IT Emerging Markets for Ex-Military

Over the last couple of years we have worked on a number of IT technology & network engineer vacancies as well as posts in IT security - after all, what is more secure than the MoD infrastructure? However, we have also seen emerging markets in ‘cloud’ & mobile technologies as service providers strive to make everything accessible from anywhere at any time.

Some of the new roles emerging now are not traditionally suited to service leavers - such as web language programming (HTML, Javascript PHP etc) and design but as the move towards cloud technology spirals, the need to store and recall a greater amount of data in the cloud is increasing all the time. One look at the introductory ‘free’ storage offered by cloud services such as Drop Box or iCloud will tell you that, unless you pay for premium service, you will soon run out of space. We are not just storing simple word documents any more, we are recording and storing much of our lives: our  music, our movies, our photos and even our social lives. The cloud now contains an imprint of our modern lives.

This data needs to be secure and that’s where service leavers come in!

The worlds of security and the military are inextricably linked and this relationship is well understood by civvies. I have seen some excellent CVs put together by ex-military IT professionals. There are also courses available - from short courses through to Masters Degrees in cyber security and information management systems. Many of the jobs you will find online ask for the CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) although some employers will also demand several years of full time paid employment before considering you. The requirements for CISSP can be found easily online.

Another area I believe the serviceman and woman can add value is known as UX - or "User Experience". Over 20% of web content is now viewed in mobile devices and corporations pay big money to learn how this new behavior affects how people buy, what they buy, and (of course) how they can better persuade customers to buy more of their product or service. One only has to take a quick look at how specific Facebook advertisement targeting has become to see how their market data makes online marketing so much more targeted than traditional methods.

How can service personnel take advantage of this? They are among the best problem solvers in the business; in fact they make a living out of it, thrive on it even. Service personnel busy themselves with achieving the impossible - we are not labelled "CAN DO" for nothing.

There are courses available in UX strategy and, specifically, about how to get into the head of the buyer. Servicemen and women have a head start on civvies - what they do not yet possess in commercial acumen they certainly make up for with their "can do" mantra. It's all about getting obsessive about the customer's needs and that's no different from military problem solving; it's how you are built. Use it to your advantage.