If you have served in the military, let’s start off just by saying thank you. Your commitment and sacrifice to the country is something that is cherished and appreciated.
Now that your time in the service is over, though, it can be really hard to know what comes next.
You have a wide range of skills that can be applied in a number of different fields, but which one to choose?
Most veterans will find that digital marketing checks a lot of the important boxes and is a worthy next step.
Let’s talk about finding a job as a veteran and why digital marketing makes sense.
Finding a Job After Military Service
There are tons of civilian jobs out there for you to choose from once you leave the service, and getting one should be easy enough.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the jobless rate for veterans is lower than that of non-veterans by more than a full percent. This is because many employers will give preference to veterans as a way of saying thank you but also because veterans are often hard workers and well-trained.
However, just because there are lots of jobs you can get doesn’t mean you want all of them.
Now that you’re out of the service, it’s important to choose your next move wisely.
Some things to consider include:
The Same or Something Different?
The first thing you should ask yourself in your post-service job search is if you want to do the same thing you did while you were in the military or if you want to shake things up and do something different.
The advantage to sticking with the same thing is that you have qualifications. This can often make it easier to find a job, and it’s also likely going to be easier to find high paying jobs.
The obvious downside is that if you didn’t love what you did in the service, you run the risk of boxing yourself in and becoming unhappy.
If you switch things up, you might find it a bit more difficult to get a job, but it can be really exciting and fun to learn something new during this next chapter of your life.
It’s impossible to say which is the better path. That’s something you need to ask yourself and answer on your own. But this is a really important place to start to ensure the next thing you do gives you what you want.
Work Life Balance
It’s no secret that military jobs can be demanding. Long-hours, travel, stress, an inability to talk about what you’re doing, bureaucracy. The list goes on, and we’re not even talking about combat.
Of course, military jobs can also be rewarding, but they do offer a set of challenges that aren’t found in the civilian world.
Most military veterans find that transitioning to civilian life means finding more balance. Work life balance is a topic of its own, but it essentially means finding that point where work doesn’t dominate you and you still have time to do the other things that make you happy.
After so many years on active duty, it is a good idea to focus on a career that will leave time for some of the stuff that got neglected while you were in the service.
Good Pay
Good pay is something that should be expected from all jobs, but it’s important to remind transitioning military to not settle when they’re looking for new positions, especially those who are embarking into a new career.
Your “lack” of experience might make it seem like you need to settle for less money, but that is simply not the case.
It’s no secret times are tough and only getting tougher. Whether you have a pension or not, make sure to be realistic about your financial needs and only focus on jobs that will allow you to make ends meet while also having a little extra for savings and fun.
Digital Marketing: Best Jobs for Military Veterans
Depending on when you started your military service, digital marketing might not have been a very developed field the last time you were a civilian.
However, since then, things have changed dramatically and this is one of the fastest growing and most in demand industries out there.
Digital marketing is the same as marketing, which is the process of connecting business to customers. It just takes place in an entirely digital setting. It uses websites, search engines, social media, email, and anything else digital you can think of to spread messages and connect companies with current and future customers.
What makes digital marketing such an exciting field for military veterans is that it offers the opportunity to do something new and different, requires very little prior experience, does not require a college degree, and also pays great.
No matter the military experience you have, you can do some simple, often free training, to get the basic skills you need and get hired quite quickly. What’s more, you can expect to make $50,000 – $60,000 right off the bat.
These jobs are also usually remote and have flexible work schedules. Because of this, digital marketing could even work as a side hustle for active duty service members looking to make a few extra bucks on the side.
Here are some specific jobs within the world of digital marketing that are great for military veterans:
PPC Analyst/Specialist
If you’ve ever clicked on an online advertisement that was appealing to you, you’ve participated in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. It’s how almost all the ads on the internet work.
The service providing the ad space, such as Google or Meta, charges companies whenever someone clicks on the ad. How much they charge can depend on a number of things. For example, Google uses a bidding system for some of its PPC ads.
Ads are set up this way as an incentive for companies to make good ads. If they are not relevant or not useful, then people either won’t click, or when they do, they won’t do anything afterwards, which is a huge waste of money.
For companies, spending money on these ads is worth it because internet ad providers are able to provide pinpoint targeting based on all the data they collect about their users.
When you land a job in PPC, your role could be to research ad placement opportunities, design ad copy, figure out bid amounts, research potential customers, and more. And because this is such an important part of digital marketing, you could be paid 50k or more a year to do it even if you don’t have any prior experience.
PPC jobs are often very rewarding because they are like a puzzle. It’s often not clear what is going to work, but if you can think outside the box and be creative, you can be successful and have a lot of fun.
Plus, nearly all PPC jobs are remote and allow you to set your own schedule, allowing you to earn good money while also enjoying a good work life balance.
SEO Analyst/Specialist
Another area of digital marketing that is super in-demand and that you can get into without a lot of experience is SEO, or search engine optimization. This is the process of configuring web content in such a way that increases the chances of it appearing at the top of search results.
Since search engines are such an important part of the internet, you can imagine why this field is so lucrative.
Getting to the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) requires a mix of different things. You have to have good content, links pointing to your site, a social presence, a good website, images and multimedia, and more.
Much like PPC, success is like solving a puzzle. You need to think creatively and outside the box.
This is one of the best jobs for veterans because you don’t need a degree, it pays well, and it has a super flexible schedule. In fact, SEO is changing so much that not having a lot of experience could even help you. It means you aren’t stuck in your ways and can perhaps see new angles to get a leg up on the competition.
Digital Marketing Management
Many military personnel come out of active duty with management experience, and there are plenty of management opportunities within digital marketing. While you might not be able to snag one of these higher paying jobs right off the bat, after a year or two of working an entry level position, you could be in a prime position to make a lot more money.
Most people take years to develop management skills, but if you already have them and add in some on-the-job training, advancement is a real possibility. This allows you to enjoy the same flexible benefits of digital marketing while making even more money.
Government Jobs: Law Enforcement, Park Ranger, Wildlife Management
If digital marketing doesn’t sound like it’s for you, there are other options. A lot of government jobs are also veteran friendly jobs because there is a lot of crossover in terms of the skills you need.
For example, many veterans go on to become police officers because their military training and military skills carry over and can make them a really qualified hire. Or they go to work for the FBI or Department of Homeland Security.
However, these jobs can be stressful, potentially dangerous, and depending on what you did in the service, can feel like more of the same.
If you don’t want to be in law enforcement but do want to stay working for the government, you could get a job as a park ranger or in wildlife management. The earning potential is not as high as in digital marketing, but these can be very fun, stress-free jobs.
Another big advantage with government jobs is that your service years may carry over, which means you’re that much closer to retirement. But that could also make it tough to land a position. Not everyone wants to hire someone who is eligible to retire in just a few years.
Trades
If you were a mechanic, plumber, electrician, machinist, or any other “tradesperson” while in the military, a high-paying job could be easier to find than you think. Experienced professionals in these positions are hard to find, and people will be willing to pay for you.
The downside is that this would be a continuation of what you had been doing, and it will also mean a more rigid 9-5 schedule with a boss and all that stuff you maybe didn’t love.
Still, it’s an excellent option for those with the right training. Those without prior experience might struggle to find a job as few are willing to pay to train people further into their lives and careers.
Emergency Services
The basic medical training you received in the military is often enough to get you started in emergency services. A little more training can make you an EMT, or you could become a firefighter. These jobs offer stable pay, but the hours can be crazy. Many EMTs work 24 hours on and 24 hours off, which is grueling for anyone.
Plus, these jobs can be really stressful as you respond to accidents and other bad stuff. Depending on your experience in the military, this could make this a very bad fit.
Start Your Career In Digital Marketing
If you want to do something fun, exciting, and rewarding that pays great and is in high-demand, then digital marketing is the field to go into. You do not need a college degree and can land a great job with no prior training.
This free masterclass will walk you through all the important stuff you need to know to get started. Check it out to get started with your new career.
