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A Conversation About Entering a Post-Military Career in Web Design

Joshua Frisch • Dec 06, 2022
a hand points to sketches on a web design document

Here at CTeLearning, we are so proud of our work with MyCAA students. MyCAA is the My Career Advancement Account, a Department of Defense program that offers assistance for military members and spouses for continued education. One of our MyCAA students is Kiaizah P., who recently completed our Web Design curriculum and earned her Certified Web Designer Associate certificate from Web Professionals Global at the end of the course. 

Kiaizah currently works as a logistics specialist for the National Guard and is transitioning into her post-military career. As she began to consider life after the military, she looked at how she could transfer her skills into a new and exciting career pathway. She found the Web Design course and completed it to begin preparing for her professional life as a civilian. We caught up with her to hear about her experience and plans for the future.

How did you become interested in web design and the Web Design course?

I was interested in this course because I wanted to try something new while transitioning out of the military. I have no experience with web design at all, so I was really interested in learning more about it. So I was happy to find your course, and it has been going well so far. I really like when things look pretty and attractive, which is what drew me to web design. I enjoy using websites that are pleasing and easy to use, but there are so many out there that are difficult to use. Often I will have to leave a site because it is too difficult to use. I want to work on and create websites that are user-friendly.

Did you have any concerns when planning this transition from the military back to civilian life?

I was concerned about a lack of opportunity in the civilian world. While there is plenty of opportunity in the military world I knew that I didn’t want to stay in logistics, which is my current field. And I have been in the military for so many years. So I was kind of panicking and freaking out and asking myself, “What can I do?” The biggest thing for me was just reaching out and seeing what resources are out there for military members like myself. There are many opportunities for education and employment as well as partnerships to help out. They weren’t right in front of me, but I used Google and just went out and found them for myself. I also realized that I had transferable skills from the military that I can use in my civilian life. That’s what I would recommend for anyone else who is looking for a career change post-military.

How was your experience working through the Web Design course?

I really enjoyed it, because I was nervous about doing online learning. I am used to being very hands-on when learning. I also didn’t know how it would go being self-paced. But I love how the course has text and video explanations for everything to make it easier to understand. And after I learned something new, I was able to immediately practice it with the coding sandbox feature. This allowed me to really take my time and learn each step. 

Did you enjoy hearing from industry professionals throughout the course?

It was great hearing different points of view from industry professionals. I appreciate hearing from those with years of experience because it can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming learning something completely new in which I have no experience. Hearing from other professionals about how they didn’t know everything at first and had obstacles to overcome was really helpful. It’s motivating to know that there are other people who went through what I am going through now

What would your advice be to other military members who are considering getting into a creative career?

I would tell them to not put pressure on themselves, because it will be much easier to succeed this way. When learning something new, it often feels like it is important to know everything, study all the time and pass tests with flying colors. Of course it is important to do all of this, but you can do so without overwhelming yourself. 

What was it like working with the CTeLearning team?

It was an awesome experience. I want to thank you, Steve, and the CTeLearning team for being so helpful during this entire process. The transition to civilian life for military families can be difficult, and you helped make it easy. It can feel like a lot of pressure pursuing an education and a new career field while dealing with other life changes at the same time. But I was able to enjoy the whole process. I felt like I was able to learn in a relaxed environment.

Take the Next Step in Your Career

We love working with students like Kiaizah who are looking to take their next career steps. We work with students who are leaving the military, looking to enter a different career field or simply building their skill sets. Contact us today at 913-764-4272 or swaddell@ctelearning.com to learn how we can help. 

Get in touch with us today!


You can book a demo directly using Calendly, call us directly at 913-764-4272 or 877-828-1216, or submit the form below and we will reach out to you.


We look forward to helping you and your students.

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