What is the Best Job Opportunity for a Military Spouse?

Your Employment Questions Answered: How to Decide Which is the Best Job Opportunity as a Military Spouse

Sometimes the best way to learn something new is by seeking advice from those who have been there. Asking questions is how we learn about new resources or can give us perspectives that we might never have thought about before. When you ask a question, you can gain the knowledge you are looking for that will help you figure out what you need to know to move forward, whatever the subject might be.

Trying to figure out the best course of action to take when accepting a job can sometimes be complicated. Even jobs in the same field won’t give you the same type of experience. You need to figure out what would be the best fit. This question asks about three potential jobs and what might be the best one to take.

Question: What is the Best Job Opportunity?

Question:

My husband deploys a lot, and I am the one in charge of my entire household. I have to be the one to cook as well as take care of the kids. They will have sports and other activities I will need to ensure they get to during the week. I will need the flexibility to work in this type of environment. I also don’t want to travel too much with little kids at home.

I have three different opportunities to pick from when it comes to my career. I am unsure about which one would be the best fit. I do love the idea of job #1 and like that I can take the job with me when we move. Job #2 would be best for my resume, but I couldn’t bring the job with me when we would PCS and would have to look for another job.

Here are the different options:

Job #1 is a fully remote job with the possibility of quarterly travel. Pay is around $70K, with unlimited PTO. The job would be working for a large company that didn’t lay anyone off during the pandemic. They also have a great retirement plan.

Job #2 would be to continue working at my government job where I have been for 2.5 years. Pay is around $55K with great benefits and time off, but the job is not remote. It doesn’t include any travel.

Job #3 would be for a nonprofit where the pay is about $60K with two weeks’ vacation, a good retirement plan, and more travel.

What job do you think would be best for me and my situation?

Answer:

Looking over your lifestyle and the different jobs, it seems like your best bet would be job #1. This job appears to be the most stable job out of the three and you can take the job with you wherever you might move, which is perfect for military life.

Flexibility in a job would be a big plus for a military spouse whose spouse will be gone for periods of time. You can be there for your children and take time off if you need to with the unlimited PTO. With their track record, you should feel good about keeping your job and the pay is the highest.

Even though there is possible quarterly travel, it doesn’t appear that it will be as often as it would be with job #3. A great retirement plan is also a good thing to find in a job.

Job #1 appears to be the best fit for you.