ORLANDO, Fla. — November is a month to honor and celebrate those who have served their country, but for some veterans, finding work after serving can be a challenge.

Experts say the transition to civilian life is not as easy as it may seem when it comes to finding a new career.

What You Need To Know

  •  Valencia College in Orlando hosted CareerSource of Central Florida's Paychecks For Patriots veterans job fair Wednesday

  •  CareerSource of Central Florida estimates that there are around 80,000 veterans who live in Central Florida

  •  The organization estimates that the local unemployment rate for veterans is 2.7%

On Wednesday, CareerSource of Central Florida hosted a Paychecks for Patriots job fair for area veterans at Valencia College.

Attending Wednesday's event — where more than 20 companies set up booths for job seekers — 20-year Navy veteran Cywel Lopez went from booth to booth looking for work. He said he's been looking for a job for about six months.

“Transition from military to civilian is kind of hard, because military is totally different from being a civilian,” Lopez said. “The way that we do our work, our mission alone, the standards that we go through.” 

CareerSource of Central Florida reports that in the five counties it serves — Orange, Osceola, Sumter, Lake and Seminole — there are about 80,000 veterans. At 2.7%, the unemployment rate for local veterans is well below the national average of 4.1%.

“Last year we served over 2,200 veterans in our region,” said Evan Williams, the director of workforce operations for CareerSource Central Florida. “We looked at the majority of the industries those veterans went in to. We saw the highest industry was industry and finance. Right behind them was construction.”

Cywel said he is optimistic about finding work after speaking to a supply chain company that was on hand. He said he was surprised, though, that he likely start off as an entry-level worker in the company if hired.

“It’s kind of sad to think you are going to start from the bottom,” Lopez said. “But I think we all do that. Also, when I was in the military, I had to start from the bottom, so pretty much that expectation. I learned just getting your foot in the door and pretty much progressively work your way up.”

Veterans in the area had the chance to pre-register for the event as well as walk up for the chance to connect with potential employers.