There was a time in my life when I was pursuing the path to becoming a licensed counselor I had grand plans of one day owning my own practice. That’s when I ran into the same problem that many of us run into as military spouses. Licensing and certification issues.

Instead of making the decision to pursue my PhD in counseling, I decided to forgo all the trouble of getting re-certified and relicensed every time I had to move. I chose to wait until my service member retires and we find our “forever home.” But what on Earth could I do with a B.S. in Social Psychology? As it turns out, I could do a LOT.

When it comes to education and employment, military spouses have to approach our careers just like everything else: creatively, resourcefully and totally out of the box. Social Psychology is all about understanding human behavior in social situations…i.e. PEOPLE. Since most jobs involve people, all I had to do was get creative with my skillset to find meaningful employment as my hubby took me along on this adventure. I’ve since used my skills in training and development and now as a full time writer!

But what about those other specific degrees? If you find yourself in an employment pickle or can’t match your degree to available career opportunities in your area, check the list below for some ideas!

Law

If you’ve obtained your Juris Doctorate to practice law, chances are you’re already aware of the red-tape nightmare of the licensing issues. There are many military spouses who have found success despite these issues and have even gone on to work towards easing them across state lines. MSJDN is an organizations of military spouse lawyers who have done just that! But there are always alternatives if you’re forced into situations where you can’t use your education to the fullest extent.

When a friend of mine PCS’d to California a few years back, she was able to use her JD as an immigration attorney. She wasn’t required to take the bar exam in that state to work in that field, and since she was passionate about immigration anyway, she dove in head first! She worked first with a nonprofit and was then recruited by a firm after she won an award from the California Bar Association for her work with detained immigrants.

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior. There are a slew of fields you could work in while you pursue higher education or go through the licensing process. Media and advertising would be a great field to consider since psych grads have valuable insight into how people think and can analyze complex problems while communicating them with ease. Media roles like management, writing or production could lead to other opportunities and a diverse resume.

Human resources is also an option and can be used in the public and the private sectors. Areas such as professional development, coaching, recruitment and public relations all fit the bill under the umbrella of a psychology degree.