QAS

[dirtyspu]

Where can QA Positions lead you in the civilian world.  I am the QAS on a CVN and have been QAI qualified for 6 years.  Just asking, Thanks.

Tom

[Keln]

From my experience, there are QA jobs in EVERYTHING. Every industry. I know a nuke that went to be QA at an ice cream factory. (I think he gained 300 lbs, so I don't recommend it.  )

Seriously, that's one of those golden schools to get. As far as the nuke industry, you'll have to wait for a more informed answer. I know you could definitely get into the steel industry. I also don't recommend the steel industry. I did that for 6 yrs and hated it and now back in the nuke world.

[Fermi2]

It won't get you anywhere in the big leagues.

Mike

[Harley Rider]

I completely agree with BZ. The QA course/qual card you completed in the Navy in no way qualifies you in the civilian sector. I did find that completing the Nuclear Planners course and Quality Assurance Officers / LGI school somewhat beneficial in my transition but only in some aspects. Qualify PPWS and stand the watch for at least 2 years as that will help you. Be safe

[Fermi2]

I completely agree with BZ. The QA course/qual card you completed in the Navy in no way qualifies you in the civilian sector. I did find that completing the Nuclear Planners course and Quality Assurance Officers / LGI school somewhat beneficial in my transition but only in some aspects. Qualify PPWS and stand the watch for at least 2 years as that will help you. Be safe

Good advice. Also do the MM 3 and 2 Course, then do all the NEETs Modules.

Mike

[AFT21]

I'm still in the Navy, but I've been casually job hunting for about a year now.  I'd say that 80% of the QA jobs I've found online have been in either a medical, or a software field.  As a submarine QAI/Planner/QAS I have not felt like my experience would translate well into these fields.  At TAP they told us that only about 20% of jobs are found on the internet, and most of those are found on company websites.  To specifically use just the QAS qual in the civilian sector, I would think you would have to work for a defense contractor.  I'm sure you could make 60-80K to start. 

Things are all about how you write your resume though.  You're not going to write "served QAS" on your resume, because no one is going to know what that means.  You have to look at the job attributes that the company is looking for, and figure out if there is a way that your work experience fits.  For example, using my experience as CMPO/RPPO/MLPO, I can write a resume that will compete for a job managing receiving.  Be creative, just don't lie. If you can't talk about the experiences you've written about, it's going to be obvious you lied, and you never know who knows who.   

If you want to learn more about civilian QA, I would look at the American Society for Quality's website www.asq.org  Once you get past the technician level quality is a completely different world for them.  It's all about process improvement, and you need lean and six sigma experience/certs for those jobs.  Even being a technician is different.  I printed off the exam for their quality inspector cert, and maybe a quarter of the questions were similar to QAI questions.

[dirtyspu]

Thanks for the input.  I have been PPWS for the past 2 years, as the QAS I was required to have the nuke planner school, so I have that as well.  I will get out in about a year and I am not sure what I want to do.  Just looking at all my options.  Thanks again