Veterans Forgo Career Dreams For Duties

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Ashish Patel is a 27-year-old chemical defense army officer and he will be finishing his last tour in six months. Today he is at the veteran’s career fair to find a job.

“I kind of want to look into corporate work in chemical work jobs that deal with any sort of supplies or hazardous materials,” said Patel.

That's what the kind of job the army trained him to do. But if you ask what he really wants, he'll say he wants to own a movie theatre. 

“I have dreams of opening up my own business one day.  So it is always an opportunity for me,” Patel said.

Every year nearly ten thousand veterans finish their period of service and enter civilian jobs, according to the US census. But many of them can only find jobs similar to what they did in uniform.

“With the jobs I wanna have. It's a little bit more challenging to fit my past background with jobs that I am looking for,” said Patel.

And so many veterans are left trying to make money the only way they know how.

“Going into the corporate world with a regular job is a safety net compared to going directly into a business,” Patel said.

A safe decision that most veterans never outgrow. Veteran employment representative Linda Tarver says veterans can take several months or years to adjust to civilian life.

“It’s almost being in the ocean with a row boat.   It's a lost feeling. There are so many expectations on you. And still have to meet your family’s expectations,” said Tarver

Leaving the nearly twenty million veterans nationwide to forgo their dreams for their duties to make a stable life. Seven percent of all veterans are currently without jobs, a rate which is about the same as the national average. So veterans can't afford to be picky about their career choices. 

“If I do find a job that I like and it's a good fit for me and everything is going well then that dream could die out,” said Patel

Ashish Patel didn't find a job at the career fair today but a few others did. DreamWorks animation came out today to recruit several veterans for motion capture jobs as animated soldiers. Jerome Campbell Annenberg radio news.