Requirements Intelligence: From Confusion to Clarity

The Proactive Job Seeker - Skilled Career Edition | Week 2

Jul 18, 2025

Hey there,

Week 2 is about cutting through requirements confusion and creating your qualification roadmap. If you completed Week 1, you've got validated career targets. Now the question becomes: What exactly do you need to be job-ready?

This is where a lot of veterans get stuck. The requirements landscape feels overwhelming, and it's easy to fall into the research trap again - spending months learning about every possible certification without ever enrolling in a program.

Here's the reality: You don't need to meet every possible qualification. You need to meet the right qualifications efficiently.

The Intelligence Gathering Approach

As a veteran, you understand the difference between actionable intelligence and information overload. Requirements research should follow the same principle.

Your mission this week:

Identify Tier 1 requirements (absolute must-haves)
Research training programs with strong job placement rates
Leverage your military experience for accelerated qualification
Create a realistic roadmap with timelines and costs

Not your mission:

Research every possible certification pathway
Compare dozens of training programs
Become an expert on industry regulations
Find the "perfect" program that doesn't exist

What Military Experience Actually Gets You

Many veterans underestimate how their military background accelerates civilian qualification. Here's what works:

Electronics technicians → IT support roles (may waive basic electronics courses)

Building maintenance → HVAC programs (safety training and troubleshooting experience transfers)

Vehicle maintenance → Automotive programs (diagnostic and repair experience applies) Logistics specialists → CDL programs (vehicle operation and safety protocols transfer)

Your military experience is qualification credit waiting to be documented and applied.

This Week's Reality Check

Don't aim for comprehensive understanding before taking action. Aim for good enough information to make confident next steps.

If you find yourself:

Researching programs for more than 2 weeks without applying anywhere
Comparing more than five training options
Waiting for the "perfect" program with every possible feature
Studying requirements instead of meeting them

You're overthinking it. Choose a good program that meets your core needs and start the qualification process.

Weekend Assignment

Pick your #1 career target from Week 1 and complete this mini-research mission:

Saturday: Identify the absolute requirements (licenses, certifications) for your target career in your state. Use MyNextMove for Veterans and your state licensing board websites.

Sunday: Find 2-3 training programs in your area that prepare you for those requirements. Note their veteran policies, costs, and job placement rates.

Monday: Choose your preferred program and contact them to inquire about enrollment requirements and the timeline.

That's it. Research weekend, decision Monday, action Tuesday.

What's Coming in Week 3

Next week: Local Market Intelligence. We're looking into:

Which employers in your area are actively hiring
Salary ranges and benefits packages
Entry-level vs. experienced hiring practices
How to position yourself for the best opportunities

But Week 3 only makes sense after you complete Week 2. You can't effectively research employers until you know what qualifications they're looking for.

Your Action Step Right Now

Don't let Week 2 become another research project. Set a decision deadline: by next Sunday, you'll have identified your preferred qualification path for your #1 career target.

Then start the process.

Your military skills accelerate your civilian qualification timeline. Your systematic approach to requirements research gives you an advantage over other career changers. Your success in skilled careers becomes probable when you treat qualification as a mission to execute, not a puzzle to solve perfectly.

Execute the mission.

Lee

P.S. Hit the comment button and let me know what requirement surprised you most about your target career. Sometimes the most "obvious" requirements are the ones that catch us off guard.