Work for a civilian tech company before you separate. Keep your military pay the whole time.
DoD states the rule in one sentence. You must have "180 days or fewer of service remaining prior to your date of military discharge."
That is the best transition programme the government runs. It is also the one with the shortest fuse.
Here is how people lose it. They hear about SkillBridge at their transition briefing. By then there is no time to negotiate with the command or line up a host employer.
More than a year out? Open a calendar. Mark the date 180 days before you separate. Then mark six months before that, and start talking to your command.
Being early is the entire strategy.
Your commander has to approve it. A short-handed unit can say no. Give them time to plan around you.
Technology companies host more SkillBridge fellows than almost anyone. 13% of enlisted and 21% of officers already did technical work in uniform. This programme carries that straight across.
Where veterans already stand
| Measure | Veterans | Non-veterans |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 | 3.5% | 4.2% |
| Share of the civilian labour force, 2025 | 4.9% | — |
| Share of the civilian labour force, 2000 | 10.5% | — |
| Federal IT management workforce | 41% | 59% |
| Living in rural areas | 24.1% | 19.3% |
Unemployment and labour force: BLS Employment Situation of Veterans, 2025 annual averages — BLS notes the 2025 figures are 11-month averages excluding October and are not strictly comparable with other years. Federal IT: OPM FedScope, September 2024, via Pew Research Center. Rural: Census Bureau, Veterans in Rural America, 2011–2015 American Community Survey, against the 2010 Census rural share of the total population.
What you have already earned
- Post-9/11 GI Bill — 36 months, up to 48. Covers certification exams, apprenticeships and non-degree technical training, not only college. va.gov.
- VR&E, Chapter 31 — a 10% service-connected rating qualifies, and there is no time limit if you were discharged on or after 1 January 2013. va.gov.
- VET TEC 2.0 — technology training, 4,000 seats a year, no prior VA education benefit required. va.gov.
- SkillBridge — your last 180 days of service, with commander approval. skillbridge.osd.mil.
- WIOA priority of service — veterans and eligible spouses go first, by law, in every county. CareerOneStop.
- Veterans' preference and special appointing authorities in federal hiring. USAJOBS.
Rates, seat counts and eligibility rules change. These are the doors; verify current terms with VA or DoD before counting on a number.
What to do this week
Find your separation date and count back 180 days. Ask your command's transition office for the SkillBridge authorization in writing, then search the DoD SkillBridge partner list for a company in the market you want to live in. Commander approval is the gate, so ask early.
Eight routes. Two expire.
Three you already earned. They wait. Two expire. Read those first.
DoD SkillBridge
Work for a civilian employer during your last 180 days. The military keeps paying you.
A window that closesThe Post-9/11 GI Bill
36 months of entitlement. It pays for certification exams and apprenticeships, not just college.
Already earnedVET TEC 2.0
Tech training on VA's money. 4,000 seats a year. You do not need the GI Bill to use it.
A window that closesVR&E — Chapter 31
A 10% rating funds an entire new career. Discharged after 1 January 2013? It never expires.
Already earnedThe clearance you already hold
Your clearance has a shelf life. Most veterans let it lapse without ever learning what it was worth.
Already earnedThe job you already did
You already did technical work. Your résumé just says it in a language nobody outside the military reads.
Already earnedFederal and public employment
41,800 of 101,000 federal IT managers are veterans. This is the most proven route here.
Already earnedWIOA and registered apprenticeship
Federal training money in every county. You go first in the queue, by law.
Publicly or employer fundedBy state
Workforce boards, VA regional offices and federal employers are organised state by state and county by county. Find yours.
Photographs on this campaign are licensed stock used as illustration — not portraits of the people inside the federal counts. Full credits: CREDITS.md.