Military to Cybersecurity: Part two
By: Chase Golden
Tags: Cybersecurity, Career Advice, Resources, Veterans, Military

Image by Caspar Camille Rubin via Unsplash

Hello friend,

Welcome back to part two of the military to cybersecurity series. I am very excited to have you here. Thank you. So, a quick follow up and reminder of part one. Part one focused on the introduction, research, social media presence/community involvement, the DoD skill-bridge program intro and certifications intro. You can find that article here. This series for reminder is to assist anyone, but primarily veterans’ transition into a cyber career. It is specifically focused on someone who is looking to make that career switch, or otherwise has no technical background. I am in the process of making that same career jump and realized if I could help at least one person along the way it would be worth it. Enough of that for now, let us jump right in.

The first point I wanted to bring up was LinkedIn, again. Notice there must be an importance to this. Especially, if you are going to be transitioning soon from the military. I already mentioned the free membership in the first article. But this time I wanted to specifically point out some resources to help structure your page as well as key networking resources. The first one is https://youtu.be/mK-Li4w8nQs this is from one of the mentioned resources, NetworkChuck. Chuck is an excellent resource for networking resources and is starting to make videos related to security. This video he reviews many LinkedIn profiles and gives you an idea of what recruiters are looking for. Next up is ClearedJobs.net, https://www.youtube.com/user/ClearedJobsDotNet. This company has many great videos on the different aspects of getting a job. I would recommend you check that out as well as follow them on LinkedIn. https://www.recruitmilitary.com/job-seekers is another good resource. This one I started following to attend the virtual job fairs. They are incredibly helpful to begin networking and to get a job. I would like to also mention VETS2INDUSTRY. They provide excellent networking opportunities. There are too many to mention, however this should give you an excellent start. To follow-up on the first article, you should have began researching careers and job postings. This is another key part to that. Once you identify some areas of interest, say penetration testing, look up penetration tester under people on LinkedIn and begin connecting with people in your area that do the job you would like to do. Ask them questions of how to get started etc. Now thing to note is do not begin the conversation asking for a job or a handout. This is simply to get firsthand knowledge and make some connections.

This leads me to the second topic. Location. As with most servicemembers, you are likely not located in your home state or the state you wish to relocate to. This poses the issue of where to relocate. Two possible options usually, be specific to exactly where you wish to be or be completely open to anywhere. Each one of these is perfectly acceptable, just understand the differences between the two. I found this article on LinkedIn that really provoked a thought. Are you really open to anywhere? This might sound great at first, however when reality starts to set in at 2 months out from EAS will it be the same? If you got offered a job in remote Alaska, would you really be willing to accept that offer if you are from Texas or Florida? Just something to consider. If you are, I would encourage you to revisit those DOL sites you blew through in TRS class regarding job opportunities and cost of living assessments. The other side to this would be only open to a very specific location. If home for you is a rural area with a DSL connection, probably not going to have as many job opportunities. If you are unwilling to relocate, going to be even harder. Planning on realistic living arrangements and locations should begin as soon as possible. The other caveat to throw into the mix, the bah from the GI bill will only cover so much.

This leads me to topic/resource number 3 Education and benefits. This article is primarily focused on resources in cyber. The GI bill is a very big benefit of service. You earned it, so now use it. College can be confusing and intimidating for many of us servicemembers. Why? Most probably have not done any kind of math or English in a while. That is a frequent answer I have heard. This one I have firsthand experience in. I used a portion of my GI bill during my break in service. Now, to the part that relates to cyber. First, research is the MOST important part to this. Research what school, what accreditation, what degree path etc. Cybersecurity is a unique industry in the sense that you will come across job opportunities and people who are in high positions without a degree or a non-technical degree. Cybersecurity and I.T. is related to more of what you can prove and demonstrate rather then attending a certain path, such as medical school for doctors. You will find controversy on the need for a degree in the first place. 1) You have a free 36-month voucher to use. 2) You will propel yourself further with a degree. The second term you need to be familiar with you is STEM. Science Technology Engineering and Math. Key word being technology. This is what cybersecurity falls under. This is important because of this, https://www.va.gov/education/other-va-education-benefits/stem-scholarship/. Under the VA you are potentially eligible for an additional 9 months of benefits to continue going to school. Let us see 36 + 9 = 45 months of free paid for schooling. The second option I wanted to point out, https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/how-to-use-benefits/vettec-high-tech-program/ this program will pay those coding/security bootcamps you keep hearing about, if you are eligible. Next I wanted to point out, in the slide show you blew through regarding joining the reserves, you are also eligible for the https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/montgomery-selected-reserve/ reserve GI bill and tuition assistance. I am not a recruiter so enough about that. The other important things are researching the school and more importantly the accreditation. You do not have to attend Harvard, but you do need to attend a regionally accredited school. Research the difference in degree paths and the topics covered. Computer Science is the formal degree looked at. This degree covers more the science of computers, go figure. Algorithms and programming etc. https://fedvte.usalearning.gov/ is another resource I wanted to mention to explore.

The next topic is to research several potential companies. Do not be the one to start talking with a company and think they will automatically hire you because you are prior military. Also know the different focus areas of cybersecurity. Also, do not start the conversation with “Here is my resume, what jobs are available for me?” Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman receive hundreds of applications per job posting. Guess what most of them are prior military just like you. Therefore, you need to set yourself apart with what you can bring to the table. I mentioned attending certification classes in the previous article, this is one way to do just that. Cybersecurity is all continuous learning. Obtaining a certification outside of your required duties, shows you are dedicated. You will frequently be spending tons of your free time learning, if this does not interest you find a different career field. Companies put job postings up for a reason. If you cannot simply research what potential jobs are a good fit, how are you going to research patch Tuesday or something similar. This is the current stage I am in. The resource I wanted to bring up for this was the apprenticeship programs. https://www.accenture.com/us-en/about/company/apprenticeships I am using Accenture as an example. This will also depend on the location you decide to relocate to. I have found similar things at IBM, Rackspace, Lockheed Martin, and plenty more. I have been focusing on the Central Texas area. Do your research and you might find some things that will surprise you. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/apprenticeship/federal-apprenticeships this website lists out the DOL recognized apprenticeships. I would also recommend creating an account on indeed, monster and of course www.usajobs.gov . Upload a resume to each one. One thing to consider is a federal resume looks a little bit different than a regular resume.

A good video review resumes by the Cyber Mentor. I highly recommend you review his content, geared towards penetration testing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZkVY4DSAHc&t=1132s Most of this comes from TRS class and primarily using that star method of describing accomplishments. The idea is to create a “master” copy of a resume with all your accomplishments and history. Then with each job posting, tailor a “specific copy” resume to fit each job posting. Air Force Civilian Services’ post https://www.linkedin.com/posts/air-force-civilian-service_resume-jobsearch-activity-6725446486613651456-5iau is a great resource for checking all the boxes of creating a federal resume for that route.

Thanks for reading part two. I plan to continue to publish the resources I find along my journey from Marine to civilian. As always feel free to reach out to me on twitter @chasersx88 or on LinkedIn if you have a resource that has worked for you or want included. Thanks for reading!