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Scholarships for Military Spouses - A Fitting Honor

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Twenty-four years ago, President Ronald Reagan set aside May 9 as Military Spouse Day to honor the achievements and sacrifices that military spouses make each and every day. And to highlight the importance of the day, President George Bush recently recognized six current military spouses for their extraordinary efforts and volunteer work. And this recognition by the Commander-in-Chief comes along with a host of private and governmental efforts to reward and honor military spouses with such things as scholarships for military spouses, child care assistance and career training programs.

Securing jobs for military spouses has become an important goal for the military and one of the best ways to do that is by giving spouses access to job training and education. These days there is a host of aid for military spouses, including military spouse financial aid for school, student loans for military spouse and military spouse college benefits.

One of the best examples of these efforts is the government's Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative, which offers military spouses at 18 select military installations education funds for school. Eligible spouses qualify for up to $3,000 a year for education and can renew for a second year of schooling; this is a two-year pilot program that may be extended after the government evaluates student enrollment and completion rates.

The good news is that military spouse education is now in the forefront of people's mind, and along with official recognition from the President and other officials, it's just a matter of time before more Americans come to appreciate and consider the sacrifices that these citizens make for the country as a whole.

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Posted by Allied @ 10:34 AM • 0 comments

Online Horizon Beckons Air Force Spouses

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The scene is being played out on Air Force bases all across the country: a plane with Airmen returning from overseas deployments lands on an airfield; children hop into the arms of Airmen in beige camies, while spouses clutching American flags wipe away tears.

It's a precious time for these families, but somewhere on another U.S. airfield, other Airmen are saying goodbye to their spouses and children and readying themselves for their long separation.

Deployed Airmen generally worry more about their wives or husbands than themselves. They understand the mission will keep them busy most days, while their spouses will struggle to fill the void left by their spouse's absence. There are dozens of things Airmen can do for their spouses, but one of the most important is to get the family's financial house in order. Air Force families should first hold a financial summit meeting, and then work on paying off all credit card debts, outlining a strict budget for the deployment period and setting up a liquid money market account to serve as an emergency savings reserve.

If there are concerns that the family's current income isn't enough, then a serious discussion about a second or increased income might be appropriate. One option for Airmen is to educate spouses about distance education - emphasizing how it can provide a quick and convenient career training. Airmen, like most service members, are familiar with military distance learning online - the military has relied on it for years, but for many civilians, it's a new concept.

It's entirely possible that an Airman's spouse could receive online vocational training, secure a job and then begin making money all in the span of a 12-month deployment. And because the military distance courses are 100% online, spouses can train for a career even if there are young children in the home - military online education can be completed while the kids are napping or after they go to bed.

Airmen looking to help their spouses find a new career can look to the U.S. Department of Labor, which projects that jobs in the medical field will grow 27% from now until the year 2014. Career training for a number of medical office jobs, such as medical transcriptionist, medical administrative assistant and medical coder, can be completed within less than a year. And medical transcriptionists, for one, can ultimately work from home as a contract employee or proprietor of their own medical transcriptionist business - a nice advantage for an Air Force spouse who must accompany her husband or wife to a new duty station every few years.

When helping their spouses choose Air Force spouse education at an online school, Airmen should make sure the institution is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), offers live student support by phone and provides some kind of job placement assistance. Airmen are advised to contact the ESO at the base military education center, discuss issues concerning air force program education and ask about the reputation of various distance education schools.

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Posted by Allied @ 12:58 PM • 0 comments