1710 Career Guide
1710: Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Candidate
Career transition guide for Navy Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Candidate (1710)
Translate Your 1710 Experience Now
Get a personalized AI-powered translation of your military experience into civilian resume language.
Start Free TranslationTech Roles You Could Aim For
Real industry tech roles your 1710 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Data Analyst
Data
Your Regional Studies and Analysis training, combined with skills in situational awareness and after-action analysis, provides a solid foundation for understanding complex datasets and extracting meaningful insights as a Data Analyst. Your familiarity with resource optimization will help you identify inefficiencies and recommend data-driven solutions. Focus on learning data visualization tools.
Typical stack:
Technical Program Manager
Product
The experience you've gained in cross-cultural communication, security cooperation, and political-military affairs, along with resource optimization, provides a strong base for managing technical programs. Your background in Naval Strategy and Foreign Policy translates well to strategic planning and risk management, essential skills for a Technical Program Manager. Build on this foundation by learning Agile methodologies.
Typical stack:
Governance, Risk & Compliance Analyst
Security
Your training in security cooperation, combined with adversarial thinking, positions you to understand and address security risks. Your experience with the Navy Correspondence Manual and Microsoft Office Suite also provides a foundation for documenting and communicating security policies. Develop your knowledge of compliance frameworks (e.g., NIST, ISO 27001).
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 1710 experience to tech-industry practice.
- Situational Awareness→ Understanding market dynamics and predicting trends
- Adversarial Thinking→ Identifying potential risks and developing mitigation strategies
- Resource Optimization→ Allocating resources efficiently and maximizing productivity
- After-Action Analysis→ Evaluating projects and developing actionable insights
- Navy Correspondence Manual→ Business writing and communication
- Microsoft Office Suite→ General productivity and collaboration tools
Skills to Learn
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not generic.
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code accelerates the parts we teach — software engineering fundamentals, web development, AI tooling. For everything else above, the path is doable independently with the resources we link to.
See VWC ProgramsCivilian Career Pathways
Top civilian roles for 1710 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
International Business Development Manager
Skills to develop:
Political Risk Analyst
Skills to develop:
Intelligence Analyst
Skills to develop:
International Aid/Development Worker
Skills to develop:
Corporate Security Manager (International)
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 1710 training built — and where they transfer.
Situational Awareness
As a Foreign Area Officer in training, you're constantly assessing the geopolitical landscape, cultural nuances, and potential threats within your assigned region. You're building a deep understanding of the environment to anticipate challenges and opportunities.
This translates to a strong ability to understand the dynamics of a market, industry, or organization. You can quickly grasp the key factors at play and predict how events might unfold.
Adversarial Thinking
While in training, you're exposed to various scenarios and simulations that require you to anticipate the actions and reactions of potential adversaries, understanding their motivations and strategies.
This skill allows you to think critically about competitors, identify potential risks, and develop strategies to mitigate them. You're adept at anticipating challenges and finding innovative solutions.
Resource Optimization
Even during training, you're responsible for managing your time, budget, and available resources to achieve your objectives. You learn to make the most of limited assets and prioritize effectively.
You're highly skilled at allocating resources efficiently and maximizing productivity. You can identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to optimize processes and reduce waste.
After-Action Analysis
Formal training environments emphasize learning from experience through rigorous after-action reviews. You develop the ability to objectively assess your performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement corrective actions.
You have a natural ability to evaluate projects, initiatives, and strategies. You can identify what worked well, what didn't, and develop actionable insights to improve future performance.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Market Research Analyst
SOC 19-3022.00You've been developing a deep understanding of foreign cultures and geopolitical situations. This translates directly to understanding market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive landscapes. You can use your analytical skills to gather data, identify opportunities, and provide valuable insights to businesses.
Business Development Manager
SOC 11-2011.00You've been trained to identify opportunities and build relationships in complex environments. This makes you an ideal candidate for fostering strategic partnerships, expanding market reach, and driving revenue growth for companies seeking to operate globally.
Intelligence Analyst
SOC 13-2011.00You've honed your analytical and critical thinking skills to assess threats and opportunities. In the civilian sector, you can leverage these skills to identify and mitigate risks related to cybersecurity, fraud, or other forms of business intelligence.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Basic Course, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
Topics Covered
- •Regional Studies and Analysis
- •Cross-Cultural Communication
- •Political-Military Affairs
- •International Relations Theory
- •Economics and Development
- •Language Immersion Preparation
- •Security Cooperation
- •Naval Strategy and Foreign Policy
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Requires understanding of specific international trade regulations, finance, and marketing principles, which are typically not covered in general Foreign Area Officer training. Focus on trade law, global supply chain management, and international marketing strategies.
Requires formal training in project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) and the PMBOK guide. Focus study on the five process groups (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, Closing) and ten knowledge areas (e.g., Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resources, Communications, Risk, Procurement, Stakeholder).
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) | Foreign language aptitude testing services |
| Joint Travel Regulations (JTR) | Corporate travel management software (e.g., Concur) |
| Navy Correspondence Manual | Business writing style guides and communication platforms |
| Microsoft Office Suite (Navy Standard) | Equivalent civilian Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace |
| DTS (Defense Travel System) | Travel and expense management software (e.g., Expensify, SAP Concur) |
| NSIPS (Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System) | Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) like Workday or Oracle HCM |
Ready to Translate Your Experience?
Our AI-powered translator converts your 1710 experience into ATS-optimized civilian resume language.
Translate My Resume — Free