During my time as an active duty wife, I ran into a problem that I am sure many of you experience today–trying to find a job. It was the early 90s, and the country was in the middle of a recession. To top it off, we lived in a very rural area outside Fort Drum, New York. Jobs were not plentiful. I found a few gigs at the local temporary agency, but had no success finding a permanent position.
With the spread of the internet, more options are now available than ever before to spouses and significant others of military members. One option that I believe both National Guard/Reserve spouses and Active Duty family members will find useful is the Military Spouse Career Center at Military.com: http://www.military.com/spouse.
This great site offers information on every aspect of job hunting. Preparing your resume is the most important first step and the career center gives information to help you. Job preparation information is given by branch of service as well. Informative articles detail job hunting tips in the career advice section. The site lists the most popular jobs for spouses with specific information on each occupation. Once you are prepared for your job search, you can search for jobs near your current location.
Since active duty families move so often, they face challenges holding down a job and finding good daycare that those of us in the National Guard do not face as often. Maybe you just found a great job opportunity, but what about your kids. The career center offers helpful links to daycare information and helpful articles to help you prepare.
Military life presents unique obstacles and blessings for all involved whether you are active duty or reserve, soldier or family member. As we always have, we will stand together to help each other. There is one saying I have heard since I married my soldier, “If the Army would have wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one.” Finally, with innovative ideas like the Military Spouse Career Center, spouses realize the military no longer treats us as if we are issued property.