Reinventing Rosie
During World War II, thousands of women answered their nation’s call to turn off their ovens and fire up their riveters as they joined the manufacturing workforce. Between 1942 and 1948, the “Rosies” inspired the world with their rallying cry, “We can do it.” Whether or not Rosie secretly preferred producing rivets to preparing roast beef may be the greatest mystery of all time. Seventy years later, military spouses are still inspired by Rosie and her willingness to put on her head scarf, roll up her sleeves, and get to work. Unlike the “Rosies” who stepped up when their name was called, today’s military spouses are actively seeking the workforce in higher numbers than ever before. They’re reinventing Rosie.
Are we just modern day “Rosies” forced to quit and give up our jobs with every PCS?
The answer seems to be, “Well… yes,” as we actually do jump in, job hard, and then move on when told to change zip codes.
The spouses of today’s service members are taking their version of “Rosie” to the next level. Instead of waiting for their communities to ask for help, they’re bringing their skills, talents, and service to each and every community they can.
Curious as to how other milspouses are specifically handling the hot topic of spouse employment and wanting “in the trenches” type responses, I took military spouse Facebook pages by storm and posted the following question on four different social media groups made up of military spouses:
“What is the most interesting job you’ve taken as a military spouse?”
The results of my informal Facebook poll yielded 247 interesting and varied responses as well as producing lively threads that celebrated the courage so many spouses possess.
After reading all the responses, I noticed there was one common thread tying them together.
Modern day “Rosies” are not waiting to be asked.
More than ever, spouses are looking for jobs every time they PCS.
My informal survey revealed a few key results:
Moving makes employment harder, but spouses aren’t giving up.
For some spouses, job searches and career progression geared toward their specified education and training were the key focus. This is becoming easier in recent months with license reciprocity legislation, but spouses still feel the hardship when trying to take their career state to state.
Owning small businesses is getting popular.
A second group finds that success and fulfillment can be found in their own businesses that transfer easily from one place to another. Some spouses enjoy the autonomy of making and selling their own creations or being health and wellness coaches, while others have found a unique niche in the personal service industry from pet pooper scooper services to bounce house rentals.
Volunteering can be a substitute.
For a surprisingly large third group of “Rosies” I networked with, the need to work and be productive is driving them to take volunteer jobs, jobs outside their skill sets, and sometimes… jobs out of their comfort zone.
Spouses get creative.
Two spouses I know found unique and creative ways to stay part of the workforce. One spouse found empowerment in working as a figure model for a local university, while another found an incredible job being hunted “in the box” at JRTC exercises.
Finding where you fit.
I find myself wavering between the first and the third type of “Rosie.” While trained as a teacher, I’ve found myself in short assignments and remote places where I was unable to teach.
As someone who loves to stay busy and work, this was hard, so like many of the other modern day “Rosies,” I jumped into other available jobs, such as bartending, administrative work, and warehouse stocking.
I found myself in good company as many spouses have also found local jobs in property management, travel services, selling real estate, as well as substitute teaching and retail jobs.
Many are working out of their career field and instead of complaining, they’re making the best of their circumstances. I was intrigued by multiple responses for Uber driving as a flexible way to earn money around family schedules.
I also know of a couple of spouses with psychology degrees who found themselves loving new careers in landscaping (a bonus to this is driving a dump truck), working for a collection agency, and even a position on the Home Shopping Network.
Similar to those duty stations we did not pick, the jobs we deem as temporary sometimes impact us the most. The lessons we take from these jobs prove to be invaluable.
- These jobs give us purpose in our sometimes lonely world.
- These jobs stretch our boundaries making us more resilient and confident.
- These jobs show the world just how strong military families are.
- These jobs allow us to keep our skills and our minds sharp.
- These jobs keep us humble and part of the communities we serve.
As we follow our service members from station to station, it would be ideal if our career could follow. However, military spouses are realists (if nothing else) and our ability to adapt is clearly proven in our time as volunteers, stay-at-home parents, and our ability to channel our “inner Rosie” as we dust off the headscarf and just “Go to work!”
If you want to follow the existing threads on milspouse work, find the following groups on Facebook and join in the discussion or email me at kathleenpalmer99@yahoo.com and tell me about your most interesting job:
- Military Spouse Networking
- Military Spouse Retirement
- Fort Hood Spouses’ Page
- Spouses of Senior Commanders
