Now that my spouse is retired I’m thinking more about what I want to do to further my career. While I was fortunate to have the same job for about 5 years, for much of the time my husband and I have been together, I’ve had to find a new job when we moved.

Now that we are going to be in one place for a longer time, I have the opportunity to really think about what I want my career to look like, and what I want to do.

One of the challenging things about moving so frequently as a military spouse is a career trajectory that is anything but linear.

I’m finding that this can make it difficult to find a new job, or continue along the same career path, even once your time as an active duty spouse has come to an end.

I’ve been fortunate to find a job in our new city, but I would love to get back into a role that’s more aligned with the goals I have for my career. 

For these reasons, I’ve decided to go back to school!

I’m learning there are additional resources for spouses of service members who have a VA disability rating (in addition to the GI bill), and I wanted to make my fellow spouses who are going through the transition period aware!

As I continue through this process, I will share what I learn and share the resources that I find.

I’ve been thinking of my husband’s transition out of the military as a new career beginning for him, but I’m realizing that it can be somewhat of a new beginning for myself as well, when I can get more education that will allow me to set myself up for future success in my chosen field. 

I’m also working to feel more connected to my community, and make some friends here.

This has always been a challenge for me, so I am hopeful that starting a new degree program will be a good way for me to meet people who have similar goals and interests as I do.

This seems like a win-win, to be able to advance my career and make friends in the process!

I’m continuing to try to find ways that I can reconnect to myself now that my husband is retired. I know being back in school studying a topic I’ve been passionate about for my entire career is a great way to do that!

Editor’s Note: We wish Heather all the luck as she enters this next phase. We will be taking this journey with her! To read some of her past posts, click HERE!