Helpful Places for Military Spouses for Their Education
Military Spouse and Education: Helpful Places to Get the Info You Need
Many military spouses want to pursue their own education and careers. Whether they are ready to start college for the first time or want to go back for another degree. Whether they are pursuing a certificate or applying to law school. Luckily, there are a few organizations and websites military spouses can go for help:
The National Military Family Association
The National Military Family Association offers a range of benefits to those interested in pursuing education. They offer scholarships and have sections for those interested in various educational fields and careers. They have one for mental health professionals, teachers, nurses, and STEM professionals. In these sections, you can learn more about the field, licenses, and fees, and join Facebook groups to help you along the way.
SECO/Military One Source
SECO stands for Spouse Education and Career Opportunities and is a program from the Department of Defense through Military One Source. The goal of the program is to help connect military spouses with tools, including education and training help, career coaching and exploration, and more.
Through SECO, you can explore career and skills education, training, and licensing options, as well as scholarship opportunities. They also offer virtual Military Spouse symposia, focusing on career development, education, and well-being. You can also check out their college scoreboard to help plan where you want to go to school.
Hiring Our Heroes
Hiring Our Heroes offers programs and events for military spouses. Along with USAA, they offer what is called MSEEZ (Military Spouse Economic Empowerment Zones). This program facilitates collaboration among local and national employers, educational institutions, and community resources to build a robust employment network that supports military spouses. Currently, MSEEZ has two locations: one in San Antonio, TX, and another in Tampa, FL.
Hiring Our Heroes also hosts two-day hiring events, military spouse employment forums, a military spouse professional network, the AMPLIFY Military Spouse Career Intensive, and a corporate fellowship program that is open to spouses in select locations.
MilitaryFriendly.com
This website offers a list of military-friendly schools. The list will recognize those higher education institutions that actively recruit and support spouses of active duty service members.
Military Spouse Magazine
Military Spouse Magazine offers numerous articles to support military spouses. They have a good library of articles about military spouses and education, from scholarship ideas to questions about whether you should go back to school. They are worth visiting to learn more about prioritizing your education.
Blue Star Families
Blue Star Families has networks available to connect with others and learn more about the path you want to follow. They have professional Facebook groups for educators, health care professionals, entrepreneurs, and those in Tech. These groups will help you work towards your goals.
MYCAA
MYCAA (My Career Advancement Account) is a program offering $4,000 to military spouses to further their education. There are certain qualifications to receive the money, such as your service member’s rank and what you want to go to school for. This program is one of the best ways for military spouses to access financial aid for college, and it’s worth taking the time to determine if you qualify.
College and University Websites
You can also find out information about military spouse educational options on college and university websites. They might share a bit about how the college would like to work with you and what they can offer as a military spouse. This can help you prepare for your education or even assist you in deciding where you want to attend school.
As military spouse education is so important, we can hopefully see more organizations and websites being created to help military spouses return to school. If a military spouse pursues their education, they can help achieve their own goals, even while their spouse is serving in the military. This can help their family in many ways, especially once their service member completes their military career and becomes a civilian.
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- Reasons to Join the Military Spouse Network
- Military Spouse Employment Act
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- Military Spouse Priority Placement Program
- Free Tutoring for Military Spouses and Families: Tutor.com & more
About the author
Julie Provost is a freelance writer, and blogger. She lives in Tennessee with her National Guard husband and three boys.
