The DoD SkillBridge program is designed to help transitioning service members (you) gain valuable civilian work experience (for example, in a data center) through industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last few months of your military service. If at all possible, you should take advantage of this program. Realistically, your command may not make this easy, since according to the SkillBridge NAVADMIN, COs “should consider whether allowing SkillBridge participation by Sailors in receipt of skill or billet-based special and incentive pays would negatively impact mission readiness… COs are always fully authorized to deny or curtail SkillBridge requests in light of mission readiness impacts.” All Navy nukes are receiving billet/skill-based incentive pay, and so your CO is perfectly justified in deciding he or she cannot afford for you to participate in the SkillBridge program, or that he/she can only afford for the billet to be gapped for less than the maximum time you would normally be allowed to take. Manning is tight, and especially if you are in a more senior position your CO may not be inclined to let you go early. But it never hurts to ask! When you do ask, make it an early ask and have a plan ready to present to your chain of command for how your work will get covered, why the program is relevant, and what exactly you are asking for.
Check out the SkillBridge FAQs here!
Chase’s note: Do you see something I missed? Is there more information or a clarification I should include? Let me know! Email me at datacenternukes@gmail.com.
How much time do I get for SkillBridge?
The maximum amount of SkillBridge time you can get for a SkillBridge transition is based on rank:
- Tier one (E5 and below) – 180 days or less.
- Tier two (E6-E9) – 120 days or less.
- Tier three (O4 and below) – 120 days or less.
- Tier four (O5 and above) – 90 days or less.
There are a few caveats to the program which are detailed in the NAVADMIN, but generally your SkillBridge period must be complete before any terminal leave or permissive temporary duty associated with separation, fleet reserve, or retirement. Sailors who have received service-funded education (including tuition assistance) cannot start SkillBridge until all obligated service for that education is complete. Officers must fulfill their minimum service requirement for commissioning prior to starting SkillBridge and cannot start SkillBridge while simultaneously serving under a retention bonus until the service obligation for that bonus is complete. If you are serving overseas and receive an overseas housing allowance or overseas military housing, and choose to return to the continental United States for SkillBridge participation, are not currently eligible for a housing allowance.
How do I apply for Skillbridge?
The Navy has actually made a very clear set of instructions for applying to the Skillbridge program, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel. The part that this set of instructions does not cover is how to approach your chain of command. As I mentioned, it is a good idea to bring a solid SkillBridge plan up to your chain of command as early as possible. You don’t have to start with a formally routed chit, just talk to your chain of command about how the program will set you up for success, and importantly, know where you plan to go. Be able to talk intelligently about the details of the program and how it will set you up for the career you want. There is a not entirely untrue perception in the fleet that SkillBridge is a joke and somewhat of a get-out-of- jail duty-free card. This is because there are a lot of SkillBridge programs where you do pretty much nothing other than go on an all expenses paid minimal work vacation internship on the Navy’s dime, leaving your shipmates to pick up the slack in your wake. This is not true of most data center SkillBridge programs (expect to work and learn, as you should want to).
Find specific programs and get in contact with the listed point of contact. Pick this point of contact’s brain for info about their program and see if it is a good fit for you. Being able to talk enthusiastically about the internship and your career after the SkillBridge program goes a long way with your chain of command in showing them you’re not in it for the half days. After you’ve socialized the idea well ahead of time, apply for the program. Starting this process a year before you separate is NOT TOO EARLY.
Which SkillBridge program should I choose?
There is no “right” answer, sorry. If you do a good job, work hard, and aren’t a jerk during your time with the company, you can almost always get a job offer from the company you did your SkillBridge time with. This does not mean you have to (or should!) accept their offer, but companies that participate in the SkillBridge program do so specifically so that they can hire good former service members in a tough recruiting environment.
And so, which program should you apply to? Apply to the one at a company you would not mind working at and in a location you want to move to. Like I mentioned above, you don’t have to take the offered job, and if you do you don’t have to stay long term, but at a minimum it is a great backup option and when negotiating your salary with other companies you choose apply to during your SkillBridge transition time, it is the perfect BATNA, which means you can negotiate harder and better for more money and better perks with every other company you get an offer from.
This is a list of the data center SkillBridge programs. My list is likely incomplete, because the available programs shift over time, so you can check out the official SkillBridge website. The portal is kinda crappy (par for the Navy course) but well worth browsing in detail. Here is a list of the data center programs as of me writing this article:
- Aligned Energy Data Centers has a few facilities, but because they are a smaller company they only intermittently seem to have SkillBridge positions open.
- Amazon Web Service (AWS) offers a SkillBridge program and if you get an offer from Amazon you should probably take it. They generally pay at or near the top of the market and you’ll be working on the cutting edge of the data center industry. The other advantage of Amazon is that it is a huge company that does everything, which means you can laterally move into a huge range of positions within the company as your career evolves.
- Cisco Certification Programs SkillBridge program provides in-person opportunities at Fort Bragg, NC to get various certifications that are relevant to a data center career (focusing on the IT rather than the hardware side) before you get out. The availability of various programs vary over time, so reach out to the point of contact for a schedule.
- Equinix Inc. is a data center industry giant and has an extensive SkillBridge program. It’s a great choice.
- Iconicx Critical Solutions is a data center industry heavy weight and has an extensive SkillBridge program for many roles at locations all around the country. It’s a great choice.
- JLL Americas builds data centers (among other things in the commercial real estate world) and has 50 SkillBridge openings as of this writing. Not all of them are data center relevant, but it’s another great choice for a different angle on the data center industry.
- QTS Data Centers has more than a dozen locations you can choose from. This is very relevant work and a good choice.
- Schneider Electric offers a series of programs at various locations around the country. Schneider provides a lot of the electrical equipment for data centers and is a great potential onramp to the industry.
Chase’s note: Did I miss a program? Do you have notes or comments that I can (anonymously) post on the quality of a specific SkillBridge opportunity? Let me know! Email me at datacenternukes@gmail.com.