PART 1: READING COMPREHENSION
Based on the text below, answer question.
The War at Home: The Struggle for Veterans to Find Jobs
In today's tough and competitive Job market, it can be challenging for any adult to land a decent job. Though education can definitely improve outcomes, sometimes it's not just about the degree. Experience can also play a major role ∈ helping people find jobs. Yein some cases, if you do not have the \right kind of experience, this may be of little help. Just ask one of the many college-educated military veterans who serve their country only to return to find a Job market that will treat them as rookies.
Army veteran John Lee Dumas said he had zero anxieties about finding a job after graduating college and had been told that his military experience would give him a leg up on other candidates. But things did not turn out that way.
“I quickly found out that I was lumped together with recent college grads for entry-level positions, and that an employee that had two vears' experience at a job ∈a similar industry was considered way more qualified than I was despite my four years as an officer ∈ the army”, Dumas said.
When Dumas did find work, he said it was difficult to acclimate to the civilian office environment.
“I often found that my peers and above had a hard time dealing with my direct approach and attitude about tackling problems head on, often asking for forgiveness rather than permission”, he said.
One issue is that veterans are too modest when it comes to stating their accomplishments ∈ the military.
“For some reason, Iíve had veterans not tell me about their awards and honors, but it should all be listed - from commander s coins to medals of honor,” Hurwitz said.
Navy veteran Tom Graves, who has a career ∈ world force development helping companies understand the benefits of hiring skilled and experienced military veterans, agreed.
(Adapted from http://www. onlinecollege.org)
Considering the text, which word can replace “despite” ∈ this extract: “[...] despite my four vears of experience [...]”?
