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Military Education News And Info

Stay up-to-date with news and information about your military education. You can get the information you need to make informed decisions about your online and military correspondence programs. Learn what's going on with military continuing education and how you can make a smooth military transition. Your civilian career awaits you!

A recent USA Today article covering The National Guard Association of the United States' General Conference in Puerto Rico highlighted the strain that longer deployments are putting on National Guard soldiers, their families and their civilian careers.

As of August 2007, out of a total of 162,000 U.S. troops serving in Iraq, approximately 30,000 were National Guard soldiers. Some National Guard soldiers now serve on deployments that are as long as 15 months.

"When you're deployed, it's tough on you. It's tough on your family," Col. Steven Bensend of the Wisconsin National Guard told USA Today. "When you get back, you want to separate yourself from military things." Col. Bensend is an agricultural consultant in Wisconsin who returned from a one-year tour in Kuwait to find that he'd lost many of his clients.

For Guard soldiers who want a backup career or are looking to switch into a whole new line of work when they return home, 100% online military courses can help National Guardsmen prepare for civilian careers while they're deployed in Kosovo, Africa, Iraq or any number of places. Military continuing education is a way for Guardsmen to prepare themselves for their military to civilian transition when they return to the States.

In exchange for their service, the National Guard will pay up to 100% of a soldier's military tuition for online courses. It's a chance for Guard soldiers to receive training to become a home inspector, real estate agent, property manager or medical transcriptionist.

As long as Guard soldiers have access to the Internet and a computer, they can take military classes online when they're off duty. U.S. Military Tuition Assistance is a military education benefit that Guard soldiers have earned, and they need to take advantage of it while they're serving on active duty. This is, in effect, a military education grant and soldiers must make sure they use this opportunity for no-cost career training.
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Posted by Heather @ 4:08 PM • 0 comments

Almost all service members, whether they plan to use it or not, have at least heard of the Montgomery GI Bill. For some, going to college and using GI Bill money was the main motivation for joining the service. Then there were others, of course, who joined the military solely to ship out on the fleet or to operate an Abrams tank. So, when it comes to their military to civilian transition, some service members are deciding on quick, vocational training instead of enrolling in a four-year university.

It is informative to look at recent census figures concerning national education levels. The U.S. Census Bureau surveyed Americans in 2006 and discovered that only 28% of the population held a bachelor's degree. You can look at this a number of different ways, but one way of understanding it is that more than 70% of Americans make it with less than a four-year degree.

In the Army, for example, only approximately 4% of enlisted soldiers have a bachelor's degree according to a 2005 Army survey. Some of these soldiers will certainly get out of the service, use their military education benefit, and graduate with a college degree -- but many will not.

Vocational training often makes one think of apprentice welders or carpenters, but the age of the Internet has changed all that, allowing service members to train for careers as medical transcriptionists, medical administrative assistants, real estate agents, home inspectors, or any number of other professions. And the real kicker is that they can do it while deployed anywhere in the world -- it is a truly 100% online program education.

Service members can take advantage of online vocational training by using U.S. Military Tuition Assistance (also known as Federal Tuition Assistance), which is a military education benefit often overshadowed by the GI Bill. FTA allows active-duty military personnel to receive up to 100% military Tuition Assistance for online courses.
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Posted by Heather @ 1:39 PM • 0 comments

It would be a real stretch to say that all Military Occupation Specialties (MOS) have an exact civilian counterpart, but with a little investigation some good possibilities become clear. For our discussion, we'll narrow things down to a few jobs that require brief vocational training instead of a four-year degree (a stop at your military education center is certainly advisable).

We'll also use the Marine Corps' Military Occupation Specialties only, keeping in mind that each service branch will most likely have a job classification that roughly corresponds to the Marines' MOS.

First we'll list the civilian job title, followed by some military jobs that might be a good match. Use this list as a way to start thinking about your military-to-civilian transition.

Medical Transcriptionist - Data Network Specialist, Telephone Technician or Basic Administrative Marine

Licensed Contractor - Basic Utilities Marine, Engineer Equipment Mechanic, Barracks and Ground Marine or Aircraft Maintenance Chief

Licensed Real Estate Agent - Purchasing and Contracting Specialist, Communications Center Operator, Recruiter or Range Coach

Home Inspector - Electrician, Utilities Chief, Electrical Equipment Repair Specialist or Intelligence Specialist

Military personnel thinking about their military career transition to civilian life need to identify the many skills involved in their MOS. Civilian employers are looking for education and job skills. Questions to ask yourself about your MOS include: Did I supervise others? Was I using specific computer software? Was I a specialist in my field? How did I face, and overcome, the challenges associated with my MOS? Did I receive cross-training in another MOS?

When it comes to online course in the military, the time to act is now while you're still serving and can receive up to 100% Federal U.S. Military Tuition Assistance from Uncle Sam. You can prepare for the civilian jobs listed above, for example, by taking 100% online distance learning military courses while deployed anywhere in the world. Remember, this is your military education benefit, so don't lose your chance to get ahead.

It goes without saying that the training, discipline and teamwork in the service helps prepare military personnel for a host of different careers, many of them quite different from their MOS. So when it comes to your civilian career, the slogan is certainly "Just do it."
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Posted by Heather @ 2:55 PM • 0 comments

A 2005 Army study revealed that approximately 15% of its enlisted soldiers were of either Hispanic or Asian descent. The same study noted that from 1995 to 2005 the percentage of Hispanic soldiers serving in the active-duty Army more than doubled. It's probably a fair bet that some of these soldiers are the children of immigrants and grew up speaking their parent's native language. And much the same can probably be said for members of the Marine Corp, Navy, Air Force, Army National Guard and Coast Guard.

It's common to remark that the military is a reflection of the society it defends, and the most recent U.S. Census Bureau reported that an estimated 11% of Americans speak a second language fluently. Military service members who speak and write two languages can market themselves to employers who operate in diverse communities.

Careers that may require work with immigrant communities, like those in the medical field, benefit greatly from bilingual skills. Today many medical offices and hospitals serve communities whose residents speak only Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, or any number of immigrant languages. A Medical Administrative Assistant or Medical Biller who can speak Spanish, for example, will be a very useful employee.

The same goes for careers in the real estate industry. Real estate agents, real estate appraisers and home inspectors that can serve the members of a specific ethnic group, are assets to clients, customers, homebuyers, brokers or whomever they do business with. Spanish-speaking military personnel who go on to be licensed contractors can use their skills in the home building industry.

Bilingual service members need to promote their language abilities to potential employers. Because many service members grew up speaking both English, and their parent's native language, they don't recognize its importance. This is a mistake. It is a marketable skill and should be listed on resumes and mentioned in job interviews.

Service members can use their military tuition assistance programs to help pay for up to 100% of tuition and fees for online courses in real estate, the medical field and business. Service personnel should take advantage of this military education benefit to beef up on their career skills and prepare for their military to civilian transition.
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Posted by Heather @ 3:51 PM • 0 comments

A recent article in Military Times' career and educational monthly, profiles retired Army Sgt. Maj. Walt Scott who, after a 35-year service career has made his military transition into a new career as a successful real estate agent in Ashburn, Va. The article explains that military veterans make great real estate agents and brokers.

Jim Gillespie, president and c.e.o., Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp., is quoted in the article as saying that veterans are "self starters and survivors." He goes on to say, "I can not imagine any other business that would match up better with military personnel than real estate." That's certainly high praise coming from a person at the top of his industry; it should give service members confidence that their military career transition might be smoother than they expected.

The story points out that the hard work, flexibility and people skills learned in the military are the tools real estate agents require to work with customers and makes sales. Another advantage veterans have, is the dozens of nationwide contacts they've made moving from base-to-base during their military career: there's no denying that people and contacts are the meat and potatoes of a real estate career. The hundreds of people you've worked with in the service are important parts of your military education.

Allied Real Estate School offers 100% online real estate courses for active-duty military service members. Military services members can receive up to 100% Federal Military Tuition Assistance for online real estate courses at Allied. Military personnel can use this military education benefit to take a Real Estate License Salesperson Course, Real Estate Broker License Course or Real Estate Appraisal License Course.

The Military Times article also mentions that a real estate career is also a great match for military spouses who have had to develop the same people skills and flexibility as military members. The article quotes a real estate broker in Texas who has a total of 38 real estate agents, with 21 of them being retired military, military veterans or the spouses of military vets.

To help the spouses of military personnel prepare for their futures as well, Allied Real Estate School offers a $300 military spouse tuition discount on its Real Estate Appraisal License Course for individuals whose military spouse is currently enrolled in an Allied course. For spouses whose military husband or wife isn't taking an Allied course, they can still receive $150 off a Real Estate Appraisal License Course. These discounts also apply to specific Allied courses in the medical field and business.
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Posted by Heather @ 2:04 PM • 0 comments