What Industries are Naval Officer Veterans Most Likely to Pursue

This is the second article in a series of posts to provide active duty members of the Armed Forces with information to aid in their decision making process about a post-military career. You can view the first article in this series here, as well as sign-up for updates about additional data to be distribute in the weeks ahead. I've started my analysis with Naval Officers in order to make the analysis simpler, but will expand to additional military branches in future posts. One of the first steps taken in a civilian career is to decide on an industry of focus. These industries range from the most common for Naval Officers – “Defense and Space” (12.8% of all Naval Officer veterans) – to the more outlandish (my hat’s off to the 0.05% who have found their calling in “Arts & Crafts”). While the companies within any industry likely vary significantly, there are broader trends within the industry in terms of skill set required, lifestyle provided, and precedent for veterans within the industry. My focus in this article is to provide information for the latter.

While LinkedIn provides 147 different industry classifications, to simplify my analysis I’ve consolidated this to 12 industries. Within the data visualization, you can expand to see a breakdown of all 147 industries, or simply view the 12 groupings. I looked at trends across all US Naval Officers, as well as specifically for Submarine, Surface Warfare, Marine Corps, and Aviation Officers. Unfortunately, there was insufficient data to provide reliable analysis for other Navy communities (SEALs, Seabees, etc). For additional information about methodology you can read more here.

You can view the complete interactive data visualizations here.

Additionally, I wanted to point out a few trends that I saw while analyzing this data.

All Naval Officers

Industry selection varied noticeably among the different Naval Warfare Specialties (more info below). However, for all Naval Officers these were the most popular industries:

1. Government & Law (22% of Naval Officers): buoyed heavily by "Defense & Space" as a sub industry, this was the #1 most likely Industry for all Officers except Aviators (who favor the Transportation industry).
2. Technology (17% of Naval Officers): this was the #2 industry for every service group except for Aviators (theirs was Government & Law).
3. Business (11% of Naval Officers): this was the #3 industry for SWO and Marines, but #5 for Submarines and a close #4 for Aviators.
4. Transportation (9%): buoyed heavily by Aviators (their #1 Industry, with 28% of Aviators choosing Transportation).
5. Financial Services (9%): slightly behind Transportation, Financial Services is actually the #4 Industry for each branch of service, but was slightly behind Transportation on totals due to the spike with Aviators.

Submarine Officers (Submariners)  Compared to all Naval Officers, Submariners are the most likely of their peers to choose careers in the:

• Technology industry (19% of Submariners): likely due to their required training in nuclear engineering, Submariners are the most likely to find a career within Technology. (See a complete list of Technology industries here). Submariners are 53% more likely than Naval Aviators, and 7.8% more likely than SWO, and 7.1% more likely than Marines to end up in Technology.
• Other Industry (17% of Submariners): I'm not entirely sure why this is (I guess it may be since most of us Submariners are a little different anyways), but Submariners also dominate the longtail industries that did not fall into more specific categories. (See a complete list of “Other” industries here). Submariners completely dominate this “Other” category, where they are 249% more than Aviators, 234% more than Marines, and 80% more than SWO to find a career here.
• Education & Research industry (6% of Submariners): also likely to the breadth of their engineering training, Submariners tend to gravitate to educational and research roles. (See a complete list of Education & Research industries here). Submariners are 31% more likely than Aviators, 11% more than Marines, and 8% more than SWO to end up in the Education & Research industry.

Submarine officers are the least likely of all Naval Officers to end up in an industry of:

• Health Services (4% of Submariners): I actually would have thought that the nuclear engineering training might bias more Submariners to enter the rigorous Health Services industry, but it seems like the opposite is true. Submariners are the least likely to end up as your physician or health services staff. (See a complete list of Health Services industries here). Submariners are 39% less likely than Marines, 14% less than Aviators, and 11% less than SWO to pursue a career in Health Services.
• Arts (2% of Submariners): perhaps this is a side effect of all that engineering training, but Submariners are the least likely to go into the more creative Arts industry (See a complete list of Arts industries here). Submariners are 39% less than Marines, 26% less than SWO, and 21% less than Aviators to enter into the Arts.
• Real Estate & Construction (2% of Submariners): all that time underwater may adversely impact the around-the-house handiness of Submariners, as they’re the least likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in Real Estate & Construction. (See a complete list of Real Estate & Construction industries here). Submariners are 59% less likely than Marines, 56% less likely than SWO, 44% less likely than Aviators to pursue a career in Real Estate & Construction.

You can see the complete data for Submarine Officer industries here.

Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) Compared to all Naval Officers, SWOs are the most likely of their peers to choose careers in the:

• Government & Law (25% of SWOs): Not only are SWOs the most likely of all Naval Officers to enter Government & Law, but it is also the #1 Industry choice for SWO veterans. Looks like all those sea lawyering skills pay off in the civilian sector :) (See a complete list of Health Services industries here). SWOs are 27% more likely than Aviators, 23% more likely than Marines, 6% more likely than Submariners to pursue a career in Financial Services.
• Financial Services (10% of SWOs): SWOs have a penchant for numbers and money, as they are most likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in the Financial Services industries. (See a complete list of Financial Services industries here). SWOs are 28% more likely than Aviators, 18% more likely than Marines, and 9% more likely than Submariners to pursue a career in the Financial Services.
• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) (4% of SWOs): CPG isn’t a popular industry for Naval Officer veterans, but SWOs dominate this field. (See a complete list of CPG industries here). SWOs are 161% more likely than Aviators, 92% more likely than Submariners, and 11% more likely than Marines veterans to pursue a career in CPG.
• Manufacturing (4% of SWOs): SWOs seem to be the handiest of all Naval Officer veterans, as they are most likely of all Naval Officer veterans to pursue a career in the Manufacturing industry. (See a complete list of Manufacturing industries here). SWOs are 78% more likely than Aviators, 32% more likely than Marines, and 10% more likely than Submariners to pursue a career in Manufacturing.

SWOs are the least likely of all Naval Officers to end up in an industry of:

• Transportation (3% of SWOs): all that time on ships must kill their desire to do any more transportation, as SWOs are the least likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in the Transportation industry. (See a complete list of Transportation industries here). SWOs are 91% less likely than Aviators, 69% less likely than Marines, and 14% less likely than Submariners to pursue a career in Transportation.

You can see the complete data for Surface Warfare Officer industries here.

U.S. Marine Corps Officers (Marines) Marines are the most likely of all Naval Officers to end up in an industry of:

• Business (14% of Marines): When it comes to wheeling and dealing in the business world, Marines seem to have the easiest time making the transition - Marines are most likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in Business.(See a complete list of Health Services industries here). Marines are 73% more likely than Aviators, 49% more likely than Submariners, and 32% more likely than SWOs to pursue a career in Business.
• Health Services (6% of Marines): Marines seem to take the adage, “Take care of your people” to the next level, as they are the most likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in the Health Services industry. (See a complete list of Health Services industries here). Marines are 63% more likely than Submariners, 45% more likely than SWOs, and 40% more likely than Aviators to pursue a career in Health Services.
• Real Estate and Construction (6%): All that rolling around in the mud and rolling up your sleeves to get your hands dirty pay off for Marines – they are the most likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in Real Estate and Construction. (See a complete list of the Real Estate and Construction industries here). Marines are 143% more likely than Submariners, 36% more likely than Aviators, and 7% more likely than SWOs to pursue a career in Real Estate and Construction. 
• Arts (4% of Marines): this might have been the most surprising trend to me, but it looks like Marines are more likely than any other Naval Officer to pursue a career in the Arts (insert your own favorite Marine Corps hippy reference here). (See a complete list of the Arts industries here). Marines are 63% more likely than Submariners, 28% more likely than Aviators, and 20% more likely than SWOs to pursue a career in the Arts.

You can see the complete data for Marine Corps Officer industries here.

Naval Aviators (Aviators) Aviators are the most likely of all Naval Officers to end up in an industry of:

• Transportation (28% of Aviators): In the least surprising finding in the entire study, Naval Aviators are the most likely of all Naval Officers to end up in the Transportation industry, which is dominated by Airlines, Aviation and Aerospace.(See a complete list of the Transportation industries here). Aviators are 999% more likely than SWOs, 845% more likely than Submariners, and 240% more likely than Marines to enter the Transportation industry.

Aviators are the least likely of all Naval Officers to end up in an industry of:

• Technology (12% of Aviators): Although a large swath of aviators enter into technology, they are the least likely of all Naval Officers to do so. Top Gun featured more time in bars and in jets than looking in manuals, so maybe not too surprising.(See a complete list of the Technology industries here). Aviators are 34% less likely than Submariners, 30% less likely than SWOs, and 29% less likely than Marines to enter the Technology industry.
• Financial Services (8% of Aviators): When you fly billion dollar aircraft for a living, maybe you don't need the high pace lifestyle Financial Services are known for, as Aviators are the least likely of all Naval Officers to enter the Financial Services industry. (See a complete list of the Financial Services industries here). Aviators are 22% less likely than SWOs, 15% less likely than Submariners, and 8% less likely than Marines to enter the Financial Services industry.
• Business (8% of Aviators): While they may be all business in the air, they're less so on the ground, as Aviators are the least likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in Business. (See a complete list of the Business industries here). Aviators are 42% less likely than Marines, 24% less likely than SWOs, and 14% less likely than Submariners to enter the Business industry.
• Education & Research (4% of Aviators): This may be driven by their longer length of required service, but Aviators are the least likely of all Naval Officers to pursue a career in the Education & Research industry.  (See a complete list of the Education & Research industries here). Aviators are 23% less likely than Submariners, 17% less likely than SWOs, and 15% less likely than Marines to enter the Education & Research industry.
• Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) (1% of Aviators): I'm not sure for the reason on this one, but Aviators are the least likely of all Naval Officers to enter the CPG industry. (See a complete list of the CPG industries here). Aviators are 62% less likely than SWOs, 57% less likely than Marines, 27% less likely than Submariners to enter the CPG industry.

You can see the complete data for Naval Aviation Officer industries here.

Summary

While Naval Officer veterans can be found in virtually every civilian industry, I hope these trends are helpful. My intention is to make active duty personnel more aware of the broad spectrum of jobs for which they are extremely well qualified. At the very least, the trends may help spark the career search for active duty personnel who are planning their transition to a civilian career. Next, I'll show data for which Functional Roles Naval Officer veterans pursue within these industries.

Beyond the Uniform: What Military Veterans do in their Civilian Career

I was recently at birthday party that had in attendance several (albeit younger and still on active duty) fellow Naval Academy graduates. There I heard a refrain I had long since forgotten: what am I going to do when I get out? It struck me as a reminder of how little visibility active duty military officers have on what career possibilities await them. When I was serving onboard nuclear submarines, I faced a similar challenge. The veil separating me from civilian possibilities was intimidating. When I decided to resign my commission, my thought process was as simple as:

1. I like managing people
2. I imagine that if I want to manage people in the civilian sector it will have something to do with business
3. Therefore, I’ll go to business school

At Stanford, I started to realize just how little I knew about my career possibilities. Veterans are exceptionally well qualified for a broad and diverse set of civilian career options. However, it pains me to see many veterans make a major career decision while not having access to information that might better inform their decision. This includes members of the Armed Forces who:

• Make a hasty decision to leave the military, only to realize the depth of satisfaction and camaraderie they enjoyed while on active duty and miss as a civilian
• Remain on active duty out of fear of the unknown
• Depart from the military and settle in a career not well aligned with their personal interests due to a lack of knowledge of more suitable (though less known) career options

I believe that – while all veterans share a wealth of common experiences and values – we each have different desires, personal goals, and priorities. So, sadly, there is not one universal answer to the complex question of what to do with ones life and career. However, I also believe (as Master Chief Granito was fond of saying at each all-hands meeting on the USS Alaska) that “knowledge is power.” As a result, my intention is to delve into data, insight, and information that I wish I had known at the time of my separation from the military. It is my hope that this knowledge, I can in some way give back to a community that has given me so much.

If this topic resonates with you, I ask that you share this with anyone you believe would benefit from this knowledge. In the following weeks, I’ll be posting on topics including:

• What Industries are most popular for veterans
• What Functional Roles are most common for veterans
• What size companies are most likely to employee veterans
• What geographic locations are most typical for veterans post separation
• How time in service affects each of these factors
• How one’s branch of service affects each of these factors

To be updated as I release more information, you can follow me on LinkedIn, or request updates at http://www.beyondtheuniform.io. Additionally, if you have ideas on what additional information would be valuable to the men and women who serve in our country’s military, please contact me here.

Gathering Data for "What careers do US Naval Officers pursue"

For my first data visualization, I wanted to look at the career that Navy veterans pursue post separation. My original intention was to show this for all Navy personnel. However, using LinkedIn's "Advanced Search" capabilities, this proved to be too cumbersome to collect this data set. Additionally, refining the search to all Naval Officers proved too onerous. As a result, I used US Naval Academy graduates as a proxy for all US Naval Officers. The final result of this initial data can be viewed here.

This resulted in data sets for Submarine Officers, Surface Warfare Officers, Naval Aviation Officers, and US Marine Corps Officers. Unfortunately, there was insufficient data to do a similar set of research around SEALs, Supply Corps Officers, Seabees, etc.

I grouped the data around several key areas related to a post-military career.

1. Industry: I looked at all 147 LinkedIn classified Industries, except for "Military." This was the easiest way to look at Naval Officers on LinkedIn who are no longer on Active Duty. The 147 categories did not provide as much insight, so I created my own subset of categories in order to extract higher-level takeaways. I was unable to find any official guidance on the best way to create these subgroups, but provide an overview of my grouping here.
2. Function: Fortunately, LinkedIn only provides 12 different categories for Functional Roles. However, LinkedIn only shows the top 10 industries for any designated search. This means that for each service group, there were two industries not shown. For Submarine Officers, this was Consulting and Education. For Surface Warfare Officers, this was Research and Education. For the US Marine Corps, this was Business Development and Research. And for Naval Aviation, this was Finance and Research. In this case, I inserted the data as zero, knowing that the actual percentage is higher than that, but also not in the top 10 Functions for any service group.
3. Size of Company: This was the simplest to obtain, as LinkedIn only provides 9 categories for Company Size, and provides this data consistently for all service branches. As a result, the data here will be the most accurate to actual LinkedIn data. For my article on LinkedIn, I divided these into just 5 categories to simplify the high-level takeaways. However, I've provided the original data within the chart.
4. Length of Service: This was the most complicated to extract. In order to estimate the Time in Service for the nearly 5,000 LinkedIn profiles analyzed, I needed to use the third-party service, Amazon's Mechanical Turk (mTurk). I provided spot checks of the data results, but due to limitations in both time and budget, was not able to verify all of their work.

In order to display the data, I used the New York Time's D3 model. Special thanks to Nemil Dalal, who put together the majority of this data, and helped me as I put together the small remainder he did not complete. I also used Upwork in a few locations to help me edit this models and add them to my Wordpress website template.

The next set of data I would like to look at is how Time in Service affects Industry, Functional Role, and Size of Company of veterans. However, I wanted to provide the initial data first in order to see what additional information would be most helpful to active duty military personnel. All feedback and suggestions are welcome here.