May 16, 2017, by Lizzie Weakley – These days, one needs a college degree to prosper and thrive in today’s economy. If you want to succeed in today’s work marketplace, you will not only need to understand the basic reality of the civilian work economy. You’ll also have to take the skill set that you nurtured in the military and give yourself a future-oriented outlook. For many military veterans, getting a college degree is the right way to do all of this.
This article will give you five reasons why military veterans should pursue a college diploma after they complete their service. From a higher level of job stability to the availability of financial assistance, there are plenty of good reasons why you should return to the classroom after the military.
You Can Get Financial Assistance from the Military
The cost of a college education causes many to rethink going to school in the first place. But because of your military service, you may not have to spend decades paying back costly student loans. This is because of the GI Bill, which gives veterans full tuition and fees for state colleges and universities and over $19,000 a year for private colleges and universities. The GI Bill will also give you a housing allowance and a book stipend.
Your College Will Help You Graduate
Military Times did a survey of over 600 schools and found that 85 percent of colleges and universities will waive late fees for students whose military benefits arrive after the school’s deadline. Many schools will also advance veteran students money for textbooks, help them find emergency funds, and even waive interest on fees. 60 percent of these schools even have offices dedicated to veteran student services on their campus.
You Can Get Academic Credit for Your Military Training
The American Council on Education and the Department of Defense work together to give academic credit to veterans for their military experience and training. A report from the American Council on Education said that over 80 percent of colleges and universities will evaluate the military training and experience of current and potential students and try to turn it into usable school credits. Over 60 percent of these schools gave veteran students credits for military work experience. If you’re a veteran that’s looking to go back to school, schools as varied as CCSD and the University of North Carolina will all go out of their way to make sure that their veteran students get credit for their training and work experience.
You Can Experience More Job Stability
It has been an established fact that college graduates experience lower rates of unemployment than high school graduates and high school dropouts. As a matter of fact, a college degree will cut the unemployment rate for this group in half. In 2013, the unemployment rate for a person who graduated college was 3.8 percent. The unemployment rate for a person who graduated high school was 7.9 percent while those who dropped out of high school experienced the highest rates at 11.2 percent.
You’ll Experience More Success in the Economy with a Degree
College graduates earn, on average, 85 percent more than their high school graduate counterparts. Unless you’re considering training in one of the skilled trades, the experts agree that getting a college degree is well the time, money and effort.
As a patriotic American, you already know that your homeland will benefit from an educated populace. If you become a part of that educated populace, the combination of your military experience and academic accomplishments will make for a formidable American worker.
Author Bio: My name is Lizzie Weakley and I am a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. I went to college at The Ohio State University where I studied communications. I enjoy the outdoors and long walks in the park with my 3 year old husky Snowball.
