For young vets, jobs are hard to come by

[rainbow4321]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/060405dnbusyoungvets.111d634d9.html

Many young veterans are finding themselves in the same predicament. They are leaving the military and entering a healthy but competitive job market. They have endured varying degrees of combat trauma. Some – like Mr. Briones – don't have a college degree, and many expect salaries and job responsibilities equivalent to their military posts.

While the unemployment rate has been dropping steadily for veterans ages 25 to 29, the rate for vets ages 20 to 24 has spiked, according to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 86,000 service members in that group left the military last year. Young men are faring the worst.


Ms. Dugan says the biggest mistake young vets make is holding out for jobs with the same salary and level of responsibility as their military posts. "They all want to make a lateral move," she said. "And it's very hard for them to understand that every time you change jobs, sometimes you have to start over and work your way up."

"They want that big job like they had in the military," Mr. Paredes said. "But in interviews with employers, the first thing they're asked is, 'Where's your degree?' If they don't have one, they're put in the discard pile. And there's some bitterness and disappointment about that."

[Scooter24]

1. I bet

you'll never find that printed in the recruitment brochure.

"Great career in the military, but when you get out, you're on your own buddy, good luck"

[rainbow4321]

3. And lotsa luck w/ the "insurance", also...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8AFEPS80.html


With thousands of reservists and National Guard members being called to duty, some families are not only left without a spouse's income, but also their health insurance.

The military provides Tricare, but with low reimbursement rates, many physicians hesitate accepting the government insurance. That has made access to health care difficult for reservist families.

"We stopped taking it three or four years ago," said Dr. Susan Blue, a Fort Worth neurologist and president of the Tarrant County Medical Society. "Reimbursement rates are not high these days with anyone, but the military was the first one to go to a point that it wasn't feasible financially to accept it anymore." Access is somewhat easier for families living near a base. But families of mobilized reservists from cities such as Houston may have to search for Tricare doctors.

<snip>

Dr. Stephen Brotherton, a past president of the Tarrant County Medical Society and a Fort Worth orthopedic surgeon, said his father, a World War II veteran, gave him grief for not accepting Tricare. "Any of us would love to serve our servicemen, but what they're paying is well below what we have as a break-even point," he said. "It would be better for me to actually see them for no charge and not try to participate in the program."

[Hobarticus]

2. An Army of One More for the Unemployment Line

Springsteen said it best:

Back home to the refinery
Hiring man said "son, if it was up to me..."

Went down to see my VA man
He said, "son, dontcha understand..."

Bush has really set a pretty shitty table for these young men and women. $300 billion for their war, and nothing to show for it at home. It's downright evil.

[cap]

4. so the skills they acquired in the military

arent worth a damn.

Why should vets have to start over? Why cant the military help them out with more funding for the GI Bill?

[mbperrin]

5. "Every time you change jobs, you have to start over at the

bottom"???!!!

Oh yeah, that's what *, Big Dick, Rumsferatu and those other guys have all had to do, ok!

[Toots]

6. I would never hire a Reservist or National Guardsman because of Bush*

I could not put my business at risk by hiring a person who is likely to be recalled to duty and I have to by law keep their job open for them. Sorry. Before Bush* and his endless war I felt good about hiring National Guardsmen and felt I could get by without them for only two weeks a year and they are so valuable at home in case of emergency. That is no longer true. They are no different than active duty Army personel now.