COOL Explained

COOL — Credentialing Opportunities On-Line — maps military occupations to the civilian credentials, licenses and jobs they relate to. You put in your occupation; it gives you the certifications that occupation qualifies you toward, and what the related civilian jobs pay on average.

Each service runs its own COOL site — Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard — plus a civilian-workforce version, all reachable from the central portal at cool.osd.mil.

Two tools do most of the work:

  • Research Military Occupations — start from your MOS, rating or AFSC and see what it relates to, in other military jobs, federal civilian jobs and civilian occupations.
  • Research Related Credentials — start from a credential and see which occupations it connects to.

COOL is also where the funding question gets answered. It records which credentials are approved for payment, so it is the list your service's Credentialing Assistance draws from, and it flags credentials approved for GI Bill payment of licensing and certification tests. Working out what you want and whether someone will pay for it happens in one place.

Who is eligible?

Anyone can use it — it is a public research site, not an application. That includes:

  • serving members, working out what their occupation qualifies them toward;
  • veterans, who can look up what civilian credentials and jobs relate to their old occupation and what those jobs pay;
  • transition counselors, and family members.

Veterans are explicitly in scope, which is worth saying because the site's branding and the Credentialing Assistance funding attached to it make it look like a serving-member tool. The research side does not close when you separate.

The practical use is narrowing. A résumé that says "11B" means nothing to a civilian recruiter; a résumé that names the specific certification the industry recognizes does. COOL is how you find which certification that is, before you spend CA money or GI Bill entitlement on the wrong one.

Two limits worth knowing. COOL tells you what a credential relates to, not whether a given employer wants it — that is a job-advert question. And funding eligibility is set by your service and by VA, not by COOL, so a credential listed there is not automatically one yours will pay for.

How do I apply?

  • Start at cool.osd.mil and pick your service: Each branch has its own site, and there is a civilian version too.
  • Look up your MOS, rating or AFSC first: Research Military Occupations is the entry point.
  • Check what the related civilian jobs pay: The site carries average pay for related occupations.
  • Confirm the credential is funded before you commit: COOL flags what Credentialing Assistance and the GI Bill will pay for.
  • Cross-check against real job adverts: COOL shows what a credential relates to, not which employers ask for it.
  • Use it after you leave too: The research tools are open to veterans, not just serving members.

Common questions

What is the military COOL program?

Credentialing Opportunities On-Line — a set of free sites, one per service, that map military occupations to the civilian credentials, licenses and jobs they relate to, including average pay for those jobs.

Can veterans use COOL?

Yes. The research tools are explicitly open to veterans, who can look up what civilian credentials and jobs relate to their military occupation.

Does COOL pay for credentials?

No. COOL is the research and listing site; the funding comes from your service's Credentialing Assistance program or from the GI Bill for licensing and certification tests. COOL flags which credentials are approved.

Which services have a COOL site?

Army, Navy, Air Force and Space Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard each have their own, plus a version for the civilian workforce, all linked from cool.osd.mil.

How do you use COOL to pick a certification?

Look up your MOS, rating or AFSC in Research Military Occupations, see the related credentials and what the civilian jobs pay, then check the credential is one your service or the GI Bill will fund before committing.

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