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By: Jamie Boyle
I married my husband immediately before he shipped for training. His recruiter, upon learning of our decision, advised my husband, “Just make sure she’s not one of those McDonald's wives.” My husband and I had no clue what the recruiter meant. Today, I don’t really know what a McDonald’s wife is. I do know that I’ve thought a fair amount about what it means to be a military spouse.
I’ve figured out that there’s no one way to be a military spouse, and that goes for being a military spouse with a career too.
Be Who You Want to Be: I was young (and pretty naïve) when we started my husband’s military career. Honestly, I never thought that I would give up my career for his. At the time, I had a master’s degree in English, a certificate in Education, and school districts calling me day and night to interview for positions they needed to fill. We selected our first duty station so that I could apply to a PhD program the following academic year and achieve my goal of becoming Dr. Boyle, a goal that I completed six years later.
To this day, I have never given up on my dream or career. I’ve changed my expectations, and I’ve rethought my goals, but given my field, I would have had to do that anyway. The job market for academics is comparable to that of military spouses (double whammy!), and tenure-track jobs are increasingly scarce. But right now, I’m a teacher, a writer, and an editor, all the things I would be if I were a civilian and lucky enough to find a full-time tenure track position.
Do What You Want to Do: While discussing my career with another military spouse, I casually mentioned that I finished my English degree in 2012. She laughingly asked the question that too many English majors face, “What are you going to do with a BA in English?” I corrected her, “It was my PhD, and I imagine I’ll figure it out.”
What goals do you have for yourself? How can you achieve them? What obstacles do you face, and how can you overcome them? These are the questions that can allow YOU as a military spouse to become who YOU want to be and do what YOU want to do.
Be Bright. Be Brave. Be Bold.
Be a Military Spouse.