MilitaryStars Blog

Veterans to Teachers at UWF in Pensacola

We're coming to Pensacola in just a few weeks, and the city's News-Journal has a great look at a veterans' teaching program at the University of West Florida.  Profiled is a retired Army chief warrant officer, previously stationed at Baghdad International Airport, and her journey to the classroom.  UWF provided her and all others in the program with free tuition and much more!  I like how UWF's program director describes what makes veterans excellent teachers as well: "Stability, diversity and being good role models".  We don't hear as much about those particular attributes as we should!

Arkansas Leaders Step Up For Servicemembers

The state of Arkansas's new Yellow Ribbon Task Force brings together leaders from various state, private, and non-profit organizations with veterans programs, in an effort to get them all working together more efficiently.  I see no specific job officers listed in the link, but I trust they will be there if not now, then soon!  There are several education leaders listed; I imagine under the new GI Bill, they will have plenty to show Arkansas veterans about maximizing their education, and their career potential.     

White Sands Wants Veterans On the Force

Anyone interested in a law enforcement career in New Mexico would do well to check out this piece on the massively increasing need for police personnel at the White Sands Missile Range.  Police officers and security guards for the Department of the Army receive the same rights and benefits as all other civilian government employees, and both positions are being targeted for veterans - military service is a requirement for the guard position.  For everyone in the Southwest, we will be returing to Phoenix in November with careers along these lines and many, many more!

Where More Veterans Are Hired and Promoted

There's enough out there about veteran hiring being behind the civilian pace - a lot of it is simply no longer the case, but there's always an appetite for negativity.  A piece on Federal Times yesterday, however, shows one area where military hiring and advancement is outperforming civilians to the point that civilians are getting special classes just to catch up.  The Department of Defense's Senior Executive Service (SES) is staffed by more retired military every year thanks a combination of changes in compensation law and the leadership advantage enjoyed by servicemembers from early in their careers.  We saw plenty of job seekers meeting with federal employers last week in Arlington, along with civilian employers who understand the leadership advantage of veterans and are bringing it to their teams.  Hope it inspires you - have a great week! 

Veteran Talent A Must For Business Trends

A must-read for both employers and job seekers appeared yesterday on Massachusetts' Business West.  Written by a worker's comp professional, it is a plea to employers to position themselves to attract the best talent.  What constitutes the best talent?  How about his second bullet: "Up to 75% of those 18 to 24 years old are not eligible for the military due to obesity, illiteracy, or substance abuse."  His implication is that you, the military job seeker, are not going to be heading out into the civilian workforce in the numbers you once did and are therefore that much more valuable!   You are needed in industries across the board - his example is auto technicians, which will never be outsourced and require technical knowledge, but his point extends across the civilian marketplace.  As an employer, if you want to bring the best talent to your organization, join our growing list of clients making it a priority to use our hiring solutions!

Soldiers' Drive to Succeed

I remember when the Segway came out, people were, at the least, a little underwhelmed after hearing it could change the world.  It's therefore refreshing to see how the machine truly has changed the lives of wounded service members through the Segs4Vets program.  Another creative, specific initiative proving that ideas for improving the lives of veterans can come from anywhere, and can lead those veterans anywhere as well.  The soldier profiled in the story helps others who are competing for the US Paralympic Hockey Team, while he's looking forward to a civilian career in IT.  I know an awesome place he could start!  Have a great week.   

Veteran, ESPY Nominee, King of the Mountain

How many times have you heard people advise you to "never let anyone tell you that you can't do something" or similar words?  From what I hear every day, in a military career or a military-friendly civilian career, you're actually being shown that you can do more than you ever thought possible every day.  You're being shown, rather than told, because it's more powerful (ask anyone selling a book of writing advice), and because it's beating back another powerful force at the same time: self-doubt letting your own head tell you that you can't do something.  If you're feeling that at any time, add this piece to your Favorites and go back to it.  Remember where your training has brought you, and what you can accomplish with it!   

Volunteers Changing Other Veterans' Lives

I've spoken with some amazing individuals who devote their lives to helping homeless veterans, including San Diego's Alpha Project.  A story from West Virginia's Herald-Dispatch.com on the state's Volunteers of America (VOA) demonstrates what a huge difference veterans can make on their fellow servicemembers' lives.  No one veteran's services organization can do it all alone.  More people thankfully are willing to help every day, and we always must realize that each of these groups plays a crucial, specific role.  Groups like VOA and Alpha Project give homeless veterans the means to take back their lives, including one day walking through the door at a hiring event and setting themselves up for success. If you don't believe it can happen, check out The Pursuit of Happyness - it's not just a movie.  VOA needs volunteers, and hopefully will inspire the rest of the nation to find more as well!

San Diego Career Expo Recap and Thanks

Normally I try to say good luck here to everyone headed to one of our events - last week, I got to do so in person!  I helped run the San Diego event, and everyone here appreciates each and every one of you who attended.  We had a full crowd from the Employer Panel to the end of the day - you made a seriously great impression on all of our client employers, and from speaking with some of you, it sounds like you made some tremendous connections as well.  San Diego is a beautiful place - seeing so many of you speaking with so many diverse, exciting employers made the trip for us.  As I told many who attended, we'll be back in California in October - stay tuned!  Thank you, best of luck, and have a great week.

Blue Collar, Big Dollar Careers

Forbes.com recently checked out America's highest-paying blue collar jobs.  If you're more interested in this career track, definitely give them a look... I would if you haven't thought of it before, too!  Nothing worse than assuming a certain type of work isn't for you without even comprehending the rewards.  Field technicians make this list and are consistently in demand at our events!