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" Dear E. Jean: I&amp;#039;m a soldier who&amp;#039;s deployed in Iraq. I receive my ELLE every month and enjoy reading it, since there&amp;#039;s not much out here that keeps a girl, well, feeling like a girl. I&amp;#039;m writing for two reasons: First, I&amp;#039;ve been so worried and nervous about when I get home. (This is my second and last deployment.) When I return, I&amp;#039;m separating from the military and will be looking for a job. It&amp;#039;s not just getting a job that scares me\u2014it&amp;#039;s that I won&amp;#039;t be able to find a job. I&amp;#039;m currently working on my associate&amp;#039;s degree in general education here, so it&amp;#039;s slow going. I could give you a laundry list of my &amp;quot;oh my gosh&amp;quot; worries, but I won&amp;#039;t. It is exciting at the same time because I&amp;#039;ll be facing a whole new life. Stripes Sergeant, my warrior-ess: Thank you for putting things into perspective. I and all ELLE readers esteem your gallant service, and we all want you to stay safe. And that&amp;#039;s why I hate to tell you this: When you come home, it&amp;#039;s not going to be exactly easy. A \u00ADrecent study conducted by the Department of Veteran Affairs and Abt Associates, Inc. reported that 18 percent of recently separated service members are currently unemployed, and 25 percent earn less than $21,840 a year. This is shocking and deplorable; but you, my brave sergeant, are \u00ADalready a leader and possess skills that will make a brilliant world open up for you\u2014a world chock-full of incredible possibilities. I&amp;#039;ve been on the phone this last half hour with gregarious Captain Daniel Tower, commander of the Bear Mountain Recruitment Company, United States Army, and he says he has served with many &amp;quot;fantastic female soldiers and officers in Iraq,&amp;quot; and points to doors on which you can go a-knockin&amp;#039;: &amp;quot;Hiring companies, such as Century 21, Home Depot, police departments, and businesses that \u00ADspecialize in computers and communications, look very favorably on young women with military experience.&amp;quot; &amp;quot;This young sergeant,&amp;quot; says Captain Tower, talking about you, &amp;quot;will be considered an ace candidate because she&amp;#039;s received the world&amp;#039;s best training in confidence, discipline, and leadership.&amp;quot; You have marketable management skills, no doubt, but why not add a bachelor&amp;#039;s degree and make yourself \u00ADcompletely irresistible to employers? The GI Bill will pay for part or all\u2014depending on how many years you were enlisted and \u00ADwhether you go to school full- or part-time\u2014of your education. When you separate from the Army, you&amp;#039;ll go through special ETS (Expiration of Term Service) counseling, which includes resume; writing, financial planning, and college and employment advice. Then, after you decide what career you want and where you want to live, let&amp;#039;s not muck around: Call me. I&amp;#039;ll get you a job. E-mail your questions to e.jean@askejean.com Related: Ask E. Jean: How To Play a Dude and Win Related: Ask E. Jean: What If 30 Isn&amp;#039;t the New Twenty? Related:  Ask E. Jean: The Body Art Deal-Breaker  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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