Spouse Employment Master Class: The Secret to Happiness?

Is spouse employment the secret to happiness in military life? Although research says that spouse employment contributes mightily to financial health, personal well-being and military retention, it does not measure the direct effect of spouse employment on happiness. Maybe it should.

As the transition master coach for Military.com's Veteran Employment Project, I have worked with hundreds of military spouses as they look for a job. It is work that matters to me because I am an active-duty spouse, too. After 20 moves, eight deployments, a host of children and dogs, and one exceptionally good sailor, I have been happiest during the years I had my employment figured out.

Shoot, my husband was happier, too. Whether I was working full time or part time, was self-employed or being a stay-at-home-mom, the kind of work I did over the years did not matter as much as my satisfaction with it. Every military family is different, but we found my employment had a huge influence on our quality of life as a military family -- and on our willingness to stay in the military.

This is why spouse employment matters to service members (which is something so many people miss). Spouse employment is not just a problem for nearly 600,000 military spouses across the country. It is a military family problem with a powerful military family solution.

That's why I am excited to teach the Spouse Employment Master Class: Secret to Happiness on Thursday, Dec. 16, at 4 p.m. EST.

In this free, one-hour Spouse Employment Master Class, you will learn:

1. How to navigate spouse hazards, such as one-earner fog, gravity problems and unicorn crossings.
2. How to avoid the two worst assignments for spouse employment.
3. How to upskill with the newest spouse employment programs.
4. How to look like an insider to a local hiring manager.

When you combine your own career with your service member's career, you are in for a long, strange trip with lots of good stops along the way. Make the journey as good as the destination with our top-secret tips for spouse employment. Sign up for our FREE Spouse Employment Master Class today.

-- Jacey Eckhart is Military.com's transition master coach. She is a certified professional career coach and military sociologist who helps military members get their first civilian job by offering career-level Master Classes through our Veteran Employment Project and on her website SeniorMilitaryTransition.com. Reach her at Jacey.Eckhart@Monster.com.

Learn More About the Veteran Employment Project

To get more tips on how to make a successful military transition, sign up for one of our FREE Military Transition Master Classes today. You can view previous classes in our video library. Questions for Jacey? Visit our Facebook page.