Clare Mitchell knew exactly what job she wanted after leaving a career in defence but it took her 20 years to actually get it.
Women are "more likely to be unemployed, unsatisfied in their jobs, and earning less compared to men after leaving the Australian Defence Force (ADF)," research commissioned by the Department of Veterans' Affairs has found.
They also experience worse long-term employment and retention outcomes, especially if they have children or physical or mental health issues tied to their service.
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As a result, women like Mitchell face massive challenges when transitioning from defence to a civilian career and Australia's economy is missing out.
Mitchell had almost zero work experience when she enlisted in the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) at age 18.
She served as an administrative officer for six years, working across personnel management, accounts and recruiting — all highly transferrable skills.
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But when she discharged in 1994 and enrolled in university to become a psychologist, which usually takes six years of undergraduate and postgraduate study, her career stagnated.
"It actually it took me 20 years to become a psychologist," she told 9news.com.au.
Mitchell worked a mix of jobs during her undergraduate degree but was knocked back when she applied for a masters degree.
Her career took another hit when she married her husband, who was also in defence, and discovered that being a military spouse added another layer of challenges.
"My opportunities always came second to my husband's because he was the one that would have to move around, which made it a bit challenging," she said.
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Constantly relocating and then starting a family made it even harder for Mitchell to pursue her career goals and it wasn't until her husband discharged in the 2010s that she was finally able to settle down in Australia and complete a masters degree.
Two decades after leaving defence to pursue a career in psychology, Mitchell finally landed a job as a psychologist with Mates4Mates in 2014.
Working at the ADF charity, which supports current and ex serving members and their families, she's heard countless stories from female veterans struggling to find satisfying work — or any work at all — in the decade since.
"In defence, you never have to write a CV or necessarily do an interview. If you join very young, people don't have the skills or the experience to do those things," she said.
Female veterans with children can struggle finding flexible employment, while some with career gaps find it hard just to get their foot in the door, and specialised career support can be hard to find.
That's about to change with the launch of FW's - formerly known as Future Women - new Jobs Academy intake focused specifically on women and gender diverse people who have previously served, of have a partner who has served.
Jobs Academy is a free, year-long program that's now offering the estimated 17,500 women in the ADF and female veterans the skills and confidence to transition successfully into a satisfying civilian career.
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Applicants can connect with employers and a community of women like them, as well as accessing expert advice, self-guided courses, mentoring, jobs and skills fairs, and networking opportunities.
Developed in partnership with the Department of Veterans' Affairs, FW founder and managing director Helen McCabe told 9news.com.au the new focus on women who've served in the ADF "feels like a natural continuation of the work FW is doing".
"Every day these women are kept out of work, Australia's economy is missing out," she said, especially as Australia is currently facing skills shortages in areas like technology and cyber security, which many veterans have experience in.
"Anyone who's taken a career break knows how much being out of work rattles your confidence," McCabe said.
"These women are highly capable and Jobs Academy is a program giving them the tools to figure out what they want to do next and go for it."
Since its inception in 2021, Jobs Academy has helped more than 2500 participants achieve their career goals and Mitchell called the new intake for veterens "invaluable".
To learn more about the program or to register your interest for future intakes, visit the website. FW is co-owned by NIne, the publisher of this website.
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