Military intelligence analysis veterans are familiar with many types of intelligence, including human, signal, geospatial, financial, and surveillance. Below are a few civilian careers in which intelligence is key.
Career Comparison
| Job Title | Median Wage (2021)* | Job Growth (2021-2031)* | Applicable Military Skills/Traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Research Analysts | $63,920 | 19% | Experience gathering and analyzing information from databases |
| Budget Analysts | $79,940 | 3% | Ability to analyze financial statements and provide actionable recommendations |
| Intelligence Analysts | $83,640 (all detectives and criminal investigators) | -1% (all detectives and criminal investigators) | Analysis of data in the context of terrorism and public safety |
| Management Analysts | $93,000 | 11% | Data gathering experience with organizational abilities |
| Financial Analysts | $95,570 | 9% | Ability to trace and follow financial transactions across international borders and analyze profitability |
Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Civilian Jobs for Military Intelligence Analyst Veterans
Training and experience in gathering data from multiple sources, performing critical analysis, and presenting actionable reports are highly valued in business and law enforcement. These skills may give veterans a competitive advantage in the civilian workforce.
Market Research Analysts
Experience with focus groups and interviews, similar to Army human intelligence collector (35M) veterans, could be particularly useful in this career. These skills, combined with their critical-thinking and data analysis abilities, make intelligence veterans highly valuable in many companies in order to properly launch new products and maintain market position.
Market research analysts conduct and analyze research on products, services, competition, regional trends, and economic conditions. They seek out the best opportunities for new markets for products. They may also perform an analysis of key demographic groups to determine market potential and plan marketing campaigns. This career requires a bachelor's degree.
Budget Analysts
Intelligence veterans with some record keeping or accounting experience may find this as a suitable career choice. Their ability to analyze documents with a critical eye may help them to become successful in this career.
Budget analysts are given the task of helping companies, government agencies, and other institutions make the best use of their cash flow. They analyze incomes and expenditures to find potential efficiencies and eliminate waste or lost revenue. In addition, they prepare reports citing compliance with policy and recommending potential changes. They must have a bachelor's degree in a suitable field.
Intelligence Analysts
Military intelligence officers may find this to be a good career choice due to their experience and extensive training, specifically in the field of national defense. Civilian intelligence analysts often work in a law enforcement, asset protection, or anti-terrorism capacity. They may gather data from many different systems, including law enforcement databases, geographic information systems, digital imagery surveillance, as well as human intelligence. Their goal is to prevent crimes and terrorism. They must have a bachelor's degree.
Management Analysts
The key to making sound business decisions is often impacted by the quality of information upon which that information is based. The experience of veterans, such as Air Force intelligence officers who have experience gathering data from many different sources, may help many companies improve their outcomes.
Management analysts, also known as management consultants, explore and understand all aspects of a business or organization, from human resources to facilities, as well as financial conditions, marketing, and production. They seek out bottlenecks that can be eliminated and look for ways to eliminate waste and duplication of effort. This position requires a bachelor's degree.
Financial Analysts
Many criminal and terrorism cases are ultimately solved by tracing and tracking the money. Military intelligence officers, especially those with financial training, may excel in this career due to their active duty experience.
Financial analysts make recommendations to senior management regarding financial investments like stocks and bonds, as well as debt and loan obligations. To do their jobs well, they gather data not just upon their own company, but also on market and regional trends, asset markets, and even international conditions. It is their job to crunch this data and chart a path to maximize profit. A bachelor's degree is necessary for this career, and a license is typically required to sell financial products.
