Post-Service Workforce
30%
Of skills held by military veterans are within STEM related fields.
1-in-5
Of surveyed personnel are between ages 35 and 44.
59%
Hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Translation for hiring managers: deep technical bench (30 percent in STEM), seasoned talent (1-in-5 are 35 to 44), real credentials (59 percent hold a bachelor's or higher).
Survey Results: Job Skills
Source: Military Survey(s): CareerSource Okaloosa Walton 2015-2025 & Haas Center 2025. Data visualization provided by the UWF Haas Center.
Business and STEM expertise dominate the talent pool. Administrative Management leads at 10.9 percent, followed by Education and Training at 6.7 percent, Computer and Electronics at 6.6 percent, and Program or Project Management at 6.3 percent, highlighting a workforce steeped in leadership, teaching ability, and advanced technology skills. Hover over the major fields to identify the skillsets. For example, Public Safety and Security and Law and Government skills fall under Legal fields.
Survey Results: Educational Attainment
Source: Haas Center & CareerSource Military Survey (2025). Data visualization provided by the UWF Haas Center.
Nearly three-fifths already hold a bachelor’s or higher (29.5 percent bachelor’s, 26.0 percent master’s, 3.5 percent doctorate/post‑doctorate degree). Associate degrees are carried by 12.1 percent, and another 18.9 percent have “some college” completed.
Survey Results: Language Proficiency
Source: Haas Center & CareerSource Military Survey (2025). Data visualization provided by the UWF Haas Center.
For companies chasing international customers or just wanting a call center that answers ‘Guten Tag’ and ‘Buenos días’ with equal flair, this talent pool delivers. By the numbers: Spanish 47.6 percent, German 19.0 percent, French 7.1 percent, Other 7.1 percent, Italian 4.8 percent, Tagalog 4.8 percent, and Mandarin, Hebrew, Russian, Korean at 2.4% each.
Survey Results: Age
Source: Haas Center & CareerSource Military Survey (2025). Data visualization provided by the UWF Haas Center.
Age brackets were listed for survey participants, with 60.7 percent between age 35 and 64. This means more than half have logged 10-plus years solving high‑stakes problems under tight deadlines. Think program managers, avionics technicians, and logistics wizards.
One-in-five (19.8 percent) land in the 35 - 44 bracket. Perfect succession planning: seasoned enough to lead, young enough to stick around for the long haul. Another 40.9 percent fall into the 45 - 64 band. These “gray-zone gurus” deliver C‑suite gravitas, built-in security clearances, and an uncanny ability to schedule 7AM meetings without coffee complaints.
Survey Results: Anticipated Salary
Source: Military Survey(s): CareerSource Okaloosa Walton 2015-2025 & Haas Center 2025. Data visualization provided by the UWF Haas Center.
Income expectations shape workforce re-entry decisions. Survey data show 31.7 percent of veterans earned under $60,000 annually, while 24.0 percent anticipated earnings below this threshold after military separation.
Higher income brackets reflected similar patterns; 35.2 percent reported earning over $100,000, with 25.5 percent expecting to maintain this level or higher post-transition.