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Had you heard of someone in your unit leaving to work at a civilian job while on active duty? Yes, that is totally a real thing. Unless it was the guy from my basic infantry course who secretly went to work at Home Depot for 6 months. That, my friends, was not this. Frankly, the DoD Skillbridge program is one of the best and most underused programs the military has to offer.
Designed to help ease your transition to civilian life, the DoD Skillbridge program is an incredible opportunity. For your last 180 days on active duty, you can work at a civilian job while receiving military pay and benefits. The program is also available for the National Guard and Reserves.
Quick note: The DoD Skillbridge’s website is pretty bad, even by government website standards. But, their FAQ section is pretty useful.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
I’ve met people who participated in this program and:
The DoD Skillbridge program helped me assimilate to civilization in so many ways. It enabled me to shed my identity as a soldier and adjust to the civilian workplace. It also helped me feel better about my decision to leave the military. Through the process, I got the chance to showcase my abilities to the CEO/Founder I worked for. He and I subsequently launched our own company.
So what’s the process to get started?
Plan for Enlisting in the DOD Skillbridge Program Before Leaving the Military
First, figure out the dates you want for your internship. By regulation, you can only take advantage of this in your last 180 days. You will also need to plan 1–2 weeks after the internship to clear your installation. During this period, you will want to take care of the necessary tasks to sign out on terminal leave. If you choose to continue working at your company during terminal leave, you will still be charged for your leave.
Next, talk to your chain of command and let them know your intention to participate in this opportunity. I would recommend doing this at least 6 months prior to starting your DoD Skillbridge internship. You will need command approval to participate; it is important you give your chain of command the appropriate time to digest this and plan for it.
Important note: The DoD Skillbridge program is a privilege, not a right. While under Congressional mandate your command must allow you to transition classes. They are not obligated to allow you to participate in DoD Skillbridge. This is why I encourage you to have this conversation sooner rather than later with your chain of command. The prospect of letting you go 6+ months from now is easier to digest than 1 month from now.
Find your Skillbridge Internship
Once you’ve gotten an OK from the appropriate level of approval, you can go find a company for your internship. There are two ways you can do this:
- Through an established program or company
- Choose your own adventure
For the first option, there are three main organizations I’ve found that work with placing veterans into DoD Skillbridge internships:
Hiring our Heroes
Run through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Hiring Our Heroes has a very formal and structured fellowship program for DoD Skillbridge. As part of the program, you may receive career planning and resume and interview assistance. You may also have access to relevant credentials, certifications, and licenses. They list major companies like Boeing, Amazon, and Carmax as partners; I also know of friends who worked with Facebook and Starbucks through this program. If you think you want to go work for a big corporation, Hiring Our Heroes is a great opportunity.
The one major constraint of the program is that you have to participate in one of their locations. If you aren’t based near their locations, it can be harder for you to get approval and figure out a place to live.
Shift
Shift is a San Francisco-based private company that works to match veteran talent with companies seeking new hires. Their CEO is a former Marine and the company is staffed by a number of veterans. They believe in the potential for veterans to bring meaningful impact to companies (especially startups). Shift works to bring veteran talent to companies via the DoD Skillbridge program, as well as traditional hiring. Their network is mostly based in the Bay Area, but is growing to other markets as well.
Veteran Capital
Veteran Capital is a small team based in Durham, NC. They bring veteran talent in via the DoD Skillbridge program and through traditional hiring. Veteran Capital offers a few distinct advantages. This includes their relationship with Google, location in the Raleigh/Durham market, and proximity to a number of military bases with great veteran talent.
These programs are already approved as intermediaries for DoD Skillbridge. To be an approved internship, there must be the potential for employment on the back-end. These organizations maintain trust with the DoD; going through them makes the administrative process super easy. I only needed a two-page memo signed by battalion commander — it was that simple.
If you choose to make your own luck, this way does have a few extra challenges:
- Administrative approval through the base career office may take some extra work.
- You will have to find a company and explain how the DoD Skillbridge program works.
- Without proper diligence, you could end up just getting coffee and copying papers. The three above organizations do a great job of getting you a position that challenges you and encourages growth.
But with that extra work, you may be able to find a truly awesome experience that works better for you. You can even go work overseas if you want. If you have the flexibility to decide on this early enough, choosing your pathway for your DoD Skillbridge internship can be an awesomely unique experience.
Military Hiring Accelerator
This is a company I work with. We have remote opportunities both inside our business as well as with our clients.
Send me a note to mark@theveteranpro.com and let’s see what we can’t do for you.
Are you starting the job hunt? Then you may need a wardrobe upgrade. A few years ago, I found out about State and Liberty and absolutely love their shirts. They are designed for athletic-fit men, which a lot of veterans are. I also love that the fabric feels like it’s performance wear, but looks like a dress shirt. Oh, and you can throw it in the wash and they don’t need to be ironed. Freaking awesome. Get yours HERE and use code “vetpro10” to save 10% on your order.
Logistics
If you are receiving BAH, you will continue to receive BAH for your base of assignment — not where your internship is. Meaning if you are an E-6 without dependents based in Fort Hood, your BAH is $1,056/month. If you then decide to get an internship in NYC, where the rent is higher, you must cover the difference.
This can create some constraints, but there are options. If you move out of your residence, you’ll have that housing money to apply toward wherever your internship is. Or, you can stay at a friend’s for free. Whatever you decide, remember that you’ll eventually go back to your duty station to out-process the military.
Indeed, you only need the first O-4 commander or above to approve your internship. However, if the location falls outside of 50 miles you may need extra approval.
Before you start your internship, I recommend getting as much of your out-processing done as you can. I was able to complete all my transition classes before my internship started; when I was done, all I had to do was clear the installation.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
You should also have a serious talk with your chain of command prior to the start. Work with your unit prior to the internship to establish boundaries and set expectations; this will help everyone out in the long run. This may sound counter to military work culture, but at this point in the process you must start prioritizing your transition.
Crush It
Finding a meaningful internship, working with your COC, and figuring out the logistics can be a lot of work on your part. But once you obtain your internship, you will grow and aid your transition out of the military.
Here’s my story:
December 2018: Told my Company Commander and Battalion Commander that I intended to do a DoD Skillbridge internship starting early Fall 2019. My ETS date was set for January 2020.
June 2019: Reached out to Veteran Capital to start looking for an internship.
September 15, 2019: Started my internship at a tech startup in Durham, NC. I kept the townhouse I rented near Fort Bragg because my roommate helped with rent. Durham is close to where I lived, so I rented a small room in someone’s house during my internship. So for a few months, I was paying rent at two places. However, because I had roommates the total was still less than my BAH.
November 22, 2019: Last day at the internship
November 23-December 10, 2019: Out-processing the Army and clearing the installation
December 10, 2019: Signed out on terminal leave.
Not enough transitioning service members take advantage of this opportunity. Leaving the military and entering the civilian world is challenging — make no mistake. DoD Skillbridge is here to provide you an easy transition out of uniform and successfully enter the civilian workforce. Taking advantage of this opportunity can truly help you transition in the next phase of your life after the military.
Related:
Getting A “Yes” From Your Commander For DoD Skillbridge
Top 10 Career Change Books on Amazon
Great advice and well written, too!