IT Experience: Your Career Options

Your transition will be full of questions and decisions that will change the path of your future. When asking the question, "What do I want to do next?", some will offer advice and say, "Do what makes you happy." Others will say, "Do what pays you the most." Only you can make that decision.

Bright Outlook Opportunities

For members who served in Information Technology (IT) career fields, you will find that you have many options for employment. Several IT jobs are considered Bright Outlook occupations, according to the Department of Labor. Bright Outlook types of jobs match at least one of the following criteria:

• Projected to grow much faster than average through 2024
• Projected to have 100,000 or more job openings during 2014-2024
• New and emerging occupation in a high growth industry

If you have experience with IT, you may choose to pursue a career in this field. Experience can include but is not limited to: information systems, computer networking, software development and applications, network and computer administration, web administration, working with databases, and many other IT-related duties.

But, you may also be qualified to teach these areas of IT as well. Transitioning military members are the perfect fit to serve as teachers and role models. You can serve as an example of devotion and commitment to motivate and inspire America’s youth. Even better, you can do this while preparing middle and high school students for their own IT careers after graduation. Not all academic instructors teach math and English. Career academies in middle and high schools across the nation are becoming more and more popular. These types of academic facilities focus on teaching a variety of careers to teenage students interested in making a successful future for themselves.

Career Academies

Career academies offer non-traditional methods of learning that help to prepare middle and high school graduates for college and careers that can lead to higher earnings right out of school. These academies combine a career and technical curriculum with a career theme, such as IT, health, law enforcement, or business to name a few. These academies clearly vary in types of instruction and are generally smaller learning communities within larger traditional schools. Years of hands-on experience make military members a great fit for this type of teaching You have leadership and communication skills. You know how to work on a team to accomplish a variety of tasks. You can also use your experience to bring classroom subjects to life. You may even have training experience in a classroom as well.

Troops to Teachers

The Troops to Teachers (TTT) program was created to help you and other transitioning military members meet the requirements necessary to become teachers in K-12 schools. The program provides no-cost counseling services to help members maneuver through different state certification requirements and helps members find employment as a teacher when eligible. Transitioning from the military is challenging, but there are options when it comes to a second career. You should consider teaching in your area of expertise. It can be a win-win for you, your new living and employment community, and the next generation . Visit the TTT website and social media pages for more information, Facebook and Twitter.

More Questions

If you have more questions about career planning and completing your degree or certifications, remember ... you can always find more information on DANTES VolEd programs at our website and on our Service member blog! DANTES is here to help you determine and manage your future career planning and educational success.