Skill isn't enough
Military training and deployment teach many useful skills, but as some veterans find out, skills are often not enough in today's job market. With a large number of people competing for a small number of jobs, veterans need both skills and a college education to remain competitive in the current job market.
The job of a military policeman (MP) illustrates the point. At military police school, MPs receive the law enforcement training necessary to do their jobs in the military. After leaving the military, if an MP wants to pursue a career as a police officer, he or she would need a law enforcement degree to learn the additional career training required to pass the certification tests. Most police departments will not hire a former MP without the proper certification and civilian training.
While there's no argument about the fact that the military teaches its service members great skills, if veterans want to use these skills to get a good job, they have a better chance of building on this foundation by attending college.
The new G.I. Bill
A 1988 congressional study revealed that for every dollar spent on G.I. Bill educational benefits, seven dollars were returned to the national economy via taxes and increased consumer spending. From congress on down, most people feel it is our duty to repay our veterans for the work they do preserving our freedom. And the rest of us benefit as well.
The Post-9/11 G.I. Bill exemplifies this effort. While not perfect for every veteran, it is the biggest change in educational assistance since the Post World War II G.I. Bill.
Highlights include:
• A housing allowance
• Up to $2,000 for tutorial services or certification exams
• $500 to individuals relocating from highly rural areas to attend college
• Tuition paid directly to the school
• Money for supplies and books
Classroom culture shock
Some veterans start college too soon after coming home only to find they have not fully recovered from their combat zone deployment. With nearly 20 percent of the veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a typical college campus environment of large crowds and loud noises simply doesn't work for many of them. Some war veterans avoid the sometimes-stressful college environment by taking online courses. Others prefer online programs because attending class online fits their busy post-war lifestyle better.
Online classes help transition
Army Sgt. Lustman deployed to Iraq for sixteen months as a data analyst. Returning in the late summer of 2007, she waited until the spring quarter to start her online program in mass communications at St. Cloud State University. She explained, "I delayed going back to school until I had time to decompress and get back to a normal routine." She attended school in a traditional classroom setting before deployment, but after returning and waiting, she decided the flexibility of the online option worked better while working full-time at a National Guard facility. "The thing I miss the most about taking online classes is the lack of interaction with the professors and other students," Lustman said. If a veteran has a young family, online school may work better for them because they can do their coursework after the children are in bed and in smaller chunks of time throughout the day. For these veterans, the online option gives them an education option that until just a few years ago was not available.
Going the campus route
Other returning military members with PTSD decide to go the classroom route. Sgt. 1st Class Courneya also returned from Iraq in 2007 after a sixteen-month deployment with the Army as an operations sergeant. He waited several months after returning from deployment before he went back into the traditional classroom setting. He said, "I delayed returning back to college at the recommendation from other veteran students. I'm glad I waited." Courneya is pursuing a geology degree at the University of Minnesota. He also has degrees in medical technology and biology. "With the required on-campus labs, afternoon and evening classes made the most sense to me," he explains. Courneya also works full-time for the National Guard.
This group of new veterans is different from the traditional college student. Many veterans find they don't have anything in common with their non-veteran classmates. When classmates ask veterans to talk about their military experiences, many find it hard to explain in a way non-veterans understand. Courneya found a veteran's orientation class helpful. "That class gave me a good understanding of what to expect when going into a classroom with non-veterans," he said.
Help for college-bound veterans
Many veterans decide to attend on-campus classes and find themselves overwhelmed with the red tape of the admission and enrollment process. Fortunately, today many of the colleges recognize the unique veteran student and have set up different programs including veterans-only classes, seminars on adjusting to college life, and "one-stop shops" where veterans have a single point of contact to get into college and signed up for classes. "I used the services of the U of M's Veterans Center," Courneya said. "It's free and their staff of four really smoothed out the road for me as far as getting enrolled and signed-up for classes."
All these programs are intended to get veterans into college with the least amount of frustration; the programs are extremely successful for both the veteran and the schools. With programs in place allowing veterans to slowly adjust to college life instead of being thrown back into it, veterans do very well taking on-campus classes.
Veterans' educational benefits extend far beyond just the veteran. Their families, as well as their communities and employers, are all impacted by this special group of heroes as they finish their education and advance their careers.
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