Sounds like he's applying to the wrong companies. Look for companies that that domain knowledge, like Lockheed, General Dynamics, etc. There are also organizations that will help veterans find jobs (some might have timeframe limits, others might only help those who are unemployed).

Of course he will still need to learn about IT. Maybe get scrum master certified. Maybe get an MBA or business certificate to show he understands stuff like budgeting. AWS Cloud Practitioner is easy and will give him a basic understanding of concepts and jargon associated with the platform. I would say it would be good to learn at least one language and build a small project with it, then look at more complex projects on GitHub just to understand the architectures. A class on system's architecture would be a good idea too. It's important to understand the basic concepts and structure behind the project as well as the budgeting and development processes to be able to make strategic leadership decisions about it.

Unfortunately nothing of what you mention makes him stand out as an IT manager. Does he at least know what the difference between a problem and an incident is?

Maybe have him look into the ITIL cert. I personally think it’s junk because I’ve been in IT for 12 years, but my boss could def benefit from some terms since he’s not an IT guy. Still sucks to have him as a manager because it’s a waste of time to talk to him every time. He can’t help me when I have an issue and he can’t really defend us if needed because he can’t check the veracity of anything technical.

He should get at least some certifications from Microsoft in Azure and SQL. At least learn Python. Networking basics.

But zero experience? No.

For example, Equifax chief security officer Susan Mauldin was a college music major, and zero security certifications or training. The largest breach of credit financial records of half of Americans happened for very simple reasons under her watch. Equifax’s breach was caused by a known and critical vulnerability that went unpatched for months. Addressing critical vulnerabilities is basic security hygiene.

Why did they hire someone with a music degree and no security training? What would be their motivation to hire someone like this?

I have a degree in computer science and a lot of programming and systems experience, but zero specialty in security and would never even think of becoming a security manager. Because I have no detailed knowledge of it on a super granular level.

In the same way, your buddy should not be any type of IT manager.

Well, anyways, she was an IT manager with zero background and that is what happened, so no, your buddy needs to get some training and certifications and work experience in IT first.

When I started 9 years ago we had systems managers. It's hard to say exactly how much they were making, but reasonably the average was around $170k. Then they sort of combined systems managers and PMs to create team managers that were paid at the PM level. Again, this is hard to pin down the exact average, but it would be about $140k. Now they want chapter leads who code 60% of the time and people lead the other 40% with scrum masters (usually split between 2 or more teams) instead of PMs. The chapter lead is making about the same as a senior dev around $125k. Scrum masters make less than PMs.

I really don't like the combining of roles. I think it doesn't allow people to focus and forces context switching. How can a chapter lead participate in their dev work and meeting while also knowing what devs are doing on several other teams to be able to meaningfully lead them? All while crushing the moral of the existing employees because we can see that our future progression and earning opportunities were cut down from what they once were.

I would suggest that he pursue a PMP or similar certification and use project management as an entry point. The discipline of a combat officer with the music background sounds like a good talent to develop.

I’m surprised and dismayed to hear about the HR reactions.

This is how it works in Israel.

If he is that good, he must have tons of connections just waiting to be refreshed and activated.

Wish you luck.

But you are correct, the percentage of the US population in the military is about 2%, and the percentage of veterans is about 7%.

No matter what is the crossover if you have many connections you can usually find at least few relevant.

Was he in US Army Special Forces?

He should get onto LinkedIn ASAP and put in his full Army quake and assignments and reconnect to other soldiers he’s worked with and network with them. There is a rich special operations community on LI.

Isn't that illegal? I guess they would have to admit it, otherwise it would be hard to prove.