This qualitative descriptive phenomenological study described how female veterans from the United States Military from Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom who experienced combat, were diagnosed with psychological conditions, maintained employment, and how this employment allows them to self-author their lives. Two theories were utilized to conduct this study, cognitive behavioral theory and self-authorship. These theories led to the discoveries in this study of how maintaining employment allows the female veteran to self-author her life. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews of the 11 participants of the study, as well as their basic demographic information. Three research questions guided this study, with 17 questions in the interview protocol that allowed the researcher to gather data about the lived experiences of the study participants. This is a complex process of moving from one set of requirements for employment to another. The themes that stood out were work/job, school, skills, growth, and purpose. When the female veteran was transitioning and had transitioned, being able to find employment that allowed them to grow into themselves and be who they truly want to be was the most important factor. Future research is needed to explore how to support the transition of the female veterans who had experienced combat. Keywords: Female veterans, Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), combat, self-authorship, employment, psychological conditions, women, veterans