A Veteran’s Guide to Tech Careers

Leaving active service brings forth a natural feeling of excitement and fear. Therefore, if you are among the 200,000 military personnel who transition annually from active military service to civilian life, finding a suitable profession that leverages the skills acquired during active duty is probably the toughest challenge. For starters, the civilian workforce can appear quite alien, requiring that you adopt different behavior and abilities from what you are used to.

Fortunately, the military equips one with many skills for those looking to venture into the private sector. From a strong work ethic, a deep sense of discipline to prioritizing teamwork, you can perfectly fit various private sectors, including technology industries. Another serious challenge is highlighting these skills to potential employers. That said, below is a guide for veterans looking to transition into the technology sector.

Why Veterans Should Consider Tech Jobs

Veterans are better suited for technology jobs for various reasons. For starters, the IT or technology sector is probably one of the most shorthanded sectors in terms of employment deficits. So to say, the technology sector has a shortage of approximately 3 million employees worldwide. The demand for tech professionals outstrips the supply by far. The deficits are expected to worsen as future projections of demand for tech experts are expected to rise as well.

Another factor that makes veterans suitable for tech jobs is that veterans and technology employees share common qualities. Succeeding in both professions require unmatched dedication, discipline, and teamwork. Additionally, the current military workforce uses technologically advanced systems. Military networks and computer systems remain the number one target for hackers. Therefore, any active-duty officer who directly handled these systems perfectly fit the tech world.

Technology jobs, such as network administrators, should demonstrate great loyalty. Therefore, the fact that military officers are entrusted with state secrets shows a lot about their reliability and character. Several cybersecurity jobs, especially in government agencies, also require a security clearance, which military personnel have.

Transitioning From Boots to Computers

Once you have decided to leave the forces, you should carefully find a field that suits your skills, personality, and experience as a veteran. Through various platforms, such as Military.com, you can learn how to transition from veteran to civilian employment opportunities using specific skills. Since most veterans fit the technology sector, additional training is required before you search for employment. That said, below are some veteran training and education resources to leverage.

Advanced schooling/colleges

The technasfGology sector is wide, with a plethora of career options. As such, you should search for some of the best vets colleges that offer your chosen course. Note that these colleges are categorized based on the time of the study. The categories include four-year schools, 2-year schools, online, and career and technical colleges.

Online schools are a good alternative for active military members and veterans. This is because they offer great flexibility that suits the demanding lives of veterans.

Cyber Veteran Initiatives

If you are into cybersecurity, the Cyber Veteran Initiative will be beneficial in ensuring a seamless transition. Some states, such as Virginia, have partnered with organizations to launch programs that help veterans train and get private cybersecurity jobs. Training programs from tech giants, such as Amazon and Cisco, provide veterans with free opportunitiesto learn the basics to help them get jobs.

Microsoft software and systems academy is another veteran-friendly initiative that prepares veterans by providing extensive training in various tech careers. Some of the tech courses offered by these programs and other initiatives include cybersecurity operations, software engineering, security management, network security, and security infrastructure.

Bootcamps

Most veterans eying tech employment opportunities chose to attend bootcamps for various reasons. Bootcamps provide short yet extensive training on various technology courses. Unlike colleges and other initiatives, bootcamps emphasize practical skills. They also offer great career guidance that helps graduates land well-paying jobs.

The only limiting factor that can potentially prevent veterans from joining bootcamps is the cost of studying. While it isn’t expensive as enrolling for a college degree, coding bootcamps can be pricey. Fortunately, veterans have access to financial aid through scholarships or the G.I Bill benefits. With such financial assistance, veterans can access free training on their course of choice.

Tech Jobs Military Veterans Can Get

College and coding Bootcamp graduates can work on all types of tech jobs. Among them include;

• Full-stack web developer – responsible for building front and back-end web applications.
• Quality assurance analyst – tasked with conducting test analysts on codes to ensure its proper functioning. QA experts examine codes and workflow problems before the code is published.
• Data analysts – analyze raw data to generate insights that help in decision making.

Other available employment opportunities for veterans in tech include software engineering, technology consultants, and more.

Transitioning from Military to Technology

While shifting from the military to civilian lifestyle is challenging, the wide range of employment opportunities is reassuring. With military experience, veterans should find it easy to adapt to the technology world.