Military Experience and the PMP Application

At some point in your military career, you managed a project, probably more than one, and probably many more than you think are possible. It doesn't matter what branch of service you were in, what your Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was, what rank you were, or how long you served - you did, in fact, lead and direct project tasks on many occasions. How do I know?  Because I have been-there-done-that. After serving 24 years on active duty as an enlisted Marine, I converted my military experience into a qualifying application for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam! I passed the test, was awarded the PMP credential, and have enjoyed a lucrative career as a project manager and trainer ever since. 

Tim Dalhouse Training a PMP Class

My PMP Transition Story

A brief history of my military career and how I attained the Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential should be helpful to orient your thinking about how your military experience may also support you qualifying for the PMP.

I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps (OORAH!) in 1985 and retired 24 years later in 2009 as a Master Gunnery Sergeant/E-9. Like most career military people, I wore many hats during my service, went many places, and did some very unusual things.  Initially trained as an Avionics Technician, I spent several years fixing aircraft before going on instructor duty to teach other entry-level Marines and Sailors the basics of Avionics troubleshooting and repair.  After 3 years of teaching, I went back to fixing aircraft and supervising an Avionics work center. Later moved to the Quality Assurance shop, I gained an in-depth understanding of every technical discipline in aircraft maintenance and thought that aviation maintenance would be my long-term career field. But, the Marine Corps decided to make me a salesman instead and sent me on 3 years of recruiting duty. By the grace of God, I survived my recruiting tour, and went back to the fleet as a Master Sergeant Avionics Chief. At that point, I was more involved with managing an Avionics Division rather than fixing planes, and never really turned a wrench on an aircraft again.

As my management duties increased, I was tapped to transfer to Headquarters, Marine Corps (HQMC) at Quantico, VA to serve as an Enlisted Assignments Monitor responsible for the assignment of about 4,000 Marines in the Avionics and Flight Equipment fields to over 170 units world-wide. It was there that I gained the knowledge that ultimately served as the catalyst for my introduction to civilian project management. My last assignment was back in the fleet serving as the senior enlisted leader of the largest Avionics Division in the Corps with 350 Marines supporting more than 100 combat aircraft. I had a great career, traveled to many exotic places, served two combat tours, and was at the pinnacle of the enlisted rank structure. Still, I had no clue what I was going to do with myself when I finally made the transition to a civilian career, and it was much harder than I thought.

When I retired from the Corps, I found myself struggling to turn all my unique military experience into a coherent and congruous statement of value that civilian employers would understand and desire. I think most of us have a really hard time with that because we know we have a ton of great experience and solid professional skills, but finding where we fit in the civilian world is elusive and frustrating.  In my case, I floundered around for almost 2 years before networking gained me a decent job with a company called CGI Federal who wanted to leverage specific manpower knowledge I had gained from working at HQMC. I was hired as a subject matter expert on a software development contract CGI was performing for the Marine Corps. That was ok with me; I was very appreciative of the opportunity; but, I knew that would only take me so far. I was going to need to broaden my appeal to employers beyond my military-specific expertise to get a solid foothold in the strange, new civilian world. Luckily, some much-needed mentoring from fellow Veterans at CGI turned me on to the PMP credential.

As I initially looked at the experience requirements just to sit for the PMP exam, I thought I would never be able to meet them. But, a retired Chief Warrant Officer at CGI told me different and said that much of my military experience would definitely meet the criteria of "leading and directing project tasks", which is what the Project Management Institute (PMI®) is looking for. So, I took his advice, documented my military "projects", and within a week of submitting my application to PMI, I was approved to take the PMP exam.

A few of the military projects I used to meet the experience requirements were:

• Restructuring an Avionics Division to create better workflow and managerial control

• Leading the implementation of the LITENING Targeting Pod in the first Marine Corps Harrier Squadron to use it

• Staffing several units for deployment lock-on for Operation Iraqi Freedom

• Identifying a critical future staffing shortage in the EA-6B Prowler community and briefing the Deputy Commandant for Manpower & Reserve Affairs on potential courses of action (COA)

• Steps taken to reduce the occurrence of alcohol related incidents within my unit

• Preparing a division for combat deployment

In the next section, I will discuss, in detail, how these types of "missions" equate to project management, and how you should view your own military experience from the perspective of what PMI will count as project work.

In my case, PMI accepted my project submissions without an audit; and, I prepped for the PMP exam through self-study and a 5-day instructor-led PMP Boot Camp. I took the exam a few weeks after the Boot Camp and passed on my first try. True to his word, my boss at CGI then promoted me to a project manager position responsible for a software development contract with DOD; and, I've been doing project management roles ever since. After a few years at CGI, I was hired as a Government employee managing projects at the Food & Drug Administration in the Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation.

Following that, I got into teaching PMP certification courses for a community college, a few private training companies, and ultimately founded PM-ProLearn and make it part of my personal mission to help Military Veterans become project managers.

What's interesting about my civilian career progression, is that I have held PM roles for which my military experience does not directly translate: I never managed software development, veterinary pharmaceuticals or regulatory compliance when I was in the military. Yet, the PMP credential opened those doors of opportunity for me; and, it can do the same for you! I've found that project management is closely aligned with much of what I enjoyed about the military. It's a team environment, it provides an opportunity to lead, there's a mission-oriented mentality, and a huge sense of accomplishment when a successful project is completed. And, although results vary by industry and location, project management roles offer a national average annual salary in the low six figures, and opportunities abound. I'm now making much more money than I did in the military; and, I look forward to a diverse, exciting career that spans across multiple industries.

If I can do it, then you can to. So start filling our your own PMP application today using all that awesome military experience you have and kick your civilian career up to next-level success!