What are the Best Jobs For Military Spouses in 2013?
Let’s get real honest. The best job is the one that thrills you and challenges you and isn’t dependent on someone “giving” it to you. It pays for the things that you want to do and it still lets you be there for your kids. Sign me up for that job….
The normal list of the best jobs for military spouses in 2013 looks like this:
Degree or Certifications Required
- Registered Nurse
- Teacher/Teacher’s Assistant
- Medical Billing Assistant
- Accountant/bookkeeper
- Esthetician
- Financial planner
- Hair Stylist
- Appraiser
- Audio or Video to Text Transcriptions
- Computer/web/app programmer
- Graphic designer
- Editor/copy editor
- Personal Trainer
- Massage therapist
- Translator/interpreter
No certification required but PCS requires a new position or start-up time
- Customer Service Representative
- Data entry/processor
- Retail Salesperson
- Direct Sales
- SEO Consultant
- Stock Photographer
- Telemarketer
- Childcare
- Interior designer
- Crafts Goddess
- Caterer/Personal Chef
- Professional organizer
- Seamstress
Flexible Schedule, PCS-Proof, More Entrepreneurial
- Web designer
- Creative Writer
- Video Editor
- Virtual Assistant
- Travel Agent
- Online Tutoring
- Online Direct Sales
- Online Copywriter
- Online Marketer
What qualifies as one of the best jobs for military spouses in 2013?
I have been a military spouse for over 18 years and I have tried a wide range of fields. I have made a six-figure income. I have travelled the country and managed teams. I have consulted to Fortune 100 Companies. And each position had its pros and cons. Actually only one career has ever met all of the criteria. We will get to that in a minute…
First, let’s set some ground rules…
Criteria for the Best Jobs for Military Spouses in 2013
- The work should be challenging and rewarding.
- The work should bring in thousands per month, at least hundreds per week.
- The work should have a flexible schedule. In terms of days per week and hours per day.
- The work should be available in cities and in smaller towns.
- The work should allow for PCSing without missing a beat.
- The work could also ideally involve a support network both by and for the spouses.
- Or a place where you can get away form other spouses (depends on your point of view)
- The work should be in a fast-growing industry.
This list seems like a unicorn dancing in a cloud of pixie dust, I know
But let’s look at it with an open mind.
Should you go for the degree or advanced degree?
We often think that the degree equals challenging and rewarding.
And it might. But it doesn’t necessarily equal an easier job search.
It can be really difficult to craft a compelling resume when it has moves every 2 or 3 years.
Even though the company is not willing to commit to long term employment, they want you to.
Many military spouses want the recognition and the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing a degree program.
This is often a big problem because of the all to common PCS in the middle of a program.
And then there is the expense of the college degree. Many even debate whether most degrees are worth it.
Check out some interesting debates here:
USNews.com
USAToday.com
WallStreetJournal
Then there is the question of timing.
Will your be able to complete the program, the internships and the certifications before the next PCS.
If not, will the credits transfer?
Does the next school even have the degree program? Is it a respected program?
What if the campus is too far away?
As a military spouse with a Masters Degree from one of the top business schools in the country, I can say that completing the program and getting the great job can happen.
It is the transfer to the next duty station that is the real bear.
Creating a “Dream Sheet” with the right locations and trying to line up certifications and transfers is a real sticky situation.
Especially if orders are delayed or change midstream. We received written orders 4 weeks out for one of our PCSes.
But, if you complete the program and find a great position, will you have long distance relationship?
Let your spouse be a geographic bachelor so that you can keep the position and they can fulfill their duties.
Been there. Done that. With 2 kids. For over 16 months. It is no fun.
What if there was a career that did not require a degree or an advanced degree?
But the training that you needed was available online for a fraction of the cost.
Would that career qualify as one of the best jobs for military spouses in 2013?
What about the flexible schedule?
Let’s be honest. We have responsibilities.
We need to be available for the children. In case they are sick. In case they are home from school.
My kids are on a year-around school schedule which means that several times a year they are out of school for at least 2 weeks at a time. Maybe 3 weeks. Maybe 5 weeks. I don’t know of any full-time or part-time gigs that allow that kind of flexibility.
What if there was a career that you could build around your responsibilities?
You could be there for your kids. When they go to school. When they return home in the afternoon. When they have early dismissals or field trips. When they vomit at school and the nurse calls…
Would that career qualify as one of the best jobs for military spouses in 2013?
PCS-Proof? Is there Such a Thing…
As I mentioned I have an advanced degree and I earned six-figures as management consultant. I have also been a college instructor at a couple of very large national universities. But they never seemed to have openings at the new duty station after a PCS.
Until…
I moved online.
As an online instructor, I was able to PCS the last 3 times without missing a beat.
Online is where it is at.
More and more people want the flexibility. More and more people want the portability.
More and more people are doing more things on online.
The only problem with my online teaching gig is that sometimes I might not get assigned a class. That inconsistency of income is a challenge.
What if there was a career that someone could do online, that didn’t require an advanced degree, where no one had to “give” you the job and the training was available at a fraction of the cost?
Would that career qualify as one of the best jobs for military spouses in 2013?
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Sounds good but we still haven’t talked about the money…
Show Me the Money
There are a range of incomes available online.
Some times it depends on the work and the certifications. So an accountant would be paid because they hold certain qualifications.
Freelance jobs like
From the $5 gigs on Fiverr. (Which we will exclude because that is a lot of work to make hundreds of dollars per week.)
To the big ticket coaching and consulting work done by the experts and gurus for thousands of dollars per hour or day.
I knew nothing, I made nothing. I know more. I made over $4125 last month*.
What if there was something that allowed you to earn money while you learned the skills?
You could invest in the training in chunks as you were ready or you could go for the whole enchilada at once.
As you can see from the list above, there are jobs for the military spouse that require education, degrees and certifications but your success still depends on whether or not someone will hire you.
There are jobs for military spouses that are less structured but each PCS will still mean that you have to start mostly from scratch in establishing a client base and a reputation.
The last group of jobs gives great flexibility and you can learn as you go but they really require an entrepreneurial mindset.
As military spouses, we know that we can rely on ourselves. We can fix the plumbing, cut the lawn, handle deployments, and all that.
So I encourage you to take a look at entrepreneurial options.
Why should we depend on others to hire us when we can develop our own skills and market them to the world?
Would you like to know how to develop the skills needed to market products and find customers online?
See what it takes to get started online.
It can be done in just 5 minutes.
Betcha’ didn’t expect that.
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* I am not making any income promises or guarantees. I don’t know how committed you are to having one the best jobs for military spouses, anywhere, ever. See the Income Disclosure here.
