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Subscribe to RSSTODAY’s Rehema Ellis profiles Dawn Smith, one of tens of thousands returning military service personnel surprised to find just out how hard it is to find a good job.
Watch Rehema Ellis' report on NBC Nightly News
For more on Hiring our Heroes, an initiative from NBC News and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that aims to get veterans back into the workforce, click here. Learn more about job fairs for veterans here.
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It is great that the troops are home, but now at what cost, umemployment goes on the rise,our healthcare goes to crap and nothing gets solved
What's your suggestion, then?
Start another war we can not win?
Derek I don't think Jay was taking a position as much as he was lamenting the situation.
"Do_Not": War is NEVER the answer, unless you're a freedom-hating despotic regime.
Our vets are having problems because we killed our manufacturing base and educational opportunities in exchange for a too large war machine and too high profits for the rich. Better for us to rebuild our manufacturing by investing in new, hard-to-outsource technologies where Americans always compete better.
Wow. Is that Texan idiot for real?
Texas is a citizen and probably a veteran - maybe not - who cares - Tex has his rights imjustanothervet and imavet2 as-well as imspar2cuss2 etc etc etc etc.......and purplerain I have a different opinion based on my user name but I am not Texas. I feel Texas has balls.
Now that's a war worth having!
Baby girl has got to lose the photograph with the hat...No, seriously, it makes her look like a deranged cowboy in camo. The second photo is a little better, but girlfriend needs a make-over.
That's a Military photo. She isn't going to be using it to look for a job.
Never seen a hat like that before though.
That "hat" is a Drill SGT's cover, and it's a pretty prestigous job among enlisted. And those pictures are old, we dont wear the woodland camo anymore...
It's a drill sergeant's hat. Females get those, the males get the smokey hats.
Yeah, I know what kind of hat she's wearing. Let's take a vote..."the hat works for me"...or..."get another photograph" to attach to your resume.
As a US Army retired female Drill Sergeant...I know what it takes to EARN that hat...it is not there for anyone to make fun of. I still have mine hanging on the wall after 15 years being on the civilian side. I cannot believe that time and energy is being wasted talking about the hat when the more serious topic should be the lack of employment opportunities out there for ALL vets.
MS MOM I agree with you it is not like she has it on when she goes for the interview.
Welcome to the real world of employment. It's just as hard for those that haven't served in the military as it is for those that have. If you believe that those that have chosen to join the military have a bigger or better right to have that good job then think again. Individuals join the military for several reasons, some for the college oppertunities, some to get the heck out of the life style they were in, some for the Honor of the serving, but none HAVE the right to get that good job above and beyond those that choise not to join the military and I know because I am one of those that served OUR country and came home without the expectations of "Getting that good job". I, like all my country"folks", got out there and hit the streets and did some college "with the GI bill" and earned employment. So whether your a "VET" or an individual that decided not to join the military, finding "Good" jobs out there is hard. All I have to say is keep your head up high, keep looking and if the oppertunity strikes get that college done, "which will improve" your oppertunity for finding that "good" job.
Written by a "Vet" of both "Desert Storm" and "Operation Iraqi Freedom" with the Marines and the National Guard, with (22) years of combined service.
Happy Hunting
Rick, You said it just about the same way I would have said it too...
Let's couch that as vets with skills.
I would definitely hire a vet over civilian for management, when the vet can prove they had experience managing and had the rank on exit to prove it.
Even I can don fatigues and make it through boot camp.
Oh, and I would hire that female drill sergeant in a heartbeat if she knew agile programming management techniques and a little of the lexicon for software development.
Monkey
Until you have actually put the fatigues on and made it through boot camp you are just speculating. Until you have gone over there and have seen what they have seen you are just speculating kinda like Microsoft does with a new OS.
Navy Vet 1973-1979, CRT, BSIT, MBA/Health Care Management, 20 years in the health care field. No job since 2009.
BTW Monkey, I can understand why you seem so desperate to find help!
For some people for me and others it just takes hours. This woman has a great thing going and that is a degree this group has the lowest unemployment. The need Couching on job hunting skills and interviewing skills Your talking about someone that has not looked for a job in 10-20 years.
Jimg45: You can't find a job in healthcare? Please. Something wrong there.
Hang in there - but be willing to look outside your home area. Jobs are out there, but you have to be willing to move to get them.
Let me guess, you would also kill for a wide screen when Texas Tech is playing....
Then again, who wouldn't.
Texas lady should find a good man who will work and help support him until she can find work herself join forces in a small place with moderate affordable transportation - I love our military people.
Hey , FEW opportunities for ANYONE under Obamanomics! NO jobs for VETS, men or women, teens, college grads, minorities, men over 50. Only women who go to work for the gov. find a job. College grads who have one of those worthless social gov. degrees do not have jobs either, NO one will get hired with Obamacare hanging over new hires.
Might want to check that the jobs disappeared under BUSH and the GOP.... The Bush years created fewer jobs than any comparable period in history.... nice try.. but check the facts before you spout FAX News quotes!
Most blame Bush and the GOP, others blame Obama and the Democrats. Neither side realizes both groups are the same. This is OUR government. The same proven, failed, two party system, has continued on as it has and will continue to do, until people start realizing this two party system DOES NOT WORK.
Here is the essence of the issue! it does not Matter WHO, it matters what they do about it. When Bernanke says the job market is based on lESS layoffs, and not NEW JOBS THAT tells you Obama is full of crap.
Brent, this two party system has worked for 200+ years, lets not throw out the baby with the bath water shall we?
blaming politicians for job losses is stupid. the US has entered the information age. there is going to be permanent job losses. indeed, the new economy sucks that way.
What BS IF that is so why does it take only hours to get a good job? For me and my mother who is in Las Vegas. My brother in Reno had multiple job offers for teaching under a week of graduating and his two DUI's didn't get in the way
Yeah the two party system works wonderfully...
No, you have to have a skill. The person who takes my blood at the local station spent 4 years in the Navy arming bombs on aircraft carriers. Doesn't seem to have a real link to a civilian job. She had to go back to school (Navy assisted her). Now she has a job...
Your right it is because of this it takes me an hour to find a good job.
I sorry but Vets should NOT be given preferential treatment in finding a job. They provided a service while in the Armed Forces and if they can find a job upon returning to civilian life, then so be it. They are no more important than the next man/woman in the job line.
Dick, While I agree with you... in the public sector vets get points for military service. Jobs and careers with a sweet pension are theirs to have when going head to head with other applicants equally qualified by job experience, exam scores, etc.
Best thing a vet can do is go to school to build education and resume. Vets get a very nice educational benefit for their service and other treatments. But when it comes to job competition... I do not believe they should have the advantage because of military service.
Yes dick you are sorry.
Sorry, Dick, but you are wrong.
Returning vets absolutely should get preferential treatment in the job market.
That "service" they provided, which you mentioned, was provided for us. We owe them much more than just job preference.
Dick227 and 32maniac are examples of people who have never a uniform or had a family member that has worn one.
Anyone that says a vet should not get preferential treatment is disingenuous. These are people that have placed their lives on the line for our freedom. That speaks volumes.
Ray of Hope: I can't run my business with staff chosen because of what they 'DID' but based on what they 'DO'.
The military provides excellent organization and leadership skills that I would love to have in my business. But the prospect must have the technical training and added industry skills to be a strong candidate. They also have to prove they learned what the military taught.
Thank you Dick for exercising your right to speak freely in this country. I am glad I can say I helped by doing my part for 6 years to help insure you maintain that right. What have you done?
There are discussions being held about for profit trade schools, and the success rate at which they are able to help their graduates find employment. Many are of the opinion that the trade schools saddle young people with high principal student loans, but the jobs never materialize. BEcause of this, many feel that schools should have to publish their actual long term success rate for their graduates.
Maybe the same should apply to the military. Many are signing up because the military markets the advantages of the US funding your college education, and useful job skills acquired in the services. Many low income people who could otherwise not afford higher education, are taking the bait in order to better themselves. But if the success rate for job placement post military career is no better than the trade schools, perhaps the military should also be subjected to more truthful marketing. Stop painting this rosy employment picture for recruits, if the jobs are not materializing upon their return.
Hi I'm an Etiquette instructor living in Las Vegas. i decided that I had to do something for our vets so I have a Giving Back Program for our returning service men and woman for 2-3 days a month free of charge. I'll help you with social skills, how to present yourself for an interview. I'll also help with dining Etiquette as you never know your interview might take place over lunch. If you're in the Vegas area I would love to help. Contact Sheila on 702-983-0483
So from the headline, male vets are greeted with a bounty of opportunity? Let's show a black female just to bias the article a little more. Report the facts please and leave the divisive bias behind.
And I do believe that Vets are entitled to SOMETHING for having served their country. These men and women have seen and done things that most of us hope to never have to see and do! Maybe not preferential job placement, but they should have the same family medical coverage that Congress has, and perhaps the first $25,000 of income be tax free.
Mike, they already get something that the rest of us don't have... benefits from military service for education, low interest loans, etc.
You just went one step too far with the congressional family medical coverage and $25k tax free. As a taxpayer, I am no more willing to pay for those bennies than I am for congress. Could you imaginethe cost?? Ofcourse, congress controls their own bennies... so we can't do much of anything about that...
Way to post a story for those of us who can't watch videos at work...
I never click on an article that uses video to tell the story unless it is transcribed into text. If I wanted to watch a video, I would turn on a TV.
Why would anyone want to hire someone who volunteered to kill people for a salary of less than $20,000 per year? These poor "heroes" were not drafted, and they were not fighting for our freedom or anyone else's. They joined for other reasons, reasons that are highly objectionable. If they want jobs, let them stay in the military where they belong.
Not everybody is killing people Shandril and they are out there protecting your sorry butt because you don't have the balls to do so yourself.
Shandril
If your not ready to defend what you have then you don't deserve what you've got. If you want to demean those who do defend your Rights then your don't deserve your rights since you do not value them apparently. Its like dissing the farmer while having a full belly do to that farmers labor.
Shandril...how dare you assume that everyone who has gone into the military did so just so they could go and kill people? I joined back in the 80's for the college $$$, and ended up staying in for 11 years. I went to college after I got out and now have 3 college degrees that I paid for...no GI Bill for me. I think it is only fair that vets gets some kind of preferential treatment when it comes to seeking civilian employment..."We all gave some and some gave all."
Just because you were in the army/marines/navy etc doesn't make you better than anyone else. Why do you deserve a job any more than the next person? We each choose our paths. I went to college and worked hard to earn a degree and learn the skills necessary to get a "good" job. If you wanted to join the military, that's your choice. An employer isn't going to hire you because of your special "qualifications." They are going to hire you based on a number of factors including educational background. If being in the military is skewing your resume, take it off and go back to school.
Why does someone that has NEVER served this country deserve a better job? Just so you know it, most employers will give a Vet the advantage BECAUSE they served. The military is a good source of learning and you learn all about leadership there....not in college.
I am a female vet who served in the 70s and 80s. I made full use of my education benefits both while active duty and post-discharge.
The military instilled me with confidence, courage and perseverance. It broadened my horizons in ways well beyond the college degree and post military career it helped me obtain.
Despite the dismal job market, being able to claim your military service on your resume will definitely increase your job prospects.
Some of the negative comments posted by non-vets on this thread indicate to me that those who have not served know that.
You have earned the tools to create your future. USE YOUR BENEFITS, VETS! as well as your courage and perseverance.
The big problem is that no one wants just any job. They need to get one of the jobs that are out there and try to find a better one after that. Not everyone is going to get a $30 an hour job right off the get go. I know it is hard to live on minimum wage but, you have to start some where right? I've done it in my past and I'm not the only one that had to. It's simply called working your way up!! They have never called it working your way down...ever.
Good to see that all the haters are on MSNBC today. yes, the economy is bad and everyone is having issues finding jobs. Female veterans have an added issue. Often they have training in male dominated fields that are hard to break into as a woman. (even though they are damn good at their job) Then there are those that wonder why in the world a woman would serve her country and come up with all kinds of reasons without ever asking her. When I got out of the military in 1994, I had quite a few job interviews and many times was blatantly told that I was not what they were looking for as soon as I walked in. I am 5'8 and weigh about 105lbs, so built more like a model than an aircraft mechanic. Then I had people assume that I was gay because of my service, nothing wrong with that but it's not me. It seems that there are those out there that must be intimidated by women that serve and there are times that it affects a woman vet's chances at getting a job.
Things have changed a little since the 90's but women vets do have challenges that male vets just do not face.
So, why is this news? After over 3 years of Obama's economic policies, it's hard for almost everyone to get a job. If we ever get away from his socialist policies and return to a free market, the jobs will start to appear again.
Ian that free market almost destroyed our economy, with fewer restrictions our free economy market got very greedy and we all know the results. Sad thing is folks like you with short term memory are clamoring for these rules to be removed again. You must like those Wall Street types getting millions in bonuses while laughing at their clients stupidity. Nothing has changed in that respect from what I have heard.
you are both wrong. "socialist" policies and "free market" economics didn't destroy jobs. Changing economies in the US and around the world "destroyed jobs" or led to the loss of jobs that aren't needed anymore.
If anything, the US is guilty of corporatism, which is fascism. true free market economies do not allow corporatists to seize power and that is especially true with socialism.
It's just as bad out there for male Vets too unfortunately. It is totally disgusting how this country treats it Vets, after they have gone to war to fight for this country, and they lose limbs and even worse die, then come back here and can't even get jobs, housing, proper medical treatment, and many are left homeless. The GOP has done a whammy already on military Vets, and they are still trying to cut out just about everything for them right now. There are plenty websites made up by Vets who are extremely fed up and disgusted with the GOP. The GOP need not look for their votes in November.
I have an idea .......Since we are cutting back on our defense...and our troops are coming home to a less than stellar job market....how about we start working on the failing US infrastructure all of our politicians kept referring to. You remember ......roads, bridges, public facilities......How about that? Many of these people are more than qualified. We could create jobs for them and many more if we would quit supporting all the people on the Government dole....
I agree, I would like to see our politicians pushing for the rebuilding and maintenance of our chronicled failing infrastructure. These vets have the construction and security experience to complete this mission.
The truth is signing up for six years of infantry doesn't exactly make you employable. All of this press about post=traumatic stress disorder may also be creating a stigma.
NO ONE is getting hired, all they are doing is cutting back on layoffs. When Bernanke says the job market is in real trouble, you know that Obama is feeding us a line of crap.
You are correct. And what I have found in research is that the employed are job trading back and forth but blocking - and I mean wholly blocking certain groups out permanently from being hired. And I'm not speaking only to ethnicity, but political as well.
The kids coming off of the street suffer the same disorder as combat veterans. Therefore, no one get hired, especially with Obamacare handing over new hires, the Companies will hire no one.
What crap! Health care should not stop anyone from hiring. Everyone gets sick and everyone should have health care! Why are you neocon/teabaggers/republicans/talibans so against health care for Americans!
Just curious and I mean no offense, but do we have any Caucasian women in the military any more? The press shows only black women. And again, not parting hairs here, but if we wish to achieve diversity and establish precedence, then lets focus on a photograph that contains a broad spectrum of all races in fairness.
This just shows that corporations do not value skill or knowledge at all. They just want non thinking automatons that they can pay with impossible to live on cheap wages.
our government don't give a sh~t about our vets or the personell currently in combat... all they are is disposable tools the U.S. government uses to weasel there way into other countries affairs under the illusion of protecting their people from this, that and the other thing!
how many of our over paid and over compensated government officials have sons and daughters in combat? all branches of our military are just muscle for the government while our government officials, corporations and private contractors rake in the benefits! we need to oust this government just like the people of Libya did!!! they sure as h~ll are not looking out for WE THE PEOPLE!!
our government officials make out like bandits when they are no longer employed/ retired why can't the people who protect this country and risk their lives be properly taken care of when their service is complete!!
exactly right! War is a $!#@ing racket!