Colonel to army major
A colonel already meets 77% of what the army major role asks for. The move turns on 1 required skill not yet in the profile.
22.2/ 100
1 How much of what an army major is expected to do is already part of a colonel’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 army major role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An army major role treats 9 of its required skills as things a colonel already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise superiors on military operations
- maintain operational communications
- manage troop deployment
- military code
- military combat techniques
- military drill
What stands in the way is 1 required skill 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 19 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An army major role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a colonel background worth leading with.
- already held advise superiors on military operations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor military equipment use information skills
- already held train military troops communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage troop deployment management skills
- already held military drill services
- already held devise military tactics management skills
All 19 carried skills, including the 9 the army major role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 9 missing skills fall into 6 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 give battle commands required
- optional, not held assist in military logistics optional
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held perform military operations optional
- optional, not held military logistics optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 1 entries an army major role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 19 skills that carry over
- already held advise superiors on military operations skill
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held manage troop deployment skill
- already held military code knowledge
- already held military combat techniques knowledge
- already held military drill knowledge
- already held military weaponry knowledge
- already held monitor military equipment use skill
- already held train military troops skill
- already held devise military tactics skill
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held ensure information security skill
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held lead military troops skill
- already held manage administrative systems skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held use geographic information systems skill
- already held write situation reports skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assist in military logistics optional
- optional, not held coordinate humanitarian aid missions optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held military logistics optional
- optional, not held perform military operations optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
- optional, not held test safety strategies optional
9 held skills the army major role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse potential threats against national security skill
- not needed by the target role camouflage knowledge
- not needed by the target role defend human rights skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies skill
- not needed by the target role identify security threats skill
- not needed by the target role identify terrorism threats skill
- not needed by the target role investigation research methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage security clearance skill
- not needed by the target role perform resource planning skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held military logistics optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a colonel become an army major?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A colonel already covers 77% of what an army major is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 9 of which the army major role treats as required.
What skills does a colonel need to become an army major?
1 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is give battle commands.
How hard is the move from colonel to army major?
Its learning distance is 22.2 out of 100, which is the adjacent 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.