Don’t Waste Your Educational Benefits… or Your Time
“I’m just attending the class so I can get the housing stipend.”
“I’m using MyCAA because it’s free, but I don’t really want to be a medical coder.”
“I just don’t want to miss out—so I figured I’d give it a shot.”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one.
If you’re a part of the military community, at some point you’ve likely heard a version of one of the above. Maybe you’ve even heard all three over a period of several years.
I’m thrilled to see individuals taking advantage of the educational opportunities available to them, truly I am. However, as an instructor and someone who works in employment, I do find myself questioning their motives.
Despite the very best of intentions, I wonder: Are they using these resources for the right reasons? What burdens are they taking on, and are they really worth it? What will they achieve as a result of these decisions?
In the era of the “use or lose” Post 9/11 GI Bill, this tendency to cast out in all directions was equal parts an act of optimism and an act of fear. Surely additional education and certification would yield opportunities—it was just a matter of when.
By: Jamie Boyle