About the guests:

Evie King is the 2023 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year who advocates for the well-being and mental health of all military spouses. As President of InDependent, she established professional volunteer opportunities that develop transferable skills. She espouses and reinforces team well-being through healthy digital boundaries and open feedback. Her focus on wellness extends to her involvement in the military community, where she creates dynamic and educational content that empowers military spouses to make healthy decisions for themselves and their families. King, who is also the child of two Army veterans, recognizes the importance of building a resilient military community and eliminating barriers to wellness. Through engagement with military organizations and the media, she has raised awareness about the challenges and diverse needs of military spouses. She seeks to bridge gaps in existing resources and foster more inclusive mental health and holistic wellness programs. King’s leadership and advocacy is focused on ensuring that every military spouse feels supported and valued in pursuit of their well-being.

About the podcast:

The Spouse Angle is a podcast breaking down the news for military spouses and their families. Each episode features subject-matter experts and military guests who dive into current events from a military perspective — everything from new policy changes to research on family lifestyle challenges. The podcast is hosted by Natalie Gross, a freelance journalist and former Military Times reporter who grew up in a military family.

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About the guests:

Linda K. Ambard is a retired community support coordinator. She retired from Kadena Air Force Base, Japan. Ambard started working for the Air Force in 1986 at the Mountain Home Air Force Base swimming pool. She has held a variety of positions to include Child Development Center director, Youth Programs director, Family Child Care coordinator, DoDEA teacher, and community support coordinator. During her community support coordinator tenure, led the youth resiliency effort at AFMC, created a training video still in use for training casualty officers, and was published for her research in positive trauma growth. Furthermore, Ambard was featured in many public forums to include television, radio and newspaper for her efforts in resiliency and military loss awareness. Ambard was the voice on the Gold Star Air Force training video.

Kaanan Fugler is the healthcare navigator in the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Department for Volunteers of America South Central Louisiana. She is the surviving spouse of Staff Sgt. Matthew Mackey, who died 18 days after an active duty accident on July 28, 2010. She is also the mother to five Gold Star children. In 2017, she remarried and became the wife of a disabled veteran, Joshua. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern New Hampshire University and a master’s in public administration from Louisiana State University. Before joining the VOA staff, she had spent the last 13 years advocating to protect and improve the rights and earned benefits of surviving families and veterans. She has spent much of her free time making phone calls to legislative representatives advocating for a change of policies that have impacted countless veterans and military surviving families. She continued this advocacy after graduation where she joined others to rally Congress to fix the military widow’s tax. She has written several testimonies about the impacts of current laws on her family that the Transition Assistance Program for Survivors has read and written for testimony before the Veterans Affairs Committee for the U.S. House of Representatives. The most recent was testimony supporting the Love Lives On Act. Through her remarriage, she brought attention to the need for surviving spouses to maintain DoD access to minor children’s records upon remarriage. It was part of the most recent NDAA. She is active in several Gold Star communities and sat on the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Alumni Committee for Snowball Express last year. She has spent time in the past traveling for the Folds of Honor Foundation as an event speaker, helping raise donations that support scholarships for families of the fallen and wounded service members. At VOA, she advocates for and assists homeless and at-risk veterans in obtaining the resources necessary to obtain and maintain permanent housing.

About the podcast:

The Spouse Angle is a podcast breaking down the news for military spouses and their families. Each episode features subject-matter experts and military guests who dive into current events from a military perspective — everything from new policy changes to research on family lifestyle challenges. The podcast is hosted by Natalie Gross, a freelance journalist and former Military Times reporter who grew up in a military family.

Follow The Spouse Angle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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About the guests:

Karen Jowers has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book “A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families.” She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Florida, and Athens, Georgia.

About the podcast:

The Spouse Angle is a podcast breaking down the news for military spouses and their families. Each episode features subject-matter experts and military guests who dive into current events from a military perspective — everything from new policy changes to research on family lifestyle challenges. The podcast is hosted by Natalie Gross, a freelance journalist and former Military Times reporter who grew up in a military family.

Follow The Spouse Angle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify.

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About the guests:

Bruce McClary is the senior vice president of membership and communications for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. As the lead spokesperson, McClary provides communications support for the nation’s largest and longest-serving network of nonprofit credit counseling organizations. He also manages activities focused on industry collaboration and membership growth. With decades of experience in the financial service sector, McClary often draws upon his direct experience as a debt collector, lender, and NFCC Certified Credit Counselor when speaking to journalists about personal finance matters. During his career, he has provided one-on-one financial counseling to thousands of consumers, trained financial educators, and reached millions more through print and broadcast media.

Shelby Myers is a military spouse and mom of two. Her background is in education, but currently she stays home with her kids and volunteers on base. Myers advocates for programs that support military families, and small businesses of all kinds. She spends her time exploring, blogging and enjoying everything the military throws at her.

About the podcast:

The Spouse Angle is a podcast breaking down the news for military spouses and their families. Each episode features subject-matter experts and military guests who dive into current events from a military perspective — everything from new policy changes to research on family lifestyle challenges. The podcast is hosted by Natalie Gross, a freelance journalist and former Military Times reporter who grew up in a military family.

Follow The Spouse Angle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify.

Subscribe on Stitcher.

Want more perspectives like this sent straight to you? Subscribe to receive our Commentary & Opinion newsletter once a week.

About the guests:

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, grew up a farm in Illinois, where he learned first-hand how the value of hard work and commitment contributes to the success of a small business. He attended Northern Illinois University, from which he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1984, the same year he married his wife, Angie. One year later, he began his military career by joining the U.S. Air Force and serving nearly 30 years, ultimately retiring as a brigadier general.

Presently, Congressman Bacon serves on two committees within the House of Representatives: the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Agricultural Committee.

During his military career, Bacon specialized in electronic warfare, intelligence and reconnaissance. His career highlights include two tours as a wing commander, at Ramstein Airbase in Germany and Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska; group command at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona; squadron command in Arizona, and expeditionary squadron command in Iraq.

In total, Rep. Bacon served 16 assignments including four deployments in the Middle East to include Iraq in 2007 to 2008 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has been awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, two Bronze Stars, two Legion of Merits, five Meritorious Service Medals, and the Aerial Achievement Medal.

Additionally, he was selected as Europe’s top Air Force Wing Commander for his time at Ramstein Airbase, as well as recognized as a distinguished graduate of the Air Command and Staff College, Navigator-Electronic Warfare School, and Officer Intelligence School. Bacon has earned two master’s degrees – one from the University of Phoenix in Arizona and another from the National War College in Washington, D.C.

About the podcast:

The Spouse Angle is a podcast breaking down the news for military spouses and their families, hosted by former Military Times reporter Natalie Gross. Each episode features subject-matter experts and military guests who dive into current events from a military perspective — everything from new policy changes to research on family lifestyle challenges.

Follow The Spouse Angle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify.

Subscribe on Stitcher.

Want more perspectives like this sent straight to you? Subscribe to receive our Commentary & Opinion newsletter once a week.

“One of the big disconnects that I had was I was a little bit older,” he said. “I had responsibilities being in the National Guard that the average student didn’t have. I was very used to, ‘If you’re not 15 minutes early, then you’re late.’”

Then Kumm got a job on campus helping student veterans with their benefits working alongside a Marine.

“It was that sense of community that really helped me overcome a lot of the obstacles I was facing.”

Now, as the director of military and veterans services at the University of Texas at Arlington, Kumm aims to help the school’s military-connected students find that same sense of community so they, too, can succeed in college.

And it’s in part because of his efforts and other resources the school offers to its military-connected population that UT Arlington ranked No. 1 among 4-year colleges and universities in this year’s Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges rankings.

More than 300 schools participated in the latest Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges survey, which included more than 70 questions seeking details about the school’s costs, programs, policies and services that impact military-connected students. Federal data from the U.S. Departments of Education, Veterans Affairs and Defense, were also considered.

Adapting veterans’ services

The rankings come at a time when most schools have had to change their approach to serving students in the midst of a pandemic that has moved most learning online.

At No. 2-ranked Weber State University in Utah — which has a schoolwide Military Outreach Veterans Education Committee that meets quarterly to discuss military student-specific concerns — staff in the veterans services offices snapped into action, interceding with professors and administrators to get students the help they needed.

“There were some difficult times for students, but if students feel like you’re being a mentor for them, an advocate for them, it makes all the difference in the world,” said Charles Chandler, director of veterans services at Weber.

Luke McClees, director of the office of military affairs and services at Florida-based Saint Leo University, another top-ranked school, has also been keeping tabs on student veterans individually to check on their wellbeing throughout the last year.

“That really gained this very informal qualitative picture for me of exactly what was going on day by day, month by month for our students” — from concerns about online learning to lost jobs or food insecurity for their kids out of school, he said. He then reported their needs back to campus in order to get students the extra help they needed.

At Pierce College at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, part of a top-ranked community college system in Washington, Executive Director Mark Haskins said the school issued hundreds of digital devices to support traditional in-person students who were making the transition to online learning. The school has also seen an increase in enrollment in certain classes that previously had attendance caps, as well as in the number of people taking advantage of school resources.

“We’ve just continued to serve students virtually,” he said. “It’s never quite the same as in person, but in many ways, we’ve seen an increase in the utilization of services because … people don’t have to fit into a rigid schedule of office hours, or they don’t have to travel to meetings.”

Justin Hauschild, a legal fellow with Washington, D.C.-based Student Veterans of America, said he hopes schools continue these types of supports even after they reopen. The organization is particularly concerned about access to financial aid, child care and mental health resources, as well as schools’ general awareness of laws and Veterans Affairs policies that specifically relate to military students’ benefits.

“These challenges are present in a non-pandemic situation, but they might be exacerbated in this transition of what has become our new normal back to what we hope will be our reality again,” Hauschild said.

Benefit changes

Meanwhile, veterans’ education benefits have garnered national attention, as lawmakers passed legislation early on in the pandemic to allow students using the Post-9/11 GI Bill for in-person classes to maintain their monthly housing allowance at the in-person rate, rather than the housing stipend equal to half of the national average for online-only students.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is the most popular education benefit among the youngest generation of veterans. It includes payment of tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance and a stipend for textbooks and supplies for up to 36 months. In fiscal 2019, the latest year for which VA data is available, 714,346 beneficiaries used the Post-9/11 GI Bill to pay for school — up from 708,069 the previous year.

Service members are also able to transfer the GI Bill to their dependents while still in uniform and also have access to another education benefit: DoD Tuition Assistance, a benefit that covers the cost of college classes up to $250 per semester hour, within certain parameters.

Currently, those benefits don’t count as federal student loans and grants, creating a loophole in a law that bars for-profit colleges — institutions that operate as businesses — from receiving more than 90 percent of their funding from federal sources. Advocates say this so-called “90-10 loophole” has made veterans a target of bad-actor schools for years.

Yet as part of the American Rescue Plan passed earlier this year, lawmakers voted to close this loophole.

Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, said there had been “loud consensus” from veterans organizations that Congress “had to remove the recruiting target from the backs of veterans.”

The new regulations won’t go into effect for another two years, so veterans should still be cautious when selecting a school, Wofford said — especially as scams remain rampant.

In April, the head of a for-profit, majority-veteran trade school in Texas, was found guilty for defrauding its students and the VA, and there have been other similar cases as well. Wofford said helpful resources for picking schools include government data on graduation rates and student outcomes.

“Trust the government data, and look at it carefully,” she said, also suggesting that prospective students talk with teachers and students at schools they’re interested in, as well as employers to see which schools they respect — and which ones they don’t.

“Be cautious. This is your one shot at the GI Bill and it’s one of the most important decisions that you’ll make,” Wofford said.

Rankings like Military Times’ are also helpful when considering a school, said Kumm, who grew up seeing the newspapers on military installations as an Air Force kid, and later as a soldier.

“It’s wonderful to have [the school] recognized,” he said. “I know that veterans and community members and veteran-affiliated are seeing that. So, when our university is listed as a top institution for veterans in the nation by an organization … it says a lot.”

To see the full list of 2021 Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges rankings, go here.

If your college made the list and you would like to announce it on social media, you may download the social assets for free here: https://hub.militarytimes.com/bfv2021-colleges-we-made-the-list/ If you would like to licenses the logo seal and use it in some way beyond a social announcement, please let us know by filling out this form: https://hub.militarytimes.com/bfv2021-colleges-licensing/

Military Times: President Donald Trump named the Space Force as its own separate, sixth branch of the military last December. I want to know what went through your head when you found out your husband was going to be the top leader of the Space Force, making you the first Space Force military spouse?

Raymond: Well, first of all I was just very excited — very excited for our nation and our space members and their families, and of course I’m just very excited and proud for my husband, Jay. We’re both just very honored and humbled by this opportunity. It’s just a very historic time, and it’s an amazing experience.

Military Times: How many Space Force spouses are there right now? It’s still small, right?

Raymond: Yes. Officially, right now it’s just my husband and soon it will be our senior enlisted adviser Chief [Master Sergeant Roger] Towberman [since sworn in after this interview was conducted]. There are 16,000 members eventually who will be assigned to the Space Force, but we’re still working a plan to transfer personnel. To be determined how many people exactly will be in the Space Force. We’re working that plan.

Military Times: There’s been some controversy about whether we actually need a Space Force. What’s your response to that when you hear people say that?

Raymond: I know there exists some skepticism by many Americans, but the reality is that every one of us depend daily on our assets in space. We wouldn’t be able to use cell phones, GPS. I used my GPS three times yesterday. So, banking, ATM, pumping gas — all of those activities. You know, our military uses our space capabilities to keep us safe. And we need to protect that space domain just like we have to protect air, land and sea, and that’s why we need the sixth branch of the military.

Military Times: You’re blowing my mind right now on how much we actually use it.

Raymond: It really is amazing. Our way of life, our prosperity, our security, our communications — we all depend on space. It’s hard, though, because you can’t see what’s up there, but we have to protect our way of life, and we’re just so grateful to have the Space Force. Our nation is going to be very, very fortunate to have this sixth branch of the military.

Military Times: Can you explain what the Space Force is going to do, exactly, and how they’re growing it and welcoming folks in?

Raymond: Sure. The mission of the U.S. Space Force is to organize, train and equip space members in order to protect our U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force, the combatant commanders. And then throughout the next few months, the units and the personnel from the Air Force and former Air Force space command will be transferring into the Space Force. We will welcome them like, you know, we welcome all members into the military. Some will be commissioned and others will just be reassigned to the Space Force.

Military Times: I want to hear about your military journey thus far. You’ve been an Air Force spouse all these years. Looking back do you see any particular season of military wife life that has prepared you for this position?

Raymond: You know, I’m originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. I grew up in the same house — never moved — the same community, same schools, and I met my husband Jay when I went to college in the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. It was his first assignment. We got married shortly after I graduated, and I didn’t know anything about the military lifestyle. Nothing. The first move to California, I just really struggled. I was so far away from home, it was just a different culture there. Our first assignment was at Vandenberg, California, which now we’ve been there four times and I absolutely love Vandenberg. It was just a hard adjustment.

Looking back now, we’ve been married 33 years. All of them have been in the Air Force, of course, so it’s hard for me to think that now my husband is going to be retiring from the Space Force. I’m very proud of our Air Force heritage, very proud of our Air Force life. We moved 16 times, two times overseas — one to Japan and one time in England — so great experiences, great opportunities for our family. We have three children.

You mentioned a season. I just think I’ve grown over all of these years and developed skills that are really helping me today. You know, moving three kids, worrying about them, worrying about where they’re going to go to school, when are we going to move, where are we going to move to, you just have to adapt to be flexible and embrace change, and I think that’s what we’re doing right now with the Space Force. I hope to share my experiences as a military spouse and share my story, share my challenges moving a family. I know what it’s like to have a spouse deployed over the holidays with young children. I worked at the beginning of our career, but I subsequently stopped after having three kids in four years and moving so much. I know that today there’s a lot more opportunities for military spouses in employment and I’m so happy for those advances and opportunities. We still have ways to go, but I have loved this lifestyle, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I have a text here from my daughter, if I can brag on her. She just out of the blue sent this to me about a month ago, to me and my husband. She wrote, “Mom and Dad, I just want to thank you both for the life you have given me. Without the military and our family experiences, I wouldn’t be the person I am today with the opportunities I have been given. I know that the experiences I have had growing up are the reasons why I’m confident, personable and adaptable today.”

So, I think that these years of change and raising a family have given me the tools to move forward and hopefully be a mentor and a role model for our spouses in the Space Force.

Military Times: And you’re not done with that change. Not only are you in the Space Force, you have another PCS coming up to D.C.

Raymond. Yes, we do. The new headquarters for the Space Force is going to be at the Pentagon in D.C., so we are headed back to Washington, and we’re very excited.

Military Times: What’s been your best memory of military life?

Raymond: I would have to say my best memories are always around people. The people we’ve met along the journey, the friendships we’ve made. It’s just building relationships, and I can’t feel more blessed than I am now knowing so many awesome people in our military. Our kids have developed wonderful friendships. It’s just been a great way of life, a great experience. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Military Times: As a more seasoned spouse, what would be your best advice for the younger generation of military spouses who are just now getting into this lifestyle and having some difficulties through deployments and all the changes that you talked about that military life brings?

Raymond: I think one of the best pieces of advice I can give for all spouses is find ways to be connected in your community. Be connected through your neighborhood, through work, through your spouse’s military unit. Look to like-minded friends, family — look to them for support. Take care of yourself. I always think a positive outlook on anything. Look for the good and reach out when you need some help. There’s key spouses, there’s so many resources our military provides. Our Air Force has Airman and Family Readiness Center. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance, help anytime for any reason.

Military Times: What do you view as your role of the spouse of the commander helping to shape this brand new military branch?

Raymond: Well, first of all, I have had some wonderful mentors that I hope to emulate — Mrs. Dawn Goldfein, the [wife] of Gen. Dave Goldfein, the chief of staff of the Air Force. She’s been a great source of support to me and a role model. She’s so gracious and kind, and I hope that I can be like her. I guess also when considering my role, I certainly am humbled by the opportunity.

As I mentioned, I think one of my roles is to push out information. I’m also an advocate of our [Air Force] Key Spouse Program. You know, our key spouses are wonderful resources for commanders to help and support families. They are service-minded volunteers, and I just want to be an advocate for that program. And, I also see my role as one of being a listener to families — Space families — sharing my stories, hearing their stories and what issues are important to them, how can I help. I just want our space families and all those assigned to the Space Force to feel supported, connected, appreciated and excited as we build our culture and identity. It’s an exciting time for all of us.

Military Times: Well, that leads me into my last question here. I know the Pentagon is crowdsourcing names for what members of the Space Force will be called. There have been some ideas like Spacers, Sentinels, Vanguards. So, if you, Mollie, had to decide right now – What would you want to be called?

Raymond: You know, I am going to kind of turn that back and say to all of the [readers], we could use your help in coming up with a name. Please submit names, ideas. We’ve got to get this right. It’s an important thing for our culture. So, yes, we are crowdsourcing, and we are hoping that this perfect name will come up through anyone’s ideas, so I welcome suggestions.

Military Times: Where can people submit their [name] suggestions?

Raymond: You could probably go to spaceforce.mil and submit them under the contact tab, and our public affairs folks will be happy to receive them.

Military Times: Is there anything else you want to add about the Space Force or your military experience?

Raymond: I would just want to reiterate that this is a historic time, an exciting time. Be proud of our Air Force heritage, but we do need our new branch of the military. Ask all of the listeners and all of our military members to just be an advocate for the Space Force and the mission because it’s vital to our nation and our way of life. Stay informed and, finally, just be patient and trust because a lot of decisions are going to be made, and it’s just so fun to be on this journey with our Space families, our Space professionals and see how this unfolds in the future. It’s a very exciting time.

Editor’s Note: This interview first appeared on The Spouse Angle podcast. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

If that sounds like you, these are a few fields to consider.

Private military

“When you join the military during a time of war, you are pretty much guaranteeing yourself a front row seat in combat. You’re going to go to battle, you’re going to go to war, you’re going to test yourself,” said Army infantry veteran Adam Gonzales.

And once you get used to that, not many civilian jobs will satisfy you, he said.

Gonzales is the CEO and founder of Silent Professionals, a free online job board for combat veterans that he started with his wife in 2017. Since its launch, Silent Professionals has helped more than 4,000 veterans find employment in jobs that match their skill set, such as the private military industry, he said.

One of the most common jobs for private military contractors is working in security, either on a protective security detail, traveling with high-ranking military officials, diplomats, USAID workers and others who need protection, or static security, guarding their homes or an installation. Many of these positions require infantry experience.

“It’s a perfect transition, actually, for guys coming out of the military, because they’re all accustomed to doing this exact type of mission already,” Gonzales said.

It’s also a good career if you’re looking for the type of camaraderie you had in the military, said Dan Caporale, an ambassador of the USO Pathfinder Program by Hire Our Heroes.

“Sometimes when you leave the military, you miss it, right? You miss that camaraderie, you miss hanging with the guys and the girls in your platoon, your company,” and that’s when people gravitate toward this option, he said.

Gonzales said the pay range is about $200 to $600 a day in these positions.

Executive protection

Maybe you’ve had enough of the battlefields in Iraq or Afghanistan and want to come home for some semblance of a personal life. There are people in the U.S. who need protection, too — particularly wealthy individuals, including heads of Fortune 500 companies and celebrities.

In these positions, you’ll wear civilian clothes, carry a concealed weapon and try to blend in with the client, Gonzales said.

Women veterans in particular are in “high demand” in this career field, he said, as the number of female CEOs and executives with high net worth has grown. Women are also wanted for protective security details overseas.

“Every time we get a woman who applies at Silent Professionals, we’ve got a place for them real fast,” Gonzales said.

Zip Recruiter, a popular job-search website, puts the average salary of this career at $76,179 a year.

Law enforcement

Law enforcement is another career field that will utilize your combat infantry skills.

On the local level, there’s a shortage of police officers across the country, and many agencies actively recruit veterans like you and give preference on their applications.

If a career in law enforcement is what you seek, the Department of Justice’s Vets to Cops website provides some resources, including tips for getting started down this path, such as being prepared to answer the following questions to shift your mindset to one of a community police officer: “How did you work with communities to address safety concerns?” “How did you develop partnerships in the areas you served?” “What examples can you provide to demonstrate your abilities in times of crisis?”

Caporale said to just knock on the door of the police station and find out what it takes to get hired, because there are different requirements across the board.

“I would encourage every veteran, if that’s what they want to do, is go to their local police department and speak to the sergeant of arms there and look for some direction,” he said.

And don’t forget about federal law enforcement agencies seeking people with your background, such as the FBI, CIA, Secret Service and others.

The median salary at the federal level is $87,130, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics analysis of police and detective jobs. At the state and local levels, the median salaries are $67,230 and $61,590, respectively. The median salary for all law enforcement workers is $55,760.

Put down your weapon

But maybe, like many others, you don’t want to do the same thing you did in the military. Just because you have infantry skills doesn’t mean you’re limited to jobs that require them. The military prepared you for more than you think.

“If you’re an infantryman, whether you’re carrying an M-16 or a 50 cal … there’s a certain level of responsibility and demeanor that comes with that,” Caporale said. “They operate well under pressure, make informed decisions and carry a high level of responsibility.”

You also know how to work as part of a team and respect authority — all valuable assets in any career field. So, here are some other ideas in case you want to branch out of your comfort zone.

Skilled trades

Caporale said his group has seen a number of veterans lean toward career opportunities that involve working with their hands, such as construction, welding and auto mechanics and careers in project management.

Last year, the Home Depot Foundation and the nonprofit Home Builders Institute launched a partnership to offer free, 12-week training programs for transitioning service members on select military bases.

The program’s curriculum is recognized by the Labor Department and is 75 percent hands-on, said HBI CEO John Courson told Military Times previously. Graduates receive a pre-apprenticeship certification, as well as resume and job placement help.

Courson said the program can be a good fit for service members who like to work with their hands, or as a team. Plus, he added, “for many in the military, when you’re framing a house in Alabama in August, that might be one of the better climates you’ve worked in over your last two deployments.”

Information technology and cybersecurity

If problem-solving is your thing, you’ll do a lot of it in IT — from fixing printers to troubleshooting server connectivity.

It’s also a field that offers the type of job security that may seem hard to come by these days. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the computer and information technology field will grow by 12 percent, or 546,200 new jobs by 2028. That’s “much faster than the average for all occupations,” its website states.

The field also pays better than average. According to BLS, the median annual wage for IT jobs was $86,320 in 2018, compared to $38,640 for all occupations.

Along these lines, cybersecurity jobs are also plentiful, and your military background is a draw for employers, especially because you likely have some level of security clearance from your time in service.

Teaching

Yup, you read that right. You didn’t think your combat skills prepared you for a job working with children, but it turns out there are special programs designed to transition veterans into the classroom, including the Teach For America Military Veterans Initiative and Troops to Teachers.

Troops to Teachers in particular has helped more than 21,000 veterans transition into a career in education since it started in 1993, helping to address widespread teacher shortages across the U.S. Veterans also bring leadership skills and increased diversity to the classroom, according to the program’s website.

Anything you want

There are no limitations on what you can be once you get out of the military. If you’re stuck, it may be a good time to use your Post-9/11 GI Bill and get a college degree that could open up even more doors for you down the road.

At least — it used to be. But when she arrived at the AdventHealth Orlando hospital in 2014, she noticed patients were getting stuck in the waiting room because there wasn’t a good system for notifying the medical staff when there was an empty bed. So, as director of nursing for emergency service and observation medicine, she made one. She set up a control room and put someone in charge of directing where patients should go, an approach that’s dramatically cut down on patient wait times.

She calls the system “bed traffic control.”

“As we were building this,” Stahley said, “I was like, ‘Huh. This reminds me of being in the military. It reminds me of the air traffic control space and the things that we would do with this person being responsible for everyone going in and everyone going out.’”

That’s just one way Stahley uses her military-learned skills every day on the job, though it’s been 30 years since she left active duty. And it’s a good example of how other former service members interested in the medical field — even those without a background in health care — can still put their military-learned skills to good use.

Know what you bring to the table

When asked what advice she would give to veterans who want to transition into the health care field, Stahley said it’s important for them to understand how their military training has already prepared them for a career in the industry.

“There are just so many things that you don’t even realize how it can transition,” she said. “I think those leadership skills that just become innate for people in the military, it’s very needed in the health-care field, and it’s very important.”

Nurses and other medical professionals ― much like service members — have to be strong, independent leaders who can think and move quickly to make important decisions, she said.

“When you are in health care, it is such an important space, and that accountability and responsibility will take you so far,” Stahley said. “It is everything.”

Use your benefits (You earned them)

That military training can also get you college credit, in many cases, which could significantly help cut down on time and costs toward a degree in your new chosen field, depending on the school.

Additionally, many veterans leave the military with a robust education benefit known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, which pays up to the full amount of 36 months of tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance and a book stipend.

It can also be used toward licenses and certifications, which may be all some veterans need to break into the civilian health care industry, whether or not they already have military medical training. Many health care positions, such as phlebotomist or medical secretary, don’t require much formal education as compared to other careers in the industry.

If you do need a degree, however, you may want to look into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ new scholarship for veterans enrolled in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, degree programs, including health care. Grantees can get up to another nine months of education benefits, since many of these fields require additional training beyond the length of a typical bachelor’s degree.

Army veteran Tiffany Baker-Strothkamp, the transition and support coordinator for student veterans at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, said many schools offer accelerated degree programs or hybrid online and in-person classes that often appeal to military-connected students. These can be an especially good fit for those with a medical background, such as a trained military nurse, who wants to become a nurse practitioner as a civilian, she said.

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus currently has about 400 students who are veterans or still serving on active duty and is one of the top-ranked schools in the Military Times Best for Vets: Colleges 2019 rankings.

Chances are you won’t be the only veteran in your degree program. According to a 2017 study by the nonprofit advocacy group Student Veterans of America, since 2009, the Post-9/11 GI Bill has helped more than 37,000 student veterans earn degrees in health care, the third most popular area of study after business and STEM.

Do your research

“When I have students that come in and the first thing out of their mouth is, ‘Hey, I want to do something in the health care field, the first thing I ask them is, one, ‘How long are you wanting to be in school,’ and then ‘How long are you wanting to work in this profession?’” Baker-Strothkamp said. “Figure out where you want to go and then you have to back-plan.”

If you need a new degree to help you get there, look for schools that have a proven track record of graduating students and talk to other veterans in the program, she said.

Research is also key when choosing a specialty to pursue, especially because there are so many to choose from.

Dr. James Sutherland, a post-9/11 Army veteran who is now a surgeon for AdventHealth, said to start by searching the types of specialties that are out there and “ask yourself, can I be good at this? Is this something that I can or want to do for the rest of my life? You have to remember that this is a lifelong choice and commitment.”

As a recruiter, Peal has met doctors who wished they’d picked a different specialty because the level of patient interaction wasn’t what they had expected. So it’s better to figure that out before you finish med school.

“Shadow someone to get a day-in-the-life of that professional,” he said. “Get a sense if it’s something they can actually see themselves doing. Once they’ve had a taste of what it’s like to be in that profession, that can kind of sharpen what their focus may be.”

Renetta Bradford, national veteran employment program manager for VA, said job fairs can also provide a good opportunity to meet people in the field. And the good news is many career events for transitioning service members and veterans are free.

Seek help

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The VA has a lot of resources to help veterans looking for their next career, including Bradford’s Veteran Employment Services Office and a jobs site specifically for openings within the VA health care system.

It’s also important to get a mentor. That’s one of Baker-Strothkamp’s biggest tips for the student veterans she counsels; mentors can often help you make connections in the field that could mean the difference between starting in an entry level or middle management position, she said.

Consider VA

Here’s the good news about a career in health care: It won’t be too hard to find a job, and you can bet on having good job security once you land someplace.

“This is probably the most secure position to be in because there’s always opportunities wherever you go,” Peal said.

The VA itself currently has about 40,000 openings in health care and has various programs in place to attract veterans to those jobs, including a hiring initiative for transitioning service members. Certain programs, such as the VA Intermediate Care Technician Program, are specifically intended to build on military skills for former corpsmen and medics.

“We have all systems, all occupations to provide the best care that we possibly can to veterans,” Peal said.

So whether you want to become a doctor, nurse, lab tech, mental health professional — you name it — there’s likely an opportunity for you at VA.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill is a generous education benefit for the latest generation of service members and veterans. It includes payment of tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance and a stipend for textbooks and supplies for up to 36 months. The GI Bill traces its history back to World War II when the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act was enacted to provide education and training, home loan guarantee and other benefits for veterans. Revamped several times to aid veterans of war and peacetime, the GI Bill as we know it was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2008 and went into effect the following year. Portions of the GI Bill were updated again in 2017 under the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act, better known as the “Forever GI Bill.”

Who is eligible for the GI Bill?

If you have served on active duty for at least 90 days since Sept. 10, 2001, you are eligible for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits — whether you’re still in the military or have already separated with an honorable discharge. The amount of time you spent on active duty determines the percentage of total benefits you can receive.

Right now, the VA uses this scale to determine eligibility:

• 100 percent: 36 months or more, or at least 30 continuous days and discharged due to service-connected disability
• 90 percent: At least 30 months, less than 36 months
• 80 percent: At least 24 months, less than 30 months
• 70 percent: At least 18 months, less than 24 months
• 60 percent: At least 12 months, less than 18 months
• 50 percent: At least 6 months, less than 12 months
• 40 percent: At least 90 days, less than 6 months
• No benefit: Less than 90 days

Don’t worry about memorizing this, though, because it’s about to change in August 2020 when a portion of the Forever GI Bill goes into effect. At that point, the same 90-days-to-six-month window will equal to 50 percent of total benefits. Service members with at least six months and less than 18 months of service will be eligible for 60 percent of benefits.

Children or spouses of service members who died in the line of duty on or after 9/11 may also be eligible to use the GI Bill to further their education through the Marine Gunnery John David Fry Scholarship Program. These benefits are available at the 100-percent level to children between age 18 and 33 and spouses who have not remarried for 15 years after the service member’s death.

How to apply for your GI Bill

You can apply for GI Bill benefits online or in person at a VA regional office near you. You can also call 1-888-GI BILL-1 to ask the VA to mail an application directly to you.

The application process is simple, especially if you do it online. The form will ask you for information about your military background, education history and the school you want to attend. It also asks for your Social Security and bank account numbers, so make sure you have those handy, too. (While the tuition and fee payments go directly to the schools, the housing and textbook allowances go straight to you.)

If you’re feeling nervous about the process, you can also talk to the school certifying official at your college. This person typically works in the school’s registrar’s office or financial aid department and will be able to walk you through the application.

GI Bill certificate of eligibility

Once you apply for your benefits, the VA will send you a certificate of eligibility that spells out exactly what you are eligible to receive. This is the document you’ll present to your school when you enroll.

If your tuition payments are ever delayed, your certificate of eligibility acts as proof that payment is coming, meaning your school can’t charge you late fees or impose other restrictions when there’s an outstanding balance on your account through no fault of your own.

Keep in mind that it may take a while for the VA to issue your certificate of eligibility to you. In the meantime, you can log into your eBenefits account to keep track of things.

How much does the GI Bill pay for school?

The Post-9/11 GI Bill includes payment of tuition and fees, a monthly housing allowance and a stipend for textbooks and supplies.

For students attending public colleges and universities, the GI Bill covers all tuition and fees at the in-state rate, but it may not have the same reach at a private or for-profit school. The national maximum at such schools will be $24,476.79 for the 2019-2020 school year and generally increases slightly each year.

If the GI Bill doesn’t cover the full cost of your education, see if your school participates in the Yellow Ribbon program. This is an agreement schools make with the VA to split school costs not covered by the GI Bill, reducing or eliminating the amount students must pay themselves. Currently, only veterans and surviving dependents of service members are eligible for the program, though this will extend to active-duty troops in August 2022.

A lot of schools participate in this program, including prestigious Ivy League institutions. To see if your school is part of the Yellow Ribbon Program, check out the interactive map on VA’s website.

Should I use my GI Bill while on active duty?

You can, provided you meet the minimum service requirements. But should you?

If you use your GI Bill benefits to pay for school while on active duty, you will not receive a monthly housing stipend from the GI Bill in addition to the housing allowance you’re already receiving from the military. Depending on which school you attend, that housing stipend could be worth as much as the tuition coverage and possibly more. Therefore, your GI Bill benefits will end up amounting to much less than what you would receive after separating from the military.

Still, the choice is yours.

The GI Bill housing allowance.

Your monthly housing stipend depends on the percentage level of benefits you’re eligible for and how many courses you’re taking.

The VA uses the Department of Defense Basic Allowance for Housing, or BAH, rates to calculate how much you will receive. Right now, this is the cost of living wherever the main campus of your school is located — not where you live — at the amount that an E5 with dependents would receive in that area. (Your own rank has no bearing on the total amount you receive.)

Under the Forever GI Bill, however, housing allowances will be determined by the location of the campus where a student takes the most classes. So, that means if you take classes at a satellite campus miles — or even states — away from the school’s main headquarters, your monthly stipend will better reflect your cost of living. The VA is expected to roll this out in December 2019.

The VA has already done a lot of the math for you through their GI Bill Comparison Tool. Simply search by school name or type and click on the results to see how much you’d receive each month.

A few things to remember:

If you are pursuing a degree entirely online, you will only receive half of the national BAH average. For the 2019-2020 school year, that amounts to $894.50 per month. Some experts recommend taking at least one class in person if you can, so you can get the flexibility of attending school online with the cash benefits of attending on campus.

If you’re attending school half time or less or are a dependent using GI Bill benefits that have been transferred to you from a service member, you are not eligible for this part of the benefit.

How to change schools with the GI Bill

Changing schools once you’ve already started using the GI Bill is much like applying for the GI Bill in the first place. You’ll need to provide basic information about your military service, education history and the school you want to go to, in addition to your Social Security and bank account numbers.

You can do this all online or in person at a VA regional office.

GI bill status and how to check it.

It’s important to maintain an active Ebenefits account so you can check on the status of your GI Bill benefits — how much you’ve used and how much you have left.

Transferring GI Bill to your dependents

If you’ve already finished your degree or just don’t see yourself ever going to school, you may want to consider transferring the GI Bill to your dependents.

To be eligible for transfer, you must have at least six years of service under your belt and must be able to serve four more after the transfer is approved by the DoD.

In early 2019, the DoD proposed a cap on the transfer option at 16 years of service. But congressional lawmakers in December inserted language in the annual defense authorization bill to kill the policy before it ever went into effect.

If you are an active-duty Purple Heart recipient, disregard all of the above; you can transfer your GI Bill benefits to family members whenever you want.

A dependent child must be 18 or younger when the GI Bill benefits are transferred to them — or under 23 in special cases for approved programs. To use the GI Bill, the dependent must be 18 or a high school graduate.

If you decide you want to transfer your benefits, log onto DMDC milConnect to get started. At the top of the page, you’ll see a section labeled, “I want to.” Click on the “Transfer my education benefits” option and go from there.

Cool/alternative/creative ways to use the GI Bill

You have a little flexibility with the GI Bill in that it doesn’t have to just go toward a traditional education at a brick-and-mortar school. You can use it to take classes online or through correspondence.

You can get help starting your own business.

You can get a tutor to help you with your classes.

You can also use your benefits toward a flight school or apprenticeship program. Even licensing programs, certification tests and admission tests, such as the SAT or LSAT, are covered.

If you are a veteran majoring in a STEM field — science, technology, engineering or math — you can apply for more GI Bill benefits, since many of these majors take more than the standard four years of college to complete. The Forever GI Bill set up the Edith Nourse Rogers STEM Scholarship fund that will give up to $30,000 to STEM students on a first-come, first-serve basis. Veterans and surviving dependents of deceased service members are eligible for this scholarship.