The adjustment to civilian life after service can be difficult, but it doesn’t mean your best days are already behind you—it means you’ve got the chance to keep serving your community and making your country a better place. 

For those of you who are weighing your options, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently announced it’s partnering with IBM to offer free training in the fields American employers are hiring in right now. It’s called IBM SkillsBuild, and they’re offering classes in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data analytics, and project management—it costs you nothing, which includes not touching your GI Bill benefits. 

Completing a course earns you industry-standard IBM credentials that you can highlight on your resume for recruiters. This also isn’t a one-size fits all. You can learn at your own pace with guided courses with a class of fellow vets—and gives your a chance to put together a portfolio that demonstrates your skill set.

It’s open to veterans, service members, and the spouses, caregivers, and dependents who serve alongside them.

You can register for a few classes now (register here), with the first application deadline coming this Friday: 

1. AI in Healthcare (4 weeks) — register by July 31

2. Cybersecurity Pathway (10 weeks) — register by August 7

3. Kickstart Your Data and AI Journey (1 week) — registration opens August 4

4. Gen AI and Data Analytics (4 weeks) — registration opens August 31

Moving into civilian life will always be difficult but these are steps to make it a little easier on you.