iRelaunch Resources for Military Spouses
iRelaunch applauds and supports the work of our military and their families. Frequent moves make career continuity challenging for military spouses. The resources on this page are especially for Military Spouses on career break.
Carol's recent blog discussing how remote work opportunities help maintain career continuity for military spouses is a great place to start (see link below). You'll also find links to other iRelaunch blogs specifically targeted to military spouses. Another excellent site for military spouses is the National Military Spouse Network and its president and founder, Sue Hoppin. Also, take a look at fellow military spouse Success Stories for inspiration and guidance.
Links to Relevant Blogs
Remote Work a Key Factor in Military Spouse Career Continuity - by Carol Fishman Cohen
Since we recently honored our military servicemen and women on Veteran's Day, I have been thinking a lot about those who support them; military spouses. I had the opportunity to meet with military spouses earlier this month when I spoke at the National Military Spouse Network Military Spouse Employment Summit. My focus was on maintaining career continuity as a military spouse. Frequent moves make career continuity a challenge for military spouses, but remote work, meaningful volunteer experiences, portable careers, and transferable skills keep resumes strong until spouses can settle in one area permanently and resume a more conventional career. Read more ...
Maintaining Career Continuity as a Military Spouse - by Carol Fishman Cohen
Career continuity is one of the biggest challenges of life as a military spouse. Obviously, frequent moves are the culprit; it is difficult to build a career when changing locations every two to three years. What follows are two examples of military spouses who were able to maintain career continuity over numerous moves, albeit with occasional volunteer work as part of the mix. Take a look at their stories and note the creative ways they were able to keep working. Read more ...
The National Military Spouse Network
The National Military Spouse Network is a professional development and networking organization that provides support for military spouses whose "dreams and ambitions" must be balanced with the realities of a military lifestyle. Sue Hoppin, NMSN's founder and president, understands and lives the military lifestyle. Before founding the NMSN, Sue served as the first deputy director for spouse outreach for the Military Officers Association of America, charged with creating and spearheading military spouse initiatives for the 370,000-member association. In 2007, Sue co-authored, A Family's Guide to the Military for the popular "Dummies" series. Sue's blog provides excellent resources for the military spouse and family.
Military Spouse Success Stories
Christina Crawford - Founder Chic Envy
Right after graduating from Kings College in New York, military spouse Christina Crawford spent an entire year volunteering for Army Emergency Relief and Army Community Service at Fort Lewis where her husband was stationed. Army Emergency Relief ultimately employed her as a budget counselor, helping families figure out how to pay their bills, and assisting with credit counseling and bankruptcy filings. At the same time, she took an H&R Block tax course and did tax preparation work for six months before moving to Fort Benning, where she worked as a retails sales associate for five months. Moving to Germany, Christina became certified as an aerobics instructor and took over an aerobics class on the base from another instructor who was moving away. ... read more
Jennifer Cropper, Wells Fargo Sales
Jennifer served in the Army for three years and then completed her college degree on the GI Bill. Following her graduation, she found immediate employment at a Colorado bank call center, was promoted within ten months to supervising a team of 15 sales representatives, and was then promoted again to Branch Retail Sales Manager. Married to an Air Force officer, Jennifer and her husband were moved to Virginia. With her call center experience, Jennifer was able to get a job fairly quickly, planning the design and operations of a new call center for a resort company. She also was responsible for that call center’s training and staffing.
However, the company decided to outsource the call center overseas and Jennifer lost the job. She began volunteering with the Langley Officers' Spouses' Club as the Historian, Membership Chairperson, and President. ... read more
Monica Brady - Mommy Brain Reports
"After my husband got out of the Marines, we returned home in December 2004 and found out I was pregnant. It wasn't until March 2005 that we found out that we were expecting twins. We decided that the best choice for us was for me to stay at home with the girls. I began a personal blog in March 2006 that highlighted local restaurants, events and activities that we took our girls to, focusing on how family and kid friendly they were. Soon after, I was approached by companies offering products to review on my site." ... read more
Katja Presnal - Founder Skimbaco
"I am originally from Finland and came to the U.S. via my marriage to my helicopter pilot husband. I began my career in PR right out of high school, working in a PR position while I was in college. After an eight year career break involving six moves in seven years while my husband was in the military, and three kids born in three years in three different countries, my husband's military service ended and he took a commercial helicopter pilot position." ... read more
Follow the Success Stories of Other Military-Spouse Relaunchers