Founded by a military spouse in 2017 on the campus of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, The Paradigm Switch (TPS) set out to teach military spouses how to work anywhere in the world. As the global movement of military spouses spread organically, TPS identified areas of opportunity that would create lasting impacts for the future of military spouses everywhere.
Today, TPS has a learning community of more than 1,700 military spouses and has provided scholarships to more than 150 military spouses. After finishing TPS’s digital career bootcamp, 90 percent of TPS alumni felt more prepared to keep or find new employment during their next move.
In the United States there are more than 1.1 million active, guard, and reserve military spouses. More than 88 percent have some college education or higher, yet 51 percent of employed military spouses earn less than $20,000 annually; the last reported unemployment rate for military spouses was 24 percent, one of the highest rates for any population in the country before the coronavirus pandemic.
The future
TPS is now a self-paced journey for military spouses ready to learn how to design their life to live and work anywhere in the world. According to a 2017 Hiring our Heroes report, military spouses are moving every 2-3 years and are forced to transition into new careers, neighborhoods, and even lifestyles. Because many military bases are located more than 50 miles from major urban centers, we know that both the quantity and quality of jobs available to military spouses within their local community are limited.
With 49 percent of military spouses holding bachelor’s degrees and 22 percent of military spouses having master’s degrees, we know these are highly educated people who are ready for a challenge. Due to frequent moves, lack of civilian integration, and lack of local networks, military spouses do not need a handout. Rather, they need a hand up and resources that will teach them how to set goals, tell their story, showcase their experience and resiliency, and locate opportunities that are best for them and their military lifestyle.
TPS’s programming and community are helping military spouses to live and work anywhere in the world so they can continue to support our nation’s service members and keep our nation safe.
For more information on The Paradigm Switch, visit www.theparadigmswitch.org or follow them on your favorite social media platform at @TPSwitching.