For many, life as a military officer is one that isn’t always easy to leave behind. However, there are times when moving on is a necessity and not an option. Luckily, veterans in the United States and most other countries are considered valuable to businesses.
There is no shortage of career options for military veterans. According to recent surveys, some careers are more popular among veterans than the others. These are the careers that many ex-military officers are turning to after retiring from their forces.
Ship Engineering
A lot of Navy veterans continue to work for the military as a civilian contractor, mainly in fields such as ship and telecommunication engineering. Ship engineers are responsible for maintaining ships, including taking care of the engine and generators.
Depending on the veterans’ background, many don’t even need extensive trainings to enter this field. Those who were stationed in engineering can simply make the shift to this career without a problem. For others without an engineering background, courses are provided by the companies in this field as well as by the military directly.
Working as a ship engineer is particularly rewarding. Aside from remaining close to military life, veterans in this field can expect a median salary of over $70,000 annually. Both the US Navy and the Coast Guard regularly recruit ship engineers to strengthen their maintenance divisions.
Law Enforcement
Another popular career choice for veterans is a career in law enforcement. This is a wide field to explore and there are a lot of interesting jobs to get into. Becoming a police officer and joining other law enforcement forces are still the most popular career choices of them all, but these aren’t the only paths to look into.
More and more veterans choose to pursue a masters in criminal justice from top universities such as the University of Cincinnati. Since there are now online MSCJ courses, those who are still in the military can pursue the same online CJ degree while in service, allowing them to be more prepared for life after the military.
With the criminal justice degree, veterans can explore other career options such as forensics, private investigation, and careers as federal special agents. There are also opportunities to teach criminal justice at many major universities across the country.
Project Management
It is no secret that military officers have good discipline and management skills. They are used to a structured environment and can often motivate the people around them effectively. This is why a lot of veterans are filling managerial positions at top corporations; businesses see veterans as potential, valuable candidates for key positions.
A career in project management is exceptionally popular. Working as an industrial production manager, construction manager, and even a retail store manager can be both rewarding and challenging for veterans. Some adjustments are needed before veterans enter a business environment, but these adjustments are easy to tackle.
Similar to the field of criminal justice, there are also online courses that are designed to prepare veterans for managerial positions. These courses are also becoming increasingly popular among servicemen of different military forces.
