The top selling movie last week, American Sniper, directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by and starring Bradley Cooper, has those of us who’ve seen it more aware of the tremendous sacrifices military service men and women and their families make. We’re now more aware of the difficulty these Americans have assimilating back into society. It was stated in an article recently that only about a third of Veterans “[. . .] made a transition plan for returning to civilian life after separation from the military.”
The same article reports that 72 percent of Veterans are underemployed because they are not using the skill sets they acquired during their service. One great way for returning Veterans to take advantage of the on-the-job experience they received is to get college credit for that experience! Community Care College (CCC), Clary Sage College (CSC), and Oklahoma Technical College (OTC) , will allow life credit toward an educational program if the experience is determined to be relevant to a skill for that career or on par with the curriculum taught in a course or courses.
Not only do these colleges allow life credit, but they have faculty and staff who are “Green Zone Certified” to be understanding of combat Veteran students who may be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorders and difficulty reestablishing trust that may impact their interaction with others.
According GI Jobs and the 2015 Guide To Military Friendly Schools, CCC, CSC and OTC are considered “military friendly” and “military family friendly.” Veterans should consult with the Veteran’s School Qualifying Official to discuss benefits, which may include tuition and/or a housing stipend, while enrolled in college.
So, if you are a returning military person, why not enroll in a college that supports you and honors your military service by awarding you college credit?