Tom Cal, CFA ⋅ San Francisco, CA Army Veteran, Investment Manager ⋅ 25 years experience

There is a good discussion titled "IT Certifications, and how they can help veterans get into the IT field" on the LinkedIn-sponsored group "Veteran Mentor Network".

http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&discussionID=270347947&gid=4466143&commentID=162051660&goback=%2Egde_4466143_member_270347947%2Egmr_4466143&trk=NUS_DISC_Q-subject#commentID_162051660

Lewis Lampkin, III | MSc | CISSP | CCNP, Network Security Professional (Consultant/Engineer), wrote:

"Veterans:

You may be curious about IT certifications, and how they can help you to move forward in the IT field. It is truthfully a mixed bag. There is almost a catch-22. Companies want you to have experience before they hire you, but you need the job in order to get the experience.

Fortunately, there are some certifications that vets can acquire, that align with the work they have performed for the DoD. If done correctly, certification can be used to verify the experience that the veteran claims to have, and help to push their resumes to the top of the review pile.

Certification can be an excellent tool in a veteran's toolkit, as they seek employment and continued career growth. While certification can be helpful, it is also very important to choose the right, in demand certifications that can accentuate your experiences. Two certifications that fit the bill of being in-demand as well as being reconciled to match up to military experience are the PMP and the CISSP.

Mr. Tom Cal did a wonderful write-up on the PMP that I will link to:
https://acp-advisornet.org/question/927/a-checklist-for-veterans-how-to-learn-more-about-the-project-management-professional-pmp-cert./p1

Since I cannot go any further on that cert, I'll make a new link about the CISSP:
http://www.lewislampkin.com/2013/09/cissp-faq-for-veterans.html

I chose to write about the CISSP because it aligns closely with the type of work that service members might perform in the IT field. Additionally, the CISSP has a work experience requirement, which makes the barrier to certification a bit higher than entry level Fortunately, the type of work that a service member performs aligns with the work experience requirements. The certification is expensive, so I made sure to point out ways the service member might be able to save a few dollars while pursuing the certification.

I am a member at a forum that is specifically focused on IT certifications, and how they can be used as a tool to increase knowledge and career growth: http://www.techexams.net. There are quite a few veteran posters there already, so they will understand the experiences you have had, and also provide practical, actionable advice that you can use to move forward.

In the meantime, please feel free to post any questions about IT certifications and/or how you may be working your way into the IT career field."