Military spouses face a 22% unemployment rate and a 26% wage gap compared to non-military spouses—prior to the pandemic. Organizations predict rates have increased due to COVID-19.
In this episode, Kate shares her experience building her copywriting business as a military spouse. She describes the unique challenges military spouses face when seeking employment and how freelancing created the flexibility she needed to overcome many of those obstacles.
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A Sneak Peek at the Episode
[1:09] Nicki discusses how this topic is a continuation of their conversation with Tyler, a CCA student who just left the military and is now a full-time copywriter. His podcast episode is about transitioning from the military to copywriting, whereas this episode is from the perspective of a military spouse. Kate shares her story of how she built her freelance copywriting career while moving and facing the unique challenges of being a military spouse.
[3:09] Kate explains how becoming a full-time freelance copywriter was never her plan. However, the military spouse lifestyle of moving from place to place made her rethink her career plans. After a few moves in the U.S. once her husband got stationed in Germany, she took the leap to become a full-time freelance copywriter because she thought, if not now, when?
[5:15] Kate digs deeper into being a military spouse and how within the community of military spouses there are many men and women who are unemployed who wanted to be employed. She explained how grateful she was to have the freelance opportunities and how she built her freelance business mostly while she was overseas in Germany. However that was not the norm. She met many women with masters degrees who could not put their skills to use in the ways they wanted.
[7:26] Kate expresses another challenge with trying to get a job whether overseas or in the U.S. is how the companies will inevitably ask why you are in that location. After explaining you are there because your spouse is in the military, the company hears that you have a time limit and they prefer applicants that will grow with the company rather than those who will ultimately leave.
[8:13] Kate further explains the challenges of the job search process and the toll it can take on a person when they know they need to do it all again in a couple years. Kate didn’t realize how incredible an opportunity freelancing was until she discovered that she no longer needs to go through several life changes at once with each move.
[9:50] When you move, you need to adjust to so many changes. Kate discusses how she appreciated the continuity that her freelance work brought her while the rest of her life felt upside down. Having her career in place gave her stability and purpose. Kate mentions how having the choice to continue her job wherever they move is freeing.
[14:14] Nicki and Kate discuss how the flexibility and stability of freelancing is a game changer for military spouses since you don’t get to choose where you will be living. Kate explains how when she and her husband were ranking the living options, they were trying to keep both of their careers in mind. However, at any point they could be stationed somewhere with limited career opportunities for her; which is why freelancing is so freeing because she gets to take her clients with her wherever she goes.
[16:16] The freedom to take her job with her also helped Kate enjoy locations she didn’t expect. Kate explains how removing the stress of the job search and being able to continue a job she loved allowed her to find happiness much easier in the places she least expected.
[17:56] Nicki explains how although Kate started her freelance career after already being trained in copywriting, you don’t need to have a background in it! All you need is the internet and the willingness to learn and you can learn how to be a successful copywriter.
[20:24] Kate explains how many of the military spouses (including herself) want to work but the unemployment rate is so high because of the challenges associated with finding a job but freelancing is a great opportunity to overcome those challenges.
[22:03] To conclude this podcast, Kate continues to provide insightful anecdotes as well as advice for military spouses if they want to explore a career in copywriting. Want to know what steps to take if this is something you are interested in pursuing? Kate covers that too! Kate and Nicki also discuss the benefits of full-time freelancing in depth and how the flexibility can be used in your favor in numerous ways.
Mentioned on this episode
- Ep. 4: Meet Our Head Copy Coach, Kate
- Transitioning out of the Military and Building a Copy Career – Tyler’s Story
Related Links
- What is Copywriting?
- How to Know if You Have What it Takes to be a Copywriter
- Freelance Copywriter Business FAQs
- Building Your Career for Maximum Flexibility
- The Secret Trait for Building a Successful Business
- How to Set Up Your Schedule When Working from Home
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About the Build Your Business Podcast
Ready to turn your love of writing into a successful copywriting career?
Join professional copywriters Nicki Krawczyk and Kate Sitarz to get the tips, tools, and training to help you become a copywriter and build a thriving business of your own. Nicki and Kate have 20+ and 10+ years of experience, respectively, writing copy for multi-billion-dollar companies, solopreneurs, and every size business in between.
Whether you want to land an on-staff job, freelance full-time and work from wherever you want, or make extra money with a side hustle, the best place to start learning is right here.
See Previous Episode
Ep. 44: Transitioning out of the Military and Building a Copy Career – Tyler’s Story
Last Updated on September 10, 2023
