Joe Paschall ⋅ Madison, AL nLogic, LLC ⋅ 26 years experience

Thomas - I applaud your advance planning. 90% of transitioning folks seem to wait until 90 days out to start prep so Bravo Zulu to you. In 7 years you can accomplish a lot and the degree is the best place to start. MBA is a nice to have but not essential. In IT, certs are more important than an MBA- which hurts me to say because I had an MBA on transition and have since added 8 certs to it. There really is no such thing as an "IT Manager" unless you are just running the back-office support staff for a retail company. Within the IT field, you should focus on a specific type of IT (SysAdmin, Database, Help Desk, Network, Information Security, Software Engineering) because there are certs for each type and the "manager" would have certs from that technical specialty. The PMP is the primary cert for a manager, and ITIL Foundations is also good across the board. Start with those after the undergraduate degree. Once you have those you will have hopefully gained an idea of where you want to go within IT- and then pursue certs relevant to a specific path. I would say focus on the certs but you also have time for the MBA if desired for personal reasons. Just realize that regardless of how many degrees and certs you can adorn yourself with in the next 7 years, you will still have an uphill battle unless you can get significant management experience in specific elements of IT in the next 7 years.

Mimi Miller ⋅ Malden, MA Cengage Learning ⋅ 19 years experience

Hi Thomas - thank you for your service! Your experience is quite impressive. For an IT Management role, you will definitely need a degree so good for you for getting it now. What you want to do is make sure that your resume calls out your experience that translates to civilian life. Computers and networks are the same whether they are in the armed services or in corporate America. Other things I would recommend is joining Linked In groups for IT Management professionals. And try to find networking events where these types of people will be. Finally, see if there are informational interviews you can go on while on leave. 7 years is a ways away, but you may be able to cultivate relationships now so it makes it easier when you get out.
Good luck!

Heather Gillbanks ⋅ Houston, TX General Electric ⋅ 26 years experience

Thomas,

I agree that opening with 7 year wait is not the best. :) having said that ...

Consider project management training. The biggest reason IT Managers fail, in my experience, is a lack of fundamental PM skills. It's important for you to understand the jobs that the people under you do (typically PMs) so you may find a course in the PMM methodology helpful. Any methodology is fine, honestly - it's the fundamentals you need. If there are companies you intend to target, find out what they use and learn that one (Agile, Waterfall, etc.)

Kelly Williams ⋅ Newark, DE Stars to Stripes Military Transition Assistance ⋅ 10 years experience

You may want to consider federal employment for several reasons.

1. You can buy back your military time towards retirement

2. Depending on your separation status, you may have up to 10 points hiring preference during the application process. This greatly increases your odds of being called for an interview, and subsequently receiving a firm offer.

I work for DoD, and my business partner works for DOJ. We would be glad to answer any questions you may have. We also provide free resume critiques to all military service members. You can submit your resume to us via email or by using our secure online submission form:

Email: Info@ExpertResumeSolutions.com

Form: http://www.tinyurl.com/ERS-Critique

Feel free to also connect with me on LinkedIn to confirm my credentials: www.linkedin.com/in/kellywilliamsmaresca/
Thank you for your service. We are here to help!

Warmest Regards,

Kelly Williams

Resume Strategist & President

Expert Resume Solutions / Stars to Stripes Military Transition Assistance

Business: (732) 686-6455
Email: Info@ExpertResumeSolutions.com

www.ExpertResumeSolutions.com

John Lambert ⋅ Honolulu, HI Procter and Gamble ⋅ 28 years experience

Thomas - thank you for your dedicated service to our country! I would encourage you to start to research different companies that have interest in Veterans and their competencies. I would offer the consumer products industry as a start and recommend that you check out Procter and Gamble, a world-wide leader in the marketing, manufacture and distribution of consumer products (e.g., Pampers, Tide, Crest, Olay, Gillette, etc.). http://www.experiencepg.com
Here is a link to the website so that you can begin to explore career opportunities. Key words that you want to explore beyond IT would be GBS (Global Business Services), PC&IS (Power, Controls and Informations Systems) and Manufacturing or Engineering. Thanks, John

M. Arthur Gillis ⋅ Atlanta, GA Computer Based Solutions, Inc. ⋅ 55 years experience

Thomas,
Stop telling people you are 7 years away from anything. That's an eternity and help won't come. We live in a real-time world and everything is instant. Your timeframe can appear at the end in a subtle way, but as an opener, I believe an advisor will react like I almost did - This guy can wait.