Damin Kirk ⋅ North Charleston, SC Boeing ⋅ 21 years experience

Hi Jim,

You're spot on with Project and Program Management, this matches ABM very well. The Aerospace industry is a good place to look if that interest you. I agree that the PMP certification is a good path, however, not necessarily mandatory at this stage. You'd still find a good second career without it and you could always pursue it later. Your experience counts for something and will be valued. Feel free to PM me if you have additional questions.

Damin

Paul Trejo ⋅ Austin, TX University of Texas at Austin ⋅ 40 years experience

Hi James, and thanks for your service to America.

It seems to me that an ABM would fit in most smoothly at an Airport, in the department of Air Traffic Control. Don't be shy about starting closer to the bottom, even with all your experience. This lets management observe you in action. Then, your promotions will come quickly, as in private industry the cream generally rises to the top very quickly.

(Also, be patient about Management promotions, which are never guaranteed, and are often dominated by nepotism in private industry to a greater extent than in the public sector. Its a fact of life, and it's nothing personal.)

Project Management and Program Management (in which one Program consists of several Projects) are such generic terms that in private industry they're generally regarded as bird-dog jobs -- any astute bird-dog can manage a Project, and the senior bird-dog can manage all these junior bird-dogs -- regardless of the industry or technology.

Your job, it seems to me, is very industry specific, and very technology specific. You are absolutely right, in my opinion, to seek to remain close as possible to the technology in which you are already an expert.

Air Traffic Control isn't my industry -- so I can't advise more than this. It seems to me that you will be quickly regarded as a senior, and will soon be promoted to higher offices, because of the expertise you've obtained in the US Military.

A couple more words of advice, here, for someone transitioning from the Military to the Civilian workforce. It's poor form to call your boss "sir" (or "ma'am") in private industry -- however, it's still vital to obey your boss as though he (or she) were the CO. There is a "formal informality" in private industry. Observe the hierarchy, but appear loose and informal while you're at it. That's the key difference, as I see it.

Best wishes,
--Paul

Richard Buck ⋅ Patterson, NY EY ⋅ 25 years experience

Program and Project Manager would be the best way to go. If you would like some help please send me your resume and I will help.

Richard Buck
RBVetMentor@gmail.com
914 391 3375
www.linkedin.com/in/ribuck/

Dana Newell ⋅ Saint Joseph, MI Whirlpool ⋅ 7 years experience

Hello James,

Thank you for your service.

I do not have any experience in the military, but in my own career I have transitioned between roles that did not have an apparent connection in title. I have found that it is most beneficial to look at the skills required to be successful in a role than the title itself.

For example, your roles in the military may have helped you to develop and showcase skills in:

*Leadership
*Decision-making
*Operating under extreme pressure
*Imperfect information/making assumptions
*Building strategies
*Communication (in multiple forms)
*Engaging teams
*Change management
*Innovative thinking and leadership
*Tackling complex problems
*Process oriented thinking
*...the list goes on

Most anyone with a military background has some great experiences, although specific to their branch or role, are still extremely translatable to most other jobs.

My suggestion would be to look at job responsibilities and tasks that you find to be interesting and tangent your skills (not the exact title in the military) to how you can be successful in that role. Ensure that your resume really highlights those skills and prepare for interviews so that you can extrapolate your skills into something beneficial for a company.

I feel that many military candidates have great skills and strengths suited to working in business that can make them great for many roles that may need to be supplemented with technical skills.

Best of luck!

Regards,
Dana Newell

Erin-Todd Hansen ⋅ Boise, ID Healthwise ⋅ 20 years experience

James, I would suggest you consider software project and/or program management. While I have people on my staff that have the PMP certification, it isn't as critical for what we do. Software related project management is often more iterative and flexible and degrees often are less impressive than initiative. It's a cultural thing with software. Not every place is like this, but I think you're odds will be better. Also, the pay is generally better than most places. I'd recommend you read about Agile, Scrum and Continuous Deployment, and consider ways to correlate that your military experience. Feel feel to contact me if I want to explore this angle.

A B ⋅ Scotch Plains, NJ U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander ⋅ 12 years served

Hi James,

I am a 7-year Navy veteran and currently work as a Project Manager for a bank in NY. I have a PMP certification and highly recommend it if you are interested in project, program or portfolio management. To obtain, you basically have to demonstrate 3 years of combined project management experience and pass a rigorous test - for which I studied approximately 100 hours over 2 months. Certification details are available at www.pmi.org.

The blunt truth is that about 2 out of 3 projects fail. Project management is an often overlooked discipline and too many managers assume anyone with business experience or aptitude can manage a project. The reason the certification is important is because it teaches you the theory and structure around true project management, knowing what constitutes a true project, and introduces tools and techniques to manage projects.

Program management involves managing multiple, related projects. One echelon above the project level. The question of project vs. program management all depends on the scope of the project and industry experience. For example, you could be qualified to manage a program of small projects in a field you have experience in, but unqualified for a mega-project in an entirely foreign industry.

I agree with some other posters you are well-suited for executive-level positions and direct people management positions. I'd be happy to speak with you regarding project and program management and the path to certification, should you pursue that. Thank you

Joyce Stein ⋅ Santa Clarita, CA Bank of America ⋅ 25 years experience

Training and especially training design is a very good option. You might not make the same money out of the gate but you will.
I have tobtellvyoy that you should NOT be concerned about what you perceive as technical degrees. At the end of the day - what employers care about is can you communicate? I do not have ANY technical degree - but I do have an aptitude for technology. I am able to make the complex - simple. That translation ability has provided me great opportunities and I do NOT have a technical degree. So STOP thinking you are not qualified or need some technical credential. Be bold! Do you like teaching? There are training positions. Do you like translation of technical to the common? Then look for Technical training or technical writing. There are project/program role s for those leadership positions. You can do this ... You just need some preparation!

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

James, Project Management is the basic management skill set in the defense industry, so although you may already be at a "director" level in the military, the fact that you have never managed anything with EVM to Profit & Loss may cause you to focus at the Project Management level.

Program Managers are often those who have already done well at the project level and directors are those who have done well at the program level. It's a natural progression of managing people, place & things to profit at one level and then moving to the next. You would not want a sqdn CO who came from the Army and has never been an aircraft commander or flight commander because there are aspects of risk that he would not know- it is similar out here because risk is financial.

There are also relevant certs at each level- Project (PMP), Program (PgMP) and Portfolio (PfMP) Management Professionals. The PMP remains the coin of the realm because it is the business building block. The other certs are rarely seen, maybe more prevalent in consultants. One other aspect we have not discussed is that "project management" is not a field in itself. You still need to find a position relevant to your experience in order to be qualified to manage it. Just getting the PMP does not qualify you to manage an IT effort unless you were an IT guy. What gets you the job will be a balance of education, experience, certs and networking.

Joe

Michael Del Vecchio ⋅ Killingworth, CT U.S. Army, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 3 years served

Hi Jim,

I held a PMP for many years, taught PMP certification, and had experience running large and complex projects. I have two engineering degrees. I also ran squad-sized military units (US Army), some could be categorized as projects, mostly line management. I am retired (5 years). When I was active in industry, the PMP was not required and seemed to have sparse adherents, my sense was that the brand had been diluted. This included my experience working for a "big-six" accounting company. I would check PMP cert out carefully to gauge job requirements - your experience trumps PMP. My experince (limited) is that project managers - good ones - are paid much more than trainers. As direct advice, you are a senior executive already - you should be looking to senior roles - PM's (for smaller projects) are one step down from mid-level management - does not sound like you, BUT - may be advisable to do some project work before taking on a larger (program) role. I would look not bother with job search web sites - look into using executive recruiters, they have the good jobs tied up. Also use your network of friends in industry. If you want to discuss. let's connect via EMAIL first.

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

At most companies, Project Managers manage 1 project at a time. I suspect you would quickly become bored, in such a role.

You might want to consider a Program Manager role (depending on the scope of the Program. However, I'd recommend you seek Portfolio Manager roles. Portfolio Managers typically manage multiple Program Managers, and it is a more senior role (often at a Director level), which would better suit your level of management abilities.

For a Portfolio Manager role, I agree with several posters that you would not NEED PMP designation, but it certainly would help get you through HR processes (if you can check the box, it removes a question in HR's minds).

Feel free to PM me, if you want more help. I can do resume review and/ or help you narrow a functional area where Portfolio Managers may be found.

Thank you for your outstanding service to this nation!

James Cantu ⋅ Fort Walton Beach, FL U.S. Air Force, Major ⋅ 26 years served

Thanks everyone for your inputs! I've been searching the different job search sites and looking at the Program Manager listings and it's looking very promising. But most of the jobs are still requiring technical degrees. I'll keep my eyes open.

I've also been very interested in the corporate training side of business as well. I hate to sound like I'm all about making the cash flow but how does corporate training compare to program management as far as salary? I may have to start another thread requesting this information.

I have an extensive amount of experience in training technical fields and my undergraduate is in Occupational Education with a major in corporate training and development and I also have a Master's degree in Human Relations.

I can't thank you all enough for your insight. Being able to talk to other professionals has truly made the job search a lot less stressful.