Army general to colonel
An army general already meets 56% of what the colonel role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.5/ 100
1 How much of what a colonel is expected to do is already part of an army general’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the colonel role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A colonel role treats 6 of its required skills as things an army general already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- defend human rights
- devise military tactics
- ensure information security
- maintain operational communications
- military code
- military weaponry
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A colonel role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an army general background worth leading with.
- already held manage security clearance management skills
- already held analyse potential threats against national security information skills
- already held defend human rights communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor military equipment use information skills
- already held devise military tactics management skills
- already held manage troop deployment management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 6 the colonel role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise superiors on military operations required
- optional, not held train military troops optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with policies required
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held lead military troops optional
- still to learn geographic information systems required
- still to learn use geographic information systems required
- optional, not held identify terrorism threats optional
- optional, not held perform resource planning optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with types of weapons optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a colonel role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 geographic information systems study this
- 02 use geographic information systems practise this
- 03 advise superiors on military operations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held defend human rights skill
- already held devise military tactics skill
- already held ensure information security skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held military code knowledge
- already held military weaponry knowledge
- already held analyse potential threats against national security skill
- already held identify security threats skill
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage security clearance skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage troop deployment skill
- already held military combat techniques knowledge
- already held military drill knowledge
- already held monitor military equipment use skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held camouflage optional
- optional, not held investigation research methods optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held camouflage optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with types of weapons optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held identify terrorism threats optional
- optional, not held investigation research methods optional
- optional, not held lead military troops optional
- optional, not held perform resource planning optional
- optional, not held train military troops optional
- optional, not held write situation reports optional
9 held skills the colonel role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role conduct public presentations skill
- not needed by the target role develop defence policies skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage military logistics skill
- not needed by the target role military logistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role set organisational policies skill
- not needed by the target role undertake inspections skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn geographic information systems required
- optional, not held camouflage optional
- optional, not held investigation research methods optional
Other moves recorded from army general
Common questions about this move
Can an army general become a colonel?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An army general already covers 56% of what a colonel is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 6 of which the colonel role treats as required.
What skills does an army general need to become a colonel?
4 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is geographic information systems.
How hard is the move from army general to colonel?
Its learning distance is 41.5 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.