What Army Jobs Translate Into Civilian Careers?
The Army offers many opportunities to develop training in specific skills. In most cases, these skills can translate from a military position to civilian job relatively easily. In cases where there is no clear-cut civilian equivalent to the military job, a soldiers resume can be converted to represent the values and leadership skills they've learned.
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Non Combat Occupations
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Although all personnel in the army are soldiers first, the non-combat occupations have an easier time with finding a civilian equivalent. Food service jobs in the army easily translate into jobs as line cooks, sous chefs and even executive chefs. Trades like plumber, carpenter, and electrician can convert to a civilian occupation with little effort. In the army, there are music trades, human resources job, administration positions, and information technology positions like Information Systems Chief all can transition into a job in their respective fields.
Combat Occupations
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The combat occupations have fewer positions that directly translate into civilian careers. With the exception of military police transitioning into the police force, there are few opportunities aside from mercenary work that require the combat occupational skills that soldiers learn. What combat occupations do offer are a set of soft skills: values, ethics, and leadership that most employers value higher than training. The discipline and work ethic that combat occupations develop transitions very well into civilian life.
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Translating Military Experience
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When approaching the civilian workforce, a soldier will need to have a resume that highlights their skills and experience. It's important to remove military specific terminology as civilian employers may not know the occupation codes and skill sets. Highlighting your soft skills like leadership ability and communication skills is as important as showing your technical abilities.
Making the Transition
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There are many resources to help with the transition to civilian life. The army has career counselors that can offer assistance with the process of transitioning, including job placement. There are also resources like Military.com that offer translations from army jobs to their civilian equivalent, which can help when building a resume. The change from army life to civilian life is not always easy but by using the resources available it can be done.
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