Bill seeks limits on for-profit schools funding
A group of lawmakers proposes to prevent any school from receiving all of its funding from federal education programs, including the GI Bill and military tuition assistance.

SecDef review pauses tuition assistance changes
The future of tuition assistance for active-duty service members is in limbo as Defense Secretary Leon Panetta works on a wide-ranging review of military benefits.

Bill would force rehiring of more reservists
A California lawmaker wants to block most U.S. companies from using the excuse of poor economic times for not rehiring National Guard and reserve members who try to return to work following a mobilization.

Sailor student
Midshipman Travis Charlton feels like he’s getting the best of both worlds — a top-rated, sea-focused education without all the added rigors of attending the Naval Academy.

U.S. Maritime Academies
A rundown of the seven U.S. maritime academies:

Save on college application fees
Application rates to U.S. colleges and universities are soaring. Part of the reason? Panic.

Admissions essays: Making your case
If preparing to write your college admissions essay fills you with more dread than the thought of redoing basic training, stop sweating it. According to the judges for the second annual Military Times EDGE College Essay Contest, you don’t have to be the next Ernest Hemingway to gain acceptance to the school of your dreams. You do have to be authentic, personal and direct. (Those word limits exist for a reason, people!)

The winners
Richard White penned the winning essay in 2008 as a requirement for admission to George Mason University. He ultimately chose to study international security and Arabic at the University of Oklahoma. For composing the winning essay, White received an ASUS netbook from Purchasing Power. Second place went to Matthew Heller.

Try a trade
Before laptops, spreadsheets and yellow stickies, people used to make the things they needed with their hands.

4 tips for landing a blue-collar job
Advice from Ron Krannich, author of “The Blue-Collar Resume and Job Hunting Guide”:

Top-paying jobs
Not all the money in this country is earned behind a desk. For those who choose to labor with their hands, compensation can be considerable. Median earnings for some of the top-paying blue-collar jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics:

5 cities for blue-collar workers
Philadelphia is stocked with manufacturing and chemical jobs, along with opportunities in cable and the Internet.

Employers on for-profits
For-profit schools have faced criticism and calls for increased scrutiny in recent months, but some major employers said they’re not all that concerned with where veterans get their degrees.

Law schools hit new lows
The days of top law school graduates having their pick of six-figure jobs at boutique firms are over.

Stay connected
Not so long ago, an online school was pretty much just that. But as demand for online degrees continues to grow, military e-learners have become choosier, says retired Army Maj. Ed Dennis, military relations manager at Bryant & Stratton College Online. Now, it’s also about the quality — student experience in addition to academics. To that end, a growing number of online schools are taking steps to foster community and improve overall support for student service members and veterans. Dennis and other military reps at online schools talk about how this is being accomplished.

The skills every employer wants
Michael Warren knows he has the chops. The question is, how does he prove it to an employer?

Social job searching
A new Facebook app could make it easier for job-seekers to discreetly take advantage of their network of friends.

How to stand out in the federal job search
It’s easy to perceive federal hiring as a faceless bureaucracy. Want a job? Fill in some blanks on the USAjobs.gov website, sit around and wait. But if you employ some creative strategies, you can get an edge.

Revealing jobs in the ‘hidden’ market
Human resources professionals talk about a “hidden” job market. No one advertises these jobs, and applicants don’t enter through the front door — they go around the side, discovering positions through word of mouth, prying the door open just wide enough to slip inside.

Disaster response
Nothing says job security like global insecurity. With disasters constantly in the news, it’s no wonder emergency management was rated one of U.S. News & World Report’s best jobs of 2011.

2-star goes back to school
A command pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours — including more than 270 combat hours — retired Maj. Gen. John L. Barry has an impressive military résumé that includes commanding the largest fighter wing in the U.S., serving as director of plans and programs for Air Force Materiel Command, and acting as executive director of the space shuttle Columbia accident investigation.

Online entrepreneurs
Can you get bratwurst at the local Safeway? Sure. But can you get Siegi's Düsseldorfer Senf? Wawi Schoko-Reis? Schneeflöckchen Glühwein?

Greener pastures
Jeff McCorry had dreams of business ownership. The question was how to get there.

A mentor opens doors
As former Chief Warrant Officer 2 Cecil Jackson prepared to leave the Army this past summer, he knew there were some things he didn’t know about the civilian working world: How people talk, how they act, how they might perceive his military background.

World of opportunity
After returning from a public affairs stint in Afghanistan, Rick Scavetta found stateside cubicle life a little too snug. “I had just come home from a combat zone, and here I was trying to put on a suit and tie every morning, to commute in traffic every day,” he said.

Guiding you to success
When Bob Bradford left the Army, he didn’t know how to write a resume, how to look for a job — even what kind of job he wanted to look for.

Personal power
In both war and business, sometimes it’s the tiniest bit of information that can make all the difference between success and failure. For Navy Senior Chief Benjamin Brooks, a little piece of gear that he heard about on the radio is helping him leverage his transition from war into business.

Best for vets: Colleges
With about one-tenth the population of Washington, D.C., Rapid City, S.D., is a bustling metropolis of 68,000 with tourist magnets such as the largest private collection of black bears in the world and a park containing seven enormous dinosaur statues.

A word on the for-profits
For-profit colleges are under siege for their receipt of GI Bill dollars, taking fire from television news programs such as “Frontline” and “60 Minutes,” all the while getting grilled by Congress. Eager to attract veterans, the schools say they’re committed to delivering a quality product, and some scored well on our survey of vet-friendliness. University of Phoenix has been the largest beneficiary of Post-9/11 GI Bill money, followed by other for-profits such as ITT Educational Services Inc., Education Management Corp. (parent company of Art Institutes and Argosy University) and DeVry University. A Senate analysis released in September concluded that about half of a typical for-profit college’s revenue goes to marketing and profits; that most for-profits had low year-to-year retention rates; and that the average for-profit school costs the Post-9/11 GI Bill program more than public or private schools.

45 great employers for vets
Trevor Chan had four solid job offers as a fresh Cornell University engineering grad with a background as an avionics technician. You might have expected him to do something more hands-on, but the Hadley, Mass., native and twice-activated former Air Force reservist found his niche in the civilian sector analyzing the big picture of vehicle maintenance for a Defense Department contractor that he says wooed him with great benefits, a collegial work environment and a generous tuition plan.

GI Bill reboot
GI Bill 2.0 starts Aug. 1 with sweeping improvements to help thousands of current and former troops — and some of their families — earn college degrees.

Thinking about benefit transfers? Experts say put in paperwork now
Career service members who have even the slightest interest in sharing GI Bill college benefits with their family should transfer a minimum of one month of benefits as soon as possible to guarantee they don’t miss out on this option later, the education expert for the Military Officers Association of America said.

This year’s changes: the good, the bad, the so-so


50 most popular colleges
It takes a special kind of student to work on a college degree through the many moves, deployments and stresses of a military career. And it takes a special kind of college to serve such a student.

GI Bill on the job: 3 steps to use your benefit out of school
It sounded too good to be true: Army veteran Dean DiMarzo was working as a golf pro at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., when another veteran told him the PGA apprenticeship program he’d just started might be covered under the GI Bill. Get paid by the Veterans Affairs Department on top of his regular salary? For working at a golf course? There’s gotta be a catch ... right?

Going civilian
Remember when you first decided to join the military?

Royal couple to attend veterans job fair in L.A.
England's newest royal couple will appear at a hiring fair for veterans and their spouses July 10 at Sony Pictures Studio in Los Angeles. The newlyweds will also join a service project to create 1,000 care packages for military children, in partnership with Blue Star Families and the USO.

New study tells students the worth of their majors
The choice of undergraduate major in college is strongly tied to a student's future earnings, with the highest-paying majors providing salaries of about 300 percent more than the lowest-paying, according to a study released Tuesday.

GI Bill coming up short? Be careful how you borrow
If you use them wisely, military tuition assistance and the GI Bill can go a long way toward paying for a college education. But for many military and veteran students, they eventually come up short.

Online school offers discount to military group
Members of the National Association for Uniformed Services and their spouses can save hundreds of dollars off tuition and fees at Excelsior College, an online school headquartered in Albany, N.Y.

Common Application adds question on veteran status
The Common Application, the standardized application form used by more than 400 colleges, will ask applicants about their military status for the first time when it launches Aug. 1. Like its questions about ethnicity, the form’s question about “U.S. Armed Forces veteran status” will be optional.

Rescue your résumé: 6 places to get help
If anyone is a subject matter expert on your skills and experience, it’s you. So why is it so hard to write a résumé that conveys those abilities?

Clean-cut: Play it safe when prepping for an interview
You’re out of the military — you can finally wear that tongue ring you’ve always wanted! You can ... but should you?

Moving up
A funny thing happened on the way to a college degree for Airman 1st Class Christine Haight.

Census: 2.4 million vets owned businesses in 2007
A new report from the Census Bureau provides a detailed statistical look at veteran entrepreneurship in the U.S. for the first time.

New tool to translate military jobs into civilian jobs
The DirectEmployers Association, a nonprofit consortium of more than 600 U.S. employers, has launched a program to assist transitioning military personnel and their dependents find employment.

VA works to verify 'vet-owned' businesses
Federal criminal investigators are hot on the trail of thieves who steal from veterans — not their property, benefits or honor, but their jobs.

Apply now for free entrepreneurship training
Disabled veterans with an entrepreneurial itch can turn their business ideas into business models at the annual Veterans Entrepreneurship Program at Oklahoma State University.

Free business software and mentoring for veterans
SCORE, a nonprofit organization for entrepreneurs, offers veterans a free package of services to help them launch or grow a business.

Sears, Walmart promise portable spouse careers
Two major retailers committed to job portability for military spouses as part of “Joining Forces,” the national initiative to support service members and their spouses launched this spring by the White House.

C-17 loadmaster now loads ovens as pastry cook
For pastry cook Steve Schmidt, the only thing consistent about his job is the inconsistency.

How to work with a recruiting agency
A recruiting agency or placement firm can help you get a job, but a professional recruiter is more like a personal trainer than a personal assistant: You still have to put in the work. Joe Whitener found that out when he separated from the Army after 10 years.

100 percent tuition assistance too generous, lawmaker says
The lawmaker seeking a study that could lead to reduced tuition assistance benefits says he believes paying 100 percent of tuition costs is overly generous.

Senate hearing: high debts from for-profit schools
Students attending for-profit colleges are subject to subprime mortgage-like loans that saddle them with thousands of dollars in debt and waste millions in taxpayer dollars, Democratic lawmakers and education experts said at a Senate hearing June 7.

Bill would help students hurt by GI Bill changes
The House of Representatives passed a bill May 23 that would protect students currently in school from unexpected costs caused by recent changes in the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Lawmakers explore reduced tuition assistance
In what could be the first step toward reducing tuition assistance payments, the House of Representatives is directing the Pentagon to consider reducing tuition assistance benefits.

Education Department rule would cut federal aid to for-profit colleges
The Obama administration released a controversial rule June 2 that will cut federal aid to for-profit colleges if students in particular programs graduate with too much debt and worthless degrees.

Yellow Dawg Striping giving away franchise to veteran
One lucky veteran will win a brand-new business May 30 from pavement-marking franchise Yellow Dawg Striping.

Bill would make TAP mandatory for all troops
No more skipping TAP if a bill introduced May 11 by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and other senators is signed into law.

GI Bill changes will likely affect Yellow Ribbon commitments
In the wake of changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki is encouraging colleges and universities to help veterans cover education costs beyond the provisions of the bill.

Army National Guard joins GoArmyEd
The Army’s total force policy is coming to the classroom.

Knock out college credits
When Navy Chief Michael Melnichak enrolled in City University of Seattle in October 2010, he already had a year’s worth of college credits under his belt.

Virtual military job fair now open 24/7
Milicruit, a virtual career fair for veterans and the companies that recruit them, is now open for job searching 24/7.

New websites translate your skills into ‘civilian’
Two new websites from the Labor Department can help you plot a new path based on your military career.

Utility companies smooth path from military to energy jobs
Utility companies around the country have launched a program to link job openings in the energy industry with troops leaving military service.

College gives scholarships to ‘Hero behind the Hero’
Columbia Southern University is offering five “Hero Behind the Hero” scholarships to spouses and dependents of active-duty service members.

Working with vets: Former NCO now takes care of troops on campus
Army Sgt. 1st Class John Mikelson’s first plan for a post-military career was a bust. After more than 20 years in the Active Guard and Reserve — treating soldiers as a medic, recruiting and training troops, coordinating supplies, keeping his armory running and ready — he was sure he could get work dispatching trucks for one of the trucking companies near his home in Iowa City, Iowa.

Cybersecurity: An urgent mission now, great job prospects later
Nineteen years old and fresh out of basic training, Air Force Airman James Carver is already a seasoned combat veteran. He’s never set foot in Iraq or Afghanistan, but that doesn’t matter.

Why transportation companies want vets
When you hear that lonesome whistle blow … it may be calling for you.

Work wardrobe 101
Maggie O’Brien didn’t have to think much about what she wore to her first job out of college. She just threw on a flight suit before heading underground to a nuclear missile control capsule.

Get fit for college
Want to give college a go, but you’ve been out of school so long that your idea of writing involves updating your Facebook status, and you don’t know how to even spell “quadratic equation” — much less solve one?

Franchise fine-print: Investigate before you invest
Before Greg Perkins bought into a Molly Maid franchise, he scoured the landscape.

Separating? Build a transition fund
As Lt. Shimreah Rainey prepared to leave the Navy this spring, she wrote a résumé and sifted through online job postings. She also started clipping coupons. Rainey, an auxiliary resale outlet officer at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and her husband Bill saved as much money as they could to help them transition to the next stage of their lives.

Translating transportation jobs
Freight and trucking companies find many skills they need in the military. Here are a few jobs that align closely with military specialties. • Perfect for: Air traffic controllers, radio telecommunication operators.

30 percent of recent vets work in government
Post-9/11 veterans are much more likely than nonveterans to find work with the government, according to a Labor Department report released in March.

Culture shock: Five tips to help you acclimate to academia
Michael Totty was ready to throw down.

A few good franchises: Growing brands that will make you a deal
Franchises want you.

Schools train teachers, reach out to vets to help them acclimate
Mental health experts agree that education — of veterans and educators — is key to helping vets succeed on campus. While the sheer number of colleges and universities means change has been slow, positive examples abound in higher education:

The vet advantage: Disabled business owners get a boost in federal contracting
Is a quarter-million dollars worth putting up with some government paperwork? Um, yeah. At least that’s what former Navy Lt. Cmdr. Bill Jewitt found out when he got his San Antonio medical waste enterprise certified as a service-disabled veteran-owned small business.

Bring your business card into the 21st century
It used to be easy: White rectangle, name, address, phone number. But in today’s digital world, the face of the business card is changing. That 2x3.5-inch slip of real estate is a valuable avenue for broadening an employer’s view of who you are and what you bring to the table.

Power player: Crew chief chooses utilities job over flight school
For a self-described “Guard bum,” it was an enviable position to be in: Begin a high-paying apprenticeship as a pole-climbing power company lineman or pursue his high-flying dream in the Army.

Follow the money: Discipline, integrity translate well to finance industry
Discipline, focus, resourcefulness and integrity: Few industries reward the intangibles of military experience with so many tangible dollar bills as financial services.

Back to school: Master’s degrees are no longer for the select few
As if Laci Simmons didn’t have enough on her plate. A human resources sergeant in the Army National Guard, she was called to active duty in July 2005 and December 2008. In civilian life, she works as a financial crime specialist at Wachovia Bank. And somewhere along the way, she found time to earn a master’s degree in criminal justice at Everest University Online.

Pack up and go: 5 portable careers — that aren’t teaching or nursing
Georgia McCurdy has built a career for herself as a consultant to the philanthropic world. It’s good work but not easy to take along on a permanent change-of-station move, as it typically involves longer-term contracts and ongoing site visits. When she and her husband John, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, left California on orders, she found herself in Florida with time on her hands.

Employers promise 100,000 jobs for vets
A partnership of 11 companies, led by financial services firm JPMorgan Chase, has committed to hiring 100,000 military veterans by the end of 2020.

Southwest Airlines accepting pilot applications
Southwest Airlines plans to hire 100 pilots this spring, listing aviator openings on its career page for the first time since 2008.

Apply now for vets-only backcountry trail crew
Veterans Green Corps and the California Conservation Corps are looking for a few good veterans to build trails — but they will have to apply soon.

OPM aims to help more spouses, survivors get jobs
Federal officials are seeking to allow more widows, widowers and spouses of wounded troops to benefit from a special noncompetitive hiring authority for military spouses.

What to do after the job fair
In January 2010, Cherise Cunha attended a job fair held by the nonprofit group Project HIRED. She made all the right moves: business cards, résumé, 30-second elevator pitch, direct eye contact and firm handshake.

HR survey: Disabled vets make good employees
Most human resource professionals think veterans with disabilities make good employees, but many do not know about resources available to recruit them, a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found.

Stepping-stone schools
Wide lawns, stately buildings, the bustle of students coming and going to class — most college campuses are a far cry from the mean streets of Baghdad or the rugged mountains of Afghanistan. But for many veterans, a campus is no less intimidating.

Home-care franchises jockey for growing market
This much Curtis Custer knows: When the time comes for him to set aside his uniform, he’ll be spending his days helping seniors live in comfort and dignity.

Master of defense: Getting a graduate degree in homeland security
Now is the time to go for a graduate degree that’s likely to advance your career in and out of uniform.

Take two: Marine launches second career as a filmmaker
Marine Corps Reserve Maj. Brian Iglesias has a knack for making the best out of the worst situations.

Q&A with SVA director
Since Student Veterans of America began as a national coalition of student veteran groups in January 2008, it had grown from 20 chapters to more than 360. Former Marine Staff Sgt. Michael Dakduk, the group’s new executive director, talks about how SVA originally developed, how it’s changed and where it wants to go.

Questions you ask can make or break an interview
Sometimes it’s not how you answer a question that wins over the people with the power to hire you; it’s the questions you ask them.

Twenty-one percent of employers close for Veterans Day
More companies planned to close their offices for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and Presidents Day in 2011 than for Veterans Day, according to a recent poll by the Society for Human Resource Management.

Bookmark this
For many transitioning service members, the problem isn’t a lack of information about job searching and college and support services; the problem is too much information. So many websites, so many search results, so many links — where to start? Here are six of our favorite transition-related websites to get you going.

Side-by-side careers
If you’re like Russ Chilcoat, you’re ready to get out of the military, go to school and build a civilian career, but you’re not ready to let go of the uniform completely. You’re thinking about joining the reserves — and, like Chilcoat, you don’t really know what that actually entails.

New rules promise greater oversight of tuition programs
The Pentagon is ramping up oversight of the $517 million program that provides tuition assistance money for the active-duty force amid mounting concerns that it is ripe for waste and abuse.

The Mission Continues awards 100th fellowship
The Mission Continues, a nonprofit that sponsors injured veterans doing service in their communities, awarded their 100th fellowship in February.

Tillman Military Scholars application opens
Veterans, service members and dependents hoping for a scholarship from the Pat Tillman Foundation should submit their applications to the Tillman Military Scholars program soon.

Lawsuit says Univ. of Missouri misapplying veterans' benefit
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Five Missouri veterans have filed a lawsuit accusing the University of Missouri-Columbia and three other schools of misapplying a state tuition benefit.

VA upbeat about enacting summertime GI Bill changes
Senior officials in the Veterans Affairs Department are confident that they can make major changes this summer to the Post-9/11 GI Bill without a repeat of the start-up problems that plagued the program in 2009.

Graduate program teaches military chaplains about PTSD
Illif School of Theology is offering a new degree program to help military chaplains minister to those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Online trading school offers vets scholarships
Interested in investing? An organization that teaches online trading is offering scholarships to disabled veterans in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore who want to learn.

Tillman Foundation names new scholarship partners
The Pat Tillman Foundation scholarship program has named five more universities as partners based on their existing support services for veterans and community for military families. The new partners are:

What not to do in an interview
Common sense isn’t as common as it should be, according to a new CareerBuilder survey about mistakes job-seekers make during interviews.

Apply soon for financial counseling fellowship
Military spouses who want to build a portable career and serve the military community at the same time should apply soon for the FINRA Foundation Military Spouse Fellowship Program.

Building a brand for the troops
In hindsight, the success of a successful venture can seem inevitable. Nick Palmisciano, founder of Ranger Up, knows better.

Where feds hire vets
Federal jobs are in more demand than ever these days, and veterans are in more demand than ever to fill them.

In the digital classroom: What to look for in an online course
You probably wouldn’t select a traditional brick-and-mortar college without visiting its campus to evaluate the learning environment. Online learners, take note: That same diligence should apply to a thoughtful examination of a potential school’s digital learning environment.

College offices you need to know
As a veteran, you probably think you’re used to bureaucracy. Not quite. You’re used to military bureaucracy. Apply to college, especially a big college, and you’re stepping into a whole new organizational quagmire. “‘Who’s in charge?’ — we get that a lot,” said Tony Dotson, director of the Veterans Resource Center at the University of Kentucky. “Unlike the military, there is no ultimate authority.”

Mission planning
When Capt. Justen Garrity left the Army in April 2009, he had one thing on his mind: worm excrement. That would be the main ingredient in the compost he wanted to make and sell. Not an obvious ambition, perhaps, but in a time of green innovation, the former mobility officer saw a promising business opportunity in decayed organic matter.

High-flying jobs
How many aerospace engineers does it take to get a plane in the air?

College + commission
When Chris Piha left the Air Force to earn a commission through ROTC, he worried that returning to the classroom after four years as a flying crew chief on C-17s would be a bit of a culture shock. The bigger adjustment, it turned out, was going from active duty to ROTC.

Inside HR
If you think that hiring managers just don’t get you, you might be right. Unless they’re veterans themselves, or have training and experience working with veterans, corporate human resource professionals can have trouble understanding military structure, military careers and military culture — which can be frustrating if you’re a veteran looking for a job.

Revamped spouse tuition plan draws 18,700 sign-ups
At least 18,741 spouses have signed up for the Defense Department's revamped, scaled-back spouse tuition program since it reopened Oct. 25, officials said.

For-profit college group sues over regulations
A group representing for-profit colleges and trade schools filed a federal lawsuit Jan. 21 against the Department of Education seeking to block new regulations of the sector.

Fine-tuning GI Bill’s latest changes
A key veterans group already is planning how to modify some aspects of the major revision to the Post-9/11 GI Bill signed into law Jan. 5.

GI Bill surprise: Lame-duck Congress passes improvements
In a year-end surprise, Congress resurrected and passed a package of improvements in the Post-9/11 GI Bill that includes book allowances for active-duty members, living stipends for distance-learning students and coverage for vocational and apprenticeship classes.

Schools launch veteran-friendly net price calculators
Starting this year, college applicants will have a new tool to help them figure out college costs.

Report: New GI Bill is influencing college decisions
Almost one in four veterans and service members surveyed by the Rand Corp. enrolled in higher education because of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, according to Rand’s report on the first year of the benefit.

Learn how to campaign for elected office
Veterans interested in running for public office can learn how at the third Veterans Campaign Training Workshop on Feb. 11-12 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., named best job market
Washington, D.C., has the healthiest job market among major U.S. metro areas, according to Forbes. The unemployment rate in the capital is just 6 percent, 3.8 percentage points below the national average and lowest of all major metropolitan areas. By one estimate, there is roughly one advertised job opening for every unemployed worker in the region.

VA cuts GI Bill processing time by more than half
The fourth and final phase of an electronic system for processing and paying Post-9/11 GI Bill claims was expected to be in place in time for the school term that began in January.

Senator: For-profit colleges cashing in on military
For-profit college companies are taking in enormous amounts of federal student aid money by enrolling members of the military, veterans and their families, with questionable returns, according to a Dec. 9 report from Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a vocal critic of the industry.

Foreign language courses growing on campuses
Enrollment in foreign language courses grew 6.6 percent between 2006 and 2009, according to a Modern Language Association study released in December, achieving a high mark since the study began in 1960.

Colleges reconsider ROTC after ‘don’t ask’ repeal
Three days a week, Yale sophomore James Campbell rises at 5 a.m. for ROTC drills on a college campus that isn't his own.

Veterans jobs programs receive Microsoft grants
Six organizations that work with veterans received grants and software in November from Microsoft for programs to help vets and jobs.

Veterans in Piping program opens in Wisconsin
A group of Wisconsin veterans started 16 weeks of free welding training in January at Camp Williams, Wis., the newest site of the Veterans in Piping program.

Microsoft makes push to recruit veterans
If you’re interested in working at Microsoft, a new website, www.westillserve.com, will connect you to current employees who are veterans and help you identify jobs that fit your skills.

Register soon for women’s leadership symposium
The Sea Service Leadership Association’s 24th annual Women’s Leadership Symposium is officially a joint event this year, now that the Army and Air Force are participating partners.

Program offers wounded troops cybersecurity IT training
The IT training program for wounded service members operated by the Wounded Warrior Project will expand to include cybersecurity with help from a $2.5 million grant from Raytheon.

New entrepreneurship program for female vets, reservists
Syracuse University and the Small Business Administration are expanding their entrepreneurship programs for veterans to focus on two specific groups: reservists and women.

Vet small-business conference to be held in New Orleans
Mark your calendars: The seventh annual National Veterans Small Business Conference and Exposition will be Aug. 15-18 in New Orleans, the Veterans Affairs Department has announced.

Transfer smart
When former Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Charles Russo was ready to go for his bachelor’s degree at American Military University after earning an associate degree at Ashworth College, the 2008 intelligence studies graduate worked hard to ensure his transfer to a new school was a seamless one.

Utah named best for business
Utah knocked longtime leader Virginia out of the top spot in one magazine’s rankings of states with the best business climate.

Labor department brings job help to rural vets
Many veterans in rural areas of Washington state will be hearing from the Labor Department soon as part of a pilot program to ensure they have access to employment programs and services.

Employer partnership launches web portal
The Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces — a program to connect reservists, veterans and family members with employers and vice versa — upgraded its online job database Nov. 11 to allow job searchers to set up personal profiles.

School shopping
For-profit schools, popular with service members and vets for their convenience and curricula, are looking at tougher regulation under new Education Department rules released in late October.

New for-profit rules
The Education Department released regulations in late October that give the government a stronger hand overseeing the for-profit education sector — including new rules reining in how recruiters are paid. Other new regulations strengthen the department’s authority to take action against schools engaging in deceptive advertising, marketing and sales practice.

Cost constraints may hinder plan to improve GI Bill
Tens of thousands of student veterans would benefit from a GI Bill improvement package that is pending before Congress, if only lawmakers can overcome cost issues.

Lawmaker proposes new Post-9/11 transfer rules
A New Mexico lawmaker wants to relax rules for transferring Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to family members so that the decision can be postponed until after a service member retires.

Tuition costs climb
College tuition costs shot up again this fall, and students are leaning more on the federal government to make higher education affordable in tough economic times, according to two new reports. At public four-year schools, average in-state tuition and fees this fall rose 7.9 percent, or $555, to $7,605, according to the College Board’s “Trends in College Pricing.” The average sticker price at private nonprofit colleges increased 4.5 percent, or $1,164, to $27,293. When adjusted for inflation, the tuition increases this fall amount to 6.6 percent at public four-year colleges and 3.2 percent at private ones, according to the College Board.

Toolkit guides employers in hiring veterans
The Labor Department is trying to encourage employers to hire veterans by releasing a toolkit that walks them through the process, from considering jobs that are good fits for veterans to making accommodations for disabled veterans.

Job training program reserves 300 slots for vets
Veterans between the ages of 20 and 24 can get free job training and job-placement support through a special project of the Job Corps program.

Buy the book
If you’re not saving, filing and indexing your copy of EDGE every month — and even if you are — you might want a reference book or two to guide you through military separation. Here’s our take on some of the most widely available options.

When the GI Bill is not enough
Like a 21st-century version of The Blob, college costs continue to swell ominously. Average in-state tuition and fees at public four-year schools rose 7.9 percent this year, to $7,605, according to the College Board; the average sticker price at private nonprofit colleges increased 4.5 percent, to $27,293. Run for your lives!

Outside job
After a year in a Humvee gun turret, Dan Holler came back from Iraq with a new sense of purpose.

Report: Vets less satisfied with college than peers
Students and administrators trying to rally support for veterans on campus have a new talking point: A recent survey finds that student vets attending four-year universities in the U.S. generally perceive lower levels of campus support and interact less often with faculty members than nonveterans.

Changes coming to TAP program
Service members will get more personalized training and a longer period of job-search support under an overhaul of the military’s Transition Assistance Program that is now in the works.

Shoestring entrepreneur
Justin Constantine came back from Iraq pretty beat up. The sniper bullet went in behind his left ear and exited out his mouth, causing ruinous damage along the way. Along with his scars, he returned with the desire to help others understand.

Student Veterans of America leaders pass the torch
The Student Veterans of America is under new leadership.

Job: Security
For Tim McManus, the move from military life to corporate security was a natural transition.

Where the jobs are
Men and women separating from the military have something many civilian job-seekers don’t enjoy: geographic freedom.

The logistics of transferring
The logistics of transferring vary from school to school, but one thing you will almost certainly need to do is request official transcripts from all your previous institutions of higher learning, military service and training programs. Whether you also need to submit a high school transcript and standardized test scores usually depends on how many transferrable credits you have; schools set different minimums. Transcript requests usually need to be made by the student, though a few schools will make requests for you if you fill out some paperwork. The transcripts themselves must come directly from the school — not from you. Some institutions charge a small fee for each request.

The transferability of credit
All sorts of variables affect how much and what kinds of credit you will be able to transfer. • Accreditation: Regional accreditation is the most commonly accepted form of accreditation. Though national accreditation also is legitimate, be aware that some regionally accredited schools do not accept credits from nationally accredited institutions.

Employment picture worsens for veterans
The job market does not appear to be getting better for veterans.

New federal regulations target for-profit colleges
The Department of Education on Oct. 28 will release finalized regulations targeting for-profit colleges that give the government a stronger hand overseeing the fast-growing sector — including new rules reining in how recruiters are paid and a controversial attempt to define credit hours.

Second place: Gaibrielle Kathleen Noble
“The unexamined life is not worth living” –Socrates

First place: Sergio Alfaro
My unit was unexpectedly deployed to Iraq. I was sitting in the office of the Aid Station at Fort Riley, contemplating the upcoming training deployment and my subsequent release from active duty when my Platoon Sergeant announced the change of plans. Initially, I was in disbelief, feeling a mixture of fear, excitement and dread. I knew things were changing but by how much still amazes me today. My military experience left me continually revisiting the past in order to comprehend all that has happened and to use that understanding to improve my outlook on the present and the future.

Hot jobs
If you’re leaving the military to launch into a new career field, but don’t know where to start, here’s one way to narrow your search: Take a good look at the job market.

It’s not about you
Beginnings are important — especially in your very first contact with someone about a job. The cover letter you send with your résumé can make or break your chances of getting to the next step.

Essay excellence
The college admissions experts judging the inaugural Military Times EDGE College Essay Contest agree on one key piece of advice for a slam-dunk application essay: Keep it real.

Interview day
Congratulations! You got the call: They want you to come in for an interview. You’ve done your research, practiced your pitch, prepared your suit. Now you just need some final advice for the big day:

Narc work
For Frank Deerr, working for the Drug Enforcement Administration is not just a job.

5 colleges join ‘VetSuccess on campus’ pilot program
Five new colleges, including two community colleges, have been added to the Veterans Affairs Department’s VetSuccess on Campus pilot program.

AUSA members eligible for tuition discount
Members of the Association of the United States Army can take classes at a discount under a new agreement between AUSA and the University of Maryland University College. Tuition for out-of-state AUSA members will be reduced up to 25 percent, depending on the program. The agreement runs through June 30, 2012.

Group offers wounded vets aid for training
The Retired Enlisted Association has launched a new program, Vocational Educational Training, to help disabled Afghanistan and Iraq veterans pay for job training in an area that suits their military experience and background.

Online jobs network aids military spouses
Military spouse job seekers have just become more visible to a lot more employers. About 550 employers will have access to the résumés of military spouses who have registered with and uploaded their documents to the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network.

Face time
The good news: The Post-9/11 GI Bill has put many selective schools within financial reach for veterans. The bad news: Selective schools are flooded with applicants and acceptance rates are slipping downward.

Teaching moments
Translating her military skills into a civilian career wasn’t a problem for Air Force Master Sgt. Regina Jefferson as she prepared to leave the military in 2008. After 20 years in air traffic control, she had the experience and contacts in the Federal Aviation Administration to land a six-figure salary as soon as she separated.

Scholarship for severely wounded vets accepting apps
A new scholarship and mentorship program for severely wounded veterans is accepting applications for its first class of students.

Govt. delays rule opposed by for-profit colleges
The Education Department has delayed final regulations targeting for-profit college job-training programs to consider thousands of comments and hold several public hearings on the proposed rules.

For-profit schools reel as rules affect enrollment
The nation's largest for-profit college says it will take a big hit to enrollment — and its bottom line — as it tightens admission practices. The move comes as the government ramps up regulation of an industry which critics say preys on lower-income students and leaves them with hefty debt loads and meager job prospects.

Plans to expand GI Bill transfer rights stall
Bad news for military retirees: The package of changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill taking shape in Congress contains no language to help retirees who qualify for benefits but cannot share them with family members. Service members must have been on active-duty Aug. 1, 2009 — the launch date of the program — to share benefits with a spouse or children.

Online job counseling free for veterans
The career assessment firm BestWork DATA has announced it is providing free online employment counseling to veterans.

GI Bill caps rise
Tuition and fee caps under the Post-9/11 GI Bill increased in most states and territories for the fall 2010 school term, though veterans attending private schools or graduate programs in a few states saw their payments drop or stagnate.

Nuke commission named best place to work in government
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Government Accountability Office again top the list of best places to work in the federal government, according to a new report. The rankings, put out by the Partnership for Public Service, are based on an agency-by-agency analysis of the Office of Personnel Management’s Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Entrepreneurship 101
John Raftery and Robert Domenici don’t seem to have much in common. One owns a specialized contracting business in Texas. The other, based in upstate New York, trains first responders to answer the call in times of homeland emergency. Their businesses don’t overlap — but their stories do.

Handle with care
Thinking of leaving the military and going into business with some of your buddies? Then heed this word of warning: Friendship and business are highly combustible. Apply the spark of human emotion to the dynamite of a valuable idea and you’re going to get an explosion.

UTC offering online degree in criminal justice
A new online completion program for a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice is being offered this fall at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Labor Dept. offers employer training on TBI, PTSD
Employers who want to learn more about traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder and how they can be accommodated in the workplace now have access to free training from the Labor Department.

Minn. Guard holds entrepreneur seminars for vets
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans interested in starting their own businesses can get advice this fall at seminars sponsored by the Minnesota Guard’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Bank plans industry conference for vets on Wall Street
Deutsche Bank recently kicked off a new effort to attract, develop and retain veterans, marking the occasion by ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange with senior military officials.

Texas colleges expand
Two Texas university system centers that were approved last year to expand into independent colleges are building or breaking ground on new facilities.

For-profit colleges rein in recruiting tactics
Two for-profit colleges where the Government Accountability Office recently uncovered questionable recruiting practices are pledging to change how they pay admissions representatives.

Spouses receive financial counselor fellowships
Nearly 200 military spouses were selected this year from 1,300 applicants to train as accredited financial counselors through the FINRA Investor Education Foundation’s 2010 Military Spouse Fellowship.

Applications for spouse, caregiver scholarship due
Spouses and caregivers of wounded service members and spouses of fallen service members have until Oct. 13 to apply for one of five academic scholarships from Hope for the Warriors, a nonprofit organization that supports wounded service members, their families, and families of the fallen.

School support
It’s a good time to be a student veteran. Hundreds of thousands of former service members are heading to school on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and schools are responding by hiring more staff and beefing up programs to help them succeed in the classroom. New veterans coordinators who work primarily or exclusively with vets are printing up business cards. Offices, lounges and even housing for vets are being carved out of valuable campus real estate. Schools are training professors on post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

Tech cred
So you want to be a geek. Who could blame you, job prospects being what they are? The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 32 percent increase in computer software engineering jobs and a 30 percent increase in computer network, systems and database administration jobs from 2008-2018.

What you get
When electronics warfare technician Staff Sgt. Matthew Benoit left the Air Force in March 2010, he landed a job right off the bat as a field service engineer with medical device company Neuronetics. He understood the base pay they offered him, but understanding the rest of the compensation package required some new calculations.

Language smarts
Maybe you’ve heard this one before: If someone who speaks three languages is called trilingual and someone who speaks two languages is called bilingual, what do you call someone who speaks one language? An American.

Positive pitch
If you are looking to get hired, somebody somewhere will find something not to like about you. It’s not because you have anything “wrong” with you. It’s just how the mind works. In the psyche of the employer, you might not have the “right” degree. Your military experience might be confusing. Or perhaps you’re a bit, ahem, older than they were hoping.

The new networking
Steve Sisk’s job search ended with help from traditional recruiters, but that’s not how it started. He only found the Bradley Morris recruiters through a personal contact, and he only found that contact through social networking site LinkedIn.

Leading from above
One thing you don’t have to worry about on a zip line course is getting lost. The height might make you queasy, the speed might make you nervous, but at least you know exactly where you’re going and how you’re getting there.

Business school plan
Browsing brochures from America’s business schools, you might think the world of barracks and BDUs couldn’t be more distant from that of boardrooms and business suits.

Find your niche
What are you good at? Many veterans have a stock answer to that question, says former Army Capt. Havard Whiles.

The accidental farmer
What the hell was he doing? Colin Archipley still didn’t know much about farming, but looking out on a sea of wilting lettuce he knew enough. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Stay the course
Brandon Krapf is on the home stretch — he can almost reach out and touch the tape.

Good work
If you want to do some good in the world, you can do more than just write a check to your favorite charitable organization. You can be that organization. Just ask Navy SEAL Lt. Eric Greitens.

Get into I.T.
It’s no secret the high-paying world of information technology is a boom industry, even in a down economy. That’s particularly true in the shadowy corners of the government where contractors build and protect computer infrastructure for classified information.

Train like you interview
Marine Gunnery Sgt. Josh Brown sat across the desk from the interviewer, ready to put on his best performance. Things got off to a stuttering start.

Yellow Ribbon changes
The Post-9/11 GI Bill’s Yellow Ribbon program is a generous benefit that can be worth thousands of dollars in college costs — but changes to this year’s scholarships should remind veterans that the benefit is not guaranteed. That is especially true in the first years of the program, as administrators learn the level of demand and adjust available resources.

Maid Brigade offers 45 percent discount to vets
The cleaning services franchise Maid Brigade is offering 10 veterans a 45 percent discount off the cost of a franchise territory.

Smart Spending: Paying less for college textbooks
PORTLAND, Ore. — College can cause a chronic case of sticker shock.

Scholarships available for vets to study counseling
Service members and veterans studying for a career in professional counseling have until Nov. 1 to apply for a scholarship from the National Board of Certified Counselors Foundation.

Border patrol now hiring agents for southwest border
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is taking applications for border patrol agents with duty locations on the Southwest border. The open period began July 14 and will close Sept. 30.

Employers honored for taking care of military reservists
A small plumbing business, a state government and a huge pharmaceutical company are among the 15 employers selected this year for the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Police chiefs offer guides to returning combat vets
Veterans who work in law enforcement — or want to — can find advice for transitioning from combat to police jobs in a new guide from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

'GI Bill 2.0' passes Senate committee, gains support
A Senate committee has taken a first step toward what veterans groups are calling "GI Bill 2.0" — a revised version of the year-old Post-9/11 GI Bill that attempts to simplify and clarify the education benefits program.

For-profit colleges rein in recruiting tactics
DENVER — Two for-profit colleges whose recruiting tactics were singled out in a scathing undercover government investigation are pledging to stop using enrollment targets as a factor in paying admissions representatives.

Aiming high
When Aerographer’s Mate 1st Class Raymond Glass gets home from work, he doesn’t turn on the TV and reach for a beer. Most nights, the 14-year Navy veteran turns on his laptop and reaches for his books.

'Tight' rules sought for for-profit schools
WASHINGTON — The head of the Senate education committee said Aug. 4 that he would pursue "tight legislation" to fix what he called systemic problems in the for-profit higher education industry.

GAO probe finds fraud and deception at for-profit colleges
A government inquiry of 15 for-profit colleges found four cases in which campus officials encouraged applicants to commit fraud and examples at every school of officials lying about or misrepresenting their programs.

School supplies
Remember when buying school supplies meant picking out a new Batman lunchbox? These days, Batman himself would covet the gear and gadgets you can get to make college life easier. Here are a few that will come in handy whether you’re leaving military life for campus life, or plugging away at a degree in uniform.

The GI Bill decision
By now, a year after it went into effect, you probably know the benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill by heart: full tuition and fees (up to a cap), book stipend, living allowance, matching funds for private schools, transfer privileges for some.

Renewed energy
Sometimes it’s the dream job that becomes a nightmare, while a profession you couldn’t imagine yourself doing becomes everything you’d hoped for in a career.

One-man jobs
Even before Air Force medic Robert Anaya left the service in 2005, he had his next career all picked out. Tapping into his background in construction, the senior master sergeant decided to pursue income and independence as a home inspector.

Zigzag careers
Brian Schulz never expected to be standing in the operating room consulting with neurosurgeons on delicate procedures. “I was in the OR the other day and the nurse turned to me and asked if I went to med school,” he recalled. “I said no, I flew jets in the Navy for seven years. She just kind of got this puzzled look on her face.”

Vets wanted
Finding a job can be hard. Finding a job with a company that doesn’t understand your military service can be a lot harder.

Veterans’ job numbers improve in May
The job market for veterans appears to be improving, with the veterans’ unemployment rate falling to 7.8 percent in May, down from 9.1 percent in April.

Proposed rules would limit federal aid at for-profit colleges
The Education Department, concerned that some students are graduating from short-term training programs with excessive debt and worthless degrees, is cracking down on the for-profit college industry.

Kitchen Tune-Up gives 10 franchises to vets
Kitchen Tune-Up, a home remodeling franchisor, is giving away franchise packages worth $40,000 to 10 honorably discharged veterans. The offer began June 2 and will continue until all 10 are awarded.

WVU tailors classes for military veterans
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University says it's adding classes tailored for military veterans.

Rules would cut federal aid to for-profit colleges
The federal government is expected to get tougher soon on the nation's booming for-profit colleges by proposing that aid be cut to programs if most of their students don't earn enough to repay their loans.

Job outlook brightens for new grads — just barely
To get a sense of the job market new college graduates face, consider the latest crop of nurses from Santa Rosa Junior College. Just eight of the 55 students are leaving with job offers — and that's considered good news.

Calif. bill would aid students in National Guard
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Colleges and universities would have to aid students who are called to active duty in the California National Guard under a bill approved by the state Senate.

Bill: Let vets use GI Bill to run businesses
A bill that would allow veterans to use Montgomery GI Bill benefits to start or run their own businesses is pitting veterans groups against one another.

Building an ‘intellectual surge’
To handle the increasingly complex challenges of operations like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army is sending its next generation of strategic thinkers to rigorous graduate programs. But critics say officers often struggle to fit these advanced education requirements into already full military careers.

Congressional report: More officers need civilian graduate degrees
A recent congressional report on professional military education argues for a broad educational basis to foster critical thinking, and military educators say that means more officers should have master’s degrees or doctorates.

IBM launches business toolkit for vets
Thinking about starting your own business when you leave the military? An online toolkit for veteran small-business owners that launched Memorial Day is great place to begin your research.

Plugging a benefit loophole
First, the bad news: If you are one of the thousands of National Guardsmen who have served solely on domestic missions under control of the state since Sept. 11, 2001, it may be months before you qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, if you ever do.

From leatherneck to lawmaker
War, according to the old generals’ proverb, is the continuation of politics by other means. For 27-year-old Alex Cornell du Houx, the proverb is reversed — his career in politics is the continuation of his work as a warrior by other means.

Word it right
When Army Capt. Carolina Gonzalez-Prats left the service in 2004, she was proud of the work she had done as a supply and logistics officer. “I was really pumped up in terms of all the experience I had, the amount of responsibility I had been given,” she said.

Get in with an internship
If you think “internship” has to mean making copies for peanuts during a school vacation, think again. On a typical day, Army Corps of Engineers intern Jasmine Chopra might visit a work site, create videos to show at an employee town hall meeting, write a bilingual news release about wetlands mitigation or develop strategic plans to guide public outreach meetings.

The pros and cons of homework
The best thing about working at home: Allen Alvarez gets to see his twins every day.

Artillery support: When to call in the big guns
Former Air Force C-17 pilot Erik Brine can attest to the strength of Student Veterans of America’s advocacy efforts from both sides of the fence.

50 most popular colleges
Last year, more than 350,000 service members found time to pursue a certificate or degree using tuition assistance from their service’s voluntary education program.

Get career advice from HR experts
Veterans can get free advice on their move to a civilian workplace straight from the human resource professionals at the Society for Human Resource Management’s upcoming conference at the San Diego Convention Center.

Scholarship available for children of fallen troops
Applications are being accepted for a new scholarship program that lets the children of some deceased service members tap into Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. Payments could begin as early as Aug. 1, VA officials said.

New degrees maximize credit from Coast Guard training
Graduates of the Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy can now transfer up to 14 credits from their training to a degree at 10 colleges.

9 ways to improve the Post-9/11 GI Bill
The sweeping Post-9/11 GI Bill has made college affordable for more than 275,000 veterans, service members and even some of their family members since it began last August.

Win a Sears Hometown Store
Military veterans have until June 25 to enter to win a Sears Hometown Store through the retailer’s Operation Stores and Stripes giveaway.

Tell your story
The difference between landing a spot at the perfect company and a polite rejection may not be a gleaming résumé, razor-sharp professional attire or a confident handshake. It could be a skill troops have been practicing around campfires, in barracks and over drinks for centuries.

Find your health care niche
Army Reserve Spc. David Flees knew he wanted to go into health care when he left active duty. That part was easy.

Afloat again
Lt. Col. Jeff Prowse knew his Marine Corps experience was a hot commodity in the big-money world of defense contracting — because as he neared retirement, the contractors wouldn’t let him forget it.

Credit for service
Transferring your military training into college credit is a little like changing your money into a foreign currency. You hand over your dollar bills, receive a pile of exotic-looking paper in return and tuck it in your wallet. Then you stride out into an unfamiliar economy, not quite sure what your cash is worth.

Cleared hot
Former Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Clifton knows the value of a security clearance. His own cleared status helped land him a job as a recruiter for a big government contractor. Today, he looks to former service members to fill his firm’s most sensitive jobs.

Take it or leave it?
The question of whether to save for retirement in the federal Thrift Savings Plan is not a difficult one, says John Gannon, president of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Investor Education Foundation: TSP is one of the most cost-effective, well-designed employer savings plans in existence, and he thinks too few service members take advantage of it.

Touchscreen office
The time has come where you may no longer need to lug a laptop around to get work done. With about $50 worth of apps, you can turn your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into a true mobile powerhouse.

New GI Bill's latest glitch: Wrong living stipends from VA
The newest problem with the Post-9/11 GI Bill: The Veterans Affairs Department has acknowledged paying the wrong rate of living stipend to everyone getting the benefit for the spring term.

More-mature mustangs
Enlisted Marines looking to go officer this year, listen up: The Marine Corps just made the rules to go mustang substantially tougher.

Doctor shortage? 28 states may expand nurses' role
CHICAGO — A nurse may soon be your doctor.

SBA to open new Veterans Business Outreach Centers
Eight new Veterans Business Outreach Centers are opening with funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the agency announced in mid April.

Survey: Small business satisfaction
Do you have employees in your small business? While almost no one talks about the benefits of being an employer, you're probably gaining a lot from having made the decision to hire.

Building military camaraderie in classrooms
When Lisa White left the Air Force after serving for eight years, she found it difficult to adapt to civilian life.

Combat boots to cowboy boots
LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is working with the military to urge soldiers who are leaving active duty to come back home to Nebraska to start farms, ranches and businesses.

Stevens Institute of Technology opens D.C. location
The Stevens Institute of Technology is opening a new location at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., where it will offer graduate programs in systems engineering, project management, applied project management, maritime security and other fields.

San Jose ranked No. 1 for finding jobs
Applicants looking for a job in a metropolitan area are most likely to have luck in San Jose, Calif., according to the online job search engine Juju.com. Juju.com’s March Job Search Difficulty Index ranked San Jose as having the easiest job search, followed by Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; New York; and Hartford, Conn. Salt Lake City, San Antonio, Denver, Oklahoma City and Austin, Texas, round out the top 10. Detroit was last.

A test of manners
You could fill a book with guidance on business etiquette, and many people have. But little in their pages would raise an eyebrow, especially among members of the military, one of the last holdouts of strict protocol and formal courtesies against the creeping forces of casualness. Most business etiquette is just common graciousness, kicked up to a slightly higher gear. Still, some of the niceties are a little less obvious than others. See how you do on this true-or-false quiz:

Free career transition boot camps for vets
Gradient Financial Group and the consulting firm Afterburner are offering career and financial guidance to up to 50 service members and recent veterans in three transition “boot camps” around the country.

Nonprofit offers job advice for wounded vets
Combat-injured service members and veterans can now get free one-on-one career guidance at a series of professional development courses offered by the nonprofit Hope for the Warriors. The course helps participants pinpoint life and career goals and coaches them in business skills such as preparing for interviews, building a résumé and networking.

Job hunting on Twitter
You may be able to tweet your way into a new career, according to Susan Britton Whitcomb, Deb Dib and Chandlee Bryan, co-authors of the recently published book “The Twitter Job Search Guide.” The micro-blogging Web site is changing how people hunt for work, they said.

State college tuition soars
College costs have been mounting for years, but budget struggles are sending tuition way up in many states.

From war fighter to Wall Street
The road to success, someone once quipped, is always under construction. Jason Leisey knows that better than most.

Wis. lawmaker wants to strengthen state GI Bill
A Wisconsin lawmaker is pushing a plan to strengthen higher education benefits for veterans in his state. Currently, Wisconsin vets must exhaust their federal G.I. Bill benefit before tapping the Wisconsin G.I. Bill to pay tuition. Credits paid for by the federal program count against their state benefits, which are limited to 128 credits. State Rep. Steve Hilgenberg’s plan would give veterans up to 64 credits of free tuition through the Wisconsin G.I. Bill after they use their federal benefits.

Connecticut to change definition of ‘veterans’
Some Connecticut lawmakers say the definition of veteran needs to be changed to make sure members of the military and National Guard benefit from a college tuition waiver program.

Mission: college
For former Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Erick Toribio, making the transition from sailor to student was a huge culture shock.

Become a JAG
Maybe it’s the economy; maybe it’s a growing commitment to public service. Or maybe all the kids who grew up watching the TV show JAG are starting to graduate from law school. Whatever the reason, judge advocate recruiters had their hands full last year.

Beyond a paper résumé
Fill-in-the-blank job applications and wordy cover letters weren’t doing it for Sgt. 1st Class Steve Gilland. The Army National Guardsman, a union carpenter looking for work since coming off orders in January 2009, wanted a richer, more personal connection with potential employers.

Get a fed start
President Obama’s promise in November to make the federal government a model employer of veterans should become more tangible this spring, as 24 agencies are due to establish Veterans Employment Program Offices and submit their Veterans’ Employment Operational Plans. But you don’t have to wait until those plans take shape to start a federal job hunt.

Loan changes to help students, community colleges
Bigger grants for college students who need them. Relaxed payment terms for students with loans. More money for community colleges and historically black institutions.

Top franchise opportunities for vets
What do a pizza franchise and the military have in common? More than you’d think, according to retired Army Col. Kevin Wilkerson, now a master franchisee for Marco’s Pizza franchise in Tulsa, Okla.

A.G. reviews complaints against online college
The Colorado attorney general’s office is investigating 51 complaints against Westwood College in the past three years.

DoD official: New GI Bill isn't hurting retention
The Defense Department initially opposed creation of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, citing concerns that generous education benefits would lead first-term service members to get out of the military in unprecedented numbers to go to college. But this problem has not materialized, according to an Army manpower official.

Spouses can apply now for financial training fellowships
Military spouses can apply now to get free financial counseling training from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation.

Head of the class
David W. Kinsman makes his living teaching college courses in strategic management. Just as significant, he earns his keep by keeping students riveted.

NYU starts veterans alliance
New York University is connecting veteran students and alumni with a new networking group called the NYU Veterans Alliance.

Microsoft launches training program for veterans
Microsoft announced March 8 that it is expanding its free technology training initiative, Elevate America, to include a special two-year program just for veterans and their spouses.

VA wants emergency GI Bill payouts back
The Veterans Affairs Department has started the process of recouping $3,000 emergency payments sent last year to about 80,000 people whose Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits were delayed.

Degrees of prestige
Imagine you’re wrapping up your bachelor’s degree, looking forward to the prospect of earning a commission. But after four long years of study, you discover that your degree program wasn’t sufficiently accredited — and you won’t qualify for that new MOS.

Best-bang-for-your-buck colleges
The University of Virginia and Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania have topped the Princeton Review’s list of the 100 best-value public and private institutions for the second year in a row.

Agricultural school enrollment up
A growing number of students are turning to agricultural schools for their emphasis on science and the promise of good jobs after graduation.

Working a job fair
Walking into a MilitaryStars job fair, it’s hard not to feel good about yourself. As the doors to the hotel ballroom fly open and a few hundred job seekers surge forward, recruiters from two dozen employers rise to their feet and break into applause, celebrating your military service.

Tutoring 101
Let’s turn one stigma on its head right away: Getting tutoring is not a sign you are dumb. Getting tutoring is a sign you are smart — smart enough to recognize when you need help and to take advantage of all the resources available.

Welding queen
For Vanessa Redford, it all started with a ’68 Impala, teenage restlessness and her grandfather’s willingness to cut a square deal.

Seattle union gives Guardsmen free electrical training
National Guardsmen in the Seattle area are getting free electrical training through a joint initiative the organizers would like to see used as a model for programs across the country.

‘Have a plan’
Naval Academy graduate Lani Hay wants to bring about change, and she’s starting at the top.

Going officer
When Marine Sgt. Martin Harris decided it was time to take the next step, he took the quickest way up the ladder.

House panel approves expanding GI Bill eligibility
Distance learning students could draw Post-9/11 GI Bill living stipends and people who retired as far back as 2001 could share their education benefits with their family members under bills approved March 4 by a House subcommittee.

Well suited
Military life is fraught with uncertainties, but what to wear is not one of them. You may not like your uniform, but you don’t have to worry about coordinating color, cut and fabric.

Get your app together
Navy veteran Tim Martin’s decision to apply to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2007 filled him with apprehension. A previous college attempt years before had not gone well for the former aviation electrician’s mate second class.

Working in a war zone
As a Marine sergeant, James Rios served as an imagery analyst in Iraq. He found himself back in Iraq doing the same work for General Atomics after leaving the Corps in January 2008. The difference? He now earns a much higher wage.

Get the beat
Dominic Dinisio always admired the life of a cop, which he witnessed close up from an early age. “I remember how much my father loved going to work every day. Most people dread going to their jobs, but I saw how much my father loved it.

Feeling like you fit in
Former Marine Lance Cpl. James Nelson admits ruefully that trading a rucksack for a backpack was not as easy as he thought it would be.

Sergeant Planet
Dahm Rosas spent seven years defending the nation. Now he wants to save the world.

Franchising for beginners
When Air Force Col. Dan Cvelbar left the service in 2003 and took up residence in Murrieta, Calif., after 24 years in uniform, the civilian world did not welcome him with open arms.

Get down to business
You’ll improve your prospects in private-sector, nonprofit or even government work by learning a little about how to function in the business world. If these books — teaching five essentials — leave you wanting more, try the associated seminar.

VA outlines efforts to fix GI Bill problems
Veterans Affairs Department officials tried Jan. 21 to convince a skeptical House subcommittee that its problems with paying Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are in the past.

New GI Bill changes coming into focus
A House subcommittee collecting ideas for improving the Post-9/11 GI Bill is zeroing in on three that have wide support, and also has myriad other suggestions to consider.

Student loan default data highlights for-profits
More than one in five borrowers of federal student loans who attend for-profit colleges default within three years of beginning repayment, according to new figures made available by the Department of Education on Dec. 14.

Corps of Engineers trains vets in archaeological curation
The Army Corps of Engineers has turned up a lot of stuff over the years at construction sites around the country — so much stuff, in fact, that it doesn’t know exactly what it has. Now, with help from federal stimulus funds, the Corps is sorting through its collection of archaeological finds and getting veterans working at the same time.

A head for business
Josh Collins has entrepreneurship in his blood.

APUS announces new legal studies degree
The American Public University System has introduced a new degree for students interested in learning more about legal doctrine but not necessarily practicing law.

One year to a new career
Tracy Lockett served as a staff sergeant in the transportation corps at Fort Eustis, Va., until separating in June 2008. A stint with temp agency LaborReady helped him land a consulting job with Marriott International just a month out of uniform. It’s a job he says he could not have won had he not laid the groundwork well ahead of time.

Unfit for command
There was once a battalion commander in the 101st Airborne Division so hated by his men that officers and enlisted alike joked that the best way to find him on the battlefield would be look where the enemy’s green tracer fire intersected with friendly red tracer rounds.

Make your own documentary with a film fellowship
If you aspire to filmmaking beyond funny YouTube clips of your buddies, pay attention.

Hook some help
The thought of starting school can be daunting, whether you’re a first-time college student or a careerist starting a graduate degree. More daunting for many, though, is the prospect of paying for that education.

Obama orders federal agencies to set up vet job offices
Uncle Sam wants you — again.

Recipe for success
You might say the idea of cooking up a way to transform his hobby into a business always appealed to Mike Lawrence.

Six ways to save cash on course materials
If your soul — and your bank account — hurt every time you have to fork over hundreds of dollars for a college textbook, you’re not alone.

The job searchers
Army Capt. Brian Bergen didn’t want to go it alone. As he prepared to leave the service in October 2008, he knew he would need help launching his post-military career.

Vets offered scholarships to train in corrosion industry
Now is your time to break into a well-paying industry that’s expecting a lot of openings in the coming years: corrosion.

Community college attendance spikes
More young Americans than ever are in college — especially community college, according to a new report.

Five golden skills
Sgt. 1st Class Charlie Fulcher received thousands of hours of training during his Army career, but one course turned out to be particularly helpful when he left service in October 2007. In order to become an Army equal opportunity adviser, Fulcher had gone through diversity awareness training at the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla.

Write your own ticket
When he was deployed, Lee Kelley dreamed what most soldiers dream when they’re at war. He dreamed of all the time he’d spend with his wife and kids when he got home. He dreamed of long leisurely hikes through the American wilderness that would ease his way back from Iraq.

The hero life
Charisma is famously difficult to explain, but those who have it often don’t need much else to get by. Rudy Reyes has it in spades — plus movie-star looks, boundless energy and wisdom seemingly well beyond his years. No wonder the former Marine sergeant has managed to turn himself into a full-fledged media brand just a few years after leaving the Corps.

Extra credits
Call it academic sticker shock. The average cost of a year at a private four-year college was $25,143 in 2008-2009. A year at a public college averaged $6,585, according to the College Board.

Transition into civilian work with Port of Seattle fellowship
The Port of Seattle is helping new veterans transition to a civilian career with short-term paid fellowships, a model it hopes will be adopted by corporations around the country.

Put social media to work
Every time you hand out a business card, that contact should also be added to your online social network, experts say. These sites are an opportunity for self-branding and building connections that can advance your career or help you find a new one.

Colleges report record enrollments
College systems across the U.S. are reporting record enrollments this fall.

San Diego college opens vet house on frat row
Student veterans at San Diego State University have moved into their own house on Fraternity Row this year, the only such residence in the country, according to the school.

More colleges develop classes on treating war veterans
Universities are creating classes to train students in how to treat combat veterans and their families suffering from war-related mental health problems.

Find a reserve-friendly employer
Many employers go the extra mile to support Guard and reserve members. Since 1996, the secretary of defense has recognized the 15 companies that go the furthest each year with the annual Employer Support Freedom Award.

From command to corner office
When Vic See left the Navy in January 29 years’ experience in uniform, he had a track record of leadership experience and valuable contacts inside the military: everything a contractor could want in a ranking executive.

Service with a side
For some, service in uniform isn’t enough. They want more personal fulfillment, more job satisfaction, more income — and they turn to a second job to find it.

A fair wind
When Matt Wheeler returned from an Illinois Army National Guard deployment to Iraq in the summer of 2008, the former bank manager wanted to get out of finance and move his family closer to his native Kansas.

Follow me
Tyler Gordy’s grades in high school were so bad even now he doesn’t want to say what his grade-point average was. Suffice it to say it was bad enough to generate a firm “Thanks, but no thanks” when, just back from a tour in Iraq, he applied to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The rejection wasn’t yet official, but Gordy figured that was it. A sergeant in the 101st Airborne Division at the time, “I had given up,” Gordy said. “They had said, ‘I don’t care who calls, he’s not getting into West Point.’” Famous last words.

Interview I.Q.
It took 10 job interviews for Scott Radcliffe to really get the hang of it. As he talked and talked, it slowly dawned on him that his civilian would-be employers often had no idea what he was saying. What exactly was a scout platoon leader with the 1st Cavalry Division? What did a scout executive officer do?

Best bets for hot jobs
The hottest job areas from now to 2016 will be in health care, education, information technology and clean energy, a new report says. And though some require bachelor’s degrees or higher, many call for an associate degree and sometimes additional vocational training. Health care will generate 3 million new jobs by 2016, the most of any industry, says the report by the Democratic Leadership Council, a nonprofit think tank. Among “hot jobs” in health: physical and occupational therapist assistant, dental hygienist and radiation therapist, the report says.

Engineering pays
It pays to be an engineer — literally. The National Association of Colleges and Employers released its summer 2009 Salary Survey in July, and along with computer science, engineering degrees made up four of the top five bachelor’s degrees with highest starting salaries.

Start an online business
Four years at the Naval Academy, a dozen years in uniform with a closing stint as a Navy SEAL and instructor in Annapolis, Md.: By 1999, Stew Smith was ready to try something different.

4 IU campuses get aid for military students
Four of Indiana University’s campuses are getting grants totaling $52,700 to help students who are either veterans or currently serving in the military. IU Bloomington, IUPUI, IU Southeast and IU East will use the grants to boost the number of veterans and students in the service who remain in school and eventually graduate. The money for Operation Diploma comes through Purdue University’s Military Family Research Institute, which was created through a $5.8 million gift from the Lilly Endowment.

Enlisted slots at service academies go unfilled
You might call the U.S. service academies one of the best-kept commissioning secrets available to enlisted troops. That’s because hundreds of slots set aside for service members — both active duty and reserve — have gone unfilled in recent years.

Civil service exam
Service members transitioning to civilian jobs enjoy a tremendous advantage during lean economic times thanks to hiring preferences in the public sector. But to gain entry into jobs ranging from postal service or parks and recreation employee to firefighter or highway patrolman, everyone must pass some version of a civil service exam.

Hiring a résumé writer
The unemployment rate is high, and the competition for jobs is fierce. To stand out from the crowd — and to ensure your military experience makes sense to civilian employers — you might be looking to hire a résumé writer. Here are some tips on how to find a good fit:

One-of-a-kind degrees
Like most college students, you’re probably looking for a major that will interest and excite you — and lead to great employment options down the road. Whether you’re going for an associate or have your sights set on a Ph.D., think outside the box with this selection of one-of-a-kind college degree programs seemingly tailor-made for men and women with military experience.

Living the faith
If you want to hear God laugh, the old saying goes, tell him your plans.

Overcoming obstacles
Less than a month ago, the Post-9/11 GI Bill went from an idea by a Marine Corps veteran into the history books as the bill that will provide the “Next Greatest Generation” with a college degree. Because of the efforts of Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va. — a Marine Corps veteran — and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., many members of Congress and a few veterans service organizations, the federal government has sent a message: Those who have written that blank check to preserve our nation’s freedoms shall be given the right to a college education and the opportunity to build a successful future.

Crash course in studying online
Many service members turn to online classes to help advance their military careers or start civilian ones — but universities and students warn that some online educations are better than others.

College pitfalls
When former Navy Corpsman Christy Jacks started struggling with calculus at Colorado State University, she had no idea that finally asking for help would be the most important lesson she would learn.

Colleges prepare for swine flu
As students prepared to return to classrooms, university and health officials in Oklahoma prepared for the possible spread of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu. Health officials say the swine flu has disproportionately targeted teenagers and young adults and that schools are likely to experience outbreaks. The campus health center at Oklahoma State University has a stockpile of supplies, and health care workers are prepared to brief students on how to avoid and respond to swine flu. State epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley said universities and colleges should work with local health officials to develop an acceptable response in case of an outbreak.

Iowa approves more fast-track teaching programs
The Iowa Board of Education has approved a plan that will allow for fast-track teaching license programs at two private colleges. Morningside College in Sioux City and Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield will now offer the courses to Iowans who have bachelor’s degrees and want to teach middle or high school. Under the programs, students take a year of part-time classes followed by a year of teaching on an intern license.

First-ever national honor society for veterans
Officials with the Adult Learner and Veteran Services Office at Colorado State University are organizing the nation’s first-ever, all-veteran honor society known as SALUTE thanks to $100,000 from the American Council on Education/Wal-Mart Success for Veterans Award Grants. SALUTE — which stands for Service, Academics, Leadership, Unity, Tribute and Excellence — will begin accepting applications this fall from schools that want to establish chapters. Those chapters and the group’s central office will begin accepting applications from students during the spring 2010 semester, Colorado State’s Ann Ingala said. The honor society will accept active-duty service members, reservists and honorably discharged veterans who have 3.0 or higher grade-point averages and who maintain high ethical standards. The next step is to establish an advisory board to help create the society’s policies.

Fees up 20 percent at CSU schools
The California State University system raised student fees by 20 percent in July as part of a budget plan that would also shrink enrollment and furlough nearly all employees for two days a month. The Board of Trustees voted 17-1 to raise undergraduate fees by $672 a year to $4,827 in the nation’s largest four-year university system, which has about 450,000 students. Even with the increases, which begin this fall, undergraduate fees at CSU remain less than those at most comparable universities but more than twice the amount students paid seven years ago. Under Chancellor Charles B. Reed’s budget plan, student enrollment would be reduced by 40,000 during the next two years. Earlier this summer, the university closed admissions for the winter and spring 2010 terms.

New college benefit for Calif. Guard
Certain members of the California National Guard will become eligible for college financial assistance under the new California National Education Assistance Program, which is intended to encourage retention. Maj. Gen. William H. Wade, the California Guard’s adjutant general, will choose which high-demand specialties to make the new benefit available to, according to officials. The award will be available to 1,000 eligible service members a year for up to $3.6 million in the 2010 fiscal year. Eligible members must have been members of California National Guard — or the California State Military Reserve or California Naval Militia — for at least two years; be accepted to, registered for or enrolled in one of California’s state community colleges or public universities; and be taking at least three academic units, the equivalent of one traditional college course.

Recession hurts enrollment at some colleges
The Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida said in July that many of its 28 member schools have increased their financial aid to help keep costs affordable during the recession. One ICUF institution, Bethune-Cookman, reported that the number of students who said they cannot afford to attend the university after they were accepted has doubled. A survey sampling of ICUF members found that most schools accepted more students than normal this year because of uncertainty about whether students who are admitted will actually show up for the fall semester beginning next month.

Doctoral program first at Pine Bluff
A vote is set for Sept. 4 on plans by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to offer its first doctoral program. University of Arkansas System spokesman Ben Beaumont says the university’s Board of Trustees is expected to vote then on whether to approve UAPB’s proposed aquaculture and fisheries doctorate program. UAPB will then need approval from both the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Aquaculture and fisheries department chair Carole Engle says if the program is approved, UAPB will be only the second university in the United States with a specific doctorate program in aquaculture and fisheries.

Trade school boom
Disappearing jobs have helped drive thousands of people to Tennessee’s 27 state-run trade schools, Tennessee Technology Centers, where they can pick up training on anything from truck driving to medical billing. As economic struggles and unemployment plague much of the nation, vocational schools are seeing spikes in enrollment, said Betty Krump, executive director of the American Technical Education Association, based in Wahpeton, N.D. In California, community colleges, which offer most vocational training for Californians out of high school, “are experiencing a renaissance,” said Lloyd McCabe, a state Department of Education policy consultant.

Charging tuition gets costlier
Starting this year, students at the University of Southern Maine who pay tuition using plastic will face a 2.75 percent processing fee. And across the nation, a growing number of universities are making it harder — and costlier — for student to use credit cards to pay for tuition. Other schools that have adopted, or are adopting, similar policies include George Mason University, Northwestern University, Wichita State University and the University of Virginia. The movement comes as colleges face budget shortfalls and look to trim costs wherever they can. In 2007, 26 percent of colleges charged a credit card payment fee, either directly or through a third party, up from 14 percent in 2003, according to surveys by the National Association of College and University Business Officers. At George Mason, 50 percent of students typically pay tuition via credit card, controller Elizabeth Brock said. George Mason senior Steven Smith, 21, believes the new charge is unfair. “A lot of students think it’s outrageous,” said Smith, a member of the student government.

An umpire’s life
The things Laz Diaz misses most about being a Marine are cadence, running in formation — and drill instructors. If the 12-year reservist had chosen active duty, that’s what he would have wanted to be.

25-minute career workout
Whaddaya, nuts? That’s what most people ask me when I advise that, in addition to their full-time jobs, they should be setting up networking meetings, researching new career ideas and in some cases conducting a job search. Who has time? Very few, but especially when they approach it the wrong way.

GI Pictures wants your screenplay
Imagine the next big action-comedy produced by Clint Eastwood, directed by Oliver Stone, written by Alan Alda and Drew Carey, starring Chuck Norris and Bill Cosby with a soundtrack laid down by Shaggy.

Nebraska employers pledge to hire veterans, soldiers
Nine major Nebraska employers have pledged to enhance job opportunities for military veterans and soldiers. The U.S Army Reserve says all the employers involved, which include the state of Nebraska, signed onto the Army Reserve Employer Partnership Initiative. Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman said he was glad to sign the pledge that the state would actively seek to hire and retain Army Reserve soldiers when they return home from deployments. The other employers involved are BlueCross BlueShield of Nebraska, First Data Corp., Kiewit Corp., Mutual of Omaha, Union Pacific, Valmont Industries and 21st Century Systems.

Be the best candidate
When it comes to job interviews, are you the rambler, the bore or the one who sweats nervously? Knowing how you might come across to a prospective employer could mean the difference between advancing to the next round or losing out to someone who’s better prepared. With unemployment at a 26-year high of 9.5 percent and expected to reach 10 percent by the end of the year, there’s a growing field of job candidates. So you need to be able to answer questions with confidence and focus.

Get connected
Navy Counselor First Class Gerald D. Rauen is leaving the service this fall, and he’s counting on the Internet to get his outside career rolling.

Security clearance pay
Workers who hold active security clearances in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area out-earned their cleared counterparts throughout the U.S., according to the most recent salary survey by the Web site ClearanceJobs.com. Workers in Washington, D.C., and Virginia earned averages of $82,874 a year and $80,135 a year respectively. learanceJobs.com surveyed more than 5,000 security-cleared individuals registered on its site between Feb. 21, 2008, and April 26, 2009. States rounding out the top 10 are Colorado at an average of $74,000 a year, California at $73,636, Maryland at $73,471, Arizona at $68,000, Florida at $65,962, Texas at $64,207, Georgia at $61,022 and North Carolina at $58,506 — all up over the previous year. Security clearance salaries rose 7 percent in Afghanistan to $106,321 a year, nearly reaching those in Iraq at $106,839. Private-industry workers out-earned civil servants with clearances, $83,212 to $62,615.

Get cooking
Prentice Nelson isn’t your textbook chef. Rather, he says logistics skills he learned in the military helped him when it came time to swap his uniform for a starched white toque.

Training the trainer
Rene Moreno was pretty out of shape for a soldier. He could still meet his PT requirements but spent most of his Army workday behind a desk as a communication systems operator and maintainer. He had completed about half the coursework toward a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems when his career goals started to change.

Business bankruptcies more than double
Commercial bankruptcies are surging. Fewer people are starting small businesses, and firms already open are struggling under changing consumer habits, a lack of funding options and tougher bankruptcy laws. If a nationwide trend seen since January holds true, more than 300 businesses will file for bankruptcy — today alone. The first five months of this year have shown a 52 percent increase in the total number of commercial bankruptcy filings (to 36,106) compared with the same period last year (23,829), according to Automated Access to Court Electronic Records, a provider of bankruptcy data. On average so far in 2009, some 350 commercial enterprises have filed for bankruptcy daily — an increase of 240 percent from 2006.

Win a franchise
The Maid Brigade franchise company is accepting applications from honorably discharged veterans through Sept. 30 for its Maid Brigade Veteran Franchise Giveaway. One veteran will win a Maid Brigade franchise worth $45,000. In addition, Maid Brigade — a home-based business — will waive its $14,500 franchise fee for up to 100 qualifying vets.

Solemn duty
It would be easy to call two former Marines, who learned their grisly trade on the battlefields of Iraq, the grim reaper’s cleanup crew. But they see their work in an entirely different light. Benjamin Lichtenwalner and Ryan Sawyer view Biotrauma, the company they formed in the wake of war, as bringing light itself into the very darkest of circumstances.

Keeping the balance
Balancing a busy civilian career with a demanding National Guard or reserve job can be the toughest part of merging military service with private life. Few know this as well as Terry Schappert, host of the History Channel’s “Warriors” series when he’s off duty and a sergeant first class in Special Forces when the uniform’s on.

College choice roadmaps
Army Staff Sgt. Jason Van Steenbergen hopes his degree leads to a career with the FBI. The 33-year-old stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., is working on a bachelor’s degree in technical management with an emphasis in criminal justice from DeVry University.

50 most popular colleges
More than 645,000 active-duty service members enrolled in the military’s voluntary education programs during the 2008 fiscal year, and of those, at least 450,000 took college-level courses. Active-duty service members may receive $250 per credit hour — up to $4,500 a year — using federal tuition assistance. A presentation earlier this year by the Defense Department’s chief of continuing education, Carolyn Baker, showed trends in several of the armed services’ tuition assistance programs, including numbers of traditional versus distance learning courses taken and average cost per type of course — undergraduate distance-learning courses were, on average, more than 50 percent costlier than classroom-based courses: $605.06 vs. $401.89.

6 tips for hiring a career coach
Many people are thinking it’s time to hire a career coach to help find a new — or better — job. A coach can help you focus in on your skills and think more broadly about the types of jobs for which you qualify. They also can help you work through personal issues that may be in the way of successfully landing a job, such as appearance, interviewing, and preparing a good résumé and cover letters, said Joel Garfinkle, an Oakland, Calif.-based career coach and author.

Study smart
Someone told you that you could spend less time studying but still earn golden grades? Before you dismiss it as too good to be true, consider this: Experts insist it’s not about how much you study but how you do it — with careful planning and good time management if you want to be successful.

Shoot for your degree
A rifle is a natural extension of Bill Corley’s arm. He’s felt that way since age 12, when his daddy down in Mobile, Ala., gave him his first firearm.

Blast the competition
After eight years in the Marines, a knee injury sidelined Staff Sgt. Matt Raica. He gave up the uniform, ventured out into the work force and soon found that his military achievements did not translate easily onto the standard 8.5-by-11-inch life summation: The résumé.

Building a business
When an unlicensed contractor walked off with the money Julie Daniels paid him to remodel her kitchen, Daniels decided that what Pinellas County, Fla., really needed was better access to a reliable handyman service.

Making a smokejumper
NORTH CASCADES SMOKEJUMPER BASE, WASH. — A Marine combat engineer on his first tour in Iraq, Nick MacKenzie was already planning life after the Corps when he picked up the dirty, dog-eared book that would change his life forever.

Subsidized federal loan rates drop
There’s good news for service members and vets who have maxed out their military education benefits. The cost of borrowing from the federal government using subsidized Stafford loans dropped to 5.6 percent in July from the previous rate of 6 percent. This rate, which applies to loans issued between July 1 and next June 30 will remain in effect for the life of the loan. Subsidized Stafford loans are available for borrowers who demonstrate financial need. Rates for new unsubsidized Stafford loans, which are available for all students, will remain at 6.8 percent. All Stafford borrowers will get a break on upfront borrower fees. The maximum fee that lenders will be permitted to charge on Stafford loans dropped from 2 percent to 1.5 percent. Go to www.ed.gov/directloan for more information.

American Public University offers 15 full scholarships
The deadline is Oct. 31 to apply for one of 15 full-tuition scholarships to American Public University. Students must turn in a 500-word essay on “their goals and why they want to obtain a degree,” according to a news release. The scholarships will cover tuition and books for associate and bachelor’s degree students, and tuition only for master’s degree students.

Free ACT/SAT study materials
The eKnowledge Corp. is donating ACT and SAT test-prep software to military families and veterans who place an order through the company’s Web site. The SAT and ACT Power Prep programs come on a single DVD or two CD-ROMs that include 11 hours of classroom video instruction and additional opportunity for interactive learning, according to a news release. The company has already donated free software to more than 95,000 military families. Go to www.eknowledge.com/military to place your order.

Go online for CISSP exam study help
Students will be able to ask instructors questions and receive immediate feedback in a new online review seminar for the Certified Information Systems Security Professional exam. (ISC)2, the nonprofit organization that offers the CISSP certification, is also offering the live online review. The course consists of two separate two-hour sessions over the course of 10 weeks. Students also receive hard copies of the “Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK” and additional course materials. Go to www.isc2.org/liveonline.

Colleges offer online open houses
Four universities have signed up with online college fair host CollegeWeekLive to offer live virtual open houses this fall. Prospective students may visit virtual booths run by university departments and chat with current students via webcam. The University of California at Riverside, University of New Haven, University of Mary and St. John’s University have planned events.

Army investigates diploma mill customers
The Army is investigating soldiers who bought degrees from an illegal, Spokane, Wash.-based diploma mill. The Army’s Human Resources Command is using a list of customers of the diploma mill operated by Dixie and Steve Randock. “We’re doing an inquiry into all of our records,” said Lt. Col. Richard McNorton, public affairs officer for Human Resources Command headquarters in Alexandria, Va. So far, the investigation has turned up about 25 soldiers in the Army, National Guard or Army Reserve who face discipline because they bought fake degrees, and in some cases fake transcripts, and used them to secure promotions, McNorton said.

Get creative
Sam Zhao figures he has the coolest job in the world. He might be right.

Neither merchants nor Marines
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point may be a short drive from that other academy, on that other point, in New York, but don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of it. Sometimes called the “forgotten stepchild” among the other four federal service academies, the Merchant Marine Academy doesn’t train you to be a merchant, much less a Marine. And if USMMA does ring a bell, it may be because the Princeton Review tagged it with the top slot in its 2009 list of colleges with the “least happy students” in America.

Most popular colleges by service
The following schools ranked highest among each of the armed services according to number of tuition assistance courses taken during the 2008 fiscal year: 1. American Public University System: 33,369 courses

Interview intel
Cultures and traditions have survived for centuries because of storytelling. Now, it may be that storytelling can help another important aspect of our lives: our careers. More and more career experts are urging civilian job seekers to learn how to tell a story when it comes to citing their accomplishments. The reason: The human brain is geared to remember and enjoy stories — and as a veteran, it’s likely you’ll have some good ones to tell. If a hiring manager enjoys listening to you, if a boss remembers your accomplishments because they were told in story form, that’s a big plus in today’s tough job market.

Military cities among strongest, weakest economic performers
The El Paso, Texas; Little Rock, Ark.; San Antonio; Norfolk, Va.; and Washington metropolitan areas were among the 20 strongest performing economically among 100 studied under the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. Brookings is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington. The rankings are based on changes in employment, manufacturing and home prices over about the past year. The Charleston, S.C.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Seattle metro areas were among the middle 20 performers, and the Jacksonville, Fla., Las Vegas and Los Angeles metropolitan areas were among the 20 weakest performers.

Montana city ceases controversial background checks
A flood of criticism has prompted the city of Bozeman, Mont., to drop its request that government job applicants turn over their user names and passwords to Internet social networking sites and Web groups. The city abruptly suspended the practice in June, saying it “appears to have exceeded that which is acceptable to our community.” The American Civil Liberties Union of Montana immediately questioned the legality of the policy after it was reported by a local TV station. “I liken it to them saying they want to look at your love letters and your family photos,” said Amy Cannata of the Montana ACLU. “I think this policy certainly crosses the privacy line.” The city initially argued that it only used the information to verify application information. People who refused to provide the information wouldn’t have been penalized, the city said. The ACLU has not found another government body that asks for such information, Cannata said.

California Web site connects vets with employers
A new Web site known as the Network of Care for Veterans & Service Members links vets with employment opportunities as well as education, social and medical services in 47 California cities, “drilling down information to the local community level,” according to a news release. Employment services within the network include vocational assessment, career counseling and job interview training. Articles address employment laws, job coaching and Veterans Affairs business programs. A similar network for Maryland is organized by county.

Job recovery
Experts believe the job market may not pick up for months after the current recession ends, and it could be years before the economy recovers all of the estimated 6 million jobs lost since December 2007. “This is the stunning thing. After the recession of 2001, it took four years — 47 months — to get back to just the employment we had when the recession started,” said Heidi Shierholz, an economist with the liberal Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. At the moment, many companies may be doing internal thinking about rehiring and positioning themselves to recruit, but actual hiring is likely months away, said Kerry Williams, a principal at consultant Hewitt Associates. Job losses were slowing as of May, when 345,000 were lost — half the rate shown at the beginning of the year.

Green jobs for vets
Calling it a continuation of their service to their country, 15 military veterans graduated from Colorado’s new Veterans Green Jobs Academy in June with training to work as home energy auditors. The Veterans Green Jobs Academy is a public-private partnership that helps veterans retool for careers in land conservation and restoration, green building and retrofitting, disaster preparedness and response, and urban forestry. The academy describes itself as a mix of classroom and on-the-job training. The eight-week program includes environmental studies, weatherization, energy efficiency and conservation. Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter told graduates the program is so successful it has become a nationwide model for retraining workers for jobs in renewable energy and will soon expand to other states. The Veterans Green Jobs initiative is actively recruiting vets for training at the academy and for direct job placement. Green jobs, broadly defined as work that helps the environment, pay up to 20 percent more than other jobs, are more likely to be union jobs and are more likely to be held by men, but less so by minorities and people who live in cities, according to a report that President Barack Obama’s Middle Class Task Force issued in February.

Spaceport brings jobs to New Mexico
New Mexico officials say the state’s Spaceport America will provide 500 construction jobs over the next four years and spark economic development, education and tourism for generations. “It will bring jobs, give our students the opportunity to have careers in math and science here in New Mexico and create tourism and other long-term economic activity,” spaceport director Steve Landeene said. The $200 million project is being built with the idea of launching private citizens into space for profit. About 250 people are lining up to pay $200,000 each to take the trip as early as 2010. Spacecraft will take flight attached to an airplane, then break free and rocket 62 miles into space before returning to the facility. The flights will last about two hours and include five minutes of weightlessness.

Camp Pendleton Marines learn a trade
The first class of future union members graduated from training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., under the United Association’s Veterans In Piping Program in June. The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada now trains vets in two locations: Fort Lewis, Wash., and Camp Pendleton. The VIP program consists of 720 hours of training. The Camp Pendleton course included 16 weeks of accelerated welding instruction and two weeks of career and lifestyle training from two mobile training units.

Most demanding jobs
A new study by the Web site CareerCast.com compares blue- and white-collar occupations according to workweek, stress and physical demands. The nation’s most demanding occupations include firefighter, surgeon and senior corporate executive. Police officer, roustabout on oil rigs and pipelines, sailor, general practice physician and psychiatrist make up the remainder of the study’s top eight. Attorney, federal court judge, clergy and pharmacist round out the list of most demanding white-collar jobs; and construction foreman, truck driver, automobile body repairer and tool-and-die maker completed the list of most demanding blue-collar jobs.

High-tech health care
Health care has gone a long way beyond stethoscopes and blood-pressure cuffs. Dr. Wyatt Smith, internist and pathologist, did more than just doctoring before he left the Navy as a captain in March 2008. As the commanding officer of the Navy’s Medical Information Technology Command, he helped modernize privacy and security for military health care. Smith says the military can be an ideal launching ground for someone seeking a career that melds health care and cutting-edge technology.

Tomorrow’s jobs
Someone out there is getting paid to design widgets for cell phones.

Med schools open doors to combat doctor shortage
The number of accredited medical schools training doctors in the U.S. is set to grow by four to 130 in 2009 alone. Five others have applied for accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, with the aim of accepting students in 2010 or 2011. The Association of American Medical Colleges said in 2008 that if current patterns continue, the U.S. will have about 750,000 doctors by 2025 — about 159,000 fewer than it needs. The shortage will be particularly acute for primary care doctors, the group said.

No tuition hikes — guaranteed
Just a little more than one-third of students going for bachelor’s degrees at four-year institutions finish in four years, federal statistics show, so some colleges have turned to a relatively unusual guarantee in hopes of catching the attention of the financially conscious while distinguishing themselves from public universities that offer lower tuition: “Graduate in four years, or the fifth year is free!”

Stacking up debt
A survey by student-loan provider Sallie Mae found that undergraduate college students had an average of $3,173 in credit card debt in spring 2008, and 92 percent of undergraduates with credit cards used them to pay for textbooks and other education expenses last year. The survey found that 84 percent of college students have at least one credit card. Within that group, 30 percent use the cards to pay for tuition, up from 24 percent in 2004. Only 17 percent of the students regularly pay off their balance each month, the survey found.

Teaching jobs for veterans
The federal Troops to Teachers program has suffered in recent years because of a 2005 rule change that sharply reduced the number of schools in which a vet hired under the program could teach. That trend could be reversed if new legislation is adopted to restore the original criteria, expanding the number of eligible schools. Participants in Troops to Teachers are given a $5,000 stipend to help them get teaching certification in exchange for three years of service in a “high-need” school, originally defined as any school receiving grants under Title I of the education act.

Earn a commission
Normal, Ill., native Marine Capt. Thomas Short wasn’t doing much after high school. He played some college and semi-pro hockey, coached at children’s hockey camps and took a few junior college courses. He was pretty much spinning his wheels.

Maximize the new GI Bill
Peter Kim was back from Iraq and recovering from ankle surgery when he got the call from Columbia University in 2005. The then-Marine Corps reservist had worked hard in high school, and it always bugged him that he was wait-listed for Cornell University after he graduated in 1998.

Finance careers
Military accountants, comptrollers, financial managers, CFOs, financial technicians, financial systems operators: All may be well-equipped for finance jobs in the civilian world, Karen Dahut says.

Franchise 101
A good backrub may not solve all your problems, but for Stacie Rine, it has made a world of difference.

Saving for retirement
Typically not a top priority for young military folks, saving for retirement is tougher to accomplish in a down economy. Young adults tend to be more focused on launching their careers, starting a family or, for service members, transitioning to civilian life. Plus, if you’re going back to school, saving can be very difficult, if not impossible. But where there’s adequate income, there’s a way. The key is setting up a system and sticking to it.

Computer science enrollment gains
Relief may be on the way for engineering-starved employers. For the first time since the dot-com bust, there is a jump in the number of undergraduate computer-science majors. New enrollment in North American computer science and engineering programs rose 8 percent during the 2007-08 school year from the year before, the first increase since 2002, according to a report by the Computing Research Association.

Some vets’ jobless rates still higher than average
The economic downturn is hitting Iraq and Afghanistan veterans harder than other workers — one in nine are now out of work — and may be encouraging some troops to remain in the service, according to Labor Department records and military officials. The 11.2 percent jobless rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who are 18 and older rose 4 percentage points in the past year. That’s significantly higher than the corresponding 8.8 percent rate for nonveterans in the same age group, Labor Department economist Jim Walker said.

Small farms make a comeback
Big farms produce most of the food in the U.S., but the latest government census suggests small-scale operations are rebounding. The Department of Agriculture, which does the census every five years, counted 2.2 million farms in 2007, up from 2.1 million in 2002. The number of farms reporting sales of $1,000 or less was up significantly, from 570,919 in 2002 to 688,833 in 2007, according to the count released earlier this year.

Every guy’s dream
Talk about living the dream. Pull up a stool and let one of the Culbertson brothers pour you a cold one and tell you all about it.

Great 2-year degrees
If there’s a demand for associate-degree holders in a new or growing field, the nation’s community colleges are sure to step forward with two-year programs to meet those needs.

Recession job hunt
You’ve probably stared down the barrel of things worse than this.

Finance your business
With banks imploding and bankruptcies exploding you might be fighting the urge to toss that great new business plan like a hot grenade. Indeed, it may feel like the worst time ever to launch your startup, especially if you need hard cash and open credit to get things going.

6 services — 1 choice
Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines from each branch of the U.S. military’s reserve component stand poised to support military missions with steady training — fulfilling a commitment that’s meant considerably more than one weekend a month and two weeks a year since war began in the Middle East.

Easy degrees
When Coast Guard Senior Chief Information Systems Technician ITCS Anthony Borders started his online bachelor’s degree at Philadelphia’s Peirce College in January 2008, he did so with 90 of a required 120 graduation credits already under his belt. A full 15 of those credits came from military training received over the course of his 19-year Coast Guard career.

Singing a new song
Jesus Hernandez follows a strict training regimen. The Juarez, Mexico, native and former Army chemical operator now studies Italian, French and German and practices with a vocal coach six days a week, preparing for performances with the Washington National Opera.

IT certification exams
Army Reserve 1st Lt. Casey King has a job he loves as a senior networking engineer for camping-supplier The Coleman Co. in Wichita, Kan., thanks in part to the networking certification he earned through the Cisco Networking Academy at Kansas’ Fort Hays State University.

Certified to teach
When George Amonette left the Army in 2001, he took a full-time job, studied for a professional certificate and enrolled in night classes — all for the privilege of drawing so-so pay and dodging spitballs from 7-year-olds.

Find your niche
Robert Fitzgerald never set out to be an entrepreneur. As a captain at Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., he saw a problem that needed fixing, and when he retired in 2001, he set out to fix it.

Campaign planning
Years before he got out of the Army, Dracey Davis was already working on his plan and planning what would be his new line of work.

Campus vs. online
If you’re active-duty military and taking college courses, you’re likely doing so online.

What civilians really make
When Dave Smith left the 10th Mountain Division in 2004, there was a puzzle he had to solve before he could settle comfortably into civilian life:

Civilian benefits explained
Before you accept any job offer, carefully evaluate the entire compensation package based on your priorities. That includes the basic salary offer as well as a company’s policies on paid leave — it’s unlikely you’ll start at any civilian company with the same five weeks of leave you rated in the military — as well as insurance and retirement programs. While you’re interviewing, be sure to ask the following questions. (Hint: These may be more appropriately posed to someone from a company’s human resources department than to your potential future supervisor.) • What it is: Time off from work during which employees receive their regular pay. This can include vacation days, holidays, personal leave, sick leave and at some companies, even paid family leave — for moms and dads — in the event of a new child. The average number of paid days of in the U.S. for an employee with less than one year of service is 14, according to the Web site Salary.com. A company may offer a set number of days of each type of leave per year: For example, one week of paid vacation, five paid “personal days” and five days of paid sick leave.

Get wired
Times are tough. You can’t afford to drop thousands of bucks to outfit your home office or dorm room with the latest, top-of-the-line electronics. Lucky for you, though, you can wire your life for less than $700 — if you shop wisely. You’ll need just four things to do it: a smart phone, a mini laptop, some data storage and a broadband access for everything. Try these four tried-and-true products and you’ll be wired and ready to work in no time. You might even have a few bucks left over for a pizza.

Men struggling to finish at black colleges
They’re no longer the only option for African-American students, but the country’s historically black colleges and universities brag that they provide a supportive environment where these students are more likely to succeed.

Tuition hikes
If you’re heading to college in the fall, know this: It’s probably going to cost more than you had planned. As the slumping economy forces states to slash spending, students can expect the sharpest increases in years. Final prices will not be set until state budgets are finished in the coming months, but the trend is clear. In previous recessions, state-supported institutions have raised tuition between 8 and 10 percent annually for several years running, said Nick Johnson of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington, D.C.

Competing for nurses
Even in a recession, registered nurses are in such high demand that hospitals are competing for them by offering sign-on bonuses, scholarships and career-advancement incentives in return for work commitments. Katie Wylie, whose husband is stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., said she was offered a $2,500 sign-on bonus and a $1,500 relocation allowance to work for the Cape Fear Valley Health System. In addition to the six to eight weeks of training Wylie will receive on her unit, she’ll also be paid to attend a 12-week critical care school on the hospital’s campus. The training and education incentives have become a standard in the health care industry as skilled professionals become harder to find, said Phyllis Malone, recruitment manager at Cape Fear Valley.

Happiest workers
Hiring experts are already reporting heightened competition for fewer openings this year, so you might consider a job that’ll make you happier rather than richer. Clergy top a 2007 list of the nation’s happiest workers by the University of Chicago, with 67.2 percent reporting that they’re “very happy,” followed by firefighters (57.2 percent), transportation ticket and reservation agents (56.5 percent), architects (53.5 percent) and special education teachers (52.6 percent).

Have a life plan
Andres Salazar wants to lead a tranquil life on a Southern ranch surrounded by his family — to “live a happy life full of vitality,” to travel and to laugh often. He wants to achieve peace of mind through financial independence.

Test tactics
College entrance exams are intimidating, at best. For nontraditional students — many of whom are years removed from any type of academic setting —- they can be utterly terrifying. If you’re prepping for an entrance exam, and test anxiety is threatening to outshine you on the big day, relax. Jay Brody, editor of “How to Survive the SAT (and ACT)” (Hundreds of Heads Books, July 2007), gives this surefire advice on how to ace your test:

Private security jobs
It seems an obvious fit on the route to civilian work. Switch uniforms and welcome to your new life in the field of private security.

Find a job you love
Experts say more job seekers are reassessing their careers and deciding that working strictly for the money or job security isn’t enough, since that can disappear overnight.

Living a dream
Wisconsin natives Tim and Angie Allen don’t get much time away from the Duluth, Minn., bed and breakfast they took over a year and a half ago, but they don’t mind one bit. They get to live in a 100-year old mansion, and the fact that A.G. Thomson House has climbed to the top of TripAdvisor’s Minnesota B&B rankings is reward enough.

Why vets go fed
When Jonathan Zapien left the 3rd Special Forces Group in the summer of 2007, the Green Beret knew where he was going next: to a special State Department co-op program for students — Zapien attends George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. — with the understanding that he’ll be hired as a full-time employee upon graduation.

Combat to college
Like many college freshmen, John Fett sometimes has trouble making coursework and class attendance a priority. But while his classmates at Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif., may have overactive social calendars to blame for their academic disinterest, the 29-year-old former Marine corporal said his two combat tours in Iraq have had more to do with his struggle to become a serious student.

Timeless classic
The good thing about a military uniform: You’re never out of style. Civilian uniforms are another matter. Looking sharp on the job, on interviews or during a night on the town is mission essential. Just like in the military, a well-dressed man makes a statement: Take me seriously. We asked noted style expert Russell Smith, author of Men’s Style: The Thinking Man’s Guide to Dress, for the rules for the one suit every man needs. His pick: a gray, 100 percent wool, two-button suit. “It’s a timeless, versatile classic,” he said. Pair it with a light shirt and dark silk tie — and a pair of black leather shoes and matching belt — and you’re covered.

New job search web sites
We all know the granddaddy job-hunting Web sites such as Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com (owned partially by the parent company of Military Times) and Jobing.com. Career expert and author Alison Doyle has produced her list of favorite newer job-search sites. Here are five: • www.visualcv.com: Allows users to create a résumé that “comes alive with informational keyword pop-ups, video, pictures and social networking.”

Career opportunities abroad
Oh, what a difference a year makes.

Veterinarian shortage
U.S. veterinary colleges produce only about 2,500 graduates a year, contributing to a worsening shortage of professionals trained to serve in rural communities, care for livestock and help prevent the spread of food-borne and zoonotic diseases — those that can be spread from animals to humans — according to a recent report by the Government Accountability Office. At least one college is doing something about the problem. Kansas State University has established the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas. The financial-aid program allows five veterinary students a year to borrow $80,000 over four years while in college. The state will reimburse those students $20,000 a year, up to four years, for each year the new graduate practices in rural Kansas.

Green job growth
Manufacturing strongholds hardest hit by job losses years ago may now be poised for the biggest gains. Michigan created a $2 billion fund using tobacco-settlement money to target four economic sectors, one being alternative energy, and Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. plans to spend more than $2.2 billion to expand solar operations there.

Recruiters try out Second Life
The federal government has been on the leading edge of recruiting potential employees in the virtual world known as Second Life, and state governments are following suit. Agencies including the Department of Homeland Security, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA have spaces in the virtual world, using the technology to target recruits from the millennial generation, born between 1980 and 1995.

Higher unemployment rates among disabled
A Labor Department official characterized workers with disabilities as an “untapped pool” in a recent report by the Society for Human Resource Management. People with disabilities were unemployed at a much higher rate that those without — 13.2 percent compared with 8.3 percent — according to the report. One group, ThisAbled.com, is petitioning the federal government to raise its number of workers with disabilities, which has declined to less than 1 percent over the past decade.

Don’t get out. Go officer.
Charles Bayorek was tracking budgets as a hospital corpsman second class in 2007. Now, he’s tracking an officer career path. In 2008, Bayorek was selected to the Navy’s Medical Enlisted Commissioning Program. In fall 2008, he entered the University of Memphis to become an officer and a nurse. Bayorek’s decision to take the medical commissioning path means he’ll keep his enlisted pay and allowances and stay eligible for promotions while he earns his nursing degree.

YouTube tutoring
Some students are turning to YouTube for free tutoring in math, science and other complicated subjects. A YouTube tutorial on calculus integrals, for example, has been watched almost 50,000 times in the past year. The videos are appealing for several reasons, says Kim Gregson, an Ithaca College professor of new media.

Serve your country: Go to college
A group of top education officials says the USA’s “economic, democratic and social health” could worsen if more Americans don’t earn a college degree. The Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education wants to raise the percentage of young workers who earn a degree from 40 percent to 55 percent by 2025, according to a news release.

Transfers welcome
With more students starting their higher education at affordable community colleges and the stagnant economy sending even more learners back to school, campuses now realize that catering to transfers and other nontraditional students makes academic and financial sense. “These are students who fall through the cracks,” said Bonita Jacobs, an associate professor of higher education at the University of North Texas and executive director of its National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students.

Application tip: Be yourself
Swamped by a rise in early applications, college admissions officials have some advice for the class of 2009: Be yourself. Admissions deans at a dozen top-tier colleges and universities said in recent interviews that they’re also seeing a disappointing trend: Too many students are submitting “professionalized” applications rendered all too slick by misguided attempts at perfection.

Reserve/Wal-Mart recruiting partnership
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has joined more than 50 civilian companies in a recruiting partnership with the Army Reserve. The program helps Reserve soldiers find jobs after they complete MOS training.

Find your career match
Answer a series of questions, learn more about who you are, find the right fit for your skills and interests — that’s the idea behind career aptitude testing.

Fewer new hires, lower raises in 2009
Employers are implementing hiring freezes and allotting less for raises in 2009 to cut costs amid concerns of a prolonged economic downturn. Out of 1,000 midsize-to-large companies, 40 percent plan to reduce the amount set aside for raises in 2009, according to an October survey by New York human resources firm Mercer.

Hiring: combat vets
Nearly 30 percent of 683 human resources professionals across all industries reported hiring an Iraq or Afghanistan veteran during the past three years, a nationwide survey found. That gives combat veterans an official advantage over nonmilitary candidates when it comes to landing a civilian job, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, which conducted the survey in October 2008. Those who hired a war veteran reported benefits including a “strong sense of responsibility” (95 percent), “ability to work as a team” (94 percent) and “[ability] to work under pressure” (92 percent). Greater numbers of HR professionals reported hiring combat vets in government and publicly-owned for-profit companies — 67 and 50 percent respectively.

New clearance rules for new citizens
U.S. intelligence agencies have loosened security clearance and hiring rules to open their ranks to first- and second-generation Americans and to outside professionals with cutting-edge technological skills.

Write a better résumé
There’s no shortage of advice on how to write a résumé. But military people about to enter the civilian work force face unique challenges as they put pen to paper. Key among them: how to effectively translate military training, education and experience into words employers will appreciate.

From sailor to CEO
There was no path to U.S. citizenship for the 400 sailors recruited annually from the Philippines when Ed Totanes joined the Navy in 1987. Six years into his service, a new law finally gave Totanes and sailors like him that opportunity, but he had to extend his military obligation another six years. Once he’d been in for 12, the hospital corpsman and submariner realized he’d be foolish to walk away from a military retirement.

Profile protection
You may never know the effect your MySpace page is having on your career, according to the findings of a recent survey.

Bulletproof careers
If only we’d known where Windows was headed, we’d have taken jobs with Microsoft straight out of high school.

One sure bet: Stay in uniform
Before you make the leap to a civilian career, diligently consider the decision, said John Gannon, vice president for investor education at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (SaveandInvest.org). His reasons:

Security breach at Monster.com, USAJobs.gov
SAN FRANCISCO — For the second time in less than 18 months, the job-search Web site Monster.com was breached, along with USAJobs.gov, which Monster’s parent company runs for the federal government. And yet Monster might suffer little fallout — because the overall state of computer security is so bad anyway.

Nebraska college offers tuition freeze, discount
FREMONT, Neb. — Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, Neb., is offering a new program that will save some students thousands of dollars over their undergraduate careers. Under the program, new and transfer students will lock in the fall 2009 tuition rate, estimated at about $22,000. Each consecutive year a student is enrolled, he or she will receive a 1 percent discount from the rate paid the previous year, for up to four years.

Three ways to learn a new language
There are many reasons to pick up a new language, from personal enrichment to career advancement. “People recognize that the world is shrinking, and to function as educated, globally competent citizens, we need to learn languages other than English,” says Rosemary G. Feal, executive director of the Modern Language Association, in New York.

Shipping industry runs short of young mariners
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Long a symbol of romance and adventure, the seafaring life is attracting fewer young adults these days, creating a worsening personnel shortage for those hauling cargo across oceans and the Great Lakes.

News execs: Journalism students need skill variety
INDIANAPOLIS — Journalism students with a variety of skills to report the news — not only on the printed page but also in multimedia formats — will be in the strongest position to get their start in a changing newspaper industry, publishers and editors say.

Despite layoffs, fed work force is growing
WASHINGTON — Companies are cutting jobs by the tens of thousands. State and local governments are penny-pinching, too. So what about Uncle Sam? Tough times for him as well?

Start college by fall
Whether you’re eyeing the Ivy League or considering community college, start now and you’ll have plenty of time to enroll in a great college by the time new GI Bill benefits kick in Aug. 1. Leroy Chavez, director of the Veterans Upward Bound project at Metropolitan State College of Denver and vice president of the National Association of Veterans Upward Bound Project Personnel, recommends starting the college application process six months out.

Does combat experience belong on your résumé?
The best résumés are specific. They give more than a general idea of your background.

Bulletproof careers
If only we’d known where Windows was headed, we’d have taken jobs with Microsoft straight out of high school.

Navigate the new GI Bill
The Post-9/11 GI Bill was written for Lance Zaal.

GI Bill gems
Terrance Farrare once served as a wartime readiness logistics specialist in the Air Force. But he’d rather be in the kitchen. Wearing a chef’s hat.

Beef up your career — open a health club
One of the best decisions Jackie Siochi ever made, she says, was joining the Air Force in 1989. Another was opening a Snap Fitness franchise in the Seattle suburb of Redmond, Wash., in April.

Women in uniform: Should you stay or go?
Should I stay or should I go?

Infiltrate the defense industry
You may be getting out of the military, but career experts say smart job seekers won’t stray far.

How to get a union job
Labor unions have transitioning service members squarely in their sights, organizers say, and for you that could mean better pay, benefits and job security as a civilian.

The ‘mechanics’ of opening an auto franchise
The auto business is booming despite unpredictable gas prices.

School of racing
You need more than ingenuity to get a job in the auto industry these days — especially in racing.

Earn college credit for military training
During his five years in the Marine Corps, Ed Lawson completed several military training courses to advance his knowledge as an aircraft mechanic and climb the enlisted ranks.

A job pitch with punch
Eric Franco concedes that he’s a lucky guy, but it wasn’t luck that landed him the best civilian job he’s ever had.

First online doctorate in aviation
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will accept applications through Jan. 15 for the first 25 students to enter its brand-new Ph.D. program in aviation. With specialties offered in operations, safety and security, participants will graduate with the “focused knowledge and solid research skills necessary to tackle the major issues facing today's aviation industry,” according to a news release. It's the “first such program in the United States” and begins in May 2009.

Your online job hunt
Employment Web sites have made job hunting easier than ever, placing hot opportunities from around the globe just a few clicks away.

Game company’s business is a party
Thank an Austin, Texas-based company for what may be the coolest new business opportunity ever to hit the streets.

How to work a job fair
Each week in hotel conference rooms, on military bases and in sports stadiums across America, job-fair organizers deliver potential recruits to civilian hiring managers searching specifically for new employees on their way out of the military.

Retail revolution
Retail jobs — they’re not just for kids. The retail industry is a multiheaded giant that includes department stores and drugstores, grocers and discount warehouses. But it’s even bigger than that, going beyond the building to include e-commerce and catalog sales.

New, better logistics jobs
Some 13,000 unique parts from 35 countries go into one of JCB Construction Equipment’s High Mobility Engineer Excavators.

Architecture: Reach for the skyscrapers
Texas Army National Guard Lt. Col. Mary Hart manages civilian construction projects starting at the conceptual phase — between deployments, anyway.

5 construction careers: You’ve got the skills; now nail the job
Maybe you’ve never overseen a construction site or installed a communications network in an office building.

Nonprofits: Go to work giving back
Leslie Lightfoot, Terry Jelliffe and Maritza Meza Lima no longer wear the uniform, but they continue to serve in their civilian careers. The three Army veterans work with nonprofit organizations that help fellow U.S. military veterans — a population of more than 23 million and growing, according to the Veterans Affairs Department.

Environmental impact
Wesley Henderson didn’t know much about the environment while serving as a combat engineer during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Be a teacher by fall
It happens every summer: School districts race to recruit new teachers for tough-to-fill positions, hoping to start the school year with a full faculty roster.

Become a personal trainer
Clint Phillips gets paid to do what he loves — working out.

Manufacturing industry wants vets to fill skills shortage
Blaine Williams went back to his farming hometown of Ada, Minn., in 1992 after nearly nine years in the Army. He’d been a vehicle mechanic and done a little welding. But the non-farm job scene in Ada wasn’t thriving.

Road warriors: Superior rigs, more time home give trucking mass appeal
Eric Schultz won’t let his trucking career get in the way of his home life. A former Army major, Schultz separated in 1992 after 10 years, and he’s been driving for Schneider National for 15 years. During that time, he enlisted in the National Guard and spent all of 2006 in Iraq. But Schneider National held his job for him, and after his deployment, Schultz went right back on the road.

The building trades: Get started in the civilian construction industry
Construction job opportunities are ripe for military men and women such as retired sailors Ken Dianovich and Paul Beck, say officials with the National Association of Home Builders and its work force development arm, the National Home Builders Institute.

Army vet’s NASA career made history, inspired passion
Ron Woods draws — literally — from his decades of experience at NASA. He paints from them, too. His subjects are the spacesuits, gloves and helmets of astronauts past.

Health care college
In uncertain economic times, it can pay to pick a post-military profession that’s in demand. And nothing says job security these days like a career in health care.

Food service franchises: Owners are hungry for success
The Original SoupMan franchise started as a one-man, walk-up soup counter, Soup Kitchen International, in Manhattan.

Flight officer turns high-tech CEO
When a knee injury sidelined Carol Craig’s flying career, the engineer and former naval flight officer took off in another direction.

Own a tech support franchise
The name of Bill Schubert’s computer repair shop reflects his information-technology business philosophy: You don’t have to be a certified geek to be successful — you just have to be nice, said the owner of Friendly Computers in Georgetown, Texas.

Build your civilian wardrobe on any budget
With a reputation for integrity, dedication and cutting-edge talents, service members rarely have trouble landing good jobs once they leave uniform.

ACT vs. SAT: Which test is best and who needs to take one
1. The best college entrance exam(s) to take is/are:

Special rules for e-résumés
The job market is all about electronics. People look for jobs online, and employers post their vacancies online. Given this environment, it’s only smart for job seekers to learn the difference between the printed word and the Web when it comes to résumés.

The 2-page résumé debate
It’s the biggest workplace debate since Coke vs. Pepsi in the vending machines — whether to limit your glowing résumé to one page.

Protect your online presence - polish it with a slick portfolio
Admissions counselors are sometimes shocked at the e-mail addresses applicants submit on college applications. Addresses starting with PartyAnimal or lazegirl have crossed their desks.

Job seekers, employers turning to video résumés
Leveraging one of the Web’s most popular new formats, job hunters and corporate recruiters are adding online video résumés to their arsenals.

Growing trend: Paid paternity leave
More new dads are taking time off from their jobs, studies show, because of a recent rise in paid paternity leave, more flexible time-off policies and growing involvement among fathers in raising children. Although the U.S. still lags behind many European countries, family leave is evolving, particularly for dads. The average job-guaranteed leave for men rose from 13.1 weeks in 1998 to 14.5 weeks in 2005, according to figures from the Families and Work Institute, a New York City research organization that studies work trends.

Appearance makes a difference in hiring
While we’d all like to believe that we’re judged in the workplace by our skills and abilities, the truth is that the same thing that often influences all areas of our lives — our physical appearance — also is often one of the most important factors in determining our career success.

How to be your best in video interviews
As more companies interview job candidates from around the world and more executives look for time-saving strategies, you may find that the next time you interview for a job, you’re facing not a living human being, but a television camera.

Skills to highlight for any job
“Soft skills:” It’s a hiring term without a great deal of meaning to people outside the human resources field, but understanding how to highlight your soft skills could mean the difference between a successful job hunt and a frustrating one.

Phone interviews — don’t get caught with your guard down
Say your job hunt is in full swing. You’ve dropped off résumés, done some networking and sent query letters to job postings.

Career catalog contains everything you need
A career catalog is your one-stop shop for everything a prospective civilian employer could ask for, says Virginia Employment Commission veterans representative Dave Silcox, a former Marine and speaker at Army Career and Alumni Program transition courses in the Washington, D.C., area.

Employers encourage workplace Spanish
More employers, and many of their English-speaking workers, are showing an interest in learning Spanish customized to specific jobs, to help them communicate with Hispanic customers, suppliers or assistants.

Go where the jobs are growing
Way too many people walk around grumbling, “There are no jobs,” when it isn’t necessarily so.

How to make a great first impression
The interview started off with his “I’ve got this job in the bag” attitude. And when the fresh-out-of- college wannabe professional was asked where he pictured himself in three years, he went on to say he wasn’t sure about that, but he did know he’d be “making a lot of money.” So far, his future wasn’t looking so prosperous.

Talk to employers in live online chats
With the rising cost of travel and the shortage of time many of us experience trying to juggle busy lives, it can be tough to attend a lot of job fairs or visit prospective employers when looking for a new job. But with a few computer keystrokes, your problems may be solved.

5 engineering jobs
Engineering graduates may have an easier time than other job-seekers this year. According to CareerBuilder.com, five of the top 10 in-demand jobs for 2008 grads are in chemical, electrical, mechanical, civil and computer software engineering.

Survive recession in one of these secure careers
Hospitals, schools and the assembly line at an airplane factory look like pretty good places to be with a recession looming and unemployment rising.

5 jobs that require digging for information
Is snooping your forte? Or maybe you refer to it as “investigating.” Whatever you call it, your skills can be put to good use in many careers. Maybe as an FBI agent, investigative reporter, museum curator or even a law librarian.

5 jobs in travel
Success in the tourism industry depends on your knowledge of the city you work in and your ability to go above and beyond a customer's expectations. This service-oriented industry thrives on repeat business and referrals.

5 high-paying jobs - no degree required
Although a college degree is beneficial, not everyone is driven to pursue one.

5 sports careers beyond fields of play
So you want to work in sports, but you lack that laser rocket arm. Fear not. The sports world offers a variety of careers and salaries for those who love sports but play at a level more recreational than occupational.

Human resources: Who it’s good for
As demand for qualified employees rises across U.S. markets over the next 10 years, expect more human resources professionals to step in to recruit and retain top talent.

Crime scene investigation
Forensic expert and former Army Maj. Michael Berkland likes to tell the story of the murder that wasn’t.

Finance careers
Maybe you find crunching numbers more satisfying than a good meal. Or prefer spreadsheets to sports news.

Degrees for gamers
Benjamin Anderson admits that while he was on active duty he spent a substantial amount of time — off duty and on — dreaming up virtual training programs and simulations that would help in his electronic intelligence role for the Marine Corps.

Associate-degree jobs in health care
A career in the military is all about service. That’s one of the chief reasons service members choose second careers in the health care industry — they still want to work, and they still want to serve.

Computer science enrollment drops as demand rises
A life working with computers conjures up images of sitting in a cramped cubicle hunched over a keyboard or fiddling with wires in a dimly lit room.

Hotel schools are ‘inn’
In a classroom on a hill next to New York’s Cayuga Lake, more than 50 Cornell University hotel management students take notes as their instructor explains how to triple-sheet beds, provide turn-down service and schedule housekeepers.

Get IT certified from home
What if someone said you could work from home to earn the computer certifications necessary to get started in one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries — all without having to earn a college degree?

Consider diplomacy, Rice tells black students
The State Department needs more black diplomats to reflect the ethnic makeup of the U.S., Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a gathering of leaders of historically black colleges in September.

Fewer students finish degrees in 5 years
College enrollments have been on the rise for decades, but the proportion of students who earn a bachelor’s degree within five years has stagnated at about 52 percent, down from 55 percent in 1988, according to a report last fall by the College Board, owner of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Some of those left behind eventually graduate. Others drop out.

Read to succeed
Your transition is approaching, and you’re lagging a little in getting that post-military job hunt off the ground. Or maybe you’re not entirely convinced life as a civilian is right for you.

Franchising: The money side
Franchisees start out with built-in support systems, a proven record of success, a business plan that works, marketing assistance and an established brand.

Small businesses find markets overseas
In a powerful trend that is reshaping the economic landscape, a rising wave of U.S. small businesses and start-ups are going global, selling hundreds of billions of dollars in goods and services to Asia, Canada, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

Free courses teach essential computer skills
Getting ready to exit the military and wondering whether your computer skills are up to speed for the civilian job world? There’s a reason to make sure you’re prepared: Workers who use computers in their jobs typically earn more than those who don’t — almost 17 percent more, according to a 2004 study from the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Join federal law enforcement’s elite
You need at least a bachelor’s degree these days to compete for prized positions in federal law enforcement — to investigate environmental crimes, examine forensic evidence or detect high-tech intruders into classified computer systems.

Making the decision to go Guard, reserve
If you think leaving active duty to join the National Guard or reserve means no more deployments, think again. Prior service and prior deployments won’t keep you on home turf.

5 rules for résumé success
Whether you’re starting from scratch or updating a résumé you’ve used in the past, you’ll find there are as many ways to build a résumé as there are people looking for jobs. We asked three experts with for their advice on crafting a competitive résumé in this new era of high-tech job hunting.

Workers connect on social networking site
Meet Art ... who knows Scott ... and knows Cory... and knows they don’t know each other, but probably should for business purposes.

Business by the truckload
It’s not that Americans don’t like to keep it clean — they just may be too busy to do so. That’s why housekeeping and other residential clean-up franchises are booming.

Questions never to ask a recruiter
Questions you ask a job recruiter fall into three categories: good ones, bad ones and ones so ugly they should never pass your lips.

Strategy is essential to job-search success
Transitioning out of the military into the civilian world could very well be one of the greatest challenges you will face as a service member. The idea of leaving behind a familiar environment of discipline and order for one of uncertainty, where they play by a different set of rules, could make any military member cringe — but it doesn’t have to.

How to stay competitive for defense IT jobs
There’s a surplus of open IT positions and a projected growth rate that will keep these jobs coming for years, according to the Labor Department of Labor. If this is your career field, you can work anywhere — from the government to the private sector, to the defense industry.

Do homework before working from home
Interested in starting a home-based business as a second career once you leave uniform? Before you jump in headfirst, make sure you’ve done your homework — not just about what kind of business you want, but also about how you want to do business.

Play pool at work
How would you like to sell fun for a living? While most of the masses try to balance work with play, the American Poolplayers Association offers both — through pool-league franchise opportunities. The idea of enjoying a successful career that mixes business with pleasure appeals to some transitioning service members, who are choosing to leave the base for the billiard hall.

Launch your business
One thing Ace Sarich learned during his military career was that operations were a lot easier when troops and locals could speak each others’ languages.

5-step application checklist
Colleges have done a lot to simplify the application process thanks to the Internet. In some cases, one application works for a number of schools. But you still should approach the applications carefully to be sure you’ve done everything a school has asked. Here’s how to get your college career off the ground:

Hit the ground learning: 7 tips for studying online
Once you’ve committed to getting a degree, you can do a few more things to ensure a successful college experience. Here’s what University of Maryland-University College recommends:

Get I.T. certified
Maintaining up-to-date information technology certifications — especially advanced credentials — is the best way to show civilian employers you’re keeping up with progress in this ever-changing field.

Marine Corps tuition assistance
The Marine Corps provides up to 100 percent tuition assistance to all active-duty and Reserve enlisted Marines on continuous active duty attending accredited colleges and universities. Tuition-assistance funding is limited to $250 per semester hour or equivalent in undergraduate, graduate, vocational and technical classes, independent study and distance-learning programs. Marines may not exceed $4,500 in tuition-assistance funds each fiscal year.

Navy tuition assistance
The Navy will pay 100 percent of a sailor’s college tuition and fees for up to 16 semester hours per year — a four-semester-hour hike from previous limits which officially are capped at 12 by regulation. Officials have removed that cap until further notice. The Navy will fork out up to $4,000 for such credit, a $1,000 hike from previous caps. Sailors also can apply for a waiver to take more than 16 semester hours per year, netting them up to the Defense Department maximum benefit of $4,500. Officials contend they will be liberal in approving such requests.

Air Force tuition assistance
The Air Force has made it easy for airmen to pursue a college degree. Not only easy, but inexpensive.

Army tuition assistance
Soldiers who plan to get an education by tapping into the Army Tuition Assistance program need only go to one Web site for practically all the information they’ll need on money, schools and setting goals. GoArmyEd is a gateway to the Army Continuing Education System, or ACES, which lists and explains all the programs and services available.

Coalition pushes to double reserve GI Bill payouts
With all the attention on the generous new GI Bill benefits plan for active-duty members, a decade-long effort to restore the value of education benefits for drilling National Guard and reserve members still languishes.

Panel adjusts education benefits in new GI Bill
A Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee bill aimed at fixing problems with the new Post-9/11 GI Bill gives a little and takes a little as it adjusts education benefits for service members.

GI Bill travel allowance aimed at rural veterans
A $500 travel allowance for veterans in rural areas included in the Post-9/11 GI Bill could end up helping people in 23 states, according to new data from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Old GI Bill still pitched to recruits
Recruits are being advised to continue signing up for the old GI Bill while details are being worked out about what types of education are covered under the Post-9/11 GI Bill program that became law June 30.

New GI Bill would allow college funds to go to family members
The biggest benefits upgrade coming for military members and their families in 2009 is the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, which takes effect in August with the promise of covering full tuition to attend four-year public colleges, plus payments for books and living expenses.

Montgomery GI Bill checklist
Whether you’re planning for four long years of college or eight intense weeks of high-tech training, you should start the process of claiming your Montgomery GI Bill benefits about a year before you leave service, said Regina Lewellyn of the University of Tennessee’s Office of Veterans Affairs.

Free nursing, teaching degrees for veterans
Tyrone Wilder helped save a lot of lives using medicine, advanced diagnostic equipment and proper care while in the Navy.

The value of 2-year degrees
For retired Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Burns, earning his associate degree in applied science technology was a long time coming.

Don’t be fooled by degree mills
Many degree and diploma mills maintain impressive Web sites and advertise heavily online. Take the time to verify accreditation by an agency that is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. Use these clues to help identify so-called “degree mills.” • Your chosen university is not accredited.

More students turn to online colleges
Residential universities have historically dismissed online education, but as society becomes more high-tech, the option of pursuing an education outside a traditional university has been gaining popularity.

Beginner’s guide to earning your online degree
Forget the “three Rs.” When it comes to getting an online education, it’s the “three Cs” — computer, connection and commitment — that make the difference.

Liberal arts: Degrees that stand the test of time
Joshua Lawton-Belous’ degree path is an unusual marriage of pre-professional and liberal arts education. The 24-year-old is a junior double majoring in nursing and history at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. After six years in uniform and two tours in Iraq as a medic, the former Army staff sergeant’s pursuit of a nursing degree seems a natural fit.

‘Hack the SAT’ author cuts through test’s secrets
Eliot Schrefer offers up some assistance for those preparing to take the SAT in “Hack the SAT” (Gotham Books, $15). The 29-year-old Harvard grad draws on his background as a novelist and elite SAT tutor in writing a humorous, tell-all guide to the “strategies and shortcuts” peddled by SAT tutors on the wealthy streets of Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Section headings include: “Learning Pretty Words” and “What to Do if You’re Screwed.”

Financial strategies for studying abroad
For years, rising numbers of U.S. college students have been packing their bags and flying overseas, typically to Europe, for a semester or year abroad and a wealth of irreplaceable memories. Lately, though, these students have been stung by a nasty adversary that they and their parents didn’t have to worry about until recently: the sinking U.S. dollar.

College-bound vets say campus needs often unmet
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Nothing Derek Blumke saw during three Air Force tours in Afghanistan prepared him for college life.

Teacher shortage possible in nursing schools
As the shortage of nurses threatens to reach crisis proportions, more people are willing to enter the demanding but recession-proof career. So why are nursing schools turning away record numbers?

Law school lowdown
To hear many students tell it, law school is a guaranteed ticket to a well-paying career. So a recent milestone must have sounded like good news.

What military-friendly really means
When Texas Army National Guard Maj. Michael Liesmann decided in 2006 to pursue a master’s degree, finding a school that was military-friendly was key to his college choice.

Order your military transcripts
You’ll need your military education transcripts to get the most possible credit for your previous work during the college application process. Information about military transcripts can be found at:

5 steps to get accepted
Want to attend college but afraid you’ll need an advanced degree just to get through the application? Relax. The good news is, the Internet has made applying to college easier than ever before.

Fast-track your associate degree
Are you looking for the fastest route to a college degree? Speed and a quality education haven’t always gone hand in hand, but they do now.

Tailor your general studies degree to suit your interests
Michael Bradford’s life is full of drama — and he couldn’t be happier.

Guide to your online MBA
Capt. Kenneth Asahan is a full-time military technician in the Hawaii Army National Guard, but he’s earning his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Schools take action against textbook theft
CHICAGO — Colleges and universities are intensifying efforts to reduce the growing problem of textbook thefts by marking books with invisible ink, requiring used bookstores to keep logs of sellers and banning the resale of the expensive volumes by non-students.

International studies: Your key to a career abroad
McKinley Bailey served on more than 120 combat missions in Afghanistan and Iraq as a paratrooper with the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.

Students from military face challenges
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Students returning to the University of Missouri-Columbia from military service can find their efforts to resume their studies hampered by bureaucracy.

Tips for first-time college students
First-time college students can save time and stress if they plan ahead for college.

Colleges expand security degrees
Don Panarello leads a busy life. He works full time as a correctional officer, is a member of the Rhode Island Air National Guard and has three kids who are active in sports. But every night, he carves out time to study.

Master’s degrees: How to choose your program
Follow your bliss.

More adults heading back to the classroom
Gaze into your crystal ball and imagine that you can see the second half of your life.

E-learning tips to give you an edge
Navy Lt. Ken Froberg is taking classes to further his education and advance his career, but he has not sat in a classroom since he earned a bachelor’s degree in marine engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy eight years ago.

Boost your business-degree savvy
You need the right tools to make it in the business world, and one of the most important tools, experts say, is a good education.

Gulf Coast needs your skills
The future of the Gulf Coast region of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and the historic city of New Orleans, is in the hands of its people.

Get a head start on your MBA
Earning a college degree in any subject will boost your job prospects and, likely, your starting salary. But furthering your education with a master’s degree in business can deliver even greater advantages.

Women feed jump in college enrollment
Colleges and universities these days are seeing a surge in enrollment, and it’s increasingly driven by young women, according to new U.S. Census data.

Survey: Job search harder for vets
Job searches that last six months or more are much more common for veterans leaving active duty than for non-veterans who are changing jobs, according to a survey conducted for CareerBuilder.com.

Technical skills take you straight to the top
When Sgt. 1st Class Joe Bruehler retired from the Army in 1995, he never imagined he’d become a program manager for one of the world’s largest defense contractors.

Hot majors can help shape students’ futures
Look to the job market when choosing a college major, some experts say.

Veterans group: Fixes still needed on new GI Bill
An advocacy group representing recent combat veterans worries that problems with the Post-9/11 GI Bill could result in benefits that don’t fully cover the cost of tuition at public colleges and could keep some private colleges from taking part in a voluntary tuition reduction program.

Learn a language
You don’t need to know a foreign language now to study to become a linguist in the military. However, you do need to score well on the Defense Language Aptitude Battery.

Vets programs receive $41M in green jobs training
Veterans struggling to carve out a new career in economically hard-hit hometowns should see if they qualify for part of a new $41 million infusion in federal grant money.

Best places to go fed
Feds are pretty happy these days. Employee satisfaction is up in 71 percent of federal agencies, according to the new “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government” rankings, produced every two years by the Partnership for Public Service and American University’s Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation.

Navy apprenticeship program accepting applications
Applications are being accepted for until 9 p.m. PDT April 20 for a new four-year apprenticeship program in naval maintenance trades at North Island Naval Air Station, San Diego.

Choosing an I.T. degree program
Firefighters use it. So do mechanics, city planners, Web site builders and nurses. Technology has changed the way American workers do business, and a technology degree can take you anywhere.

New GI Bill answers
On Aug. 1, veterans’ education benefits will undergo a life-changing transformation that will make a four-year college degree affordable for a new generation of wartime veterans.

VA gears up to implement new GI Bill
Anticipating a tidal wave of GI Bill claims this summer when a new full-tuition benefits plan takes effect, the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to hire 400 people for its regional offices in a push that began Dec. 1 and have new staff on board to begin training by March 1.

Why go gov
Government jobs may be aplenty and growing. Some estimates range from 250,000 to 600,000 new jobs, primarily because of the stimulus bill and changing government priorities, says Stewart Liff, author of “Managing Your Government Career.” But if you want to work for Uncle Sam, be sure you’re doing so for the right reason.