The presidential primaries are upon us. It means more than endless television ads and front page coverage. It could mean a new job for you.
Sure, campaigns are staffed by lots of people, including professional political organizers who actually run each candidates bid for the presidency as well as hourly volunteers who man the phone lines and knock on doors.
But, there are jobs to be had outside of the candidate's war rooms. Lots of them.
Transitioning out of active-duty service brings with it a myriad of challenges, whether you’ve been in the military – or married to it – for two years or twenty years.
The questions are endless, but the two biggest ones are these:
Where we will live?
How will we support ourselves?
My husband is retiring in August after 26 years of active duty. While we had talked many times about what we would do when that day comes, we really only started thinking seriously about it a little over a year ago.
There is one big reality check staring me straight in the face as my husband nears retirement after 26 years in the Army: How am I going to get a job?
I worked full-time throughout the first half of his career, from Hawaii to Georgia to North Carolina to Okinawa to Korea. Then we had kids, and coincidentally started moving more frequently. My work in the past 13 years has included freelancing and part-time jobs, with a couple of years of full-time employment here and there.
I’m about to be really, really honest.
I hate programming. I hate, hate, hatehatehate with the fire of a thousand suns, hate programming. And that pure, unadulterated hate means two things:
I’m not going to tell you what program I’m in, because it’s a long, involved explanation that I don’t like to give. What I will tell you is that I’m going to school to stop bad guys … and I’m good at stopping bad guys. And, I’m good at the classes related to stopping bad guys. Like, really good.
You need to write your resume. For many job searchers, this task can be daunting.
There are professional resume services, that are happy to charge you between $80 and $700 to
not only edit your resume, but to write it completely as well as draft your cover letter and the thank you notes you should follow up with after each interview. Shooting for an executive position? High-end resume services that include interview and salary negotiation coaching can cost you a cool $2,500.
I have a love/hate relationship with the U.S., specifically my home state of Florida. I love it when I am not there, and hate it when I am. My family is very fortunate to have lived overseas for so many years and had so many cool adventures. But, on some days, I just want to go to Wal-Mart in my pajamas at midnight and buy some corn tortillas, a gallon of two-percent milk and my favorite brand of toothpaste.
Top 10 things I miss about living in the United States:
If you are the spouse of a lower enlisted military member, and have young children, it may seem useless to find a job. Most of the money you make will be used to pay for a babysitter so that you can work.
An endless circle that gives you little benefit, right?
Low-income families, however, can receive help from the federal government to pay for childcare so that both parents can work, or attend school.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care, works to provide low-income families with affordable, early care and afterschool programs.
By Tiffany Shedd
Health care has been a hot button issue for years now. But lately, you may have started to hear more about military-specific health care reforms.
This month, a DoD committee convened to discuss the EFMP program and ways to streamline this program. I know that sometimes it’s overwhelming to get through the day without worrying about these outside issues, but these discussions and articles about military health care and specifically EFMP reforms are important.
Looking for a job?
Spring is coming. And that means, everyone who was waiting for the long cold winter to end, is hitting the pavement too.
One of the best places to start is a military spouse only job fair, sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. These job fair feature employers who work nationally and locally. The fair travels across the country each year to different cities and military bases.
Women outnumber men on college campuses.
Experts have been tracking the growing presence of women in classrooms since World War II
when the end of the battles meant women could begin straying further from the homefront and pursue a degree. By the 1960s and 70s women wanted careers, not just jobs.
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