The Top 10 Portable Degrees for Military Families

Your life may change from year to year, but your career field doesn’t have to.

Let’s face it: When it comes to being a part of a military family, many of life’s big decisions are oftentimes left up to a what the branch of your service needs.

While a life of traveling to new places and learning new cultures is exciting, it can also bring about some very specific challenges. Moving around most likely means new school transitions (for children, or parents!), new homes and, of course, new jobs for both the service member and their spouse.

Being in a new location can bring more opportunity in the workforce, even if you take on a lateral position. And becoming accustomed to change makes you a more agile worker and places you in a prime position to take on more responsibility simply because you’ve had the experience of adjusting to a new work flow.

For those military family members – particularly military spouses – who are interested in pursuing a higher education degree, but want a seamless career transition from coast to coast, here are 10 portable careers to consider.

portable careers & degrees

Nursing

The nursing field is constantly growing. Not only is there a wide opportunity for jobs, but nursing is an incredibly versatile field. Travel nursing even allows individuals to go from market to market every few months to a year.

Computer Engineering

Another prime and in-demand career field in the digital age is computer engineering. If you enjoy understanding or developing technological systems and processes, creating computer software or developing apps in a constantly developing field, this may be the degree path for you.

Information Technology

In this globally connected world, jobs in Information Technology (IT) are in high demand everywhere. From cybersecurity to supporting technological infrastructures, this field is perfect for those who enjoy applying their expertise into a diverse workspace.

Education

Getting your degree in education will prepare you for a career in teaching across a wide variety of classroom learning experiences. Just be sure to check licensure requirements. From stateside to teaching English courses overseas, or even as educators on military bases, you’ll have the tools you need to jump into many teaching scenarios. An added bonus: school terms make transition easy for you and your students.

Counseling

Much like teaching, counseling has a natural progression. And if you have a heart to serve other military families, counseling and guiding others through life’s trials and transitions may be a great fit. If you have a private counseling practice, you’ll be able to do your job on your time from virtually anywhere.

Human Services

For those who want to study the physical, mental and spiritual needs of humans, consider this interdisciplinary career path! Studying human services will position you as an individual who’s equipped to help other across a wide variety of platforms anywhere in the world!

Business

Business is one of the most versatile degrees on the market, simply because it touches nearly every entity you could ever imagine. From studying finance and accounting to learning about contracts and customer relations, you’ll walk into any office or boardroom with the confidence you need to lead a team to success!

Paralegal Studies

The legal profession is yet another diverse and portable field – the completion of this degree will set you up for jobs in legal offices and is also a great introduction into the study of law. This is an incredibly widespread profession with opportunities to advance in areas such as business, family, government and even family law.

Analyst

Understanding data and allowing that to inform strategic decisions for any entity is the title role of an analyst in any organization. If you enjoy studying and maintaining reports that advise organizational leaders and other key players, this is the perfect field of study.

Marketing

With the on slew of digital ads, email campaigns, social media management, blogging and other online content, it’s definitely a marketer’s world. The best part: With so much of marketing collateral living in the online world, most of the work can be done from the comfort of your own home office or local coffee shop – anywhere with reliable internet connection!

Remember, Military Spouses and Dependents – We’re Here for You

No matter the path you choose for your life and career, as you navigate the unique challenges as a military family member, you have support. As you begin your educational career, Regent University’s Military Resource Center has a number of education resources, plus services like career connection, family counseling and more!

We’re here for you – no matter where you are in your career journey!