Preparing for Life After the Military
Preparing For Life after the Military
Joining the military is one of the most selfless careers to take upon in life. Ironically, leaving the military takes just as much thought and sacrifice as it did when joining. Some join already in the mind set that their in for the long haul and plan on staying in until they can retire in 20 years or so. Others join with that same mind set and end up having a change of heart after there first term or sometimes even have to get discharged early due to an injury or a medical condition. Whether your choice is to retire from the military or to just do your time and return to civilian life “To ease any transitional anxiety, it’s best to prepare yourself. It’s time to think about what you would like to do when your service is complete. This may include going back to school or heading straight into the workforce.” (Drum, B 2006.). How do you prepare your self for life after the military? The sooner you have asked your self this question the better. Many service members wait until the last few months of there career to start planning. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of unemployment for military veterans increased from 11.5% in June 2010 to 13.3% in June 2011. Although the unemployment rate for service members retiring or leaving the military seems to be at an all time incline, there are ways to better prepare for these life changing moments that will occur in each and every service members future.
The military is aware of this and have implemented programs that help service members prepare for there future even while serving. For example, while service members are serving in the military, they are allowed to start on their degrees. Service members are able to take classes online and even in a class as long as the service member has met all requirements, such as passing a physical fitness test, passing height and weight, properly qualifying they’re weapon, and they’re
Joining the military is one of the most selfless careers to take upon in life. Ironically, leaving the military takes just as much thought and sacrifice as it did when joining. Some join already in the mind set that their in for the long haul and plan on staying in until they can retire in 20 years or so. Others join with that same mind set and end up having a change of heart after there first term or sometimes even have to get discharged early due to an injury or a medical condition. Whether your choice is to retire from the military or to just do your time and return to civilian life “To ease any transitional anxiety, it’s best to prepare yourself. It’s time to think about what you would like to do when your service is complete. This may include going back to school or heading straight into the workforce.” (Drum, B 2006.). How do you prepare your self for life after the military? The sooner you have asked your self this question the better. Many service members wait until the last few months of there career to start planning. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of unemployment for military veterans increased from 11.5% in June 2010 to 13.3% in June 2011. Although the unemployment rate for service members retiring or leaving the military seems to be at an all time incline, there are ways to better prepare for these life changing moments that will occur in each and every service members future.
The military is aware of this and have implemented programs that help service members prepare for there future even while serving. For example, while service members are serving in the military, they are allowed to start on their degrees. Service members are able to take classes online and even in a class as long as the service member has met all requirements, such as passing a physical fitness test, passing height and weight, properly qualifying they’re weapon, and they’re
Cited: Drum, Bryan. “What’s Next? Life after the Military.” Military.com. Advisors, 25 Oct. 2006. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,117766,00.html “ACAP Program.” ACAP On-Line the Army’s Official Transition Web Site. Web. 15 Mar. 2012. https://www.acap.army.mil/acap-program.aspx.htm “The Post-9/11 GI-Bill.” United States Department of Veteran Affairs Web Site. Web 15 Mar. 2012. http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill/index.html