I am leaving for basic training soon. I have some questions because I don't really have much idea about what it's like having a family in the military.

I am engaged, we are both 22 and have our bachelor's degrees. I am going into the Army and she is staying home to work on her Master's Degree in Math, she may go on to get her PhD. She wants to teach math at the college level.

I love her very much, our relationship is very strong. We have talked a lot about me going and I think the relationship is strong enough to last. We are both very mature. We have agreed to stay committed to one another, with full disclosure and honesty about anything that happens.

What I am worried about is our careers taking us in different directions, pulling us apart. Everyone who knows me and knows about the military says that I will love it, and that I will likely want to make it a career. I feel the same way. The thing is, if my fiancee gets her PhD, she is going to become a professor at a university, get tenured and stay there. I don't see how that could be compatible with a military spouse. So that's where my first question comes in, is there any way that could possibly work?

However, she has told me more than once that she would be willing to forgo becoming a professor in order to stay with me, provided that there would be some sort of teaching job she could get. This blows me away and I would in a way feel guilty to have her give up her dreams. We will wait and see, who knows what the future holds (I may not want to stay in or she may decide not to become a teacher or we may not even be together). But I would like to ask what kinds jobs are there for military spouses? Could she teach math, possibly even at the college level, while living on a military base with me?

Any advice or information will be very much appreciated.

Overseas bases have education centers through which colleges are contracted. There are many different ones - UMUC is one of the big ones.

She could try to get a contract to teach math through one of the colleges. Its probably going to almost always be nothing higher than Calculus, though you never know (but in general many of the offerings are typical of 1st and 2nd yrs of college).

In addition, many online universities hire adjuncts (and possibly even regulars) to teach classes online.

Stateside, it depends on where you live and perhaps she can find teaching opportunities at the jr college level as well as the 4 yr level. Obviously getting a tenure-track position is not going to be in her best interest if she is going to leave - later on in your career you guys might consider some separation if she gets a tenure track position somewhere you'd want to live, and you are close enough to separation from the military.

Good luck!

She can definitely look into someplace like Univ. of Phoenix or North Central Univ. UoP has a large online division and NCU is strictly online who both use PhD's to teach undergrad and graduate level classes. She could also check out some of the other universities that have online programs to see whether they allow the professor to work from home. Devry Univ. is also someplace to look. They require on campus but there are many campuses.

as mentioned there are programs to look into.... however i will say all the professors I have come across in my years of studying on bases over seas are established in their field, someone straight out of uni may have a harder time competing against someone with years experienced teaching at that level (tenure wont happen right away anyway usually takes a couple years or more to even be considered ) not to rule this out but make sure your aware of the level of competition.

but what she can also do with her phd is if your overseas work at a foreign university. both my parents for for the university of cambridge in england and we have professors from everywhere, as do many large universities. or she will have to commute to work or stay there during the week home on weeks (there are loads of options for you if you choose it, not easy ones but they are there)

but dont feel guilty, part of being in the mil with a family is compromise, even if she did not become a prof she can teach other levels of school or tutor, until you get out or retire then you can follow her career.

best of luck to you both