Military Spouse Employment: The Portability Factor

Step by Step Guide to Employment: Portable Jobs for Military Spouses

According to the 2021 Military Family Lifestyle Survey Comprehensive Report by Blue Star Families the military spouse unemployment rate is 4 to 6 times the national average. It can be difficult for military spouses to find the right job and to be able to do so at every duty station they move to. Overall, military spouses can struggle to find employment.

Military spouses wanting to find a new job can be hit with struggles that their civilian friends don’t have to deal with. When someone becomes a military spouse, they enter a whole new world. There will be many moves, maybe even every two to three years. Their spouse’s schedule will be all over the place and there could be times when they aren’t home. This can make for a harder environment when it comes to finding a career and maintaining one.

The military spouse unemployment rate is 4 to 6 times the national average according to a military family lifestyle survey

This is why so many military spouses want to look for jobs that are more portable. Jobs they can take from duty station to duty station or where they will know that the likelihood of finding a job when they move will be high. As you are just starting the process of finding employment, now is a good time to figure out how you feel about portable jobs.

Is a portable job right for you?

Ask yourself if a portable job is the right choice for your own career path.

Not every industry works well with portable jobs. Some career paths will mean that you won’t be able to easily find a new job at each duty station. You might have to get more creative about your career. However, other industries do have a lot of portable jobs that can be a good fit.

Going for a remote job can be a good option too. Because of Covid, many companies have switched to remote work, even if they never had before. They have realized that they can make at-home jobs work for the company and their employees. This can be a good option because your job can literally come with you without much interruption.

Examples of Portable Jobs

Medical Billing and Coding

With medical billing and coding, you would work to ensure that people are billed correctly, keep invoices organized, and make sure bills are paid on time. With the coding part, you would be working to assign codes to medical actions. In order to work in this type of job, you would need a certificate. This job can also be done remotely.

Please visit CollegeRecon for training or education options for medical billing and coding.  You can find schools such as Central Ohio Technical College which offers programs for medical billing and coding.

Customer Service

In this type of job, you would work for a company and help customers via phone, email, and/or chat. You would handle customer complaints and provide other assistance. There are many companies such as Amazon and Verizon where you can work from home. You would need a high school diploma.

Search for agencies specializing in Customer Service jobs for veterans and military spouses using CareerRecon.

Pharmacy Tech

As a pharmacy tech, you would help in the process of preparing prescription medicine for customers. This does require specialized training but it is everywhere and you should easily be able to find a job in this field.

Please visit CollegeRecon for training or education options for pharmacy technicians.  You can find schools such as Concorde Career College which offers programs for pharmacy techs.

​​Bookkeeper or Accountant

A bookkeeper would handle the day-to-day tasks of recording financial transactions. An accountant would handle the financial and tax data for a business. You would need an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree to work as a bookkeeper, and a bachelor’s degree to be an accountant. These types of jobs can easily be remote and are available in most locations.

Search for agencies specializing in Accounting positions for veterans and military spouses using CareerRecon.  Or visit CollegeRecon for training or education options for accounting online.

There are many other options for portable jobs, from running a home business to freelancing, or working in the service industry. Take your time trying to figure out what direction you want to go in and what that would look like when it comes to finding a job.

>> Find agencies specializing in placing military spouses with CareerRecon’s Search Tool