Serving After Service: How Veterans Turn Their Experience Into Mentorship, Counseling, and Public Leadership

During our interviews with dozens of veterans returning to school, we noticed something that kept coming up. A surprising number of them did not just want a degree. They wanted a mission. They wanted to stay connected to service, but in a different uniform and under different rules.

Two clear groups emerged in their stories.

The first group wanted to help other veterans find their footing. Many of them entered programs that led to counseling or advisor roles, often working inside their campus VA office or student services center. The second group leaned toward public-facing careers such as politics, government administration, or policy work. Their academic paths often started in the same place: history, political science, or social sciences.

According to the latest VA education data, the top three bachelor’s majors for veterans are:

• History

• Political Science

• Social Sciences / Public Administration

And when you hear their stories, the pattern makes sense.

Story 1: Marcus — From Marine Squad Leader to Campus Veteran Counselor

When Marcus left the Marine Corps, he assumed he would go straight into a trade job or logistics. But during transition counseling, he realized what he actually enjoyed most was helping younger Marines figure out their next steps. He was the one who stayed late, reviewing reenlistment paperwork, brainstorming civilian jobs, or coaching someone through a personal crisis.

When he returned to school to finish his bachelor’s degree, he walked into the campus Veteran Resource Center to submit his COE. The coordinator was also a veteran. They started talking, and that moment changed Marcus’ direction.

A week later, he applied for a work-study position under the VA’s Work-Study Allowance program. It felt natural. He spent his days helping fellow student veterans verify BAH enrollment, apply for the GI Bill, or talk through class options. Little by little, he became the person other veterans relied on.

His professors noticed his empathy and instinct for problem-solving. One told him outright: “You’d be an incredible counselor.”

That stuck with him.

Marcus switched his major from Fine Arts to Education with a focus in counseling, something he never imagined doing while in uniform. Today, he works as a full-time Veteran Success Counselor, guiding hundreds of students each year. He likes to say he is “still serving, just without the rifle.”

Story 2: Tiana — From Army Intelligence to a Future in Public Service

When Tiana left Army intelligence after five years, she already knew she wanted to work in government or public policy. What she did not expect was how much planning her education would require. During her first meeting with a campus Veteran Success Counselor, she learned something many veterans didn't hear: if a school uses a two-semester system, you only use GI Bill entitlement for the months you're actually enrolled. That means roughly eight months of benefits per year, not twelve.

It was a lightbulb moment. If she finished her bachelor’s in three years and avoided summer enrollment, she could save almost two full years of GI Bill benefits for graduate school. No student loans. No need for Chapter 31. Just smart planning.

With that strategy, she chose Political Science, a field that felt like a natural extension of the institutional systems she had worked with in the military. She balanced her course load to stay full-time during fall and spring while protecting her remaining entitlement. Along the way, she joined the VA work-study program and assisted the university’s Public Policy Research Center, where she worked on veteran-focused housing and community projects.

Her internships later took her to the state legislature, where she saw firsthand how policy decisions ripple outward into families, schools, and military communities.

Tiana often says she didn’t reinvent herself after service. She simply redirected her mission. And by stretching her GI Bill in a way most veterans never realize is possible, she positioned herself for both a bachelor’s and a future master’s degree without paying out of pocket.

The Appeal of These Majors for Veterans

Veterans like Marcus and Tiana often choose:

• History, because it helps contextualize the conflicts and institutions they served in

• Political Science, because it offers a pathway into government, law, policy, or diplomacy

• Public Administration, because it leads directly into civilian roles that involve leadership, management, and community impact

• Education or Counseling, because veterans want to empower others, especially fellow service members and their families

These fields reward real-world experience. Veterans bring discipline, maturity, mission orientation, and an understanding of public institutions that many civilians simply do not have.

The Role of VA Work-Study and Apprenticeship-Like Opportunities

Many veterans we spoke to described their campus VA jobs as “apprenticeships in counseling and public service.” Work-study roles often include:

• Helping other veterans navigate GI Bill paperwork

• Supporting disability claims

• Assisting with academic planning

• Coordinating workshops

• Working directly in VA-approved campus offices

These experiences frequently become the foundation for long-term careers in:

• Academic advising

• Student services

• VA support centers

• Nonprofits

• State or federal agencies

• Public policy organizations

For many veterans, it is not just work. It is a continuation of service.

When Veterans Turn Their Education Into Public Impact

The veterans entering education and public service today are shaping the next generation of civic leadership. They bring lived experience, empathy, and a deep understanding of government systems. Many tell us they feel called back into service, but in a way that uplifts communities instead of deploying to conflict.

Whether they become school counselors, VA advisors, policy analysts, or eventually elected officials, these pathways are rooted in a core belief veterans share: service does not end when the uniform comes off. It evolves.