9936 Career Guide
9936: Substance Abuse Control Officer
Career transition guide for Marine Corps Substance Abuse Control Officer (9936)
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Real industry tech roles your 9936 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Governance, Risk & Compliance Analyst
Security
Your experience with Marine Corps Substance Abuse Policy and Regulations, along with Confidentiality and Privacy Requirements, directly translates to the core responsibilities of a Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Analyst. You're familiar with maintaining compliance, managing risk, and ensuring data privacy, all essential in this role.
Typical stack:
Security Engineer
Security
Your adversarial thinking skills, honed by identifying weaknesses in substance abuse prevention programs, are valuable in security. Understanding how systems can be exploited is key to building robust defenses. Plus, your work with Marine Corps systems (MCTFS) gives you a good starting point.
Typical stack:
Data Analyst
Data
Your experience with documentation, record keeping, and after-action analysis can be leveraged in a data analyst role. While you may not have direct experience with data analysis tools, your ability to interpret data and identify trends from the Marine Corps Counseling Programs Database is transferable. Learning data visualization would be important.
Typical stack:
Health IT Specialist
Vertical Specialty
Your familiarity with Military Health Records Systems (e.g., AHLTA, MHS GENESIS) makes the transition to a Health IT Specialist natural. Your experience can aid in implementing and managing Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems (e.g., Epic, Cerner). Learning specific EHR software and data privacy regulations will be essential.
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 9936 experience to tech-industry practice.
- Procedural Compliance→ Adhering to regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, GDPR, or SOC 2.
- Situational Awareness→ Identifying security threats and vulnerabilities.
- Adversarial Thinking→ Penetration testing, threat modeling, and vulnerability assessments.
- After-Action Analysis→ Security incident response and post-incident analysis.
- Experience with Marine Corps systems (MCTFS)→ Understanding of Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS).
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 9936 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Substance Abuse Counselor
Skills to develop:
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinator
Skills to develop:
Human Resources Specialist
Skills to develop:
Compliance Officer
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 9936 training built — and where they transfer.
Procedural Compliance
Following strict protocols for urinalysis screening, documentation, and reporting to maintain legal and ethical standards.
Adhering to detailed regulations and guidelines in highly regulated industries, ensuring accuracy and minimizing errors.
Situational Awareness
Monitoring trends in substance abuse within the unit, understanding the context of individual cases, and recognizing potential risks to unit readiness.
Identifying and interpreting relevant information in complex environments to anticipate problems and make informed decisions.
Adversarial Thinking
Anticipating and addressing attempts to circumvent drug testing procedures, developing strategies to maintain the integrity of the screening process.
Identifying potential weaknesses in systems or processes, developing strategies to mitigate risks and prevent fraud or abuse.
After-Action Analysis
Evaluating the effectiveness of substance abuse prevention programs and urinalysis procedures, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing changes to enhance program outcomes.
Analyzing past performance to identify strengths and weaknesses, developing and implementing strategies to improve future results and optimize processes.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Compliance Officer
SOC 13-1041.00You've been meticulously following procedures and regulations in the military, especially with the urinalysis program. This translates directly to the role of a Compliance Officer, where you'll ensure that a company adheres to internal policies and legal requirements. Your experience with maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information will also be invaluable.
Fraud Investigator
SOC 13-2099.00You've honed your adversarial thinking by anticipating and preventing circumvention of drug testing procedures. As a Fraud Investigator, you'll use these skills to uncover and investigate fraudulent activities, analyze data to identify patterns of abuse, and develop strategies to prevent future occurrences. Your attention to detail and commitment to integrity will make you an exceptional investigator.
Health and Safety Manager
SOC 11-9199.00Your experience in substance abuse prevention and education makes you a strong candidate for a Health and Safety Manager. You've shown a commitment to improving the well-being of military personnel, which easily translates to the civilian sector where you'll be responsible for creating and maintaining safe and healthy work environments. You will be great at identifying risks and implementing preventative measures.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Substance Abuse Counseling Certification Program, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA
Topics Covered
- •Substance Abuse Education and Prevention Strategies
- •Urinalysis Collection Procedures and Chain of Custody
- •Substance Abuse Counseling Techniques
- •Marine Corps Substance Abuse Policy and Regulations
- •Command Referral Procedures
- •Confidentiality and Privacy Requirements
- •Documentation and Record Keeping
- •Crisis Intervention and Relapse Prevention
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Requires study of counseling theories, diagnostic criteria (DSM), ethical guidelines, and supervised clinical experience hours which may not be fully covered by military duties.
Requires a broader understanding of employee assistance programs, mental health in the workplace, and specific intervention strategies beyond substance abuse.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Automated Urinalysis Drug Testing Equipment | Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) for drug testing |
| Marine Corps Counseling Programs Database | Case management software for social work or counseling services |
| Substance Abuse Prevention Program (SAPP) Training Materials | Employee Assistance Program (EAP) training resources and platforms |
| Military Health Records System (e.g., AHLTA, MHS GENESIS) | Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems (e.g., Epic, Cerner) |
| Marine Corps Total Force System (MCTFS) | Human Resources Information System (HRIS) |
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