Education is life
Education saves lives. Education gives life. United States military veterans are fortunate enough to receive one of the most comprehensive benefit packages ever conceived — the Post 9/11 GI Bill. Unfortunately, far too many veterans elect not to take advantage of it. Only thirteen percent of Post 9/11 veterans use education benefits, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Deciding to leave the military is a monumental a decision — just as important as the one made to join. Once you leave, you ought to have a plan, and if that plan doesn’t include taking advantage of the generosity of the GI Bill, you’re missing out on taking advantage of one of the greatest vehicles of social mobility in history. Once you leave the military, the same principles that made you successful in the service, will give you success outside of it, and your work ethic is perhaps the most important.
If you choose to attend school after your stint in the military — and you should — I encourage you to think of the entire experience as a job. A work ethic is vital to your success. Throwing your heart and soul into whatever you’re doing makes it both fun, and easy. You may think “C’s get degrees,” which is true. But slacking off now makes it easier to slack off later. Putting forth the kind of work that leads to quality grades shows potential future employers that you didn’t take a knee once you left the service, but you continued to demonstrate above average work ethic.
But if that doesn’t motivate you, remember it’s your job, and you wouldn’t slack off on the clock, would you? After all, if you’re a veteran attending school on the GI Bill, it literally is your job. If you think about it, taxpayers are paying for you to go to school. This makes it a national imperative that you do well. Pay it forward by using your experience and your VA benefits to earn an education and therefore make your community a better place.
The G.I. Bill is a national investment in its veterans. That’s awesome, and rare around the world. Your becoming a productive member of society after school is the nation’s return on that investment. Whether in your small hometown or at the national level, what you do after your service is perhaps more important than the four to twenty years you spent in uniform, which means those that do should set the example for others. This excellent benefit opens an entire world of possibility. Nothing else has provided better economic mobility in the United States, and it is essential to closing the civilian-military divide. Use your benefits, be successful, and change your world.
