By Patra Frame
No real career yet?
Not sure what you want to do?
Unsure of your next step? Here’s help!
Start by making a list of those careers which you think might interest you. Some may come out of your military experience. Others not.
If you have few ideas on what you want to do, start by thinking about basics.
What appeals to you? What did you learn in your military work that you would want to do?
Here at Job-Hunt, we have a lot of information to help you research career options and employers. Another terrific website specifically designed to help veterans figure out what work interests them and what careers they might pursue is MyNextMove, from O*Net.
One aspect of what your options are is where you live or want to live. If you love where you live, you will want to find those careers which allow you to succeed locally. If you are relocating, then you want to learn the options in your preferred location.
Don’t assume you know all the various career options in your local area even if you have lived there since birth. Most areas have many more than you might be able to list at first.
Once you have some options you like, check out what is available locally. See the employers listed in Job-Hunt's Directory of Employers by State, which includes both government and non-government employers.
You can learn more about local needs through the local economic development agency (generally online, search the term with your city or county’s name).
Also do a search on Indeed.com, or any other large job board, using career titles or keywords, plus the location you want, to see what is currently available and what skills or experience are needed. Notice which employers seem to be listing the most jobs that interest you, and check out their websites to see if they might be good places to work.
Take a look at anything which seems interesting and explore it. Seek out people who do the work now. Check out how common the work is in your area - usually you have more job opportunities if you choose a locally common field.
I am sure you have heard often enough that education is critical to your future job prospects and income. But that does not mean your only options are a BA or BS. If your chosen career requires that, certainly it is worth the effort. But there are plenty of other education options.
Need information on your GI Bill rights? Check out Post 9/11 GI-Bill Benefits.
It is your future - take a good look and choose options that will get you started in a career which interests you now.
Also, take a look around Job-hunt.org for many more ideas, including those in the column on the right.
Patra Frame has extensive experience in human capital management and career issues in large and small corporations. She is an Air Force vet and charter member of The Women In Military Service for America Memorial. Patra speaks and writes regularly on job search and career issues through her company Strategies for Human Resources (SHRInsight) and PatraFrame.com where she blogs advice for veterans and other job seekers. Watch Patra's ClearedJobs.net job search tips videos on YouTube, and follow her on Twitter @2Patra.
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