5 Entry-Level IT Careers for Transitioning Veterans

This blog is part of an ongoing series in November as ACI Learning celebrates our proud work with veterans and active-duty service members.  The day-to-day of the military and the daily grind of corporate America are worlds apart. Yet once you have gotten your discharge papers from the military, it can seem like you are expected to make the military to civilian transition and jump into the corporate world,figuring it out on your own. 

 So, what is a transitioning veteran wanting a smooth and profitable career change to do? Many veterans have found that there can be an easy and successful transition to a life-long post-military IT career.  

 Getting started is sometimes the hardest part, and that is why we are going to break it down for you. Here are some of the top jobs for veterans to pursue when making the military to civilian transition: 

Download our Veterans Transition Guide

Support Specialist, Technical Support with Security 

This is the most popular starting point for many veterans wishing to pursue an IT career, because the required IT certifications to qualify for entry-level IT careers in this field are also the certifications required to be DoD 8570 compliant - which can lead to some of the best government cybersecurity IT careers. Also, they are usually covered by GI Billand other related education benefits. ACI Learning’s Computer User Support Specialist IT training programis only 10 weeks (about 2 and a half months)long and will prepare you for four different DoD 8570 compliant certifications. 

Earning the base ITIL and CompTIA IT certifications will help get your foot in the door quickly and allow you to get experience while pursuing your long-term IT education and career goals. 

Tech Compliance 

As an entry-level compliance officer, you get your hands on policy creation, implementation, and procedures to make sure your employer stays within important compliance guidelines. 

While some companies will require a bachelor’s degree for such a position, others are more concerned with experience, and others simply want you to have the knowledge you need to do the job. 

ACI Learning’s Network Support Specialist IT Training is comprehensive and will give you the knowledge you need to get started.

Network Technician / Network Administrator 

Cisco products provide a network that can securely and reliably handle all types of traffic, throughout the entire network, over virtually any media, while providing consistent service delivery to all users. Because of this, Cisco products are used across the world, and it is essential for anyone serious about network administration to be knowledgeable and experienced in Cisco.

CCNA is by far the most popular IT certification for Cisco products and is highly sought after by many companies. Our Network Administrator Program can be completed in four weeks and puts you on the road to advanced IT careers. 

 Network Control Center Operator 

Admittedly, this may not be the most glamorous of entry-level positions for IT careers, but it does get you working under the people whose jobs you might want someday. 

You are working as a call center help specialist, but with a little deeper responsibility in solving security-based technical problems. The Computer User Support Specialist program is also great for those seeking this kind of role. 

The remarkable thing about it, though, is that it does not require anything higher than a high school diploma and conversational English skills to land the job, meaning it is one that you could land right away without having to worry about who is paying your bills while you are going to school. 

Transition and Management Training for Veterans 

While this is not specifically an IT career, if you can get accepted into a position like this, it can be one of your best bets for getting your foot in the door at some of the most successful companies...setting you up for a great career path in your field of choice until retirement. 

General Electric, for example, has a transition assistance workshop created specifically for United States veterans moving out of the military and into the corporate workforce. It is called the Junior Officer Leadership Program. While they are not always hiring for IT positions in this program, it is worth checking regularly to see if they are. 

Because GE is such a large company, it is only natural that they have some IT support roles, and if you get accepted into their program, you will rotate around to different departments so you can dig your hands into many aspects of business (like finance, leadership, organization, and six sigma quality), giving you a deeper understanding of the business world that will help your career in the best ways possible.  

And though GE does require a bachelor’s degree to get into their program (you could use Post 9/11 Benefits to help pay for that), some other programs may be more flexible on educational prerequisites. 

The Most Important Step for Military to Civilian Transition... Getting Your Foot in the Door 

One of the most difficult things for transitioning veterans entering the corporate world is going from a position of authority and respect to starting out at the bottom of the ladder once again.

It can seem a little de-motivating at first, but with the discipline, motivation, and pure work ethic that you learned in the military, you will be able to learn, work hard, and study towards higher-level IT certifications, meaning you will not be at the bottom of the ladder for long! 

At ACI Learning Hubs, we offer career counseling services to help make that transition seem easy and to be sure you feel supported every step of the way.