Our military spends millions training its members to work in several fields effectively. These soldiers pass an accelerated training, perform their duties, and when they are done, return to the civilian world. And that's where they hit a roadblock.
For many, entering the same job - or even the same field - in the civilian world isn't a simple matter of showing a resume. It's a process of going back to school for a degree in the exact same job they are working.
My fiance experienced this as a journalist. He was offered 6 hours of PE credit for his time in the military, towards credit for an associate's in journalism. None of his training mattered. My friend ran into the same issue after being a medic. Reader's Digest has an article in the June 2012 issue stating "You're Welcome, America, Now Hire Us."
Perhaps employers fear the slightly varied training techniques used by the various military branches. Perhaps they fear the results of an accelerated program. It still seems silly to require someone who has extensive knowledge and training to go back to school to re-learn what they know, for the sake of the appropriate piece of paper.
| believe it is to the benefit of veterans, their families, and their communities at large to standardize MOS training across the branches and to create equivalent certification exams for those wishing to continue their journalist/medic/aviation/technician/etc career in the civilian world, after leaving the military.
