So Tom brought up a great resource with Syracuse, which I am strongly considering for LSS Green Belt.
https://acp-advisornet.org/question/903/veterans-career-transition-program-at-syracuse-u.-free-it-certs-applications-due-aug.-26-2013
If that doesn't work out for you and if you are in the Army (other services likely have something too) you can go and register to this site
https://usarmy.skillport.com/skillportfe/custom/login/usarmy/login.action
There is a wealth of online classes. They won't certify you but it will give you a much better knowledge base and some actually count for the education requirement for some certs.
For example, I am working on my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. It requires 35 hours of Project Management education. The online classes through Skillsoft apply. You'll get a certificate through ATRRS. There is so much I can't list them all. Some 5000 classes.
Six Sigma
IIBA
PMI
Scrum
PHR
CBAP
Tons of Communications Skills
Customer Service
Finance Skills
Leadership curriculum
Management
Marketing
Operations
Sales
Strategic Planning
Team Building
Microsoft Office Specialist incl Office 2013
Cisco
CompTIA
MCSE MCSA
Oracle
Linux
Hope that helps. Even if you can't get the certification. Taking the classes will at least improve your industry knowledge, improve your understanding of the lingo and could even help you improve the working on your resume to better fit industry standards and practices.
Mike
Answers
Hi Joe & All,
I just would like to echo Joe on the industry certifications. Nowadays, the bachelor degree is a given and moving up to masters becomes a preferred. Getting some certifications under your belt is definitely the way to go especially for experienced professionals. I got a rude awakening when layed off with Morgan Stanley in January. I had an associates in accounting and bachelors in business administration. After reflecting on this event, I began looking into further specializations - CPA, PMP and Masters in Taxation.
Good luck Joe & thanks for sharing Michael and your service to our country.
Hoo-Ah.
Accursio
Industry Certifications make a huge difference in transition because they are anchors on your resume that immediately make your experience more relevant. Companies need highly-certified folks on the team in order to be competitive, so the more certs you can master the better. 5 years ago in my own transition I had assumed that an MBA would be all I would need, so I had gotten that a few years beforehand. I now hold 7 certs in addition to that MBA, and a few of those certs were the key factors that brought my resume to the forefront of more senior/experienced folks when I interviewed for my current position. Certification is the name of the game in many sectors so you can either learn to play the game or sit on the sidelines complaining about being left out.
Joe,
Thanks for coming aboard. It's great to get first hand perspectives of transition job hunting and where to focus the energy.
Personally, I am making progress on my 35 hours. I have 10 completed. So far I am finding that the terminology may be different, but conceptually it is very similar to how I operated in my field.
I am putting together a calendar to lay out my 4500 hours. That is a bit more involved. I want to be accurate, but there are challenges since this is not something I accounted for in this manner over the years. I have been using my OERs as references and to jog the memory.
Your Answer
Pleaselog into answer this question.