COOL Helps Professionalize Military Experience
Military personnel look to credentialing for post-service careers
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A military service member can be trained in some of the most advanced computer systems the federal government has to offer, but that doesn't mean a lucrative career in Silicon Valley awaits when the soldier leaves the armed forces.
That's why military members in recent years have prepped themselves for post-service lives with credentialing programs that grant certifications and often make the difference between being hired and being passed over in favor of an applicant with a stronger resume, said Keith Boring, a retired Navy master chief and manager of the Navy's credentialing program, based at the Center for Information Dominance in Pensacola, Fla.
"It's difficult to get a job when you can't articulate how your military skills and qualifications translate to the private sector," said Boring, who added that military training is often spelled out in complex combinations of numbers and letters, making it tough for employers to determine what, exactly, an applicant has been trained to do. "To Monster.com and Jobs.com, [military qualifications] don't mean anything. They don't recognize [military code]."
The Navy and Army maintain Web sites - called Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) - showing soldiers and sailors how their military training would best fit a civilian job, such as a disaster preparedness specialist transitioning to civilian emergency management.
The COOL Web sites spell out which classifications a military member must hold to qualify for their civilian job of choice and whether the Navy or Army will pay for the necessary courses to attain credentialing. In other words, if a service member falls short of a civilian job's requirements, the COOL sites will show them how they should proceed to become qualified before they leave the service.
Most credentialing opportunities can be completed with on-the-job Navy training combined with self study or online courses.
"No one's in the Navy for life," Boring said. "Sailors realize they need something to help professionalize them."
The military's credentialing programs launched in 2002, and the COOL Web sites were brought online about five years ago, Boring said. Ninety-six percent of the Army's military occupational services are applicable to credentialing programs, according to the COOL site, and 91 percent of the Army's 371,000 soldiers serve in those occupations.
Depending on how much additional coursework and training a soldier is willing to take, 42 percent of the available civilian credentials are attainable during the soldier's first term of service, according to the site. Forty-four percent are "not likely to be attained" during a serviceman's first term, and 14 percent are "definitely attainable" in that timeframe.
Larry Ward, a chief petty officer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Mary's County, Md., is working on his fourth certification for his career after military service. Ward is an information system technician and has completed three credentialing programs, including Microsoft certification.
"I've always felt that there is never a time to stop learning," said Ward, 36, who has served in a Navy for 15 years. "I want to be competitive and [credentialing programs] are a great opportunity to advance and make it in the outside world."
Ward, whose Microsoft certification was paid for by the Navy, said he encourages young sailors to enroll in as many credentialing programs as they can handle - especially computer-savvy Navy personnel.
"Technology is constantly changing, and they have to be aware of that," he said. "I don't think I would be as advanced if not for" the Navy's credentialing offerings.
The Navy saw an uptick in the number of credentialing exams they funded early this year. After paying for between 700-800 sailors' certification exams in November and December 2009, the Navy funded 1,146 in January, the last month with available statistics on the Navy COOL site.
Boring said the Navy offers more than 1,700 certifications. Navy servicemen and women have completed 32,599 total certifications since the program's launch, he said. More than nine out of 10 Navy personnel enrolled in credentialing programs attain their certifications, Boring said, compared to about 75 percent of private sector employees who attempt similar certification tests.
"Sailors are being successful, and that's another draw for them," he said. "They see that and they want to give it a try."
That's why military members in recent years have prepped themselves for post-service lives with credentialing programs that grant certifications and often make the difference between being hired and being passed over in favor of an applicant with a stronger resume, said Keith Boring, a retired Navy master chief and manager of the Navy's credentialing program, based at the Center for Information Dominance in Pensacola, Fla.
"It's difficult to get a job when you can't articulate how your military skills and qualifications translate to the private sector," said Boring, who added that military training is often spelled out in complex combinations of numbers and letters, making it tough for employers to determine what, exactly, an applicant has been trained to do. "To Monster.com and Jobs.com, [military qualifications] don't mean anything. They don't recognize [military code]."
The Navy and Army maintain Web sites - called Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) - showing soldiers and sailors how their military training would best fit a civilian job, such as a disaster preparedness specialist transitioning to civilian emergency management.
The COOL Web sites spell out which classifications a military member must hold to qualify for their civilian job of choice and whether the Navy or Army will pay for the necessary courses to attain credentialing. In other words, if a service member falls short of a civilian job's requirements, the COOL sites will show them how they should proceed to become qualified before they leave the service.
Most credentialing opportunities can be completed with on-the-job Navy training combined with self study or online courses.
"No one's in the Navy for life," Boring said. "Sailors realize they need something to help professionalize them."
The military's credentialing programs launched in 2002, and the COOL Web sites were brought online about five years ago, Boring said. Ninety-six percent of the Army's military occupational services are applicable to credentialing programs, according to the COOL site, and 91 percent of the Army's 371,000 soldiers serve in those occupations.
Depending on how much additional coursework and training a soldier is willing to take, 42 percent of the available civilian credentials are attainable during the soldier's first term of service, according to the site. Forty-four percent are "not likely to be attained" during a serviceman's first term, and 14 percent are "definitely attainable" in that timeframe.
Larry Ward, a chief petty officer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Mary's County, Md., is working on his fourth certification for his career after military service. Ward is an information system technician and has completed three credentialing programs, including Microsoft certification.
"I've always felt that there is never a time to stop learning," said Ward, 36, who has served in a Navy for 15 years. "I want to be competitive and [credentialing programs] are a great opportunity to advance and make it in the outside world."
Ward, whose Microsoft certification was paid for by the Navy, said he encourages young sailors to enroll in as many credentialing programs as they can handle - especially computer-savvy Navy personnel.
"Technology is constantly changing, and they have to be aware of that," he said. "I don't think I would be as advanced if not for" the Navy's credentialing offerings.
The Navy saw an uptick in the number of credentialing exams they funded early this year. After paying for between 700-800 sailors' certification exams in November and December 2009, the Navy funded 1,146 in January, the last month with available statistics on the Navy COOL site.
Boring said the Navy offers more than 1,700 certifications. Navy servicemen and women have completed 32,599 total certifications since the program's launch, he said. More than nine out of 10 Navy personnel enrolled in credentialing programs attain their certifications, Boring said, compared to about 75 percent of private sector employees who attempt similar certification tests.
"Sailors are being successful, and that's another draw for them," he said. "They see that and they want to give it a try."