Go to School While Your Military Spouse Is Deployed

You just said goodbye to your deployed military spouse, and you’re unsure what to do with yourself. The question is, how do you stay occupied while your spouse is deployed? If you’re like most spouses of deployed service people, you probably feel that bringing in some money would be a big help for the finances, while also giving you something meaningful to do for greater satisfaction in your life.

Fortunately, you do have options, and the options just keep growing as people recognize the difficulties of being a military spouse. Today, there’s the MyCAA (the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts Program).

What Is the MyCAA?

If you’re the spouse of a deployed service person, you have the option to attend vocational or trade school programs that lead to employment in portable career fields. A portable career just means a job with in-demand skills that you can take with you wherever your family moves.

The MyCAA program will provide up to $4,000 over two years to military spouses who are looking to advance themselves with some kind of degree, license, or credential!

What that means for you is finding a program that will help you get marketable skills and a higher-paying career. In order to be eligible, you need to be the spouse of an active-duty service member in one of these pay grades:

• E1–E5
• W1–W2
• O1–O2

In addition to paying your tuition for degree programs, MyCAA will also pay for any state certifications, licensing exams, and prep courses, up to the allowance. If you decide to take advantage of this benefit, make sure you apply first and are accepted—there’s no reimbursement after the fact, so you only receive the benefit if the program officials accept you and pay the school directly.

Career as a Pediatric Dental Assistant

One great portable career field is dental assisting. At PDAS, we offer a nine-week class that can quickly get you started in a high-paying, rewarding field helping children. We serve a number of different locations, which you can check out on our website.

I heard about a student who used the MyCAA program to enroll in a school, which is why I wanted to make sure that any prospective students with deployed military spouses knew about the program. We want to help you get started as affordably as possible and get you the career and financial stability you’ve always wanted!

Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions. I invite you to explore the opportunities MyCAA offers, and check out this Military.com resource for great information about employment as a military spouse.

Good luck starting your new career!

~ Dr. Rhea Haugseth