You made it, you finally ETS’d, so what’s next? You could find yourself like 47% of post-9/11 veterans who found readjusting to civilian life difficult, most likely working 60-80 hours a week, slowly climbing some corporate ladder, receiving piecemeal salary increases until you’re 60 looking back like “WTF?”. Or even worse, you could end up exacerbating any disabilities, working for minimum wage, doing the very things you left the service to avoid: driving a truck, moving heavy objects, or carrying a gun.
What if there were a third option?
The Untapped Potential of Veterans in Remote Work
Veterans aspire to smoothly transition into civilian careers, aiming for low entry barriers and high starting salaries. Remarkably, achieving this goal is now within reach. The surge in remote job opportunities, particularly within the rapidly expanding sectors of technology, information technology, and digital marketing, aligns perfectly with the skills veterans bring to the table. Your unique skills such as adaptability, clear communication, problem-solving, and time-management are exactly what these remote tech fields require, all while providing the income and stability you need upon recent military separation.
In the quest for highly qualified candidates, numerous companies have tapped into the reservoir of individuals possessing strong leadership skills and diverse perspectives. These exceptional men and women thrive within collaborative team environments, showcasing their adaptability, unwavering work ethic, and steadfast loyalty as employees.
Referred to as “military talent” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes, this talent pool consists of military veterans like yourself, ranging from those with as few as four years of service to those who have dedicated over two decades to serving as soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and National Guard members. Now more than ever, thousands of companies are realizing the benefit in hiring veterans for their one-of-a-kind, unteachable experience.
Read more: High-Paying Jobs for Veterans Without a College Degree
The Remote Job Landscape
The traditional work environment has experienced a profound transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, remote work has surged as a prevailing trend, necessitating human resources departments to adapt more swiftly than ever before. As of 2023, 12.7% of full-time employees work from home, and by 2025 that share will jump to an estimated 28.2%. Many of the roles that will experience this meteoric shift toward remote work are based in tech sectors. With an anticipated annual job market boasting 377,500 openings and an average salary of $100,530, careers within the computer and IT sectors offer a clear path to stability, advancement, high salaries and the luxury of remote work. Bridging your military expertise with in-demand tech skills, these trends pose a major opportunity for transitioning veterans.
In today’s workforce, the relevance of tech skills is undeniable. With the right training, veterans can seamlessly integrate into tech roles, opening up numerous opportunities. Below, we’ll explore various remote tech roles and the advantages associated with this sector, including high entry salaries, minimal barriers to entry, a burgeoning job market, and career advancement prospects.
Read More: How to Use Your Military Skills to Break into the Tech Industry
Top Remote Tech Jobs for Veterans
Veterans, having been molded by the rigor and discipline of military training, are uniquely equipped with a skillset directly transferable to the tech industry. Embracing remote tech roles not only taps into a rapidly growing field ripe with high salaries but also allows you to harness years of military-honed attributes in civilian life. Here are some examples of leading positions in tech, and how veterans’ skills apply.
Front End Developer
A front-end web developer is a tech industry professional who builds the user-facing side of websites that customers, guests, or clients use on a daily basis.
Applicable military skills include:
- Attention to detail
- Working in fast-paced environment
- Creative decision making
The job outlook for front end developers is promising. Not only can you look forward to competitive salaries in this field, but also a wealth of new job openings each year. According to Zippia, front end developers earn an average salary of $92,147 in 2023 and will experience 13% job growth between 2018 and 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Back End Developer
A back-end web developer‘s job is to make sure everything works smoothly behind the scenes in an app or system. They create, take care of, test, and fix any issues in the part of the system that you can’t see, but it’s crucial for the whole thing to work correctly.
Applicable military skills include:
- Analytical thinking
- Conflict resolution
- Problem solving
According to a 2023 report by Ziprecruiter, back end developers earn an average annual salary of $119,704. Similarly to their front end counterparts, these tech professionals will see a projected 15% increase in job growth between 2019 to 2029.
Data Engineer
Data engineers plan, construct, and look after the systems that help store, handle, and fetch data. Think of this role like a human AAR that collects data and transforms it into usable information that companies can use to grow and succeed.
Applicable military skills include:
- Organization
- Situational Awareness
- Communication
Glassdoor reports an impressive average salary of $115,507 for data engineers in the U.S. The number of big data engineering jobs is expected to increase by 33% between 2020 and 2030 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Digital Marketing Marketer
A digital marketer strategizes and executes marketing campaigns online. This role involves understanding target audiences, driving website traffic, and optimizing brand presence on various digital platforms.
Applicable military skills include:
- Strategic Planning
- Adaptability
- Data Analysis
You can feel secure in getting a job in digital marketing as overall employment of advertising, promotions, and marketing managers is projected to grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, according to the BLS. Also, Glassdoor notes that the average salary for digital marketing positions is $67,788 with an estimated additional pay of $4,907 per year.
Read More: Camo to Code: A Veteran’s Transition to Tech
Conclusion
Veterans like you bring a goldmine of skills, talents, and unique attributes, cultivated through rigorous training and real-world experiences, that seamlessly transition into the growing tech industry. While the advantages of remote tech jobs are numerous—from high salaries and job security to the convenience of working from home—there’s an evident necessity for veterans to up-skill in order to truly tap into these opportunities.
Most transitioning veterans don’t have the luxury to invest four whole years into earning a computer science degree. Fortunately, the tech world offers accelerated training programs, such as tech bootcamps, that are specifically tailored to help individuals quickly and effectively break into the tech job market. For veterans, this means an opportunity to merge their unmatched military experience with in-demand technical skills to begin on a secure, fulfilling civilian career path.
