The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (now known as the GI Bill®) was an educational benefit created to provide opportunity to individuals who give their prime learning and earning years in service to our country. In a decade that saw less than five percent of the U.S. population holding a bachelor's degree, this resulted in an unmatched and often life-changing benefit for service members who could directly tie a college degree to a well-earning job and increased social mobility.

Fast-forward, today's college degree has been significantly devalued due to the rise in education of our society. This results in increased competition within the labor market and decreased opportunities for student veterans entering the workforce. As a result of this competition, higher education institutions continue to expand their opportunities, experiences, and services beyond the classroom to adapt to this changing career landscape.

Unfortunately, many student veterans are unable to take advantage of these co-curricular activities due to their responsibilities beyond the classroom. Current data shows one of every two student veterans have a family and roughly three of every four are working at least a part time job in addition to their studies. It should not be a surprise that little time remains for campus involvement and career-focused experiences outside of the artificial classroom environment. Simply put, the GI Bill® has not adapted to these changes in higher education, thus not adequately supporting today's student veteran.

From the outside, these changes do not appear to be impacting student veterans as the veteran unemployment rate favorably compares to the national average. But dig a little deeper and one quickly discovers rampant underemployment (working in a position not commensurate with one's skills which directly results in lower pay and job satisfaction) within the veteran community. Over the past decade, this issue "disproportionately affects veterans" with latest figures showing one of every three veterans currently underemployed.

Upon further review, veteran underemployment should come as no surprise with research indicating the application of classroom learning and campus engagement as top contributors towards future job satisfaction. Pair this finding with a growing civilian-military divide, where employers have difficulty understanding the value and skills veterans bring to the workplace, and we find the precursor for veteran underemployment.

So, what should we do? Enter the GI Bill® and its federally funded work-study program.

Student veterans utilizing the GI Bill® have access to federally funded work-study positions if their rate of pursuit is 75 percent or more (nine credits for undergraduates). As this funding is tied to the individual's military educational benefits, the positions often fall underneath the supervision of staff working to support the student veteran population.

Unfortunately, the easy solution is to simply allow the student veteran occupying this work-study position to support the work of the campus student veteran center. This often translates to paperwork filing, phone answering, and a minimum wage paycheck at the end of the day. Although these positions may provide a soft landing for incoming student veterans, they lack the responsibility and engagement required for true career readiness. More often than not, this program simply becomes an early introduction into the student veteran's impending underemployment.

So, what needs to be changed?

First and foremost, the pay needs to be changed. For individuals who attend college in states that offer a $7.25 hourly minimum wage, student veterans working on campus will likely be making far less than their less-experienced peers (reference underemployment above). Without adequate pay, interest in work-study positions will remain low and student veterans will be required to pursue higher-paying work off-campus.

Second, and more importantly, the work needs to be changed. Over 60 percent of student veterans are pursuing a career outside of their military specialty. Work-study positions must enable a level of discovery, opportunity, and growth to connect the students' coursework to real-world experiences. This will also allow student veterans to translate previous military skills and knowledge (preparation, discipline, collaboration, communication, leadership, and the list goes on...) into civilian work and projects. For those student veterans who may not have a clear direction or career path, a work-study position will enable them a "low-threat" opportunity to explore interests, learn new skills, and gain insight into a workplace culture far different than the one they knew in uniform.

Ultimately, legislation supporting the GI Bill® and accompanying work-study program must be updated to be inclusive of work-based learning and student engagement to keep student veterans competitive and adequately employed in today's job market. Today's GI Bill® is out-of-touch with the current landscape of higher education and the students it was created to support, this needs to change.

Article Topics

Job Search Advice Military Educational Benefits Military Friendly Institutions Research on Student Veterans Serving Military in HigherEd Veterans Academic Success Women Veterans Working as a Veteran in HigherEd

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