Putting Military Spouses First
General Assembly partners with The Paradigm Switch to create learning pathways and bolster career success for military spouses.
Military spouses are no strangers to sacrifice. Between frequent moves, deployments, and all the other stressors that come from supporting our nation’s servicemembers, military spouses constantly put the needs of their families and their nation before themselves.
One of the first things to be put on the back burner is their career aspirations. According to a report from non-profit organization Blue Star Families (BSF), 47% of military spouses are unemployed and 55% of those who are employed are actually underemployed (overqualified, underpaid, or underutilized in their current position).
These statistics are unacceptable — and The Paradigm Switch (TPS) and General Assembly (GA) have teamed up to transform them.
Putting Military Spouses First
The Paradigm Switch is a global movement of military spouses who are unapologetic about their ambitious career goals and commitment to their military lifestyle. Through access to a full spectrum of resources, scholarships, and global networks, TPS empowers spouses to unleash their true value and versatility within their own unique professional journeys.
General Assembly empowers individuals and companies around the world by providing transformative education in technology-focused skills. Recognizing the large skills gap present in the labor market, GA partners with companies, non-profits, and government agencies to create educational and professional pathways for underrepresented communities in tech.
Together, we are providing military spouses with unprecedented access to learning opportunities leading to high value, portable skills, no matter where they are currently stationed.
This year alone, TPS will provide 150 scholarships to GA’s part-time, remote courses in fields like coding, data, design, and digital marketing. This initiative is part of TPS’s larger commitment to provide 200 skills-based scholarships in 2019, 300 in 2020, and 500 in 2021. Further, all military spouses are eligible for a 10% tuition credit on any of GA’s career-boosting part-time or career-changing Immersive courses.* GI® Bill funding is available for the latter in software engineering, data science, and user experience design.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the U.S. economy will need as many as 100,000 new information technology workers per year over the next decade. Right now, only about 60,000 of these workers enter the workforce each year.
Through this powerful partnership and a shared vision of creating access and opportunity, TPS and GA are giving military spouses a new seat at the table.
Advocating for Military Spouses
We believe in the power of technology to transform the career prospects of military spouses.
In recent years, General Assembly has worked to build robust online programs that bring their leading-edge classroom experience — complete with expert instructors and like-minded peers — to individuals who live outside of their campus metros, or who prefer to learn with more flexibility. Online-based learning programs allow military spouses to work from anywhere and to build and maintain relationships that withstand the tests of distance and time. In a 2017 Hiring Our Heroes survey, more than half of military spouses reported moving at least three times during their service member’s career, while 34% moved four or more times. This can create feelings of isolation, and make it hard to build personal and professional communities. According to the BSF survey, 31% of spouses reported that they had not had an in-depth conversation with a local civilian in the past month. The ability to learn, and ultimately work, remotely is critical to military spouses’ professional development because it offers a consistent path forward in a lifestyle that is often anything but.
We believe in being authentic, telling the stories of the military spouse community, and learning from them.
One of our scholarship recipients had put her career dreams on hold for six years while she supported her husband’s military career. There was never enough money, time, stability, or support to allow her to finish her education and build her own career. After a series of dead-end jobs, TPS helped her find a network where she can learn something new, connect with like-minded professionals, emerge from a negative thought space, and offer the very best version of herself to potential employers. At the conclusion of her scholarship program, she will have access to job opportunities through our partners and community. This is just one of thousands of stories military spouses have to tell. By sharing the stories of our community members, we encourage other military spouses to be bold and pursue their career goals. In turn, this inspires us to keep building the community, programs, and resources needed to support the growing movement.
We believe in doing the hard work needed to effect real change.
The solution to the military spouse un/underemployment issue is complex. It’s not just about providing job opportunities, it’s about building the support network and offering the resources so that spouses can pursue their career goals and truly flourish. The Paradigm Switch is one of only approximately 35 organizations committed to serving military spouses, while there are approximately 45,000 serving veterans. We administer programs that guide spouses through a self-discovery journey from “I can’t” to “I can,” build relationships with strategic partners like General Assembly to provide access to resources and job opportunities, and secure funding for handpicked scholarship programs. All of these resources support one goal — allowing spouses to take control of their careers and work anywhere
We believe in the power of community and in knowing you’re not alone.
So many of our community members tell us the same story — that they felt isolated, unsupported, and like they were the only military spouse they knew who dreamed of having a fulfilling career. Many had given up, resigned to the fact that their career aspirations were simply not compatible with the military lifestyle. We believe in taking a stand to make the military spouse community a better place, even when it’s hard, by bringing like-minded spouses together to collaborate, learn, and grow together.
Finally, we believe in boldly speaking about issues of unemployment and underemployment and taking action to build the future of education for military spouses.
As the world’s economy continues to evolve, the need for skills-based training is becoming more and more clear. Together we have the opportunity to reach thousands of spouses and position them to be competitive in this changing job market. No longer are frequent moves and an unpredictable lifestyle impediments to meaningful career opportunities. Instead, military spouses are able to pursue their career dreams while their service members pursue theirs. This leads to stronger individuals, stronger families, and a stronger nation.
To learn more about The Paradigm Switch’s scholarship opportunities for military spouses, join the TPS online community and our dedicated General Assembly section by clicking “Request to Join” on this page. Our application will officially open soon and will remain open for the rest of the year, accepting applications on a rolling basis. Our community members will be the first to know about and access this opportunity. We can’t wait to hear your story.
*10% tuition credit currently excludes Georgia and New York residents.
Through a three-pronged approach designed to meet military spouses wherever they are on their journey, The Paradigm Switch seeks to expose individuals to a global network of career-minded military spouses and allies, to provide access to unique TPS partner programs, scholarships, and online courses to further develop their skills, and ultimately to transform lives in today’s knowledge-based and technology-driven economy.
By investing in opportunity, General Assembly helps people all over the world leverage technology to achieve their career goals. Regardless of previous barriers to education and employment, GA believes everyone should be able to pursue a meaningful career they love. Learn more about how GA supports veterans and their families.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
