rapid fire
Spouse Spotlight
Karen Bricklemyer, a military spouse and CEO of the United Way of the Midlands in Omaha, Neb., has one effective approach to job-hunting: Keep in touch with people who can open doors for you later. That was her secret to landing a desired fundraising job with the March of Dimes in Hawaii in the early 1990s, when her husband was a CH-46 helicopter pilot. That job eventually opened doors to a career in nonprofits. Meanwhile, Bricklemyer’s Marine Corps reservist husband has been following her across the country.
What is your advice to career-minded military spouses, given the obstacles? We didn’t have kids until we’d been married 11 years, but I don’t think it’s impossible to start a family and career at once. Be clear about what [you] want to be doing. Be ready to say, “Here’s the value I can bring, and these are my values: I’m responsible, accountable, I get the job done, I don’t like surprises, and I want to be a charge nurse on a floor.” Tell them what you are going to do and how you are going to operate.
What’s your approach to networking? I go to conferences for training, and if I hear a speaker I like, I introduce myself and see if there’s a way to stay in touch directly with [him or her]. Sometimes that’s not possible. But lots of people have blogs. You can continue to learn and network with them even if you’re not seeing them personally.
If you could change anything about the way you handled your career decisions, what would it be? My husband would’ve said I shouldn’t have gone to work so soon in Hawaii. He would say, “Don’t you wish you would’ve spent 30 days hanging out on a beach?” In some respects, you do need to take time for you. Also, I was one of 20 pilot wives. Three of us worked. I got left out of somethings. But in some respects, they felt left out, because I knew more about the community than they did. So don’t worry about where you are. The grass is always greener.
— Heidi Lynn Russell
Attention!
Check out these military-related entertainment offerings.
BOOK DAY BY DAY ARMAGEDDON: SHATTERED HOURGLASS (Gallery Books, 2012) In Navy Lt. J.L. Bourne’s novel, Task Force Hourglass is humanity’s final hope in the face of the zombie apocalypse. A Navy commander leads a global mission to the heart of the pandemic.
BOOK SOLDIER OF FINANCE (American Management Association, 2013) Certified financial planner Jeff Rose’s 14 modules give servicemembers a no-nonsense approach to overcome financial obstacles and build lasting wealth.
AUDIOBOOK UNDER FIRE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE ATTACK IN BENGHAZI (Macmillan Audio, 2013) Based on the exclusive cooperation of eyewitnesses and confidential sources, Fred Burton and Samuel M. Katz reveal the 12-hour ordeal confronted by members of the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, Libya, and the CIA security specialists who rescued them. MO
fact: November is Military Family Appreciation Month.
30 MILITARY OFFICER NOVEMBER 2013
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