Operations Manager
$85KHigh match
High demand
Skills to develop
- — Project management certification
- — Business analytics
Live · Guide v1.011B · Career GuideValidated · Lightcast Labor DataUpdated · Q2 20262026 Cohort Active
Home/Career Guides/11B
ARMY · 11BCareer Guide · Operations · Security · VWC.CG.11B.R.04
11B · ARMY · Enlisted
Infantryman.
Army 11B (Infantryman). 1,144 hours of formal training translate to 4 validated civilian career pathways with salary bands of $65K–$92K. Sourced from DoD training data and Lightcast labor signals.
Training hours1,144DoD pipeline
ACE creditACEUp to 12 semester hours recommended
Tech roles4mapped to your code
Civilian pathways4validated
Cert coverage2/5direct + partial
/ 01 · Tech Roles
Roles your code maps to.
Industry tech roles your 11B background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Sort · Match descending
/ 02 · Skill Bridge
The gap, named.
What 11B training already gave you, and the specific gaps to close — not a generic checklist.
Already have06
- 01Field communications and radio net operations→ Networking basics, understanding of communication protocols.
- 02Maintaining secure communications equipment→ Awareness of security protocols and data protection.
- 03Land navigation and map reading→ Spatial reasoning and data visualization.
- 04Supervising teams and coordinating activities→ Project management and team leadership.
- 05Operating and maintaining weapons systems and equipment→ Technical aptitude and problem-solving skills.
- 06Prioritizing tasks under pressure and managing resources effectively→ Time management, decision-making and resource allocation.
To learn08
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not a generic checklist.
+Linux command line basics+Cloud computing fundamentals (AWS, Azure, or GCP)+Scripting with Python or Bash+Cybersecurity fundamentals and network security+Security tools such as Wireshark, Nmap, or Metasploit+IT support ticketing systems (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow)+Project management methodologies (Agile, Scrum)+Cloud infrastructure management tools (Terraform, Ansible)
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code is a free, full-time software engineering accelerator for veterans, active duty, and military spouses. We close the fundamentals — terminal, web platform, AI tooling, portfolio projects — so the rest of this list becomes specialization, not square one.
See VWC Programs →/ 03 · Civilian Pathways
Where your code lands.
Security Operations Manager
$92KHigh match
High demand
Skills to develop
- — Security certifications
- — Risk assessment frameworks
Emergency Management Specialist
$78KGood match
Growing demand
Skills to develop
- — FEMA certifications
- — Emergency planning software
Law Enforcement Officer
$65KGood match
High demand
Skills to develop
- — State POST certification
/ 04 · Hidden Strengths
What the code built.
Cognitive skills your 11B training built — and where they transfer in civilian work.
Rapid Prioritization
Triaging multiple threats and objectives simultaneously during combat operations under extreme time pressure
Transfers to
Prioritizing competing deadlines and shifting requirements — the core skill behind incident management, ER triage, and agile sprint planning
Situational Awareness
Maintaining a 360-degree mental model of terrain, friendly forces, enemy positions, and civilian presence in real time
Transfers to
Synthesizing multiple data streams into a coherent picture — the same skill that drives business intelligence, trading floors, and product management
Team Synchronization
Coordinating fire and movement across a squad where miscommunication means casualties
Transfers to
Orchestrating cross-functional teams under pressure — directly applicable to program management, event production, and DevOps coordination
Degraded-Mode Operations
Continuing mission execution when communications fail, plans change, or key personnel are lost
Transfers to
Performing under uncertainty when systems break — the mindset behind disaster recovery, crisis management, and startup operations
After-Action Analysis
Conducting structured debriefs after every operation to identify what worked, what failed, and how to improve
Transfers to
Running retrospectives and root-cause analysis — the foundation of continuous improvement, Six Sigma, and quality engineering
/ 05 · Non-Obvious Matches
Roles the recruiter won't suggest.
Adjacent civilian roles your training maps to that conventional military-to-civilian advice tends to miss.
Product Manager
SOC 11-2021You've been running mission briefs, prioritizing objectives, and adapting plans in real time for years. Product management is the same skill set — just with roadmaps instead of operations orders.
Adjacent · MatchEmergency Management Director
SOC 11-9161Your entire career has been operating in crisis mode. Emergency management directors need someone who stays calm, delegates effectively, and executes under pressure — that's literally your job description.
Adjacent · MatchScrum Master / Agile Coach
SOC 15-1299After-action reviews are retrospectives. Operations orders are sprint plans. You've been running agile without knowing it — the framework just has different vocabulary.
Adjacent · Match/ 06 · Training & Certs
What you trained on.
Academy
Infantry One Station Unit Training (OSUT)
Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning)1,144hHours
22wkWeeks
ACECredit
Up to 12 semester hours recommended
Topics · 7
- Small arms tactics
- Land navigation
- Patrolling operations
- Anti-armor weapons systems
- Urban operations
- Field communications
- First aid and combat casualty care
Partial coverage · 2
- Project Management Professional (PMP)40%
Formal project management methodology, earned value management, and stakeholder analysis frameworks
- Certified Protection Professional (CPP)50%
Business security principles, enterprise risk management, and legal aspects of security
Recommended next · 03
- PMPAdjacent
- CPPAdjacent
- OSHA 30-HourAdjacent
/ 07 · Systems Translation
What you ran, in their words.
Military systems you operated and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Force Tracker (BFT) | Real-time GPS fleet and asset management systems | Operations |
| FBCB2 (Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below) | Tactical network communication and situational awareness platforms | Networking |
| DAGR (Defense Advanced GPS Receiver) | Precision GPS navigation and positioning systems | Operations |
| SINCGARS (Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System) | Encrypted radio frequency communication systems | Operations |
| JCR (Joint Capabilities Release) | Joint asset tracking, messaging, and logistics coordination systems | Operations |
/ Translator · Live
Translate 11B into a resume that ships.
Pair this guide with the VWC AI-powered translator: drop in your service record, get back ATS-optimized civilian resume language tuned to the tech roles above.