Veteran's Preference

[Nico Corr]

This isn't exactly germane to the topic of MPP/IR/MPA degrees, or grad admissions but I have read numerous threads where the topic of veteran's preference and the benefits that come with it help applicants with admission, funding and job prospects afterwards come up. Vets clearly have an advantage over their civilian counterparts (rightfully so), which has caused me to both envy and quite honestly resent them a bit in regards to my own prospects. I've even considered joining the national guard or the reserves even though I'm 30 just to get some of the perks although that might be more trouble than it's really worth. How however decided is their advantage over civilians in the admissions process and job market thereafter? 

Edited February 15, 2018 by Nico Corr

[Tk2356]

Vets often have many of the boxes checked which MPA/MPP ADCOMs value (leadership/international experience, proven commitment to public service, etc). That being said, I believe if one has demonstrated these things as a civilian then that advantage will be negated. 

Regarding the job market, vets have a decided advantage when applying for federal positions. If this is your goal, I would recommend looking further into the reserves/national guard. In the private/public sectors, however, things are less straight-forward. I am in the reserves, which means that I will have to drill for several weeks a year (thereby missing work) and the company is legally obligated to support this. Same goes for deployments, which would be understandably difficult for many companies to support. For this reason, combined with a widening gulf between vet/civilian cultures (I.e. Assuming one has PTSD or doesn't know how to function in a civilian company), I am not sure if being a veteran is a net positive or negative in those sectors. Just my opinion -- I'd be curious if this view is shared by others. 

[Nico Corr]

1 hour ago, Tk2356 said:

Vets often have many of the boxes checked which MPA/MPP ADCOMs value (leadership/international experience, proven commitment to public service, etc). That being said, I believe if one has demonstrated these things as a civilian then that advantage will be negated. 

Regarding the job market, vets have a decided advantage when applying for federal positions. If this is your goal, I would recommend looking further into the reserves/national guard. In the private/public sectors, however, things are less straight-forward. I am in the reserves, which means that I will have to drill for several weeks a year (thereby missing work) and the company is legally obligated to support this. Same goes for deployments, which would be understandably difficult for many companies to support. For this reason, combined with a widening gulf between vet/civilian cultures (I.e. Assuming one has PTSD or doesn't know how to function in a civilian company), I am not sure if being a veteran is a net positive or negative in those sectors. Just my opinion -- I'd be curious if this view is shared by others. 

Thank's for your input. That all makes complete sense. If I were still in my mid-20's, I'd probably just sack up and sign on, but at 30, I feel a bit rushed to figure it all out now and joining the military, even in the reserves is not a decision to make hastily. I have a girlfriend and a kid, which complicates the decision. I've looked mostly in to joining the Coast Guard reserves as an intel analyst but I am not sure if I would get any kind of veteran's perks seeing as it is not likely I would ever be deployed. I too am curious to know what others think on this matter.

[L'Enfant]

I don’t want to be harsh but joining to benefit from future perks in the decision admission / job market is not, to my mind, the most adequate motivation. 

Some of my soldiers did, and that’s up to them, but I still want to believe serving in the military is not about perks. 

Yes, it will probably help me in the future, so does diversity affirmative actions, quotas, finances etc...

[Nico Corr]

40 minutes ago, L'Enfant said:

I don’t want to be harsh but joining to benefit from future perks in the decision admission / job market is not, to my mind, the most adequate motivation. 

Some of my soldiers did, and that’s up to them, but I still want to believe serving in the military is not about perks. 

Yes, it will probably help me in the future, so does diversity affirmative actions, quotas, finances etc...

You make a great point, which is why I demur in following through. There was a time when I seriously considered joining the military out of high school, but the war in Iraq left me questioning some of the country's motivations for using force and my desire to move to Europe (which I never did) left me disinterested in ultimately joining. 

Edited February 15, 2018 by Nico Corr

[Tk2356]

I agree that it shouldn't be one's primary motivator, but it'd be silly to not factor into the larger decision. 

[Nico Corr]

2 hours ago, Tk2356 said:

I agree that it shouldn't be one's primary motivator, but it'd be silly to not factor into the larger decision. 

Were i to sign on, it wouldn't be my sole reason personally for doing so. The military opens thousands of doors and despite the negative views held by some, I think the military does good and fascinating work.