r/SkillBridge

Hey all I was offered a Skillbridge by my #1 company but I had a question about your guy's experience with time keeping. My command has an instruction to log hours on an Excel sheet, makes sense. I'm currently in a virtual training phase where some days I have 6-7 hours of training and some days I have 3-4 hours of training. The Skillbridge agreement says 8 hours a day but is that strictly enforced? Like it's not my fault or the company's fault if their training falls short in timekeeping. I just don't want anyone to get in trouble (including myself lol).

Context, I am a 20 year Army intel guy. Retiring. I applied to Amentum, Leidos, BAE, Northrop Grumman, CACI, General Dynamics, HII, Core One. The only one thats gotten back to me fully is CACI. Granted I submitted most of these skillbridges in the last 1 to 2 weeks. Heck, I even applied to some of the jobs in a bid to possibly have it be a skillbridge into contingent offer. This doesn't seem to be moving quickly or maybe I am over estimating my value?. I told them my target area, Fort Gordon and its basically been crickets so far. Any insight?

Save yourself the headache. 7 Eagle Group does not respect a withdrawal request. I submitted an inquiry months ago and emailed them twice to pull my application. It didn’t matter. They kept emailing both me and my supervisor, including one message claiming my SkillBridge application was withdrawn “due to missing command approval” just days before the start of my SkillBridge.

Looping in your command with confusing, inaccurate emails puts you in an awkward spot, especially if your supervisor isn’t familiar with how SkillBridge actually works. The last thing you want is your chain of command getting mixed signals about your status from a third party you already told to stop.

I'm just wondering when reaching out to people via email how long did it usually take for a response. I sent 3-4 emails showing interest in the internship and it's been about 3 days and not a single reply. Is this normal or how long did it take for someone to get back to you?

Has anyone heard about Skillbridge being canceled for Guard/AGR's? I just received my permissive leave for Skillbridge denied due to SkillBridge being canceled, however, I cannot find any guidance on it and have not received a response on guidance from our J1.

For content, I am AGR, career status, retiring at the end of November with 20 yrs TAFMS.

1. Tell us your branch of service, rules are very different, don't waste your time and others by listening to Army dudes tell you their rules when you are Navy or AF.

2. What field are you looking to get into? Just asking for skills bridge opportunities in this place or that is pretty vague and you will miss out on the Service Member that did exactly what you want 6 months ago and would have jumped in the thread but you didn't give them enough context.

3. What are your qualifications? You will get very different replies depending on what you actually qualify for, my skills bridge required a 4 year STEM degree, some require a security clearance. Do you have (XX) years experience in your field or is it a career switch into something new?

4. what have you tried? Where are you looking for opportunities? If you are vague and don't explain you've already looked at Hiring our Heroes, 50 strong, on post job fairs you will get people suggesting these things that you already have the info for.

5. The more context you can give the better, every post is different, some won't want to dox themselves, that's fine but if willing, state you are in, where you want to go, if you are willing to go anywhere, if you need a hybrid or full remote, whatever info is pertinent to your thread will help get you better answers.

I’ve seen some similar situations, but I’d really appreciate some insight from anyone who has been through this or knows the MEB/SkillBridge process.
I’m an SrA stationed in Alaska, currently coming up on my 180-day mark from DOS. I’ve been formally approved for SkillBridge in Texas, and I’m currently outprocessing with my expedited separation orders already in hand. I’m about 21 days from my final out.
After spending quite a bit of time working through some medical issues I’ve been having, I was recently diagnosed with a rare condition. My doctor explained that the good news is that we caught it early enough to begin treatment and manage it long-term.

However, because the condition is automatically disqualifying for continued Air Force service, he is required to refer it up toward the MEB/AMRO process.
Obviously, this came as a pretty big shock. I was feeling good about where everything was headed financially and personally. My wife sold her vehicle and has already been accepted into a college program in Texas.

I’ve spoke to my commander and they’ve been extremely supportive. They’re aware of the situation and are willing to advocate for me as this moves toward AMRO. My biggest concern is how this could affect my current separation/SkillBridge plans. I understand that I may potentially be eligible for a medical retirement depending on how the process plays out, but I also don’t want to completely derail the financial and personal plans my wife and I have already made.

I’ve told my leadership that, if possible, I would honestly prefer to proceed with my existing separation rather than have my SkillBridge and plans in Texas completely thrown off. However, if I’m required to go through the MEB process, I’m wondering whether a remote MEB is possible.
I’ll be living in Texas during SkillBridge and would be near DOD installations and VA facilities, so I’m wondering if anyone has experience completing an MEB remotely while already in SkillBridge or while separated from their duty location.

Any insight from anyone who has been in a similar situation would be appreciated. For now I still am outprocessing and shooting to get out of here with my active orders, unless my orders are rescinded. Thank you

Hello,

I'm still early in the process since I plan to final out of my unit by June 2027 to begin SkillBridge, but my family and I's plans changed (location wise) and I wanted to reach out and see what opportunities are available in the Las Vegas area... I am currently stationed at Edwards AFB, CA so it's much closer than the original location we planned to move to and we own a home there.

I am a 3F0 (HR Specialist) in the Air Force currently and will have just over 11 years in the service by the time I officially separate. I have my CCAF in Business Administration, Bachelor's degree in Technical Management, Information Systems, CompTIA Security+ certified and, in December, I graduate with my Masters degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation. I mentioned before that I'd definitely prefer to get out of the Administration/HR field and do what my degrees and professional certificates align with, but I am open to all suggestions available in the Las Vegas area! Thank you all in advance.

Looking for any recommendations for cyber/IT skillbridge opportunities during next spring/summer in Houston. Im also looking into any maintenance skillbridge opportunities in Houston or any nearby areas. Any recommendations will help me! Thank you!

For those who are currently transitioning, EAS/ETS’d recently, or are within the next 12 months:

How are you finding jobs that line up with when you’re actually available to start?

LinkedIn? Indeed? Networking? SkillBridge? Recruiters? Word of mouth? Applying months ahead and hoping the company can wait?

I’m curious because most job boards seem built around “I’m available now,” while military transition is often more like:
I’ll be available in 4–8 months.

How are you handling that?
And what’s been the biggest pain point with finding opportunities that match your timeline?

Starting my transition and have been reaching out to listed SkillBridge contacts. Got my first rejection from a Mortgage Loan Company saying they want someone with “more sales experience”. I kind of figured that’s the whole point of the unpaid internship thing. Is that a common thing to run into when applying for SkillBridge?

i DOS in about 12 months now. I have looked at Skillbridge opportunities (a handful). I haven't formally applied yet since i don't really understand when i can since i PCS in a month and keep getting told i need to wait until i get there to officially start this process.

Also, feeling a bit lost. As i want to skillbridge into something outside of my careerfield (business/finance) as i am currently intel. Any and all advice is appreciated.

edit: i also reached out to HOH.

I officially ETS’d in June 2026 after a five-year contract (Army). I seamlessly transitioned into commercial electrical work as an unindentured apprentice under my local IBEW. I noticed that many Soldiers either face delays in their SkillBridge program due to procrastination, or simply treat the internship like a three-month unit vacation without a proper plan. SkillBridge is an amazing program if you play your cards right!

I initiated my process over a year before my discharge date. In May 2025, I sent an email to the local IBEW, and they forwarded it to a commercial contractor who hosts the program. I completed an intake form and interviewed with them in July. By September, I had my packet fully signed by my Battalion Commander, allowing me to work through January to April. I timed it just before my estimated days I was supposed to start out processing then terminal leave. Securing the O-5 signature early was critical, and I was mostly left alone after. I’m still grateful for my shop NCOIC and company cdr supporting it!

During those three months on SkillBridge, I logged real trade hours on commercial job sites, got my apartment (though I couldn’t get BAH, thanks Army. Used my savings for it) started terminal leave in May, began working for the contractor about a week after terminal started, and officially ETS'd in June 2026. The real key was parallel processing everything while the Army was still paying me. Toward the tail end of the internship and going into terminal leave, I formally applied to the trade program, took my aptitude test, and knocked out all my VA C&P exams.

Once your packet is signed, stick to your plan and tune out the noise! I had an ex gf in my ear telling me to stay in after my packet was already signed, family lecturing me about how I had to start from the absolute bottom and take crumbs, and bootlickers telling me I should’ve made a LinkedIn and gone contracting. That ground zero mindset is complete nonsense. Using SkillBridge strategically is what kept me from getting reset to zero. It got me working immediately as an unindentured hand on the IBEW’s books while waiting for my committee interview , instead of wasting time as a CW.

Because I set up the pipeline a full year early instead of waiting until terminal leave, I completely skipped minimum pay and positioning. I truly believe being allowed to participate in SkillBridge changed my life. I can not stress how excellent this program is for anyone looking for a seamless transition post ETS.

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Okay, so to start off, I'm currently in the Marine Corps and will be for a few more years, but I'm confident that I'm not going to reenlist and what to move into the arborist industry. I don't have a lot of experience with climbing or tree cutting but I'm willing to learn and ready to start. The Military offers something called the Skillbridge Program and I was thinking of utilizing it to start an apprenticeship in this industry. What do you guys think I should do?

is it bad that I am doing my internship virtually through a company that I know doesn’t usually hire on after the internship. My plan isn’t to get hired by the exact company but leverage the internship as work experience since I already have the education to support me. I’m currently a 42A in the United States Army and I am going into a cyber security internship starting February 2027. I am in a process of getting my bachelors degree in cyber security, which should be done by the end of next year or early 2028. I have comptia A+,security+, network+ and cysa+ plus, but zero real work experience. I just want some advice from people who were in the same position as me with no work experience but the education because I want to leverage my internship of four months as experience to be able to help secure a good job.oh yeah, and also I have a secret clearance, but I’m currently in a process of trying to get a top-secret clearance.

I’m already approved by a skillbridge provider, and AFI states you can officially apply on AFVEC up to one year out. However, to my understanding I can’t receive separation order until I’m within 6 months of my DOS, and your application requires Sep orders. What do I do?

For reasons genuinely out of my control, I feel like im missing some crucial information and I didn't have a lot of time to actually sit down and get an actual answer. I've had to rush everything in a couple of weeks and only just barely got everything done last second.

So I just submitted all my Skillbridge paperwork, separation, etc, and it's all approved, Im fully checked out, both my CO and Skillbridge know where Im going. But my ETJ tells me that Im going to a completely different command next month. Are my Skillbridge orders going to come in eventually and reflect that? Was I supposed to submit leave for the entirety of the skillbridge?

Please put my anxieties to rest, cause I feel like i messed up somewhere.

Anyone been through the program that can tell me what the schedule is actually like while you’re in it? I recently had a baby and I’m not sure what to expect in terms of if I’ll be able to do childcare during or if I should find a caretaker

"Duration of training-under review" Im seeing a lot of that on the skillbrige site, including the one that my command is considering approving. It was a 91-120 day. Naturally, they are shitting a kitten over it and are now sitting on approval. Any intel on why this is happening?

Is using SkillBridge to transition into teaching possible or practical? I finish my English degree next semester and EAS in just about 2 years. Is SkillBridge a way I can go straight from service to getting my teaching licenses and student-teaching experience, and into a job. Has anyone done this or familiar with how this would work?