10 Best Online Degrees for Vets

Best Online Degrees for Vets

In addition to adjusting to their daily lives again, one of the biggest struggles for military members returning from deployment, thousands of vets also have a hard time finding and keeping a job. Whether they’re in the wrong field or they have a physical or emotional disability preventing them from finding steady work, it’s a dark spot for many vets.

Vets Back Home, Without Jobs

Unemployment among veterans is nearly a full percentage point higher than for civilians.

5.1%

Unemployment rate for Afghanistan/Iraq-era veterans

Unemployed veterans by age group

45+: 60%

25-44: 36%

18-24: 4%

Veteran unemployment rate by state (2016)

Alabama: 4.9%

Alaska: 2.7%

Arizona: 3.9%

Arkansas: 3.1%

California: 5.4%

Colorado: 3.9%

Connecticut: 4.4%

Delaware: 4.1%

District of Columbia: 7.6%

Florida: 4.2%

Georgia: 3.5%

Hawaii: 2.2%

Idaho: 3.6%

Illinois: 6.7%

Indiana: 1.8%

Iowa: 4.2%

Kansas: 5.2%

Kentucky: 3.9%

Louisiana: 5%

Maine: 3.1%

Maryland: 3.8%

Massachusetts: 4.6%

Michigan: 3.2%

Minnesota: 5.8%

Mississippi: 4.6%

Missouri: 3.2%

Montana: 4.4%

Nebraska: 4.1%

Nevada: 4%

New Hampshire: 2.1%

New Jersey: 4.9%

New Mexico: 3.6%

New York: 5.6%

North Carolina: 4.5%

North Dakota: 3.9%

Ohio: 4.2%

Oklahoma: 4.5%

Oregon: 6.3%

Pennsylvania: 5.2%

Rhode Island: 3.7%

South Carolina: 5%

South Dakota: 2.6%

Tennessee: 3.6%

Texas: 3.6%

Utah: 2.3%

Vermont: 2.2%

Virginia: 3.4%

Washington: 3.8%

West Virginia: 4.8%

Wisconsin: 5%

Wyoming: 5.1%

36%

Afghanistan/Iraq-era veterans with a service-connected disability

Best Online Degrees for Vets

Once their service is up, veterans can bring innumerable talents and skills learned during deployment to a variety of areas.

Mechanical engineering

What they might have done in the military: Maintain vehicles and aircraft; establish means of power generation; plan, build and analyze structures

Median salary: $84,190

Entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +5%

Information technology

What they might have done in the military: Install and maintain computer and communication systems; ensure security of computer networks; analyze overhead and satellite imagery

Median salary: $79,700

Entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +8%

Nursing

What they might have done in the military: Treat routine infections and illnesses; administer medications; treat wounds in forward-deployed areas

Median salary: $64,540

Entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +16%

Criminal justice

What they might have done in the military: Serve as military police or investigator; help secure areas around military installations; work with local communities in foreign countries

Median salary: $61,600

Entry-level education required: High school or equivalent

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +4%

Business administration

What they might have done in the military: Monitor recruitment levels for particular tasks; manage personnel issues for military installations; ensure equipment, materials and systems are available for missions

Median salary: $90,050

Entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +8%

Education

What they might have done in the military: Lead general knowledge or subject-based instruction of recruits or officers; administer ROTC programs at high schools or colleges; help establish foreign schools

Median salary: $58,030

Entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +6%

Psychology

What they might have done in the military: Treat mental and emotional disorders of service members; conduct research on effects of service; perform regular mental evaluations of service members

Median salary: $75,230

Entry-level education required: Doctorate

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +19%

Accounting/finance

What they might have done in the military: Set policies for and monitor spending of military funds; prepare budgets and financial forecasts; prepare and examine financial records and reports

Median salary: $68,150

Entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +11%

International relations

What they might have done in the military: Provide regional knowledge and foreign language understanding; meet with foreign military and government officials; collect and analyze information about military operations of foreign countries

Median salary: $114,290

Entry-level education required: Master’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: -2%

Social work

What they might have done in the military: Counsel service members and family members of those about to deploy; advocate for currently serving and retired military; coordinate resources for service members facing crisis

Median salary: $46,890

Entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree

Expected change in job availability, 2014-24: +12%

SOURCE

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics