ZERO TO CYBER

FREE GUIDE FOR VETERANS AND CAREER CHANGERS

YOUR SERVICE IS WORTH MORE THAN YOUR RESUME SAYS

The Military to Cyber Translation Guide shows you where your experience fits in cybersecurity, and how to put it on paper so the people hiring finally see what you can do.

Find the cyber career path your background actually points to
Describe what you've done in terms hiring managers recognize
Learn what to do, and in what order, before the clock runs out on your best options

Free download · Edition 1, November 2026

Military to Cyber Translation Guide

Free PDF · By Brandon Gates, CW3(R)

8 CYBER PATHS

34 M JARGON DECODER

8 BEFORE AND AFTER REWRITES

4 PRINTABLE WORKSHEETS

90 DAY ACTION PLAN

THE REAL PROBLEM

Why capable veterans keep getting

passed over

You've led people, run systems, and kept your head when it counted. So why is the job search so quiet? It usually comes down to three things, and none of

them is a lack of talent.

Nobody reading it speaks your language

Titles, unit names, and acronyms that carried weight in uniform mean nothing to a recruiter, or to the software that screens you before a person ever does.

Your rank doesn't travel the way you'd expect

Experience that earned real respect in service can land you in the wrong pile when it's pitched at the wrong level for a field you're entering.

There's nothing to show you can do it now

A strong record with no visible, current proof reads as potential instead of readiness. Hiring teams want to see the work, not just hear about it.

This isn't a talent problem. It's a presentation problem, and it's fixable.

WHAT'S INSIDE

Everything built around one outcome: your first interview

No theory, no filler. Each section does a specific job in getting you from service to a cyber role.

01 The branch by branch

crosswalk

Find your code and see where it points. Cyber, IT, signal, and intel backgrounds get a direct map. Every other career field gets one too, because this industry hires from everywhere.

02 Eight cyber career paths

What each one is really like day to day, the job titles you'd apply for first, and the road to get there from where you stand.

03 A smarter way to stack

certifications

What to earn, in what order, and what your training may already be worth before you spend a dollar or a weekend.

04 Funding most veterans overlook

Programs exist to cover certifications and training. Know which ones fit your situation before you reach for your own wallet.

05 Your service record, rewritten

A repeatable method, a jargon decoder, and side-by-side examples you can adapt line by line to your own evaluations.

06 Clearance, federal jobs, and a

90 day plan

How to put your clearance to work, what trips up federal applications, and a week-by-week plan with worksheets you can print and fill in.

Gut check

Three questions most veterans get wrong

The guide answers every one of them. See how many you can answer today.

1 Is your clearance still working in your favor, and do you know the date that stops

being true?

2 Are you about to pay for training or a certification that you may have already earned?

3 Which duty on your record do hiring managers care about most, and why is it probably missing from your resume?

Not sure about any of them? That's exactly what the guide is for.To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles.

Who it's for

Built for people making this exact move

Whatever stage you're at, there's a starting point in here for you.

Service members planning their exit
Years out of uniform and finally ready to switch
Recently separated and not getting callbacks
Career changers who never served: teachers, nurses, police officers, managers

Worked in a signal shop or a rifle squad? Held a cyber MOS or never touched a keyboard on duty? The guide meets you where you are, not where a job posting assumes you should be.

BG

YOUR GUIDE

Brandon Gates, CW3(R)

U.S. Army Veteran · Founder, Reliable Cyber Solutions

Brandon joined the military on September 11, 2001 and retired from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 3. In more than 25 years in cybersecurity, he has worked with the Cyber National Mission Force, an Army Cyber Protection Team, the NSA, CISA, and Bank of America, among others.

Today he runs the Zero to Cyber community and helps people break into the field. He wrote this guide because he has hired, led, and mentored people through this exact transition.

CISSP

CCNP Security

PMP

GIAC

CISSP

CCNP Security

PMP

GIAC

Make your service count on paper

Free, instant, and written for people who already did the hard part. Grab your copy and start translating.

Edition 1, November 2026. Rules and benefits checked against official sources at publication.

This guide is educational and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or any military branch. It is not legal or financial advice.