PMP for Veterans: Military to PM Career Guide

Scope: Navigating military veterans' pathways to civilian project management roles via PMP certification training. This includes translating military experience into civilian careers, funding opportunities such as the GI Bill and AFCOOL, funding for PMP based on military experience, PMP certification requirements, and project management success stories.

I can still see the face of the hiring manager and how unmotivated he was to listen to my military pitch. I naively thought "Squad leader responsible for 12 personnel' would impress him. I learned a critical lesson. I had great stories, but I spoke the wrong professional dialect.

Many veterans face the unfortunate circumstance of telling civilian employers very little about their substantive military experience. Defining situations that turned into life and death scenarios, leading teams and other critical resources was a significant part of the role. Learning how to lead and manage will allow you to obtain a PMP certification to enter the project management profession.

Your military experience has already taught you the skills of a project managerand clearly demonstrates the benefits of project management. Most roles in project management already exist within the military. Military personnel have the knowledge thinking and commitment to perform project manager roles on any mission.

I'll reflect on mission planning for a moment. Setting objectives, managing time and deadlines, executing, applying the plan, and executing the plan. All textbook elements of project management. Your chain of command experience taught you how to manage stakeholders. Limitation of resources on the operational floor? That's budgeting in project management under pressure. After-action reviews are lessons learned in different wording.

What is PMP certification? It's the international certification that proves these skills to potential employers. The Project Management Institute creates these to show employers that you are capable of managing projects using the methods that best serve the purpose. For veterans, this is not completely learning new things, but is reorganizing and redefining skills and knowledge you already possess.

The drive and discipline to lead projects that civilian applicants spend years trying to cultivate are traits that veterans already possess. You've dealt with multiple types of project risk, in your case combat risk, that civilian projects will never compare to. For those kinds of risks, the only consequence would be losing a life.

The requirements to obtain PMP certification are simple. You either need a bachelor's degree and have to offer three years of project management experience (4,500 hours), or a high school diploma and five years of experience (7,500 hours). Additionally, you and done 35 contact hours of project management education before sitting for the exam.

Here is what veterans should note: your military service surely counts toward any project management experience. Planning/developing training programs, managing base operations, and procuring equipment should all be consideredvalid examples of PMP experience.

The utmost importance is in how you document these activities in your application to the PMI.

When filling out your application, military jargon should be avoided. Instead of "led fire team during Operation Enduring Freedom," you would say "managed cross-functional team of 4-6 personnel executing strategic initiatives in resource-constrained environment." There is a difference, and PMI reviewers appreciate the second option.

Expect the PMP exam prep process to take around 3-6 months. There are 180 questions over 3 domains: People, Process, and Business Environment. Predictive (traditional) project management is one type you will have to learn, along with agile project management.

This is where it gets really good for veterans. There are several funding programs designed specifically for veterans that will allow them to get certified for free.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill can cover the full PMP certification cost, including training, exam, and study materials. While you will have to confirm that the training program is VA approved, the benefits can cover the entire PMP certification cost, including training, exam, and study materials.

Air Force Credentialing Opportunities Online (AFCOOL) funding assists active-duty Air Force members with obtaining certifications. This funding covers $4,500, more than sufficient to cover the complete PMP certification costs, and is available to E-7 and below while active duty.

Additional available programs are as follows:

• SF-182 forms for the Department of Defense (DoD) employees
• Tuition Assistance Programs (TAP) through your service branch
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funding for unemployed veterans
• Veterans Readiness and Employment (Chapter 31)

The Techademy PMP certification course integrates easily with veteran funding programs, so cost concerns should not hold you back. These programs were designed for this purpose.

Many veterans face challenges in this area. PMI is interested in how you used project management principles, rather than operational details from the military. This means you will need to reframe your experience.

Your military background demonstrates a number of PMP experience examples, such as executing logistical operations, coordinating cross-unit exercises, equipment lifecycle management, and procedure streamlining. Each involves an activity PMI identifies within initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing.

Concentrate your project descriptions on stakeholder management, budgeting in project management, risk planning, quality assurance, and leadership.

• Stakeholder management (relations across units, commands, or agencies)
• Project management's budgeting (resource allocation, equipment procurement)
• Risk management (contingency strategies, threats)
• Quality assurance (standards, inspection)
• Team leadership (personnel management, training, and motivation)

Everything you describe should have quantifiable value. For example, "Managed budget of $2.3M for equipment acquisition affecting 200+ personnel" is far more impressive than "handled equipment for my unit."

Veterans PMP certification benefits include strong compensation growth and competitive project manager salary prospects across industries.

These figures represent national project management salary averages. For veterans with active security clearances, defense contractors typically offer a 15-25% compensation premium.

Veteran project managers are in demand in defense contracting (which is a natural fit for you), construction, information technology, healthcare, aerospace, and various government sectors. Many companies appreciate veteran candidates for project management positions because they recognize your work ethic and leadership skills.

All veteran candidates for federal positions receive hiring preference. Project managers at the GS-12 through GS-14 levels make between $75,000-110,000 and receive excellent benefits and job security. This is particularly valuable because your military service will count toward your federal retirement.

Your PMP study plan will require the same discipline you are accustomed to in the military. You've prepared for more difficult tests than a simple certification exam, so apply the same level of commitment here.

Aim to study for 2-3 hours a day for 3-6 months. Try to internalize the content rather than psychoanalyze in order to pass a test. The exam is focused on scenario application, and you will need to be able to explain the best solution for a given project.

You will need comprehensive PMP study materials, a solid understanding of PMP formulas, and practice exams. Many veterans evaluate PMP bootcamp vs self-study options to determine the best fit.

The PMP syllabus outlines the scope of the exam, which will help you better allocate your study time. The exam will cover all processes of the five 'globally recognized project management standard' (PMBOK) areas: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, and closing. This structure is something you should be used to from your military training.

As Chris Teodoro, retired Army Special Forces, puts it, "Teamwork, process improvement, and seeing a project from concept to completion are all things we do in the Army. You have to be technically and tactically efficient and those attributes relate to project management. When talking to civilians, you lose a lot of that if you don't have the certification. It gives you a lot of credibility."

One PMP certified Marine vet moved into Field Communications Management. Within 3 years, his salary increased by over $21,000. He attributes PMP certification as the major reason civilian recruiters recognized the military project management he held.

Veterans' success stories are consistent. What civilian project managers spend years honing, veterans have in abundance: discipline, crisis management, and leadership. A PMP certification translates those attributes into something that gives employers what they want.

To maintain your certification, PMP certification renewal requires earning 60 PDUs every three years, ensuring continuous professional development.

Begin by taking stock of your military initiatives. Which deployments, major initiatives, training programs, and equipment projects did you run? How many hours did you spend? Look for seasoned project managers in your area via PMI chapters or LinkedIn. Many vets are happy to take on mentees.

Every three years to maintain your PMP, you must complete 60 PDUs. This helps keep your learning up to date, and shows progress in your career.

Adjusting to civilian project management can be difficult for military veterans. There are cultural changes to adapt to. Things are a little different in civilian workplaces. That said, your project management skills and PMP certification are a ticket to every employer.

You have proven that you can work in high pressure, lead diverse teams, and achieve goals in difficult times. You can now use that experience in your new mission, to embark on a new civilian project management career.