The Top 20 Jobs for Veterans

By 2016, a projected one million veterans will be flowing out of the military and into the workforce. Unfortunately, unemployment for veterans hovers around 10 percent, versus 7.9 for the general population. For certain age groups, especially among vets in their early twenties, unemployment figures can be even higher. The standard for counting someone as unemployed requires that a person be actively seeking employment at the time of the survey. A veteran that decides to take time off after service, or enroll in school, would not count.

So why are so many veterans having trouble finding employment? At least one report points to the problems that veterans face when creating post service resumes. It can be difficult to transform valuable military experience and qualifications into a language that civilian companies understand. As a result, the military and veteran’s organizations are creating programs that help service-members do just that.

Even still, for the exiting service-member, many questions may linger. What am I most qualified for? Who is looking for the skills that I have? The military is a super diverse population that employs personnel in positions as varied as intelligence analyst and truck driver. Some things, like truck driver, are easy to translate. Intelligence analyst may be more difficult, even for the service-member. Because of this information gap, private website GIjobs.com has compiled a list of the top fields, along with median salaries, that are often within reach of veterans. According to GIjobs, corporate hiring officers are actively seeking out vets for these positions. Some require degrees or special training to enter or advance, but all are fields that have a need for capable people with the experience and skills that many veterans have to offer.

1. Technician $57,444

2. Engineer $81,966

3. IT Pro $62,299

4. Mechanic $52,230

5. Sales Rep $56,390

6. Logistician $70,800

7. Project Manager $64,412

8. Operations Manager $87,550

9. Finance Services $75,436

10. Customer Service Manager/Rep $53,600

11. Security Officer $54,300

12. Driver $53,000

13. Power Plant Operator $77,748

14. Retail Store Manager $55,000

15. HR Manager $87,674

16. Intelligence Analyst $84,000

17. Banking Branch Manager $64,757

18. Conductor/Train Crew Trainee $68,000

19. Construction Worker $42,951

20. Lineman $58,440

For details on each position, click here