Combining Education Benefits that Pay with Ones that Pay Off: How One Vet is Doing It

SMART is a significant benefit for eligible sailors and marines, even without any dollar signs attached, because it saves servicemembers time in the classroom by awarding credit for military experience and keeps servicemembers from unnecessarily dipping into their Tuition Assistance or GI Bill funds. Anyone who has served or is currently serving in the Navy or Marine Corps can access the SMART website and view an unofficial transcript or request an official transcript to be sent to a school for free.

Each school determines which credits listed on the SMART will apply toward its degree program requirements. This is what caused Otto to choose the school he's attending--he was able to use all 38 of the credits on his SMART toward his associate's degree, which covered his electives. With those out of the way, Otto could concentrate on his core classes.

Extra Benefits through the Servicemember Opportunity College Network

It's not a coincidence that Otto's school accepted the credits listed on his SMART and is a member of the Servicemember Opportunity College (SOC) network. Schools in the SOC are required to adhere to certain military-friendly practices, one of which is to accept ACE recommendations for granting college credits. Attending a school in the SOC also affords Otto and other military students certain rights, including clearly defined add/drop, withdrawal, and credit transfer policies between SOC schools as well as procedures for mobilization, activation, and other military duties that can impact students' academics.

Apprenticeship Program Provides Civilian Certification

Through the United Services Military Apprenticeship Program (formerly the Navy's National Apprenticeship Program), yet another non-monetary military benefit to help servicemembers in their future civilian careers, Otto completed two apprenticeships while on active duty. He earned nationally recognized certificates of completion from the Department of Labor for electronics mechanic and electronics tester apprenticeships, requiring 8,000 hours and 6,000 hours respectively. The USMAP is a military training program for active duty Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps servicemembers to improve their job skills and complete civilian apprenticeship requirements.

Associate's Degree Was Otto's Second Pass at College

Otto plans to use these certifications in addition to his future bachelor's degree in human resources to step into a supervisory position after his completion of naval service. Otto first committed to an associate's degree program not knowing if he wanted to continue his education and earn a bachelor's degree.

"I originally attempted college fourteen years ago on board the ship while deployed," said Otto. "I quickly found out that my job on the ship severely conflicted with my class load. Knowing that I needed to concentrate on my primary duties--which happened to entail the launch, recovery, and repair of aircraft on the flight deck for twelve-plus hours a day--was enough to bring me back down to earth."

To Otto, the decision to return to school and get his associate's was necessary. "After realizing that I wasn't as competitive as I could be for evaluations and advancement, I knew that I had to do something." Now that he's knocked out his associate's degree, he plans to complete the core classes required for his bachelor's degree.

Benefits that Pay: Tuition Assistance and the GI Bills

Otto used his Montgomery GI Bill benefits to pay for his Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certification, which he earned while deployed to Afghanistan, but all his other college courses have been paid by Tuition Assistance (TA). "TA does a lot for a student. It is 100 percent tuition and fees. The only costs I have to cover are my books and supplies," said Otto, who just recently completed his associate's degree requirements on October 4.

"My goal is to utilize as much of my benefits as humanly possible while I am still in the service." What about his GI Bill benefits? Otto elected to take advantage of his Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits that allowed him to take advantage of the new GI Bill transfer benefit and split his education benefits equally among his four daughters.

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