Military Spouse Career Advancement In 5 Steps: Your Guide

People enlisted in the military are often thanked for their service and recognized for all they do. However, the spouses who support the enlisted also provide a huge service and often make many sacrifices – such as having a career – and don’t get nearly as much appreciation or support as they should.

‌However, many industries and training programs are now starting to cater to the mobile life of a military spouse. As a result, having a rewarding career is no longer a sacrifice military spouses need to make.

5 Career Advancement Steps

Figuring out how to get started on your career path can be the most challenging step. To help you navigate toward your new career, we’ve created a simple step-by-step guide.

1. Assess Yourself

Before you begin researching mobile careers, take some time to do a self-assessment. Make a list of your attributes that includes:

• Interests

• Personality

• Skills

• Work values

2. Research Mobile Industries and Careers

Once you’ve completed a self-assessment, it’s time to begin researching career industries that have portable careers. The healthcare and information technology (IT) industries are rapidly growing and have many career opportunities.

The healthcare industry is expected to expand by 16 percent and add 2.6 million new jobs by 2030. High demand careers in the healthcare field include:

• Behavior Technician Specialist

• Medical Billing Specialist

• Dental Assistant

• Pharmacy Technician Specialist

• Medical Assistant

• Phlebotomy Technician

• EKG Technician

‌Meanwhile, the IT industry is expected to expand by 13 percent and add 667,600 new jobs by 2030. High demand careers in the IT field include:

• IT Helpdesk Administrator

• PC Technician

• IT Network Technician

• IT Security Specialist

• Cybersecurity Analyst

3‌. Explore Career Requirements

Now that you have an idea of what career direction you want to take, begin researching their job requirements. Does the career you’re interested in require a degree, certifications, or both?

It’s a common misconception that having a successful career requires having a four-year degree. In actuality, many rewarding careers are more interested in the certifications you have and not which degree.

4. Research Training Programs

Enrolling in an in-person degree or training program can be difficult to impossible when you’re frequently on the move. Thankfully, many degrees and training programs are now entirely online.

Careers that prefer certifications over degrees can be fast-tracked through online certification training. Companies such as MedCerts specialize in self-paced credentials you can complete within three to six months.

While researching training programs, make sure to inquire about funding options and what types of scholarships and grants they accept. For example, as a military spouse, you may qualify for the MyCAA scholarship that pays $4,000, in increments up to $2,000 per fiscal year, towards qualifying programs.‌

5. Contact an Advisor and Enroll

Education Consultants are a great source of information and can help you choose a program that meets your self-assessment requirements. A few considerations when choosing a program are:

• Enrollment requirements

• Job placement opportunities

• Industry recognition

• Future recertification requirements

‌Enjoy Your New Career

Completing a program with good job placement opportunities for mobile careers will help jumpstart your new career. Keep in mind there are always opportunities for military spouse career advancement that will allow you to grow.