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Marine Corps COOL preps Marines for Post-Transition Career Success via Earning Credentials

Tom Eggerling, Sergeant Major, CD & I / MCCDC, who after serving more than 30 years, has utilized U.S. Marine Corps Credentialing Opportunities Online (COOL) to make his transition to civilian workforce smoother.

Tom Eggerling, Sergeant Major, CD & I / MCCDC, who after serving more than 30 years has utilized U.S. Marine Corps Credentialing Opportunities Online (COOL) to make his transition to civilian workforce smoother

SgtMaj Eggerling had many significant career and educational opportunities throughout the course of his career. As he was approaching his retirement, he felt a need to round out his resume with some civilian acculturation and other skills to make him more competitive and poised for a federal government position or a consulting role with a government contractor organization.

Through attending the Transition Readiness Seminar, visiting the U.S. Marine Corps Credentialing Opportunities Online (COOL) website, speaking to friends, and contacting Mr. Robert Stahl, Program Analyst for COOL, SgtMaj Eggerling knew COOL was the right move to help his launch from the Marine Corps.

SgtMaj Eggerling completed the Computing Technology Industry Association’s CompTIA Project+ certification. Because this certification is rated hot’ on the COOL website, as determined by The U.S. Department of Labor, it is considered in demand in the workplace and mentioned frequently in online job postings. For this reason and the fact that the Project+ certification would equip SgtMaj with civilian terminology, concepts, and civilian “speak” vocabulary, he thought it to be extremely useful to bridge his transition. With the information technology world changing so quickly, he desired current skills and relevant expertise in this field.

CompTIA Project+ prepared him with project management skills to complete projects within time and budget constraints, as well as touched upon common project management language among project team members. Adding this credential to his civilian resume and LinkedIn profile will draw recruiters’ attention to his current skills, and demonstrate his effort to go the extra mile to enhance his professional experience. 

SgtMaj Eggerling was so impressed with the ease and prompt customer service he received from the COOL program team he decided to complete another certification before officially retiring. To build upon his leadership capabilities and experience, he discovered the Resilience-Building Leadership Professional™ Trainer (RBLP-T) certification which is tailored is for senior leaders. This certification helps train middle managers to facilitate team learning. SgtMaj Eggerling shared that his learning experience with this course’s community helped him to understand steps and processes in leading teams in civilian organizations. His value-added takeaway from this course was the unencrypting of civilian business vocabulary, an essential component of preparing for interviewing in the civilian workplace, and critical to ultimately securing a job with strong earning potential. 

Sgt Maj Eggerling says that he now feels confident and prepared for a smooth entry into the civilian workforce, with the help of COOL.

The COOL resource supports Marines in their personal and professional development by linking them with certifications and licenses related to their Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). Funding includes examination fees for occupational credentials aligned with a Marine’s MOS. If you are interested in participating in COOL’s programs, please visit https://www.cool.osd.mil/usmc/

Still, searching for more in-depth assistance with transition? Contact your installation’s Transition Readiness staff and join the Marine for Life Network by completing the form. You can also follow the Marine for Life Network on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

NOTES FOR MFQ

[Tags: transition, MC COOL, certifications, Marine for Life, transition assistance, job search, success story, networking]

[Topic: career]

[Audience: Marines, Veteran Marines and/or Transitioning Marines]

[When this article is published, please include the following other articles with a reference and link:

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