Student Veteran Perceptions of College-To-Career Transition

Abstract:The college-to-career transition of student veterans is challenging. Employers hold misconceptions of veteran employees, such as inflexibility or rigidity, while veterans struggle to demonstrate their skills to an employer (). There is research on the military-to-college transition process, primarily on the academic adjustment of college student veterans (; ; ; ; ; ; ). Research on college-to-career transition process of college student veterans is limited, and focused on career decision making (; ). To examine the college-to-career transition process, we surveyed student veterans (N = 141) to examine career transition resources and barriers, in relation to their overall life satisfaction. We found that student veterans' confidence and readiness for the college-to-career transition correlated to overall life satisfaction. We provide strategies to assist individuals working with student veterans during the career transition process, and advocate for career-transition research focused on student veterans.