Speaking of jobs ...

Janet Farley survived her husband’s Army career with her own career intact. In fact, her professional life thrived, and she has helped other spouses with their careers. Janet is the author of three books about careers for military family members, and is a career consultant.

Janet also writes a regular column for Stars and Stripes called “JobTalk,” and shared some of her career insights for the Nov. 29 Spouse Calls.

In spite of the challenges, Janet said military spouses do have many opportunities.

“Today, spouses have so many more options available to them than they did just a mere ten or fifteen years ago,” she said.

 “Opportunities are there, even if some of the same old challenges exist. There are more inroads through those challenges today. If you are a military spouse and you want to have a career, you can. It's up to you. Granted, some professions work better with a mobile lifestyle than others. Choices have to be made.”

Janet said the military culture has become more hospitable toward spouse careers.

“Over time, the relationship between spouse employment and how it related to retention and recruitment became more transparent. If mama wasn't happy, no one was happy,” she said.

“In turn, today, we see a genuine support for the career development of our professionally-minded spouses through available funded programs. An evolving global and mobile workforce on the civilian side of life has also helped our spouses along the way. The moon, the stars and the planets are finally getting aligned in our favor.”

When she advises spouses who are seeking direction in their professional life, she starts with the “big picture.”
“What have they been doing professionally and what is it they want to do now?” Janet said she asks spouses who are evaluating their careers.

“We talk about the common denominators between the two and start to formulate a way ahead for reaching that goal … We identify the weak areas and work on them while noting the strong ones so we can push them out there front and center.

Janet’s own career path has led her to self-employment. The way she came to that decision helps her to advise others who are considering it.

"As a career counselor, I've always advised my clients to do what was right for them personally and professionally, regardless of what anyone else thinks you should be doing," Janet said.

"I knew that freelancing and consulting would allow me the flexible time I need to be present in the moment for my family, a top priority at this point in my life. Fortunately, throughout my fulltime career, I've always nurtured the writing part on the side, so making the transition to it was easier for me. The initial contacts were in place and that helped. I was just able to shift to spending more time on it."

Working for oneself is not for everyone, though. Janet said spouses who are interested in self employment should explore these questions:

1. Can you afford it? It helps to have a supportive and paycheck earning spouse to back you up. If you have that, then you may have the luxury of launching your own business. I would advise anyone, however, to start their self-employed career first on the side while working a fulltime or part-time job themselves. Get it ready to take wings in advance. Learn while you have a safety net under you.

2. Why do you want to do it?  I believe success is inevitable if you believe in what you want to do and why. Be clued in to your own mission statement or calling. Keep it in focus and drive on. Ask yourself if what you want to do is something that you can make happen given your present lifestyle.

3. Does your idea depend on local consumership, or will it move with you when you do?

4. How are you going to do it?  Just wanting to do it isn't enough. You have to have a plan in the first place. You have to be aware of your available resources and know how to tap into them when and if you need them. You have to have your family on board as well. If they don't understand what you're trying to accomplish, they won't make things easy on you.

"The decision to go into business for yourself isn't always an easy one to make," Janet said. "On the surface, it seems great. Once you're in it, however, it can be a real challenge on a number of levels.  You become the boss and you are the one who has to know how to find all the answers."

Self-employment is not for everyone, Janet said.

“You have to have to have the desire, the discipline, the service/skills to offer and the know-how to make it work … If, for example, you seek a steady paycheck, then freelancing may not be the answer ... Having the right skill, service or product and a viable market for it is key. Having the burning desire to do it, is essential.”

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