Careers & Benefits
While the Military can be a rewarding, lifelong career for many service members, it can also serve as the foundation for a civilian career. Whatever the case may be, service members will have resources and skills to transition into life after serving.
On This Page
- Stories of Success After Service
- Transition Programs
- Military-Friendly Employers
- Finding The Top Military Employers
- Service in the National Guard or Reserve
- Individual Ready Reserve
Stories of Success After Service
Learn how five visionary veterans started thriving businesses as entrepreneurs.
Inspired By Her Grandmother, Former Soldier Restarts Skincare Line
Nicole Baldwin
Army
Read Story
At This Marine-Led Moving Company, Customer Service Comes With A Salute
Nick Baucom
Marine Corps
Read Story
How Enlisting Transformed A Young Man And Led Him To Streetwear Success
Devlin Braswell
Coast Guard
Read Story
These articles were created under contract between the Forbes content studio and the Department of Defense Joint Advertising Marketing Research & Studies office.They originally ran on Forbes under the title “Military Made.” This collaboration does not constitute or imply endorsem*nt, recommendation, or favoring of Forbes or any companies mentioned in these articles, including their services, products, clients or partners by the Department of Defense.
Transcription
Related Videos
Find the Career That Fits You
Length 0:38
Take on any career with a strong skills foundation from the National Guard.
Speaker: The Guard will allow you to find your purpose. They will guide you and they will transition you into the person that maybe you inspire, orperson that you want to be like. You are now in physical shape and mental stability. You will get the courage, you will get the discipline, and so then you can move into your life. Young 20s and goinginto your 30s into a career field, that now you have all the tools you need. You want to become a doctor, you want to become a technician, you want to be a welder -it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what you want to be, these are the tools tosuccess, andthe Military is willing to give that to you.
Army Careers: Medical Laboratory Specialist
Length 3:44
Army Careers: Medical Laboratory Specialist
Army Medical Laboratory Specialists are the backbone of their units and take responsibility for a variety of integral, complex tasks that keep lab operations running smoothly.
Narrator:
Medical Laboratory Specialist
[Music]
Medical laboratory specialists play a crucial role as part of the army medical team by collecting, processing and testing tissue blood and the body fluids of patients.
This career field requires individuals who have met minimal education requirements in the areas of biology, chemistry and algebra.
You must have manual dexterity and no aversion to the sight of blood or needles and an ability to precisely follow detailed procedures
Testimonial:
Laboratorians require a couple of different characteristics, one of those being patients you have to be able to work through the problems that are presented by the patient because you have a lot of unknowns.
I would also say due diligence you have to be willing to sit down and really work throughout all the problems but most importantly I think you have to work a autonomously.
A lot of times you're unsupervised there on the bench and you require the skillset that you learn in school and you have to apply that skill set to make sure that you're making the right calls or the right diagnosis for the doctors could then treat those patients.
Narrator:
After successfully completing army basic combat training you will attend 52 weeks of advanced individual training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas to include a residency at a major military hospital laboratory.
You will perform elementary blood banking and clinical laboratory procedures in hematology, immuno-hematology, clinical chemistry, serology, bacteriology, parasitology and urinalysis
You will be responsible for collecting blood specimens by venipuncture and capillary puncture along with packing, unpacking, inspecting, storing and distributing blood and blood products and assembling disassembling and maintaining laboratory equipment.
Following successful completion of all required training you will be eligible for assignments at military hospitals located around the world or a military research laboratory.
Testimonial:
I appreciated that I was able to get paid to go to school while learning a very valuable career path that, whether I wanted to stay in or get out of I was going to be able to continue to have a good life after the fact.
Testimonial:
I chose the medical laboratory specialist field because I had just come out of college and I thought that I wanted to become a doctor and all the information that I got when I did my research pointed to medical laboratory specialist as a really really good foundation.
A doctor can't do his or her job without us.
Narrator:
As a soldier you will also have the opportunity to further your military and civilian education with additional specialized training or through college courses.
Your military experience can help you in your transition from the military to the civilian workforce where you may pursue a career with privately owned laboratories, hospitals, clinics or research institutions
Aiding in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease are the Army's medical laboratory specialists.
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Transition Programs
Navigating military benefits after separating from service can be a challenge, but service members are never alone. The U.S. Departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs run the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), which is designed to help veterans with all aspects of returning to civilian life. Services include financial and legal information, access to transition counselors and assistance for job seekers. It is a great resource for active-duty service members, reservists, veterans and their families.
Specialist | Kevin Lim Army National Guard
Military-Friendly Employers
Service develops integrity, responsibility and perseverance — qualities that appeal to employers in the civilian world. In fact, many U.S. employers have recruiters who look specifically for candidates with military backgrounds. These companies understand that service members are prepared with the best possible training and work ethic and make an effort to employ those who have served. The organization GI Jobs is also an excellent resource for those who may be transitioning out of a life in the Military.
Finding The Top Military Employers
The Military Friendly® organization evaluates employers annually, based on specialized criteria, to determine which companies offer service members the best opportunities. Their website offers a searchable list of company profiles that show how each employer meets or exceeds the Military Friendly standard.
Service in the National Guard or Reserve
Following their active-duty commitment, many service members continue serving in the Reserve component of their Service or with their home state’s National Guard unit. Both options allow an individual to train close to home while pursuing a civilian career, and many of the same benefits of active-duty service are available to Reservists and Guardmembers.
Learn more about:
- Army Reserve
- Army National Guard
- Marine Corps Reserve
- Navy Reserve
- Air Force Reserve
- Air National Guard
- Coast Guard Reserve
Individual Ready Reserve
Some service members may serve out part of their commitment in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). Individuals in the IRR are former Active Duty, Reserve or Guard service members who may be called back into service if needed. While they retain their military IDs and uniforms, they are not required to drill or train and need only notify the Military if they move to a new address. Service members in IRR have limited benefits and are not paid unless they are called to serve.
More in Careers & Benefits
- EXPLORE CAREERS
- CAREER STORIES
- SALARY AND COMPENSATION
- EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
