Many military spouses are also veterans.

For those who may not know, I served in the US Army for six years. I know many other military spouses who are also veterans, having met their spouse during their service in the military.

In many cases, the military spouse opted to exit service in the military because the lifestyle of dual military families is too difficult. Especially once children enter the picture. Imagine a life where two parents might deploy at one time, it’s nearly impossible without a strong support system back home… not to mention heart wrenching for the family.

Meet Mahnoor Siddiqui

Mahnoor Siddiqui is a disabled veteran, active duty military spouse, practicing Muslim of Pakistani descent, and an immigrant. She works in the cybersecurity field, and served the in the US Army as a Cryptologic Liguist. She crafts policies, provides information assurance, and helps to educate young girls interested in learning about IT and coding.

You can connect with Mahnoor on LinkedIn here.

“What benefit do you believe military spouses bring to the workforce?”

I asked Mahnoor, “What benefit do you believe military spouses bring to the workforce?” Here is what she said:

“As a military spouse, I feel like one of the most impactful qualities we bring to the workforce is our ability to adapt and overcome. From saying goodbye at one duty station to setting up a new life at a new duty station, spouses have the tremendous task of efficiently ensuring a smooth transition for their families. This adaptability translates into the work force where we are expected to quickly learn the ropes and prove our worth.

With each move comes the daunting task of job hunting and proving to your next employer that your capabilities outweigh the fact that you may have to PCS at any given time. For that reason, we work twice as hard and build ourselves to be more more marketable. At times we feel like we are expected to put our lives on hold, but from that we find our motivation to pursue higher education or tech training to grow professionally.

Our ability to plan for contingency and mitigate risks along the way translates directly to any fast paced team environment where the military spouse can be an incredible asset.” ~Mahnoor Siddiqui