That's given him some insight that he shares with some of his buddies back at Fort Polk in Louisiana: Don't wait until you've left the military to determine how you'll make ends meet as a civilian.
"I've told them: 'Hey, man, you guys have really got to start planning months and months in advance. It's not just planning for interviews. It's planning to make sure you'll be afloat in this time period, which you don't know how long will take,'" said Huber, 26, of Waukesha, Wis.
Although veterans as a whole have a lower unemployment rate than the nation at large, younger veterans who served in the years following the Sept. 11 attacks are having a much harder time finding work.
The unemployment rate for veterans between 18 and 24 exceeded 20 percent last year. It was also in double digits for those 25-34. The unemployment rate for both age groups was higher than for their nonveteran peers and much higher than the national average.
The job problems for younger vets have continued despite a wide range of private and public efforts. Congress approved tax credits for companies that hire veterans. Federal agencies stepped up their preferential hiring of vets. Many thousands are taking advantage of a generous package of educational benefits instead of entering the job market. Companies such as Wal-Mart, General Electric and many others announced programs designed to hire more veterans. And organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have helped put on hundreds of job fairs around the company.
Kevin Schmiegel, a retired lieutenant colonel who spent years trying to get young Marines to re-enlist, says the youngest vets are making a couple of critical mistakes when it comes to searching for a job.
With little job experience outside the military, many can't explain how the skills they learned in the military translate to the private sector, said Schmiegel, now executive director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Hiring Our Heroes program. The program has helped more than 14,000 veterans land jobs and will be fine-tuning its focus over the coming to year to help younger vets, as well as military spouses.
Trooper Deon Cockrell, military liaison for the Texas Department of Public Safety, had a similar take at a recent job fair in Oklahoma City. He said the discipline and skills acquired during military service translate well to a career in law enforcement.
"A lot of them don't know that they're eligible," Cockrell said. "They can walk from uniform to uniform."
Congress tried to help with the transition to civilian life. Since November 2011, departing service members are required to attend various workshops designed to help them with such things as how to write effective resumes and cover letters and improve their interview skills. Previously, the training was voluntary, which greatly lessened participation rates.
Huber said he got help when he left Fort Polk, but he admits to waiting too long to seek it and says he was too busy on many days to worry about following through on the advice.
"I definitely wasn't focused on it, and I wasn't prepared for such a lengthy ordeal that is applying for a real, sustainable job," said Huber, who served in Baghdad in 2008.
At the Oklahoma City job fair, Jacob Clark, 25, had strong praise for the job counseling he got when he ended his Air Force career six months ago. He now works as a forklift operator and hopes to land a job maintaining airplanes. "I'm used to working with my hands," Clark said. "Planes are everywhere. They all need avionics maintenance." But he said civilian employers require a different kind of license that is difficult and time-consuming to get.
