There seems to be a clear misconception among veterans and veteran-connected communities that to work in higher education, teaching in a classroom is the only option. As a faculty member at a university who does indeed teach in a classroom, I come to campus and if I stand in the center of the university grounds, I can look in all directions and see offices operating where classrooms do not exist. These are the offices that keep the university humming along and keep students in our classrooms eager to learn and engage. So where does the misconception, "I don't teach, so I wouldn't be able to work at a college" come from? This may be especially prevalent among veterans who are primarily job specialty linked, and where their only association with higher education is in a learning capacity. I am a firm believer in 'you don't know what you don't know.' If veterans and veteran-connected communities do not know which careers are available in higher education, they cannot apply for them. We have the opportunity now to raise awareness of higher education career opportunities for veterans and their families.

Reactions from Current Job Seekers

Representing HigherEdMilitary, I recently attended a military-hosted career fair where I met several veterans who were transitioning from active military service either through retirement or separation. Additionally, I encountered spouses of active-duty service members who were seeking employment opportunities within the surrounding locale.

To each person I encountered, my first question was, "Have you ever considered working in higher education?"

To my surprise, each answer was the same, in that they had never considered higher education as a career opportunity. These exchanges led to further discussions which ultimately revealed that most of them only associated higher education jobs with "teaching." This is an understandable perception, as most people view higher education institutions as providers of classroom experiences and see colleges and universities through a single viewpoint. So, as I continued these conversations, I highlighted many positions within higher education and what skills each individual possessed that align with specific career opportunities.

I explained to each person that, as a faculty member at a university, I understand that to be successful in the classroom, I require the support of all functions of the university.

The ultimate goals for every higher education institution are to recruit, enroll, retain, and graduate students. These objectives are not accomplished by faculty alone and, in fact, along this path, there are critical offices and functions within each higher education department that are independent of teaching.

When a student decides to attend a specific college or university, they must run the gamut of requirements, starting with application processes, working with financial aid offices, advising, scheduling, housing, meal plans, and much more. These necessary functions are critical to student success and are unfortunately understaffed in many cases. To put it plainly, if these offices and positions are not fully functional, then students will never find their way into the classroom. When I have a full classroom, I know that there were and are many people responsible for making that happen.

"So, what type of job could I possibly get at a college?"

"So, what type of job could I possibly get at a college?" This was the number one follow-up question from those I spoke to. My favorite question! How much time do you have? My answer was, "Many, so let's talk about what you are looking for as a new career path and how you can find that job."

Why Higher Ed Works for Transitioning Servicemembers and Families

I wrote a previous article that addressed how the functions of a campus mirror those of a military installation. The military installation has computers, and so does the college campus, but more of them. The military installation has administrative offices, and so does the college campus. The military installation has human resources, counselors, medical professionals, financial offices, facilities, housing, entertainment, food, shopping. You get where I'm going.

Lastly, let me be clear in saying that a veteran is not bound by their military specialty when considering working in higher education. For instance, if your military specialty is finance but you want to work in a different area and have the skills and capabilities to be effective, then the opportunities are there. There are several veterans who worked in aircraft maintenance while in the military and now work in advising or veteran services offices at universities, and retired military first sergeants who now work in human resources or financial services at colleges. This list goes on and on.

My biggest takeaway from meeting transitioning service members and their families is that the lack of awareness is one of the biggest challenges to increasing veteran employment at higher education institutions. Not lack of awareness of the existence of colleges and universities, but the misconception that teaching is THE primary function when, while essential, it is only a small part of the collection of efforts on the behalf of hundreds of other professionals.

Article Topics

Job Search Advice Military Friendly Institutions Serving Military in HigherEd Working as a Veteran in HigherEd

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