"Ready. Forward March!"

"Drive On," "Accelerate Your Life," "Aim High" and "First to Fight" — every branch of the military has a motto about moving forward. There’s even a colorful little fish that tells us to "just keep swimming, just keep swimming.""

What separates Service members moving forward versus their civilian counterparts is they tend to move a bit more often thanks to their permanent change of station (PCS) schedule. These chaotic times are often filled with check lists and packing boxes. The funny thing is there is nothing "permanent" about a station change. But it is the best time to make sure your Joint Services Transcript (JST) is current.

What's your JST?

The JST takes all your military training, professional military schooling and your occupational work history and puts it in a language civilians can understand. It’s a way to earn academic credit by evaluating the occupational skills you possess and putting them toward college courses, which can save you money and keep you moving forward. It also serves as a tool for preparing resumes and comparing military work experience to civilian work tasks for employers to better understand.

Who is eligible?

The JST Operations Center, the American Council on Education and the military services work together to provide Service members with their JST account. One they can view and print unofficial transcripts from, as well as order official transcripts for their selected schools or employers. By scrubbing your JST annually or during each PCS, Service members can determine if they are missing any critical training or pertinent course work and get the information updated and fixed for future reference. Another benefit of the JST is that it’s not limited to just active duty personnel. Veterans, Reserve, and National Guard personnel can access the JST website too as long as they have registered for an account.

Register for your JST

So, when your next PCS comes around, feel confident about moving forward in life and with your military career. Know that every step of your journey, your JST will be moving forward with you to ensure a successful future – no matter the path you choose.

Click here to see if your JST is up to date or to sign up to receive your JST.