Score a Post-Military Career Bullseye with an Online Degree

Mary Hobson

Spring 2004

Today's military - Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard - requires business and organizational skills similar to those in any large corporation. Many military personnel find they require the skills and knowledge that a higher education can bring, and these qualifications also may prove to be the entrance they need to a successful and lucrative post-military career.

Enrolling in an online degree program could be the answer for military personnel who move frequently as part of their normal working lives. With the advent of the Internet and online distance-learning formats, gaining a qualification is a real possibility, even for those in full-time employment. Anyone with access to a PC with Internet capability and the drive, determination and discipline to manage their time efficiently can choose to pursue a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree at an online school. Many online schools have specialist sections for the military, including incentives such as reduced fees, and help with financing a study program. Some schools, such as the University of Phoenix Online and AIU Online, have counseling schemes to help you make the most of benefits available from government and military programs, and the university itself.

A degree helps to secure that vital first job after the military, especially as formal qualifications often are a prerequisite for entry into managerial positions. As a graduate, career and salary prospects are particularly bright. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, earning potential increases with the level of qualification, with average salaries as follows:

High School Graduate: $29,200
Associate Degree: $36,400
Bachelor's Degree: $47,000
Master's Degree: $56,600
MBA: $60,000

This could amount to a $350,000 advantage during the period of a post-military career - a sum of money that easily rewards the effort of studying. Ex-military personnel also achieve promotions significantly faster than their civilian counterparts, according to research funded by the Rand organization (David Loughram, 2000). A higher qualification and military service, therefore, is a formidable and winning combination.

Even while you are still in the military, education can improve promotion prospects. In the middle tier of enlisted army ranks (including E-5 through E-6), up to 12.5 percent of the maximum total points can depend on civilian education. This includes college degrees and "educational improvement," education completed while on active duty.

The advantage is not all one way. Although a degree greatly enhances opportunities for a smooth transition from the military into a career in civilian life, knowledge gained during a military career can be used in the learning process. A bachelor's degree in business will take advantage of existing experience while adding knowledge of areas necessary to improve career prospects. An MBA is formal recognition of competencies honed during a military life, such as leadership, team building, communications and analytical thinking - skills that lend themselves well to careers in the business, technical and financial sectors likely to boom in the next 10 years.

A number of different programs are designed to give help and support to military personnel and veterans, including provisions under VEAP (Veterans Educational Assistance Program) and the MGIB (Montgomery GI Bill). These provisions help pay tuition bills and provide some additional support for ancillary costs. Previous study and relevant experience may be taken into consideration as education credits, which count towards a new qualification. In many cases, DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) can perform the evaluation of service school records and military training experiences and equate them to academic courses. Based on these evaluations, ACE (American Council on Education) may recommend that colleges and universities award education credits.

An online degree is a unique opportunity to improve career prospects now and after completing military service. Bite the bullet and enroll today!

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© 2003, QuinStreet Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Mary Hobson is a consultant for technology start-ups in Russia. She also has worked as an executive officer in a defense facility and a university lecturer in computer science and management information.

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You can earn your degree online from home or while you travel. Here are some possibilities, according to www.theonlinedegree.com: