John Stammreich ⋅ Plano, TX L3Harris Technologies ⋅ 18 years experience

Hello Michael - As one in a similar position, I will tell you that your active TS/SCI clearance is as valuable, if not more, than having an engineering degree for many positions in the aerospace and defense field. In addition to checking out Raytheon, both SAIC and Northrop Grumman have multiple positions in the Los Angles area that are requiring an active TS/SCI clearance that are becoming very hard to come by. Anyone without one from active duty is having to rely on being chosen internally for such a program and their company investing in the background checks themselves. An overwhelming majority of businesses are seeking out candidates like you who already possess those, and only having to update the clearance status. This saves them thousands of dollars and gets them someone who can engage that role on Day One. So do not be dishearten about not having an engineering degree for our industry - I believe you possess an even better "golden ticket" for finding a great opportunity in aerospace. Good Luck!

John Zanoff ⋅ Dallas, TX Raytheon ⋅ 31 years experience

Michael,
As other Raytheon advisors have pointed out, your clearance is worth something, and should be used to your advantage. If you want to stay in the area, there are multiple opportunities.
I would advise you to go to Raytheon's website for transitioning vets:
www.raytheon.com/military
There you can do searches for open positions by geographic location as well as other criteria.

Good luck in your search.
Regards,
John Zanoff

Phil Hill ⋅ San Diego, CA Raytheon ⋅ 19 years experience

Michael,
When you check the Raytheon website for open requisitions, Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) have facilities in the LA area. Don't limit yourself to the LA brick and mortar facilities either, Raytheon as well as other companies have and are moving towards enhanced work environments to cut down on footprint and overhead costs so if your job doesn't involve touching a product you could work remotely.

Merry Vickers ⋅ Richardson, TX Dallas Police Department - City of Dallas prior to starting with Raytheon 2017 ⋅ 18 years experience

Thank you for your service and I would like to try to answer this for you. There are several suggestions that most services and internet sites recommend, and they are right.

Give your resume a format change and lead with a summary that outlines your skills and qualifications. Share generalities from past positions to translate how it will be beneficial in new roles, like skills, duties, projects or management. Use clear civilian language to describe your career objectives, but highlight key wording from job descriptions and any accomplishments you have achieved. Keep the verbiage in present tense and have others read through it for feedback. If you can pursue any certifications or even CEU (Continuing Education Units) will show how interested you are and make recruiters take notice.

I changed from local government/law enforcement recently to Raytheon and am definitely not an engineer. My communication and training skills helped me secure a position, starting with temporary to permanent employment here at one of the largest technology and innovation leaders for over 90 years. Please apply and reach out to recruiters at the companies that interest you. I hope this helps you on this new journey and I wish you all the best. If you have any other questions, please contact me.

Kindest regards,
Merry Vickers

Tom Muszynski ⋅ Tucson, AZ Raytheon ⋅ 20 years experience

Your clearance will help tremendously. There is a backlog or delay of getting folks on board due to clearances and many offerings are usually a need now versus later. Aerospace & Defense may consider a Bachelor of Science in some technical capacity versus it saying "Engineering". If both of these items are the case, then you may be able to get into some Field or Manufacturing engineering role (look up specialist or technical as keywords). There are plenty of A&D companies in the LA area. I would try a search on those functions I mentioned for Raytheon, Lockheed, and Northrop. Good luck.

Luke Thomas Redman ⋅ Austin, TX Hospital Internists of Austin ⋅ 7 years experience

Hey I would suggest looking at supply chain functions, which are analytical if not engineering and it is certainly a core function of any manufacturing firm, A&D firms included. Further, 'supply chain' is a broad function with many distinct sub-functions such as procurement, logistics, distribution and warehousing, finance/payments, and so on. The best part about working in supply chain is that the skills will largely be transferable to other industries (auto, retail, consumer packaged goods, management consulting, healthcare, etc), however in A&D you frequently need TS clearance, which many civilians will not have, and so you'll have an edge in candidacy. I've found a firm understanding of supply chain can be applied to many other operational environments, meaning that building expertise in that function has pretty high return on investment.

Kimberly Eckhardt ⋅ Framingham, MA Raytheon ⋅ 15 years experience

Hi Michael!
I am not as familiar with the LA area, but have worked in both Aerospace and Defense. There are likely a number of different jobs that could use your skillset.

I have a couple of suggestions.
1. Pick a few companies in your area that you've heard of or might like to work for. Spend a few hours reading their open job descriptions. You will start to get a feel for which roles your skills might be most closely matched to. Look for what the gaps are between your current skills and those roles. You may find a role that is a perfect match, you may find a role where you have a few gaps. If there are gaps, are they things that you can learn before you apply? Are they things that you can propose to learn on the job? It is very rare that hiring managers find someone who fits 100% of the description they put out there. If you can show 80% and a strong work ethic/willingness to learn, you may be ahead of the rest.

Reviewing random roles can be tedious. I did it when I was considering changing industries. I had no idea how to fit my skills into a new industry, so I just started reading job descriptions and I found some roles that I could apply my skills to.

If you do find any roles that are a reasonable match, spend time tailoring your resume to best present the skills they are looking for. Create a very company-specific version of your resume. Reduce the non-relevant tasks/skills listed. Spend time writing a strong cover letter. This isn't always read, but sometimes when hiring managers are trying to decide on calling a candidate, they will read it, and it can be a much stronger indicator of your passion/work ethic/desire to enter a new industry.

2. Look for roles perhaps you can "grow" into through the company. If you want a role in technical sales, but don't have a technical background, can you take a sales administrator role for a few years while you build up the other skillset? Could you take a role as a test technician to get your foot in the door, and then explore career paths with your manager? Could you go into a company in an entry finance role and grow into an financial analyst? Could you consider starting as a security officer (the group that manages clearances/locked rooms/etc), and figure out how to apply your skills elsewhere? There are also a number of defense companies who look for veterans to work field service for setup/install of systems. Given some of your background on your LinkedIn profile, I would think you could be a strong fit for this, if you are at all interested in moving towards a somewhat technical space.

3. See if you can get yourself connected with a recruiter or HR professional at one of the companies you are interested in. They may be able to help steer you towards a role that might be a good fit. Don't be afraid to reach out on LinkedIn or email. A lot of Aerospace/Defense companies are looking to hire Veterans, so they may have people or programs to help you find your fit.

And as an additional note, a lot of Aerospace/Defense companies have great educational assistance programs (paying all or most of your tuition) in addition to any veterans benefits you might have. Are there jobs that you would like that you could use the additional tuition assistance benefits to grow into?

Best of luck!!

Drew Schildwächter ⋅ Wilmington, NC Salesforce ⋅ 8 years experience

In general, there are two kinds of people involved in technical sales (almost) regardless of industry.

First, people who are compensated based upon their ability to perform technical tasks. These people are typically paid on a salaried or contract basis.

Secondly, people who are compensated based upon their ability to evaluate and communicate customer requirements, then translate the proposed solution to a business audience. These people are typically compensated based upon salary + incentive compensation.

Based upon what you've described, and that fact that you have an active clearance, your best route into that industry is probably through the sales/consulting (the second) branch of these companies. You can hear US Gov't requirements (you're cleared), you can understand them (you're experienced), and so you've got a leg up on most people. A hiring company just needs to make sure you can understand the solutions.

If you can demonstrate your ability to adapt and sell your analytical skills and confidence in front of people, you can probably make someone a lot of money in that field.

John Green ⋅ Cary, NC Information Technology ⋅ 40 years experience

Its a simple proposition : offer skills the market demands. The soft skills you mentioned are not differentiators.

You have already identified your weakness : you do not have a technical background. This can be remedied. You can acquire a technical background.

Project managers are a dime-a-dozen. If you aspire to be one of them, you will not be making the salary you think you would like.

Your active clearance is a plus to those with the skills demanded by the market. Check the salary guide to see the disciplines that are most highly compensated (high market demand).

https://www.roberthalf.com/salary-guide