Navy 1515 (Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer (AEDO)). 2,000 hours of formal training translate to 5 validated civilian career pathways with salary bands of $120K–$145K. Sourced from DoD training data and Lightcast labor signals.
Industry tech roles your 1515 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
What 1515 training already gave you, and the specific gaps to close — not a generic checklist.
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not a generic checklist.
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 →Cognitive skills your 1515 training built — and where they transfer in civilian work.
AEDOs must understand and model the complex interdependencies within air weapon systems, from initial design to final production and deployment, to identify potential issues and ensure seamless integration.
This ability to understand and represent complex systems translates to an aptitude for designing, analyzing, and improving processes and workflows in various industries.
When testing and evaluating aircraft and weapons systems in development, AEDOs face dynamic situations demanding rapid and effective prioritization of tasks and potential risks to ensure project success and safety.
Your experience in quickly assessing situations and prioritizing actions under pressure will make you adept at managing projects, responding to crises, and making critical decisions in time-sensitive environments.
AEDOs maintain a high level of situational awareness to test and evaluate new aircraft and weapon systems, especially in flying billets. This is key for safe and successful completion of test objectives.
Your ability to remain alert and aware of your surroundings translates to a strong capacity for risk management, quality control, and maintaining operational efficiency in complex environments.
AEDOs are involved in continuous improvement processes. You examine the outcomes of tests, evaluations, and even operational deployments to identify areas where systems or processes can be improved, which is critical to maintaining a competitive edge.
This skill will allow you to excel in roles focused on quality assurance, process improvement, and strategic planning, ensuring organizations learn from their experiences and continuously enhance their performance.
Adjacent civilian roles your training maps to that conventional military-to-civilian advice tends to miss.
You've been managing complex systems and product improvements throughout the entire lifecycle of aircraft and weapon systems. This provides you with a strong foundation for optimizing supply chains, managing inventory, and improving the efficiency of logistics operations.
Adjacent · MatchYou've been providing professional management and technical direction in the acquisition process. You understand how to evaluate, test, and improve complex systems. This experience will enable you to help businesses improve their operations, strategies, and performance.
Adjacent · MatchYou've been involved in the financial aspects of weapon system acquisition, from design to production. You possess an understanding of budgets, cost analysis, and return on investment. You can use this knowledge to help businesses make informed investment decisions.
Adjacent · MatchUp to 30 semester hours recommended
Focus on the five process groups (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, Closing) and ten knowledge areas as defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Study the PMBOK guide.
While AEDOs test and evaluate systems, the CTEP requires specific documented experience and knowledge in test and evaluation methodologies. Focus on formal test planning, data analysis, and reporting standards expected in civilian test organizations.
Military systems you operated and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Flight Control System | Fly-by-wire systems in commercial aircraft like Boeing 787 or Airbus A350 | Operations |
| Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) | Airline flight planning software (e.g., Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro, Lido/Flight) | Operations |
| AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar | Advanced weather radar systems (e.g., those used by Baron Services or Enterprise Electronics Corporation) | Signals |
| AIM-9X Sidewinder Missile | Advanced missile defense systems, such as those developed by Raytheon for civilian infrastructure protection | Weapons |
| Link 16 Tactical Data Link | Secure data communication networks used in emergency services or financial transactions | Operations |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) Military Code (M-Code) Receivers | High-precision GPS systems used in surveying and construction (e.g., Trimble or Leica Geosystems products) | Operations |
| AN/ALQ-214 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) system | Cybersecurity intrusion detection and prevention systems (e.g., those offered by Palo Alto Networks or CrowdStrike) | Operations |
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