad, you are going somewhere you’ve never been. Where they speak a different language, have different holidays and religious customs and eat foods you’ve never heard of before.

But before you even worry about all that, you’ve got to get yourself and your family and your pets packed out of your current duty station.

The to-do list is even longer for an OCONUS PCS than it is for one stateside. There are so many questions and so many things to consider that even a seasoned military family might not know where to start. After moving across oceans 10 times in the past 25 years, there are a few things I’ve learned:

Pack light. No one wants to take you to or from the airport with a dozen suitcases. And trust me, you don’t have to carry those dozen suitcases through security, customs and an unknown airport.

Find out all the benefits available when moving overseas and use them. For example, in most cases you can mail items to yourself at your new address and be reimbursed, as long as you are still under your weight limit. I usually send ahead two or three boxes with extra clothes, and when my kids were little I let them each pack a small box of toys to send ahead. Actually, this benefit usually applies to stateside moves, too. I once mailed 42 Rubbermaid totes to myself from Florida to Kansas. No lie.

Pack a bottle opener and corkscrew.

If someone on the other end has offered to help you, take them up on it. Most overseas units will assign you a “sponsor” before you arrive. Hit them up with all your questions and don’t hesitate to ask them to pick you up at the airport, get you a Post Office box on base and help you to settle in smoothly. Someone likely did the same for them when they arrived.

Many places offer sponsors for kids as well. Information is usually posted on the garrison or school liaison websites.

If you are taking classes or need steady Internet access for work while you travel, research your options and make sure you have what you need to make that happen. Don’t assume that all hotels overseas will have WIFI.

Search Facebook for local pages geared toward military in the area where you are moving. For example, there are at least three pages here in Stuttgart where newbies are encouraged to ask questions. Of course, don’t take those answers for gospel - you are likely to get several different opinions on some things. But asking on the pages can be a good place to start your research and help make a list of questions you need to ask as you are out-processing/in-processing.

Ask friends to hook you up if they know anyone in the area currently or who has been stationed there in the recent past.

Make a calendar. Whether you have six months or one week to prepare for your move, set deadlines and make notes of what needs to be done, and when.

Carry a list of important phone numbers, family contacts and addresses you might need when you arrive. Be prepared to be without cell phone service for at least a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks, until you can get that all set up at your new location.

Depending on where you are going, the size of housing might be smaller than what you are used to in the U.S. The military will generally store all or some of your household goods for the duration that you are overseas. I recommend bringing the basics and then enough extra to make you feel at home. Furniture can sometimes be hard to find overseas in styles that most of us are used to, or it may be expensive. On the other hand, your giant sectional sofa may not fit in a German (or Japanese or Korean or Belgian) living room. This is a judgment call on your part, and one to talk about with your sponsor or any other contacts you have at the new location.

Have at least a three-month’s supply of prescription medicines. The last thing you want to do when you get to a new duty station is figure out the medical/pharmacy process right away. Also, have a copy of the prescription so when you do go to a new doctor you know exactly what it is you need.

If possible, take advantage of any newcomer’s classes and briefings offered to you. Some bases provide free child care along with these sessions.

Hand carry shot records and birth certificates.

If possible, have a little extra money saved up. Moving overseas is expensive. While many of those costs are reimbursed by the military, you may have to pay hotel bills and other expenses up front.

If you will have to take a driving test at the new location, start studying.

Try to learn a few basic phrases of your host country’s language. Honestly, so many people here speak English that I rarely need much German to get by. But I find it makes me feel more comfortable, and breaks the ice, if I at least try.

Make a list of fun things to see and do after you arrive. If you have kids, get them involved, too. Start small - local tourist attractions, parks and restaurants. Once you arrive, make your dream sheet of exotic locations to visit.

Don’t stress. It won’t help and it won’t get things done any faster on either end. Everything is harder overseas - setting up a household, enrolling kids in school, transporting pets, driving, you name it and it seems like it’s 10 times for difficult to accomplish.

I’ve had mixed feelings at first about every place we’ve moved. I’ve cried. I’ve been homesick. I’ve wanted to leave. But after a couple of months those feelings go away, if you let them.

Remember, sometimes you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

It’s cold and dreary outside, but inside these hiring fairs, it is warm, cozy and the perfect time to find a job!

These military spouse only hiring fairs, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation are held monthly across the country. National and local businesses attend specifically because they know the skills that military spouses bring to the table.

Be sure to click on the website for the individual location and register. You must be pre-registered to attend and spots fill up quick! Bring a stack of copies of your resume and dress for success!

You’ve got this!

Feb. 3

San Antonio, Texas

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/san-antonio-hiring-expo-san-antonio-spurs

Feb. 9

Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/minneapolisst-paul-hiring-expo-minnesota-wild-0

McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/joint-base-lewis-mcchord-military-spouse-2-day-event

Feb. 17

Camp Pendleton, Calif.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/camp-pendleton-military-spouse-2-day-event

Feb. 29

Denver, Colo.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/denver-hiring-expo-denver-nuggets

March 2

Houston, Texas

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/houston-hiring-expo-houston-rockets-0

March 5

Detroit, Mich.

https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/event/detroit-hiring-fair-1

Editor’s Note: Please Welcome Army spouse Nadia Hurtt to Salute to Spouses! The self-made photographer is building a business she started while her family was stationed in Hawaii. Now, while her husband attends college fulltime, she is supporting her family and growing her business, learning all about success and setback along the way. Check in every month to follow Nadia and learn more about the art of being a small business owner

Being a business owner is great, exciting and awesome.

And then, some days, it’s not everything it’s cracked up to be. 

Everyone loves the idea of being their own boss. Everyone dreams of doing something they love every day instead of slaving away at work for someone else. It’s pretty much the American dream to make it big with something you built with your own hands. 

At least that’s what I thought when I first started this journey five years ago. 

I worked for the government in some way, shape or form over the last 10 years while my husband was in the Army, but, always had a love for photography.

I dabbled in it here and there and my friends knew I enjoyed taking pictures. While my husband was on a 12-month deployment, my friend asked me to take some maternity pictures of her. Of course I said yes but never realized this would be the first stepping stone in launching my business.

She posted the images on Facebook and within days, my message box was full of people requesting sessions of their own, some even willing to hand me $20 for it. 

Wow! So this is how photographers are made, I thought.

Except, it’s not. 

I quickly realized that photography, like any other business you choose to run, requires you to have a solid head on your shoulders and some tough skin if you want to make it work. No one ever told me about taxes, the cost of goods calculations, the cost of doing business analysis, projected sales, marketing plans and all the other menial, difficult tasks you do after you do the fun part you love! 

Being your own boss and running a business is stressful. It’s an 80-hour work week, dealing with unhappy clients, making sure you are operating correctly in the eyes of the law, and not really knowing when your next paycheck will come.

But, it is also one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. You can make time for your family and loved ones, you can run a business the way you see fit and change what you don't like about it. You can choose who you want to do business with.

But the biggest perk, owning your own business gives you an immense sense of accomplishment. 

My business went from making a few hundred dollars a year allowing us some family extras like a nice dinner out to now supporting my family of three while my husband attends college fulltime after serving in the military.

It’s amazing to know that my heart, sweat & tears has allowed my family to live a pretty nice life after the military. 

It can be done. It can provide you with the job you have always wanted to do, whether its photography or opening up your own clothing boutique or selling your handmade creations online. Building a business properly from the ground up can lead you to success.