Education is becoming increasingly important no matter what level of your career you are at. Therefore our transitioning Veterans need to be prepared to pursue the necessary education for their new career path. In order to do this they need to be able to use the benefits they earned while on active duty. As a Veteran they may not have had the luxury of attending college or obtaining certifications while on active duty due to various limitations in schedule such as various deployments both local and abroad, varying work shifts, family requirements, etc. As our Veterans transition out of the military they run into many of the issues highlighted below in relation to obtaining education and related benefits:

• Unsure which college or programs to enter into
• Lack of proper advising
• Issues with transferring credits
• Issues with use of GI Bill
• Lack of properly trained staff at colleges that understand the military education benefits
• Lack of accommodations for veterans outside main stream learning
• Overwhelmed with other responsibilities on top of education

Studies in 2015 have shown that a large number of Veterans are getting Associate level degrees in liberal arts and general studies. Unfortunately this level of degree and course selection will not prepare the Veteran to be competitive with those that are getting Bachelor’s degrees or higher in the thriving segments of the market. This information alone highlights that there is a large gap in advising and supporting our Veterans on the proper education to receive. We need to ensure that they are being advised on the proper selection of degrees to ensure they are competitive on the market and can shorten the length of time they are looking for a job.

On top of needing to get College degrees many fields also now require some type or level of certification, but which one is the right one. For example the information technology field has as many certifications available as you can imagine for any area possible. Being able to properly position yourself as a veteran to know which of these certifications is the right one can be challenging and overwhelming at times. Then once they have found what they believe to be the right degree or certification it becomes difficult to know which College or training company is the best to attend.

In addition some veterans may have credits they obtained but are not enough for a full degree so they will need to be transferred to a new college. This can be cumbersome to get the credits transferred and then matched up to the new college’s criteria.

Some veterans have military related challenges that are not accommodated in main stream class settings. Many colleges and universities provide on line learning and are ADA compliant for those with disabilities.

Although I have highlighted many issues that Veterans face in relation to obtaining education and the related benefits, there are many colleges and universities that have robust Veterans based programs that will walk Veterans thru the maze of requirements to get on their way to getting their degree and using their benefits. They also provide life experience credit for certain degree requirements which will shorten the time to reach your goal.

Bottom line is we need to make the educational opportunities and processes to obtain them more streamlined and accessible to our Veterans. Education is only one area of many that they are working on simultaneously to make a successful transition. We owe it to our Veterans to make all colleges and universities advocates for our veterans ability to gain the proper education.

Landmark Life Coaching’s Mission is to honorably and respectfully serve courageous groundbreakers and transitioning veterans to persevere in defining and executing their future by providing an atmosphere of comradery and trust that honors their dedication and commitment. This will empower our clients to feel whole, honored, respected and fulfilled in defining and living their life purpose.

by Dwayne Paro