Home
Benefits
News
entertainment
shop
finance
careers
education
join military
community
 
Search for Military News:  
Military.com Advisors Early Brief | Headlines | Warfighter's Forum | Discussions | Benefit Updates | Defense Tech
Job Opportunities for Female Veterans
Brian Drum | September 16, 2008

As an executive recruiter, I know that while female executives have made strides in cracking the glass ceiling, there is still a significant gap between what men and women get paid in corporate America. This leads us to this month's topic: Career opportunities and salaries for women leaving the military. According to a recent Payscale.com survey, the following careers offer the best wages for women across the board:  

  • Medicine: Median salary for female M.D.s is $135,725
  • Information technology:Median salary for female IT consultants is $70,492 
  • Law:Median salary for female attorneys/lawyers is $69,696
  • Sales engineering: Median salary for female sales engineers is $62,427
  • Financial services and investment counselors: Median salary for women in financial services is $53,890 
     

You may ask, what are some of the other benefits that these fields offer?  According to Payscale.com, Medical careers can offer high salaries and flexibility of schedule. Internal medicine, anesthesiology and dermatology are specifically cited as good fields for women who also plan to raise families. IT jobs are described as plentiful and increasingly friendly to women. Law firms are more interested in retaining talented female attorneys, leading more firms to offer women the chance to make partner. The survey also suggests that more women find success in sales because female salespeople are becoming more recognized by corporate America as effective communicators. According to Payscale.com, women also find more opportunities in the financial services sector because of a greater onus being placed on relationship-building.  
  
Books I would suggest reading that can help are:

  • "Use What You've Got & Other Business Lessons I Learned from My Mom" by Barbara Corcoran and Bruce Littlefield
  • "Naked in the Boardroom: A CEO Bares Her Secrets So You Can Transform Your Career" by Robin Wolaner.  

Don't forget that networking is essential to success in the private sector. Use the Internet effectively. Do your homework. Be aggressive and never sell yourself short. Women in the military are natural born leaders who possess passion, courage and unlimited potential to make a similar mark in the corporate world.


Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.


Copyright 2009 Brian Drum. All opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of Military.com.

  
About Brian Drum

Brian Drum is the founder and President of Drum Associates. A native New Yorker, He is a leading authority on executive recruiting, interviewing, executive coaching and Human Resources Management.

Brian was trained in advanced infantry and served on active reserve duty in the 42nd Infantry - Rainbow Division, from 1966-1971. After being honorably discharged, Brian started Drum Associates at the age of 21. 35+ years later, the firm is one of the most well respected names in executive search.

Today, the majority of Brian's business comes from referrals, which is a testimonial not only to Brian's personal attributes, but also to the extensive knowledge and insights he brings to his client and candidate relationships.

In a singular recognition of Brian's professional abilities, he was recently the recipient of the US Government's Small Business Person of the Year Award for the New York District. This is the first time the award has been presented to a business services provider, rather than to the vendor of a product. This recognition is illustrative of Brian's professional philosophy, in creating lasting and supportive partnerships with Drum's clients, rather than the vendor-buyer relationship that is typical of search firms. Brian forges relationships of mutual trust, respect, and confidentiality with each of the clients and candidates his company works with.

For recent media coverage, please visit www.drumassociates.com/news.htm


What's Hot