Nadia Anac: A Military Spouse with MadSkills
I’m Nadia Anac, an active-duty Air Force spouse. My husband and I have been married for 12 years, but we’ve been together for 18! I have two small boys, ages 3 and 7, and we currently live in Newport News, VA, near Langley AFB. I’ve developed and created my MadSkills as a realtor with a boutique brokerage. I specialize in helping military families like myself transition into and out of the area.
What was your first move towards working in a remote capacity and/or becoming an military spouse entrepreneur?
When I graduated from law school, I thought we would live in DC for a while (where my husband was stationed). I assumed I would get a job at a law firm, he would work on base, and life would take its linear trajectory. The reality was that I moved up to the DC, we bought a house, I started working, and then my husband got 10-days’ notice that he was being deployed for 6 months. So everything changed. Fast. I realized then that military life was never going to go as planned, and I knew that finding employment at each new phase of our military life was going to be hard. So I decided to become my own boss and put my MadSkills to use.
What is your MadSkills definition of military spouses as an ‘untapped resource’?
Our ability to adapt and multi-task is an understatement. I think we are resourceful, creative, and we know how to get things done.
What would you tell other MadSkills military spouses looking to start a professional career?
Start somewhere. If formal education is not an immediate option, keep in mind that you may soon be in another duty station where your circumstances may be different and you may be able to pursue that degree. So do what you can with what you have. It may not be in the field you want, or even the ideal job, but you never know what contacts you will make, and how that experience will transfer to other opportunities in the future. I have had so many positions, and each one has taught me something that I use in my current business.
If you were put on a MadSkills panel involved in an initiative to improve military spouse remote employment opportunities and corporate awareness of the MadSkills that professional spouses bring to the workforce, what suggestions would you make?
Reaching out to corporations, but also to smaller businesses, to create mentorship opportunities. These could be done remotely and would be invaluable in opening doors for them to start their businesses or obtain jobs.
I realized then that military life was never going to go as planned, and I knew that finding employment at each new phase of our military life was going to be hard. So I decided to become my own boss.
Nadia AnacWould you like to be our next featured MadSkills professional?
