College Degree No Job Guarantee for Veterans
You might think combining a college degree with military experience would give you a leg up in a tight job market. But indications are that veterans with college degrees are having a tough time landing work.
According to the Marine Corps Times (subscription required), prospects for all college graduates seeking work in today’s market continue to be weak — and things aren’t much better for veterans with degrees returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
It fits a disturbing pattern we’ve seen in which returning troops find themselves unprepared to navigate the realities of the civilian workforce, especially when jobs are scarce. While the most recent unemployment numbers for veterans have shown substantial improvement since summer 2011, the jobless rate for veterans of post-9/11 conflicts continues to be higher than for the population at large.
With tens of thousands of men and women returning from Afghanistan in the coming months and years, the challenge of reintegrating military personnel into an unwelcoming job market will only grown more pressing.
We can and must do better. The Marine Corps Times article quotes one veterans’ affairs expert who suggests how the federal government can better prepare troops and veterans to re-enter the job market after they separate from service, including improved education counseling, better career counseling and enhanced job-placement assistance in veteran transition assistance programs.
The Obama administration recently announced plans to revamp transition assistance for veterans, a development we welcome. But more importantly, we need a government that understands how to enact sounds policies that strengthen the private sector, grow the economy and get government out of the way, so that the free market, where jobs are created, can thrive.
Got thoughts about the challenge of finding work after leaving military service? Leave your story in the comments below, or join the discussion at the Concerned Veterans for America Facebook page.
Kate Pomeroy serves as Communications Director for the Concerned Veterans for America team.
Angel Macias
Nov 28, 2012 @ 11:42:23
Good article! I separated honorably from the USAF in 2009 after more than ten years of service. Since I have completed my B.A and I am almost done with my Master’s with a 3.9 GPA, yet, I cannot even land an interview. In order to improve my employment prospects, I spent $250 to get a resume, CV, and cover letter written professionally. Most of the jobs I applied for where on USA Jobs and Monster.com. On USA Jobs I always get the “you are eligible, but will not be referred” or ” you do not meet the minimum requirements”, once I contacted HR to find out why I didn’t meet the requirements, when it said that education could be used in lieu of experience, he just apologized and said that they might have overlooked the fact that I have a Bachelor’s. He made me eligible and two minutes after (literally) I received an e-mail saying that I was eligible, but “not selected.” Here in U.S bases in Germany, spouses have priority over veteran’s, and that seems to be the case everywhere, just not as blatant. Furthermore, German nationals are treated with more dignity than veterans and Active Duty personnel at some U.S military installations. Mine is not an isolated incident; many of my fellow veterans of all branches are dealing with these issues.
If our own government does not value our service and the sacrifices service members, how can they demand such appreciation from the private sector? The “America thanks you for your service” is nothing more than a fancy slogan. A true sign of gratitude would be to hire veterans based on qualifications and not connections. Lip service and campaign promises from our government officials doesn’t do us any good.
Shubham
Aug 23, 2012 @ 13:09:20
My brother was in the Marines for 6 years and his biseggt regret was that he was unable to do any school. He deployed halfway through every single class he took I’m in the USAF, so I am prejudiced towards it, and can’t speak about the other branches.We offer a Tuition Assistance program that pays for $4500 annually in school. I’ve been going to school online, and fulltime since I joined 3 years ago and have finished an associates and am about half way through a bachelors. We also have many, many commissioning opportunities if thats what you want also.To reach the higher enlisted ranks you have to have certain degrees, and the same for officers. School is STRONGLY encouraged in order to get good marks on your annual ratings. The new GI Bill is beautiful too, no matter what service you’re in. Working fulltime and school fulltime will be hard no matter what branch you choose, but it sounds like you can handle it, esp if you’ve been working two jobs to stay afloat right now.Ignore the people that tout their service as better for suchandsuch reasons, unless those reasons are the ones that are motivating you to join the military. Its a sacrifice and a commitment that only you can make, and just be sure you’re doing it for reasons that satisfy you. Don’t do it because you want to be hooyah.