Colonel to sergeant
A colonel already meets 75% of what the sergeant role asks for. Every required skill of the target role is already in the profile.
25/ 100
1 How much of what a sergeant 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 sergeant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A sergeant role treats 12 of its required skills as things a colonel already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise superiors on military operations
- defend human rights
- ensure compliance with types of weapons
- identify security threats
- lead military troops
- manage troop deployment
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A sergeant 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 defend human rights communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor military equipment use information skills
- already held train military troops communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held camouflage engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held lead military troops management skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 12 the sergeant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 5 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.
- optional, not held perform search and rescue missions optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held patrol areas optional
- optional, not held provide humanitarian aid optional
- optional, not held instruct in military duties optional
- optional, not held give battle commands optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- optional, not held supervise the maintenance of military equipment optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held operate armoured fighting vehicles optional
- optional, not held operate radio equipment optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held advise superiors on military operations skill
- already held defend human rights skill
- already held ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held identify security threats skill
- already held lead military troops 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 camouflage knowledge
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held geographic information systems knowledge
- already held maintain operational communications skill
- already held use geographic information systems skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held instruct in military duties optional
- optional, not held perform search and rescue missions optional
- optional, not held supervise the maintenance of military equipment optional
- optional, not held coordinate patrols optional
- optional, not held coordinate rescue missions optional
- optional, not held give battle commands optional
- optional, not held handle surveillance equipment optional
- optional, not held operate armoured fighting vehicles optional
- optional, not held operate radio equipment optional
- optional, not held patrol areas optional
- optional, not held provide humanitarian aid optional
- optional, not held surveillance methods optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
11 held skills the sergeant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse potential threats against national security skill
- not needed by the target role devise military tactics skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with policies skill
- not needed by the target role ensure information security 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 administrative systems skill
- not needed by the target role manage security clearance skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role perform resource planning skill
- not needed by the target role write situation reports skill
1 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 surveillance methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a colonel become a sergeant?
Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A colonel already covers 75% of what a sergeant is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 12 of which the sergeant role treats as required.
What skills does a colonel need to become a sergeant?
None of the sergeant role's required skills are missing from a colonel profile. 13 optional skills are not yet covered.
How hard is the move from colonel to sergeant?
Its learning distance is 25 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.