1. Spouse Education Benefits
As a military spouse, you have a few options to fund your education if you’re looking for a career change. With these benefits, you can further your education while working part-time or even full-time.
MyCAA
If your spouse is active duty and you’re looking for a quick certification, use your MyCAA benefit. This offers up to $4,000, in $2,000 increments per fiscal year, for education, training, certifications, and licenses in highly portable, high-demand career fields like medical assisting.
Best perk: It can fully cover the cost of some online educational programs that end with you getting a certification. Some programs also provide a laptop for your use if you can’t afford one.
Post 9/11 G.I. Bill
Service members may transfer all or some of their unused Post 9/11 G.I. Bill benefits to their spouse or children. Remember, this benefit must be requested while the service member is on active duty. Receive 36 months of educational benefits under the bill to pay for tuition and fees to attend school.
Best perk: If you need to go to school now, you can immediately use this benefit. Or you can wait until after your service member is discharged.
2. Non-Competitive Job Application Process
Get your federal job application to the top of the pile as a military spouse. During the non-competitive hiring process, you can apply for the jobs you qualify for in any competitive service.
You’re eligible if you’re:
- A spouse of an active duty member of the armed forces.
- A spouse of a service member killed while on active duty.
- A spouse of a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected disability.
Best perk: There’s no grade-level limitation for the jobs you may apply for with this benefit. It ultimately gives you priority over equally qualified civilian candidates.
3. MySECO
The DoD created the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) program for military spouses worldwide to increase the chances of employment.
Some of the benefits of the program include:
- Career exploration
- Education, training and licensing
- Employment readiness
- Career connections
Career coaching packages, Military Spouse Employment Partnership (see below), and MyCAA are just a few of the perks that fall under this umbrella of career resources for military spouses.
Best perk: There’s plenty, but the MSEP job search is a great tool to find your next career.
4. Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP)
This official Department of Defense (DoD) program started in 2011 to help spouses strengthen their education and career opportunities to land solid employment. This partnership is for spouses in all branches seeking work in a variety of industries.
Best perk: With more than 390 partners, this resource offers a great opportunity for you to connect with top employers in your industry.
5. Free LinkedIn Premium Access
If you aren’t using LinkedIn, you’re missing out. This social network for professionals essentially acts as your 24/7 job hunter. Upload your work history and connect with other industry professionals. Additionally, if you set your profile for recruiters to reach out, more job opportunities may open up without you having to do much work at all.
Best perk: Get a free premium career subscription for one year. You can use this benefit within 6 months of your service member separating, or any time you move due to a PCS. The premium account allows you to take online courses to add skills to your profile, see who’s viewed your profile, and more.
Use Your Military Spouse Resources
Whether you’re a new or seasoned military spouse, these resources are a great way to jumpstart your career no matter where you PCS.
A few other options to consider:
- Military Spouse eMentor Program
- Department of Labor Employment Workshops (DOLEW) online
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
It’s easy to go down the internet rabbit hole and want to use all of the resources all at once. Doing so can be overwhelming. If you’re unsure of which resource is best to use, reach out to the respective organization to get more direction.
Learn more about eligible MyCAA online career training programs on our programs page.
