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Career Opportunities for Veterans

Veteran Career Opportunities

If you are retiring or separating from the military and are considering your college degree options, choosing the right degree is an important step. There are so many career fields that reward those with military experience. Will your college degree or certificate program lead you to higher earnings and better opportunities?

Indeed.com lists the top 23 college majors coupled with career outlooks. Consider how your military skills match up with these picks; you may be surprised at some options.

The information you see here is accurate at press time, but the top majors are subject to change from year to year, depending on shifts in the employment landscape. The top ten college majors include: 

1. Nursing
2. Culinary Arts
3. Computer Science
4. Business Administration 
5. Accounting
6. Physical Therapy 
7. Medical Assisting
8. Mathematics and Statistics
9. Information Science
10. Finance

One resource for discovering degree programs and education institutions is the CollegeRecon School Finder. This tool allows you to evaluate different higher education options that fit your needs and the perfect higher education institution to meet your goals. 

Paying for Higher Education

The pursuit of Associates, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree is a pathway for finding employment and new career opportunities.

However, the cost of higher education has skyrocketed in recent years, which acts as a barrier for people to access educational programs and is often the most intimidating aspect of higher education for people who are motivated to pursue an advanced degree.

Thankfully, for members of the United States military, many benefits exist that ease the financial burden of higher education. 

The biggest benefit is the GI Bill, which includes tuition and fee coverage for higher education that can be used at community colleges, state colleges, private colleges, online colleges, and more for service members, veterans, and their dependents.

The GI Bill can also be used for vocational/technical training, licensing and certification reimbursement, work-study, and more. 

In addition to the GI Bill, many states offer tuition benefits that service members, veterans, and their families can benefit from as they pursue higher education. 

Changing Landscape of Employment

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the landscape of employment has undergone a rapid transformation. We are currently seeing trends in increased remote work, automation fueled by AI, and federal investment in climate and infrastructure projects.

Job seekers must be mindful of the shifting nature of the employment sector in the United States while keeping in mind that the outlook is still positive – there is job growth and competitive wages. 

Best Career Opportunities in the United States

As evidenced above, the employment landscape can change based on technological developments and trends within the population and culture. Because of this, it is important for both job seekers and students to stay on top of recent employment trends.

U.S. News and World Report recently released their 2024 report of the top 100 jobs, which offers a comprehensive annual list of the best jobs with a strong methodological backing. Because of this methodology, the top jobs in this report is subject to change. 

While career satisfaction is subjective, there are certain qualities of a job that are universally desirable across the spectrum of the job market. To determine the best jobs, U.S News uses a rigorous methodology to rank the best jobs annually.

They determine their metrics by weighted calculation in the categories of future prospects, wage potential, employment, job safety and stability, and work/life balance, which enables them to adequately rank jobs. 

Top 10 Jobs with the Best Career Opportunities

Below are the top ten jobs ranked by U.S News and World Report. The jobs are primarily positioned within the healthcare and information technology industries and show relevant information such as number or projected jobs, median salary, and education needed. 

1. Nurse Practitioner
2. Financial Manager 
3. Software Developer
4. IT Manager 
5. Physician’s Assistant
6. Medical and Health Services Manager
7. Information Security Analyst
8. Data Science
9. Actuary 
10. Speech-Language Pathologist

As you can see, a majority of the jobs listed above correlate with the top in demand degree programs outlined by Indeed.com, which makes these degrees a great choice for individuals who want to pursue similar jobs identified by U.S News and World Report. 

This report also has a filter function that enables its reader to find jobs that fit within their preferred industry and salary, which provides every job seeker the ability to get information about the best job based on what they are looking for. 

>> Find opportunities with job recruiters and staffing companies looking to assist veterans and military spouses.  Get started today!

Transitional Careers for Service Members

For service members transitioning from a military to civilian life, it may be unclear which skills are translatable into a civilian career. Many service members move on to careers in IT, logistics, and business administration.

The most important thing to remember is to not put yourself in a box – your experience can serve you in any career path you want to pursue. 

Some careers veterans can consider include but are not limited to Defense Contracting, Human Resources Manager, IT Security Analyst, Air Traffic Controller, Engineer, Project Manager, IT Specialist, and more.

All of these jobs require skills people with military experience often have, including time management, strategic thinking, leadership, self-discipline, and team cooperation.

Discover more top paying jobs for veterans from our team at CollegRecon.