Work-Life Planning for Military Spouses
Source: Military Community and Family Policy (MC&FP) Weekly eNewsletter
What does it mean to be "married to the military?" It means compromise. It means sacrifice. It means taking turns focusing on his career and her career. It means sharing parenting responsibilities in-between deployments. It means looking at a military career and seeing opportunities for both of you.
When you're married to the military, the military comes first. There are orders that have to be followed and places you have to live. Because of military obligations, there are many decisions that have already been made for you. But you can still have it all if you are creative and plan ahead.
Before you get married, it's important to think about what you want out of life – a career, children, adventures living overseas, or high-demand positions that will take you to levels you've never known before. Whatever combination you choose, there are trade-offs and windows of opportunity. So, plan ahead and spend your time wisely. It all starts before you "marry the military."
One great advantage of marrying the military is their education benefits, especially the post-9/11 education benefits, which can be transferred to family members if the service member so chooses. Regardless of your level of education, learning is never over. It's an ongoing process for both of you. Some education is formal (e.g., offered by the military or post-secondary institutions) and some is gained by volunteer or paid work experience. In order to stay at the top of your game, you will need to seek the level of education and training that is recognized and required by your chosen fields of interest. The Department of Labor's Career OneStop website will help you explore portable career fields, occupations, licenses, certificates, degrees, and other credentials needed for career success – now, at time of transition out of military service, and at time of retirement.
If you're not sure what career you are interested in pursuing, call Military OneSource's Spouse Career Center at (800) 342-9647 and ask to speak with a consultant who can help you with career exploration. These career and education counselors can help you with career interest tests, core values self-assessments, skills inventories, career field information, financial assistance resources for education, and other tools and support services that will help you define your way ahead. Also, be sure to check out the Department of Education's new online tool that helps you compare and choose a school that is affordable and provides high quality education, degrees, licenses, and credentials that employers value Before you sign any contracts for programs of study or take out educational loans you will have to pay back.
Take a look at your service member's military obligations – how many years will he or she be in the military? Will you have to live overseas? How much time will you spend apart (e.g., military training tours, combat duty, deployments, etc.)? These might be perfect times to pursue training and education that will prepare you for your own career opportunities and advancements. So use these times wisely.
Take time to map it out. Put this information on a time line, so you can see an evolving schedule that highlights when the best times will be to pursue training and education for yourself. Remember, if one of your personal and professional goals is for a portable career, the more education and training you have, the more income you will be able to earn.
With this in mind, there are two resources you will want to check out immediately: The My Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) program and the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP).
- MyCAA provides up to $4,000 of financial assistance to eligible spouses who are pursuing an Associate’s Degree, license or credential required by portable career employment. To learn more about MyCAA eligibility and to sign up for a MyCAA Account, visit their website.
- MSEP is a recruitment and employment solution that brings military spouse job seekers together with Fortune 500 Plus employers who want to recruit, hire, retain and promote them into portable career job opportunities. To sign up for an account, visit their web portal. Post your résumé and look at thousands of jobs posted by over 100 military friendly employers. Make it easy for them to find you. Some will invite you to apply for their job openings.
Now, what about children, parenting responsibilities, child care, and transportation needs? When will you be ready to be in the work force? Can you balance the demands of parenting and employment? Again, Military OneSource counselors can help. They have resources and referrals that can help you decide when the right time is for you to enter or re-enter the job market. They can help you find high quality child care on- and off-installation, transportation options that will reliably get you to work on time, back-up plans to help meet emergency child care needs, and work options that will allow you to work flexible hours from flexible locations (e.g., telework and "own-your-own business opportunities"). These counselors are great coaches, but you will be the decision-maker. After all, it’s your work-life plan you are developing.
Finally is the issue of relocation. It is a key component and something you can expect when you're married to the military. Every few years, your service member will be receiving military orders to a new job. Sometimes this means a move to a new duty station or community. Will you relocate with your service member? That depends on whether you are allowed to accompany him or her, and whether it is in the best interest of your family, especially your children. So, check out the relocation assistance tools available on MilitaryHOMEFRONT. You should find Relocation Planning Guides, online tools, and a MilitaryINSTALLATIONS database that contains valuable information and points of contact at military installations worldwide. This will make moving so much easier.
If you are going to seek employment at the new duty station, you will want to check out military spouse employment preference programs and special hiring authorities so you can ask about them six weeks or so before moving. Visit the Office of Personnel Management's websites to learn more about getting started and maintaining a federal government career – especially one with the Department of Defense. Here are the best sites to visit: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, USAJobs.gov, and Feds Hire Vets.
So, what is your work-life map starting to look like? Where are your windows of opportunity? Which benefits and resources are you going to use to help you reach your goals? Starting with today, when will you go to school? When will you start your career? When will you have children and perhaps, be a stay-at-home parent for some period of time? When will you enter or re-enter the workforce? When do you expect to have an empty nest? When will you retire? It's all up to you. Take advantage of the windows of opportunity provided to you by the military and the wonderful support services and resources it provides.
And good luck! You're about to find out that being married to the military is a good deal!
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