By Jackie Benton
More than 1.7 million veterans from all branches of the military call the Lone Star State home, and every year, 22,000 to 28,000 military service members choose to return to or remain in Texas when transitioning from military service to civilian life.
While changing careers can be overwhelming for anyone, it’s especially disruptive for veterans who are making the transition to civilian employment, which typically doesn’t resemble the highly structured culture that permeates all facets of military life.
Furthermore, the decisions vets must make after separating from active service — finding a home and a job, attending school or starting a business — can create a sort of crisis of choice for veterans. Too many life options can spur feelings of bewilderment and anxiety.
Texas Veterans
According to a March 5, 2021 report (PDF) by the Texas Workforce Investment Council, Texas had the second-largest veteran population among states in 2019. Veterans accounted for nearly 7 percent of the state’s adult population, although that share has been declining for decades.
In 2019, Texas veterans had an average age of 50, versus the statewide median of 35. They were more educated than their civilian counterparts; nearly a third of state veterans held a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 27.7 percent of their nonveteran counterparts.
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) reports that (PDF) unemployment rates for Texas veterans from June 2018 to June 2020 were consistently lower than those for nonveterans, with the exception of Gulf War II-era veterans, those who served in the conflict that began in 2003 and resulted in the overthrow of the Iraqi regime.
Texas Veterans Commission
The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) provides services for veterans in a variety of areas including compensation claims, health care, employment, education, entrepreneurship, mental health and programs for women veterans. TVC also awards grants through its Fund for Veterans Assistance to organizations that support and provide services directly to veterans — and can move swiftly to help these organizations with funding for emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 winter storm.
TVC Director of Veterans Employment Services Jim Martin says his department provides individualized career services to veterans facing barriers to employment by helping them hone their job-search skills and creating relationships with employers to increase veteran hiring.
“I believe one of the biggest hurdles our veterans face when they come out of the military is understanding they are not in the military anymore — it’s a different world,” Martin says. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he understands the mental and emotional rollercoaster veterans can experience as they enter their post-service lives.
Martin says his staff works with veterans to create marketable resumes that will stand out with civilian employers. Six-page resumes filled with military terms become one- or two-page resumes written in clear, concise language that works well with keyword-based, online applicant tracking systems.
As part of TVC’s employer outreach program, TVC and TWC have worked together to provide employment and support services throughout the state to veteran job seekers and their dependents. The agencies have created a list of private employers in Texas that have policies for veteran employment preference.
“Employers are starting to realize that transitioning military people have a lot of things to offer,” Martin says.
