Is Higher Education for you? See pages 8 & 9 for more CivilianJOBS.com’s
The Essential Military-to-Civilian Transition Resource July - August 2014
militarytransitionnews.com
Vets in Higher Education: Four Stories to Inspire Your Pursuit of a Degree by Heidi Lynn Russell Contributing Editor
T
hinking of going back to school, but not sure how you’ll fit in socially or fare academically in English Composition 101? Here are the stories of four veterans who not only returned to campus, but successfully worked to overcome a myriad of challenges, from wartime wounds that hindered their progress, to failed classes, to readjusting to a younger generation on campus. Their bottom-line message to other veterans: Sure, university life can be a stark contrast to military culture, but with hard work, outside-the-box thinking, regular communication with advisors and dogged determination, a degree is attainable — and so is a fulfilling career after you’ve received your diploma.
Nick Lawless:
Fighting Back, in Spite of His Back Before cracking a book at Binghamton University in January 2010, Army PFC Nick Lawless had already faced two significant hurdles that could have impeded his academic goals: He had a broken back from an Army injury, and he was dealing with depression and anxiety over only serving two years in the Army because of the back injury. “I was a great soldier and heard
that all the time, but my back didn’t let me do it,” he says. He’d tried to re-imagine a new life and latched onto a dream of becoming a zoologist, but even that dream was dashed because of the back injury. Plus, campus life presented its own challenges. “I definitely felt out of place. I was 25-26 years old, walking with a cane.” Lawless recalls. He failed a class during his first semester, which fueled his discouragement even more. Then things turned around. After working with the Career Development Center at Binghamton, along with the TRIO/ Veteran Office, Lawless decided to pursue a political science degree. During the next two years, he interned with Sen. Charles E. Schumer’s office in Binghamton every week, overloaded on courses every semester, took a Certificate
of Terrorism Studies at American Military University and graduated in May 2012. From there, he landed a temporary position in Washington, D.C. as program assistant for The Washington Center (TWC). He managed the National Political Conventions Seminar with a small team and was ultimately promoted to fieldwork manager before heading to Tampa, Fla., for the Republican National Convention (and then the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C.). He worked with Fox News, CNN and state political parties to find volunteer positions for the 300-plus students attending the program. He worked for TWC full time for more than a year. Lawless then landed a job as program analyst in the General Services Administration. He was
invited to join the two-year Emerging Leaders Program in July 2013. He rotates through various program offices throughout GSA and Federal Acquisition Service to gain knowledge about GSA, government acquisitions and procurement. Lawless is also working to earn a master’s degree in international relations and conflict resolution at American Military University, with a target graduation of March 2015. His advice? “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s cliché, but everybody has their own issues, and the best way to get through to them is to ask for help. Most of the time, 99 percent of my time on campus, I could approach any professor and talk about a situation if I was having problems.” continues page 4
Getting Smart About Funding Your Education by Janet Farley Contributing Editor
W
hether you and your uniformed honey are in the transition process or not, you need to be professionally marketable. And to do so, you must have skills. It also helps if you have an education, be it in the form of an academic degree or a professional certification. Not surprisingly, funding that marketability can be expensive, especially when you have bills to pay today or ones looming in the future. With a little bit of creative thinking, research and
patience, however, you can prepare yourself for the next step in your professional careers. Here are five resources to help you get started. MyCAA How does an education benefit of $4,000 sound to you? MyCAA pays tuition costs for education and training courses and examinations leading to an associate degree (excluding associate degrees in general studies, liberal arts and interdisciplinary studies that do not have a concentration). The scholarship also covers the costs for obtaining a license,
certificate or certification at an accredited college, university or technical school in the United States or approved testing organization that expands employment or portable career opportunities for military spouses. If you are one of the lucky ones eligible to take advantage of this program, go for it. Being lucky, in this case, means that you are the spouse of a service member on active duty in the pay grade of E-1 to E-5, W-2 to W-2 and O-1 to O-2 who is able to start and finish the coursework while your military sponsor is on Title 10 military orders.
For more information about MyCAA, visit https://aiportal.acc. af.mil/mycaa/default.aspx . GI Bill Transferability If your uniformed spouse isn’t continues page 6
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 5 Educational Benefits: The Post-9/11 GI Bill and more ....................page 2
Transition Talk:
Career Coach’s Corner:
Job Fairs:
File for Disability Compensation now ....................page 3
Interviewing in Good Faith ......... page 13
Meet your new boss ..... page 14
Transitioning A to Z This month: O and P ................page 15