Life After The Military: Four Career Options For Veterans
Enlisting in the military requires a lifetime of devotion and selfless struggle. Veterans devote their lives to protecting innocent civilians and often lay their lives on the line for their job. They spend countless days away from their loved ones and need to adhere to a strict code. With this in mind, it’s evident that a military career is more than a job – it’s a lifestyle.
Enlisting in the military requires a lifetime of devotion and selfless struggle. Veterans devote their lives to protecting innocent civilians and often lay their lives on the line for their job. They spend countless days away from their loved ones and need to adhere to a strict code. With this in mind, it’s evident that a military career is more than a job – it’s a lifestyle.
However, much like everything else, an army career must come to an end someday too.
As veterans head towards retirement, they can find it hard to adjust back to civilian life. One of the areas where veterans can find it hard to adjust to is the job department. It can seem challenging to enter the job market after spending many years serving in an incredibly unique profession. However, that doesn’t mean there are no suitable job opportunities for veterans out there.
Life after the military can be enriching and gratifying, too, if you look in the right places. So, keep reading below to learn the best career options for veterans.
Homeland Security
Working in the department of homeland security allows veterans to work in an area they are familiar with. A career in homeland security can open the door to many new opportunities. Veterans can serve in law enforcement agencies, secret services, act as analysts, or more.
While the army protects citizens from external threats, the department of homeland security protects them from internal threats and disturbances. Border control, cybersecurity, and safety operations are other fields that professionals in homeland security can work under.
To join this department, you need a graduate degree in homeland security. It teaches you about technology, global issues, safety, and military management. If you opt for degrees for military majors, some of your military training or service can count as credit hours. There are many other military majors in college you can select, and each considers military training as transferable credits. With a degree in homeland security, you can work in many high-paying, well-respected professions.
Nurse Practitioners
Although we might not imagine it, nursing jobs are quite popular among veterans. The healthcare field also requires immense devotion, discipline, courage, and selfless service, just as the army does. Nurses devote themselves entirely to caring for their patients day in and day out. Nurses don’t only provide physical care to patients, but also cater to their emotional needs too. Most patients can find themselves in a debilitating position. Nurses help cater to patients without any judgment or reproach. They can also teach family members and the patients themselves how they can cope best with their condition.
This is incredibly important. It helps boost independence and self-efficacy in patients and lets them live a better life with their condition. Nurses also bridge the gap between other medical professionals and patients. They act as mediators and help ensure that any new treatment protocols will provide the best patient outcomes. As the healthcare sector grows increasingly patient-centric, nurses play pivotal roles in shaping the future. Therefore, nursing degrees are an excellent choice for veterans who want to serve the public and lead a promising career.
Financial Advisor
Working as a financial advisor is a lucrative and rewarding career, allowing veterans to serve in a much different field from the one they just left. Financial literacy remains incredibly low even in the world’s greatest economy, making financial advisors vital for businesses and individuals.
Financial advisors help their clients with a variety of tasks. They help outline their client’s financial goals and help them develop the best strategies to reach these goals. Furthermore, financial advisors help their clients work around debt repayments, savings, investments, or tax strategies. Financial advisors need to have in-depth knowledge of the economy, taxation laws, accounting, and finance.
Financial advisors can work with larger corporations to help them cut losses and work towards more significant profits. They can also work on smaller projects with individual clients and help them develop retirement plans, college savings, and more. Financial advisors need to create unique solutions to novel problems and have excellent analytical skills. Army veterans know how to think on their feet and, with the proper knowledge, can be ideal fits for this job.
Human Resource Manager
HR managers have some of the most challenging yet essential jobs in any organization. Without HR managers, no workplace can function with cohesion, and most goals would go unattained. HR managers work to ensure that both the company and employees have their needs met and function optimally. They help in recruiting the best talent, allowing the company to attain its goals and grow.
Army veterans work with immense dedication, discipline, and loyalty and can spot the traits that good employees need. They can also help motivate employees to ensure that everyone gives their best and there are no slackers.
Furthermore, HR managers help address any concerns that the employees may have. They help bridge the gap between the administration and the employees to ensure fair treatment for all. They can negotiate for better pay, determine promotions, and handle any benefits. They also help determine whether the organization has enough workers. HR managers often have to handle hiring and firing situations, which can be tough to manage for most. However, army veterans are trained negotiators and know how to make tough calls while on duty.
Conclusion
Being an Army veteran doesn’t mean that you have a limited number of opportunities open to you post-retirement. Instead, you can opt for a wide variety of jobs in many different fields. Most recruiters respect veterans not just for their service but for their discipline and hard work too. With the right qualifications, veterans can find employment opportunities with ease and work towards rejoining civilian life. Joining fields like security may seem like the obvious route, but veterans can join practically any area. The jobs listed above may seem incredibly diverse. However, they allow veterans to serve people, too, albeit in different ways than before.