Hindsight is 20/20: Why Harold Carter Urges Veterans to Use Their Military Education Benefits

Unlike others who enlist in the armed forces, Harold Carter didn't enlist to get military education benefits. He enlisted because he couldn't get a job. Though he'd graduated from ITT Peterson School of Business (now ITT Technical Institute), he had a hard time finding a job as a computer programmer due to a lack of job experience. Though computer programming isn't as new today as it was in 1983 when Carter was looking for a job, one thing is definitely the same: the unemployment rate of 9.6 percent.

How the Best-Laid Plans Change

When Carter enlisted in the Navy, he didn't plan to stick around for very long. He originally enlisted to become a nuclear reactor operator, but ended up becoming an electronics technician who specialized in intrusion detection and communication equipment. At this time, the military was just beginning to use computers on a daily basis, so Carter was able to ride the wave and work on computers throughout his Navy career.

Despite Carter's initial plans, he served a total of 20 years and 23 days. "It wasn't until towards the end of my first enlistment that I decided I needed to stay in the Navy. I had a wife and two young children to support, and the job market was not that great. The Navy provided all the things a family needs: a solid job, good benefits and the ability to promote," explained Carter. "Once I re-enlisted the first time, that put me at twelve years I had committed to the Navy. At the end of that second enlistment, it only made sense to finish up eight more years and retire. That way I would at least have some income and medical benefits for my family."

Why Carter Didn't Use His GI Bill Benefits

Military education benefits change. The recent change to GI Bill legislation that allowed Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, also known as Chapter 33 is one example, but branch-specific benefits also change. Carter's benefits options changed a few times while he was on active duty, but he was aware of those changes. "When I first joined the Navy I had the chance to set aside money into a Navy program that would help me with my education once I got out. But being young and stupid and thinking I knew it all, I not only stopped putting money into that program, but I took all the money out of the plan."

Early in Carter's career, he took advantage of Navy-specific tuition assistance that helped him get his Associate of Applied Science degree while on active duty. However, Carter didn't use any of his other benefits, including the GI Bill. Why? "During the rest of my career I kept making excuses to myself about not needing to continue my education. After all, I would have twenty years of on the job experience, which I felt would put me in a better position that those who only had college degrees."

How Carter's Tune Changed

Carter's post-military career plans were simple: provide for his family. He wanted to keep his family in the same lifestyle they were able to afford on his military salary. "I got very lucky and happened upon a great job opportunity at the end of my career," Carter said of his job as a senior network engineer with a defense contractor. Carter attributes his sound job ethics, managerial skills, and ability to be on time and do his job right to the military.

He acknowledges that the seminars that the Navy career counselors offered about education benefits were onto something. "At my last command, I can remember our [commanding officer] came to present awards to some of the sailors and at the end he was talking to us, and the one thing that stuck with me was when he told us that we need to make ourselves marketable not only to the Navy, but to the outside job world," notes Carter. "We needed to obtain the education and skills that would truly benefit us while we were in the Navy, but also to prepare us to enter the civilian job force."

Civilian education could have helped Carter advance, he admits. "I have learned that you need what we like to call 'the alphabet' after your name, i.e. PhD, CCNA, CCIE, PMP, etc. This shows you have the skill set to do the job. For those not having a college degree and industry certifications it is hard to get a job. Having just job experience is not enough anymore. Companies want to see that you are educated and serious about education."

Would Carter change his decision to use his GI Bill and other military education benefits, knowing what he does now? Yes. "Use your education benefits, seek out the programs, make the time to better yourself, and don't waste these valuable benefits," advises Carter. "Don't wait until it's too late and you look back like I did and say what if, why didn't I do that."

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