You know how you hear the phrase. “College isn’t for everyone”
If that’s you, don’t feel bad. It’s me too. And that missing piece of our post-transition puzzle haunts me almost every single day.
The problem is systemic. See if this sounds familiar.
You have a soldier who is a Human Resources Specialist in the Army. They’re good at it. They win commendations and are even put in charge of an entire department.
One day that soldier gets out and goes “Well, I’ll just get into Human Resources in the civilian world.”
Not so fast dawg. Where is your college degree?
And you might be looking back at the previous paragraph and wondering if you really need that degree. After all. You have experience. Right?
That’s not good enough. Not in today’s workforce. You need that paper to get past the gatekeepers.
And by gatekeepers, I’m talking about the hiring computer algorithm that throws your name out as soon as it realizes you have a degree. I’m talking about the decision maker who wants to know you speak their language and not the military’s.
Thank you for your service. But your service doesn’t meet our minimum qualifications.
That human resources specialist? That’s me. And I’ve paid the price for that missing degree many times over.
This is why you have to learn a trade. Use your educational benefits. Lock down that ability that will ensure that no matter where you end up in life, you’re going to have a skill that can make you some money.
And it doesn’t have to be college. It can be a trade school that will deliver your certifications and you’ll be there to learn that skill alone, and not some wild math that you’ll probably never use. You won’t have to navigate some complicated paper sprint to get to class.
You’ll just be able to show up and learn.
And if more of our veterans can do that, then we’ll be one step closer to sewing together a safety net of skills that will ensure they have the tools to support themselves no matter where they end up.
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