When I first became a military spouse, and moved to a remote base, I quickly found out what was important for me to be happy. One of these things was job satisfaction. I personally felt that if I was going to change a lot of my life for my husband’s career that I would need to make sure that my career was also important to me. Before moving to Laughlin AFB, I lived in New Hampshire and worked in healthcare management, where most of my customers were unhappy patients. I knew that I wanted to feel like I was making a difference in my next job position. As a military spouse, I know it can be hard to find jobs. I struggled to find a job on base because I didn’t qualify for the spousal preference that spouses receive when they are on their husband’s orders, because I got married in between pilot training and FAIP’ing. I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to find a job I felt passionate about, and I wasn’t even thinking about going back to school.
Luckily for me, a few months after moving to Laughlin AFB I became an employee at a university on base, Park University. As someone who is not from a military family and whose husband did ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps), I didn’t know much of anything when it came to military life and school. One of the best parts of my job is helping military members and their families continue their higher education, which has led myself and my husband to continue ours as well. In Fall 2020 we started the Masters of Business Administration program at Park University. As someone who has definitely felt overwhelmed at the thought of going back to school, I’m here to tell you that YOU CAN DO IT! Here are few pointers from someone who is a student and works in higher education:
LOOK INTO ALL OF YOUR FUNDING OPTIONS
You would be surprised by how many funding options military spouses have for school, in addition to typical loans. Each resource may have different eligibility requirements, so it’s always best to research and ask questions. Your base’s Education Center is also a great resource for questions related to the G.I. Bill and tuition assistance. Some funding options are:
- PELL Grants (financial aid)
- MyCAA
- GI Bill (transferred from your spouse)
- Base specific military spouse scholarships (Officers’ Spouses’ Club Scholarships and Enlisted Spouses’ Club Scholarships)
- School-specific military spouse scholarships (check with your school’s financial aid department)
- National military spouse scholarships:
- Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program
- National Military Family Association Scholarship Program
- Pat Tillman Foundation Scholarship Program
- ThanksUSA Scholarship Program
- Modern Military Association of America (MMAA) Military Spouse Scholarship Program
- Patriot Education Fund Scholarship Program
- Hope for the Warriors Scholarship Program
- General Henry H. Arnold Education Grant Program
- Mike and Gail Donley Spouse Scholarship
- NAIMES (National Association of Institutions for Military Education Services) Scholarship
- Civilian tuition assistance (federal/base employees)
- Employer reimbursement
- CLEP/DSST credit (exams to earn college credit, cheaper than taking a class)
PICK THE RIGHT SCHOOL AND PROGRAM
It’s especially important for military spouse students to pick the right school and program because we have a different lifestyle than other students. If your spouse’s career includes moving to a new base every couple of years, you want to make sure you’re not accidentally starting at a school that doesn’t offer online courses. Here are a couple of things to research when comparing schools:
- Tuition discounts: Many schools offer discounted tuition rates for military spouses. For example, Park University matches the TA rate of $250 per credit hour for active duty, active duty dependents, reservists, and national guard. Many schools also will waive their application fee for military spouses.
- Instructional methods: If your spouse’s career includes moving to a new base every couple of years, you want to make sure you’re not accidentally starting at a school that doesn’t offer online courses. You may also want your courses to be taught a specific way based on your preferred learning style. I recommend finding a school that offers in-person courses, online courses, and blended courses. If you prefer to learn face-to-face, you may be interested in a blended course that you can take online but still has lectures via Zoom.
- Range of programs: I recommend deciding what degree you would like and then finding a school that offers that program. Many schools will also allow you to add a concentration or minor to your degree. As a military spouse of a FAIP, I have no idea what aircraft my husband will fly or where we’ll be stationed, so I decided I would like to receive my MBA as I feel that that will give me the widest range of job opportunities down the road. Having a range of different degree programs at your school is also important in case you decide you would like to change your major but not transfer schools.
STAY ORGANIZED AND REMEMBER TO DE-STRESS
Yes, going back to school probably won’t be a walk in the park, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful time either! I’ve learned that staying organized and creating ways to de-stress are key when going back to school. As military spouses we often have chunks of times that are busier than others, whether it may be spouse events or family visiting from out-of-town. At the beginning of each term I like to put all my important dates for my personal, work, and school life in one agenda. By doing this I am able to see how all of my events line up. If I notice that all within one week I have a spouse event, a work deadline, and a final project is due I will make sure that the week prior I try to keep my calendar free. There’s nothing worse than being unproductive all week because I chose to binge watch Real Housewives and then realize that I’ll have to pass on a Saturday on the boat with my friends because I have an assignment due Sunday.
It’s also important to know when to take a break. If you’re spending hours on one assignment and keep getting stuck at a certain spot, walk away! Take your dog for a walk, take a bubble bath, go to the gym – anything that will allow you to relax for a bit. Afterwards you’ll get back to working on your assignment and you’ll find that it’s a lot easier.
Meet Erin
