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Message from a Fellow Civilian Male Military Spouse
Hi!
First of all, thanks for the macho military spouse page, it really is a great resource and is an enjoyable read!
I read your article on portable careers and found it very interesting. My wife (active duty) and I recently PCs'ed stateside and I have had a hard time obtaining work. I am not sure if it is to do with me being a military spouse and employers are looking for something a little longer term.
As a spouse and an immigrant I find it somewhat of a struggle and would kindly ask you for some examples of a portable career so that I could do some research into possible paths I could take as I am more used to 'clocking in' at a traditional workplace and this is a new concept for me.
It would be great to hear from you!
Portable Career Examples
My pleasure! Before I start listing examples, let me say that I know the struggle very well (and so do a lot of other guys here). This is a common military spouse struggle, not gender-specific.
Yes, there are many employers that are looking for "longer-term" folks to fill positions. But some employers have a slow hiring process - takes awhile before you hear back. Then again, you may not even hear back at all from some employers.
Military Spouse Corporate Career Network is a resource to help you with your research. MSCCN is all about "Building Strong Military Communities through Military Spouse Employment."
Below are some portable career examples for civilian male military spouses.
Videographer
Chris Pape - Macho Spouse Founder, Professional Videographer, Interviewer and the man behind all of the HIGH-QUALITY H2...uh...Videos you encounter around here. Check out his 5 Tips to a Successful Military Spouse Career Search.
Web Developer
Taurus James - (me) Professional Web Developer, information Technology Consultant and "lack-of-all-trades". I built the custom content management system (CMS) that powers MachoSpouse.com. I also manage all of the behind-the-scenes technical stuff (web hosting, email hosting, databases, etc.), along with content curation and occasional blogging.
Radio Show Producer/Host
Dave Etter - Male Military Spouse Radio Show Creator, Producer, Host, Engineer, etc. A "one-man-army" (even though He's Navy).
Social Media Manager
Patrick Donaldson - Macho Spouse Facebook page Social Media Manager and Macho Spouse Content Manager.
Writer
Andrew Ferguson, Everett Lopez, Josh Vittetoe, Max Winegar and many others - These guys provide content to help other civilian male military spouses.
These portable careers are "work from ANYWHERE" opportunities.
Other Portable Careers for Civilian Male Military Spouses
Financial Planner
Accountant
Child Care Provider
Coach
Personal Trainer
Online Shop Owner
Proofreader (I would be glad to borrow your eyes to proofread the stuff I write. I don't see so well.)
Define Your Portable Career
If you have no idea what you want as a career, start with what you ar passionate about and what you already know how to do. Someone, somewhere is looking for the solution(s) you have. People are willing to pay for the solutions you bring. After all, isn't that what companies do when you agree to trade your time for money?
Remember, a career is an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress. A career is not location-specific and it is not company specific.
I gave the first five portable career examples above with names of guys, right here at Macho Spouse, who demonstrated the fact that finding portable careers is not hard at all. Howver, making portable careers will always require smart use of time and effort.
The men above may not have thought about what they did as a portable career, but Macho Spouse and the Male Military Spouse Radio Show are solutions that exist because these men stepped up, put in work and got things done.
"But they don't get paid?"
Smart use of time and effort by these men resulted in the solutions you see at Macho Spouse and MMSRS. The men developed skills while working together to build solutions with "long tails" - meaning the content can be utilized foryears to come, not only to make money, but also to walk into paid positions where people are looking for these skills.
Look, "Your Career is Portable Because of You." That may seem like some cheezy slogan (I am trademarking that, by the way.) but it is true.
I could have done like almost every other website/web page out there and just given you a list of portable careers with some definitions you can find on Wikipedia. But I want you to get the picture that you really do make the career.
Right now, people really are looking for something you love doing, but you're too busy* looking for some place to trade your time for money. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against that at all. We all need money and want MEANINGFUL employment - not just a job - a career. I'm just urging you to take another look at your situation as a civilian male military spouse. You are in a situation with a unique story to tell - yours.
More on Career Portability.
Leave A Tip!
What's your best tip for a new civilian male military spouse? Pay it forward! Leave a tip in the comments!
Grace and Peace!
Taurus James is the 2016 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year from Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Taurus is a 20-year civilian male military spouse and stay-at-home-dad. He is also a minister and composer of Moody Instrumental Music. Taurus is a professional IT Consultant and Web Developer, and he built and maintains the Machospouse.com website for free. Find out more about Taurus through his blog:
"Faithwalk Music: Faith, Music and Life of a Moody Instrumental Musician"
