One of the things my husband has taken great advantage of while being in the military is the educational benefits he has access to. He has received a bachelors and masters degree while working in various jobs and at various commands. We all think our husbands (or wives) have long hours at the various jobs they are assigned to and the various commands they are stationed at. However, anything is possible!

My husband worked a shift work schedule which, in his case, meant the hours he was to be at work changed weekly. You can imagine how crazy our lives were during this time – but it was then he completed his bachelors degree and started and finished his masters.

The active duty military person will have access to various benefits they can use – the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance (often referred to as TA) as well as CLEP and DANTES tests (these are tests you can take to get credit for the class). However, as a military spouse you too have education opportunities you can take advantage of!

Visit your Education Office on base – on a Navy base, this is called the Navy College Office. They will have information on schools that work closely with the military. You may be able to pay in-state tuition to a college despite just having moved to the area. Once you talk to them you will then be able to:

Attend a college online -Taking online classes is very common and often cheaper then attending in person. Thesedays you can probably continue at the same college you started because they’ll offer online classes. Or you can find a new one that works with the college office on base.

Attend classes on base – there are usually a few colleges that operate offices out of the education office. This means you can get more information from someone directly affiliated with that school. You can also attend classes on base through that college.

There are also scholarships available for military spouses, depending on many things like your husbands rank, your grades and your major.

Finally, talk to the active duty military person (your husband or wife!)! They should be told of the various opportunities that are available for them and you. Ask other military spouses what they did – I found a college online that was recommended by several military wives and had a great experience with them.

Tsoniki Crazy Bull is a Navy wife and new soccer mom to two kiddos. She is blogging regularly at me being crafty and spends her time creating various projects with her friends and kids, who are all getting ready for another move this year.