Top-Paying Jobs for Military Veterans
United States military veterans who have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan are frequently faced with the challenge of a civilian transition and a search for employment.
According to the New York Times, there are more than 220,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are out of work. It's a harsh and unfair reality, but the unemployment rate for veterans (12 percent) is higher than it is for the rest of the U.S. population (8 percent).
There are a variety of resources designed to help veterans during this period of transition.
First, veterans will want to know the proper way to convey how their experience in the military will translate effectively into the work place. Here are a few tips to get started.
Second, if necessary, it is important veterans gain the proper amount of schooling required for the position in which they're seeking. If a desired position requires a particular degree, and you still need to work to make ends meet, know that you have options with online military colleges.
Third, employment-seeking veterans should soak up as much information as possible from doing extensive research on their desired career path. This weekly webinar series is a way to get started. The series covers topics relating to successful job-search tactics, and information to make veterans successful in the job market. The series will take place at 1 p.m. CST every Tuesday beginning in February. It will run through Nov. 28 and is open to anyone.
Finally comes the time for the job hunt. What job industry best suits your experience, skill-set and long-term goals? If you're still undecided after steps 1, 2 and 3, we have suggestions.
Consider the following 15 highest-paying job industries for military veterans, as reported in a recent study by payscale.com (figures represent an average annual salary):
Program Manager, IT: $91,000Management Consultant: $87,000FBI Agent: $77,600Information Technology (IT) Consultant: $74,000Business Development Manager: $72,200Systems Analyst: $70,500Intelligence Analyst: $69,500Systems Engineer (Computer Networking/IT): $67,300Project Manager, Construction: $66,000Network Engineer, IT: $62,500Field Service Engineer, Medical Equipment: $62,400Helicopter Pilot: $58,600Technical Writer: $53,400Network Administrator, IT: $50,000HVAC Service Technician: $42,000
Notice a common theme? A good percentage of the above positions relate to technology.
This makes sense. Military members often work with highly-technical equipment, making them more than qualified for the majority of the positions listed above. The key is being able to sell your skills to a potential employer.
Once that happens, military members could find themselves in a position they do not want to relinquish.
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About the author: Eric Sorrentino joined Grantham University as Social Media Manager in October 2011. Prior to his current position, he blogged about the Big 12 Conference for KUsports.com and was a sports copy editor for the Lawrence Journal-World. Eric received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas.
