We’re with Chelsea: A Military Spouse Overseas Whose Job Search Has Led to a Career of Helping Others

By Kayla Clark

Meet Chelsea, a military spouse currently living overseas in Spangdahlem, Germany. Like many others, Chelsea had heard about the challenges of maintaining a career throughout her journey as a military spouse – especially when moving overseas – however, it wasn’t until she personally experienced the situation that she fully understood. Chelsea always managed to adapt and quickly secure a job in the past, but with her first military move overseas, it wasn’t so easy. However, she never gave up hope. Through outreach, perseverance and building a community through the USO, Chelsea not only secured employment but also built strong friendships, making it her personal mission to advocate for American military spouses in Europe.

Thanks to her experiences with the USO and life overseas, Chelsea is determined to help others obtain meaningful employment, professional development opportunities and ultimately career progression, no matter where their military journey takes them.

How Chelsea Went From Navigating the Challenges of an Overseas Duty Station, to Thriving in One

Chelsea originally grew up in Tampa, Florida, in a big family, enjoying endless summers on the beach and spending a lot of time learning how to fish with her dad – a hobby she continues to this day.

Chelsea also has a love for softball – originally learning how to play at the age of 6 – and it is one of the pivotal parts of her life that has helped her learn both life lessons and build community. She has played on multiple teams over the years, including both in college and currently on base with the Spangdahlem Sabers.

Chelsea, a military spouse currently living overseas in Spangdahlem, Germany. | Photo credit Courtesy Photo

When Chelsea was a junior in high school, she actually hit the most home runs in the county on her high school softball team. In the local newspaper, there was a quote from a player on her rival team that shared, “The one thing I fell short of was hitting more home runs than Chelsea Armstrong.” That player ended up being the MVP of her team, and the two ended up moving on to play in an all-county team together as well. But that memory and accomplishment will always remain with Chelsea – not just the tremendous strength and perseverance she had that got her there, but because of the coaches, leaders, mentors, teammates and rivals who helped her grow and push her to better herself. Those experiences on the field helped shape Chelsea into the person and professional that she is today.

“Over time, I have realized that awards and recognition are not everything,” Chelsea shared. “The most important thing I’ve learned is that how you treat people matters, and you can always learn something from the person next to you.”

Chelsea is also a huge Tampa Bay Rays fan. When stationed in the United States, she and her spouse traveled to approximately 10 Major League Baseball stadiums for games and would make it a point to get there early, so they could meet some of their favorite players before the game. She even has a baseball with signatures from some of their favorite Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres players. Even though Chelsea and her spouse are now overseas, they still keep up with baseball back home daily.

When Chelsea was younger, it was always a dream of hers to become a marine biology teacher, as she was hugely inspired and impacted by her own marine biology teacher growing up. She wanted to give back to kids and make a direct, daily difference in their lives.

Photo credit Courtesy Photo

Chelsea was inspired at a young age by her marine biology teacher, sparking a dream to one day teach and give back by making a meaningful impact in students’ lives every day.

“This may be a simple passion but showing kindness to others around me [is what I am passionate about]. I thoroughly enjoy helping others reach their goals, finding ways to make their lives better and showing compassion,” she said.

After high school, Chelsea went on to pursue a degree with Eckerd College and then ended up teaching middle school for a few years upon graduation – following that passion right to a career that helps others.

While in college, Chelsea met the love of her life dancing at the historic Dallas Bull line dancing club, while he was stationed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The two immediately hit it off. While Chelsea claims that her husband knew nothing about line dancing, “he could two-step very well.” This sealed the deal for them. The two married soon after.

Like many military spouses, Chelsea ended up changing career fields as the couple moved between duty stations and relocated to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. After years of teaching through the COVID-19 pandemic, she was ready for a change and decided to translate her skills from the classroom to a career in human resources. She served as an HR coordinator in the federal IT space for a few years, where she truly developed a passion for HR and the best way to create a positive employee culture through fostering meaningful relationships with employees at all levels of an organization.

Like many military spouses, Chelsea faced limited career options overseas. Despite the challenges, she stayed proactive and committed to finding meaningful work. | Photo credit Courtesy Photo

After a few years in D.C. area, it came time for Chelsea and her spouse to move again – this time taking a leap overseas to Spangdahlem, Germany. The two were excited about the opportunity to live abroad, travel and experience other cultures. Chelsea was optimistic about continuing her career in the HR field, though upon arrival, she was met with some unexpected challenges.

For many military spouses overseas, finding employment is challenging. Due to visa restrictions in foreign countries, many spouses are only permitted to work on American military bases, and for smaller bases like Spangdahlem, there aren’t many opportunities, especially in specific fields like HR. Chelsea proactively job searched and applied for opportunities prior to leaving for their new duty Germany station, but nothing initially panned out. Once she arrived, she continued to search, however, she was faced with the all-too familiar and difficult reality that frustrates many military spouses: there simply are not as many employment opportunities available for military spouses overseas. And in the jobs that are available, they are not necessarily in line with ones’ field or desired career path, leading many military spouses to be underemployed. However, Chelsea was determined not to lose faith.

Chelsea originally heard about the USO Transition Program from a post on the Spangdahlem Air Base military spouse Facebook page and decided to register to see if the program could provide her with some guidance and resources to assist her in her search. She was immediately connected to a USO Transition Specialist, who provided Chelsea with a customized Action Plan of resources to assist her with updating her resume, fine-tuning her LinkedIn profile and getting a high-level certification in her field.

The USO Transition Program offers professional development services throughout a service member’s military career, or a military spouse’s time in the military community. Through the USO Transition Program, members of the military community can learn and prepare for everything from employment and education, to financial readiness and veteran benefits, to overall mentorship.

Photo credit USO Photo

The USO Transition Program is an opportunity for all service members to be connected with a USO Transition Specialist and receive personalized, one-on-one support for every transition and chapter in their military career and lives.

“I love that the program is customizable, and it really is what you make of it,” Chelsea said. “My Transition Specialist was absolutely amazing in connecting me with employers outside of the federal space that helped expand opportunities available to me. The program also kept me organized and focused on developing career goals. The USO Transition Program taught me the importance of networking and how it is a MUST when going overseas. It also pushed me to work on obtaining the PHR certification and continue developing myself for long-term gains. It connected me to so many military spouse resources that I didn’t know existed.”

With time and perseverance, Chelsea landed not just one, but two different job offers, accepting a position in her field as a recruiting specialist and HR assistant with French Consulting. It was her really putting herself out there and attending a job fair at another base in Germany that helped Chelsea secure that opportunity. Because of her experience, Chelsea is now actively networking with other military spouses in her area, to encourage others to also pursue their career goals.

When asked what advice Chelsea would give to other spouses, she shared, “Owning your work - especially as a military spouse in unique and often transitional environment -means taking pride in what you do, being accountable and advocating for your value and contributions. It builds confidence, credibility and career momentum no matter where you’re stationed and what you do. Keep an open mind as well because the greatest opportunities come when you least expect them.”

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