Consider a Post-Military Journey

The following military job search advice comes to us courtesy of Lt. Col. Paul Capicik (USAF Ret), a 26 years Air Force veteran, former CIO, and military program manager for American Sentinel University.  He is the author of a new article series geared toward service members interested in pursuing or advancing Information Technology (IT) careers.

In an article entitled, Careers in IT – One GI’s Journey, Capicik uses a true story of one  military job seeker’s transition into the IT career field to illustrate what it takes to be successful.  He makes the following points which, in my opinion, can be applied to any career field:

• You don’t always know what career path to pursue. Hopefully these articles will help you with that. Also, if you aren’t happy in your job, you will likely look elsewhere or not be successful in your current position.

• Most people face a number of obstacles in becoming successful. Whether it is time, money, motivation, or luck, with the right attitude and persistence there is usually a way.

• Utilize your military benefits. If you are active-duty make sure you use as much of the TA money made available to you as possible (currently, that’s $4,500 per year). If you are a veteran, use those GI Bill® benefits before they run out.
  • GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.

• A career field is full of interesting and diverse paths. In this GI’s case, he successfully went from a military networking setting to a small business IT venture to an investment firm finally to an international power management company.

• A degree and certifications are key to providing valid credentials. This GI set himself apart and established worthy credentials to companies that, as he said to me, “didn’t know me from Adam.” His education showed a commitment to standards and achieving hard goals.

View the entire article. Keep up with new articles as they come out at the American Sentinel University blog. And regardless of the career field you are transitioning into, target your military resume by incorporating industry jargon, understanding the needs of potential employers, and communicating how you can best meet those needs.  For professional military resume writing assistance from military resume writers, please visit www.MilitaryResumes.com.