Stars and Stripes Op-Ed: Meaningful Work, Mentors Give Vets a Future
This Stars and Stripes op-ed discusses the importance of providing service members with career-transitioning opportunities that let them leverage their skills and leadership abilities in the private sector.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., writes that veterans are ready to shift gears when they leave military life but often find themselves pushed into low-skill, low-wage jobs. He advocates for corporations and universities to provide them with a pathway to pursue STEM-related careers, pointing to the Microsoft Software & Systems Academy (MSSA) program available through Embry-Riddle. The 18-week program prepares graduates to launch careers as server and cloud administrators, cloud developers and cybersecurity administrators.
The program has a 92 percent placement rate in the IT industry, and starting salaries average more than $70,000. Butler also emphasizes the importance of mentorship. Joseph Scanlan, a veteran Marine platoon sergeant who is beginning his career at Microsoft, is offered as a role model in this regard, having mentored the first MSSA cohort at Fort Carlson, Colorado.
The U.S. government invests vast amounts of money and time training servicemembers, Butler writes, and their talents remain critical after their active service has ended. “We can benefit from this investment by welcoming veterans as skilled employees with demonstrated potential as leaders and mentors,” he says.
The full essay — published in February 2018 — is available to read on the Stars and Stripes website.