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Your Life After the Military: What To Consider

| 2 minute read

No matter the branch, joining the military gives you a sense of purpose. You join to give your all and serve a country that you believe in. When you join, your sole focus is dedicating your life to be the best serviceman or woman you can be.

Something that might slip your mind is what to do after your time with the military is over. So, what does military to civilian life look like for you, and what actions should you take to make your life after the military as rewarding as possible?

What is your life after the military?

“Military Veterans are well suited for any job requiring an individual possessing natural instincts for hard work, dedication to purpose, loyalty and a mission focus to see things through to accomplishment. All these qualities were instilled in the individual through their military experience and continue to define them years into the future.” – General Jeff Hammond of USM’s Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families.

One way to be prepared for civilian life after military service and to get the job that you want and deserve is to earn a college degree! You might think that is impossible for an active service member, but with an online education, you can earn your degree no matter where you are stationed.

Southern Miss’s Center for Military Veterans, Service Members and Families makes earning your online education seamless and stress-free. The center offers scholarships, no-cost textbooks and tutoring services for active service member and their families. They also waive the out-of-state fees. This makes earning your degree flexible and more affordable than you might think!

Does the military pay for college?

“Our Military strongly encourages the pursuit of Higher Education and provides funding through Federal Tuition Assistance for this purpose. The Federal Tuition Assistance program pays up to $250.00 per Semester hour for up to 16 total Semester hours per a fiscal year. At the University of Southern Mississippi, we currently support over 100 Service Members from all branches of the Military who are enrolled and applying Federal Tuition Assistance to pay for their respective education,” says General Hammond.

With the Federal Tuition Assistance program opportunity, your future in college education is wide open! The skills, instincts, and discipline that the military is teaching you will make you the perfect candidate for online learning.

When should you start thinking about life after the military?

The time to start is now. Start building your future by setting the foundation in education. There are many degrees that are well suited for the military professional seeking career progression or preparing for life outside of military service. The choice is up to you! From an MBA to Logistics, we’ve got the perfect military-friendly degree for you.

Southern Miss has been rated the Top Military-Friendly Online University supporting military students. We are here to help you start building that future!


Office of Online Learning

All blog posts are written and maintained by the Office of Online Learning at The University of Southern Mississippi. We provide support to online students, to faculty teaching online courses, and to units seeking to develop, grow, or improve online programs at the University.

For more information, email us at online@usm.edu.