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That is Coast Guard Rating SK. Civilian jobs, federal paths, and how the work reads on a resume.
What is in this guide
What the translation looks like
How it reads in service
Processed Federal Stock System requisitions for a 110-foot cutter across 600+ line items annually
How a hiring manager reads it
Administered enterprise procurement and inventory operations for 600+ purchase actions annually with full transaction tracking
Roles this background maps to
Median pay, BLS OEWS May 2024
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Brad TachiNavy Diver · BMR founder
After the Navy he was hired into six federal career fields and tech sales, and sat on federal hiring panels along the way. The last two years went into rebuilding all of it into BMR, tuned for how resumes get screened today. 75,916 resumes built so far.
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As a Coast Guard Storekeeper (SK), you ran the money and the materiel that kept cutters, small boats, and air stations operational. You purchased everything from aircraft spare parts to galley provisions through the Federal Stock System, tracked inventory, issued gear, and reconciled the financial records behind every transaction. Your rating sat at the intersection of three civilian disciplines that rarely live in one job: procurement and contracting, inventory and supply chain management, and government accounting.
SK A-School at Training Center Petaluma was an 8-week course built around six core units: Storekeeper Basics, Inventory, Accounting, Shipping and Receiving, and Procurements. From there, many SKs went on to formal acquisition tracks: Contracting Officer Representative (COR) duties, defense financial management, and government property management. Some carried a Contracting Officer's warrant. That is real federal acquisition authority that civilian hiring managers do not usually see on a resume from someone in their twenties or thirties.
Civilian employers value this background because you already operated inside the exact systems and rules they answer to. You handled appropriated funds, you understood the Federal Acquisition Regulation environment, and you signed for accountability when a discrepancy meant a financial liability investigation, not a shrug. That combination of money discipline and materiel control is what separates a Storekeeper from a general warehouse worker on paper.
This page is built for SKs who are out or getting out and want to know exactly where the rating goes: the civilian job titles that hire it, what the Bureau of Labor Statistics says those jobs pay, the federal GS series your experience maps to, and how to write the resume that gets you read. If you want to see how the SK rating compares to other Coast Guard administrative and recordkeeping ratings, the Coast Guard Yeoman (YN) career guide is a useful companion, and our military career crosswalk tool lets you compare paths across every branch. For the broader logistics picture, see veterans in logistics and supply chain careers.
Supply is one of the cleanest military jobs to translate, and I say that from experience. I worked in federal supply, logistics, and property management for years after the Navy, and the SK skill set lines up almost 1:1 with the GS-2010, GS-2003, and GS-1102 series. Your appropriated-funds accounting and your Federal Stock System experience are the exact compliance background a federal hiring manager is looking for. The work is already there on your record. The job is describing it in language a civilian recruiter actually scores. — Brad Tachi, Navy Diver veteran & BMR founder
The number that decides most of this: how does civilian pay compare to what the paycheck looks like now?
Coast Guard mid-career
$58K to $82K
E-5 to E-7 total comp: base plus BAH, BAS and the tax advantage.
Civilian Storekeeper
$46K to $102K
BLS median across the direct-match civilian roles on this page.
Federal, GS-9 to GS-13
$58K to $120K
8 matching GS series, plus locality pay and step increases.
Comparable on average
Civilian pay for Storekeepers lands in the same range as mid-career enlisted total comp.
Military comp is approximate and moves with location and dependents. Civilian is the BLS median. Federal includes locality pay. The real number depends on duty station, family status, GS step and overtime.
The SK rating opens directly onto several well-paid civilian fields. The salary figures below are Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics medians (BLS OEWS, May 2024). These are national medians, so high-cost metros and defense-heavy regions run higher.
Logisticians (O*NET 13-1081.00) earn a median of $80,880, and BLS projects 17% employment growth from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations. Your demand forecasting, stock control, and distribution experience is the core of the role. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers (O*NET 11-3071.00) sit higher at a $102,010 median for those who move into facility-level management. Supply chain hiring is steady but cyclical and concentrated near ports, distribution hubs, and manufacturing corridors, so geography matters more here than in federal work.
Buyers and purchasing agents (O*NET 13-1023.00) earn a median of $75,650. If you held a COR role or a Contracting Officer's warrant, this is the most direct translation of your acquisition authority. Demand is strongest in manufacturing, healthcare systems, and government contractors.
Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks (O*NET 43-5071.00) and production, planning, and expediting clerks (O*NET 43-5061.00) both report a $46,120 median in the BLS material recording clerks group. These are common entry points that move up quickly with your systems background. On the financial side, the accounting half of the SK rating maps to bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (O*NET 43-3031.00) at a $49,210 median, which is an underused door for SKs who ran the funds rather than the warehouse.
For a deeper look at where military supply experience lands, read military to supply chain management and the military logistics to civilian supply chain resume guide. Sailors and soldiers in the same field translate the same way: see the Navy Logistics Specialist (LS) and Air Force Materiel Management (2S0X1) guides. When you are ready to put it on paper, the military resume builder structures it for you.
| Civilian job title | Industry | BLS median salary | Outlook | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LogisticianO*NET 13-1081.00 | Logistics & Supply Chain | $80,880 | 17% (Much faster than average) | strong |
| Buyer / Purchasing AgentO*NET 13-1023.00 | Procurement | $75,650 | 4% (As fast as average) | strong |
| Transportation, Storage & Distribution ManagerO*NET 11-3071.00 | Logistics & Supply Chain | $102,010 | 7% (Faster than average) | moderate |
| Shipping, Receiving & Inventory ClerkO*NET 43-5071.00 | Logistics & Supply Chain | $46,120 | 0% (Little or no change) | strong |
| Production, Planning & Expediting ClerkO*NET 43-5061.00 | Manufacturing | $46,120 | 0% (Little or no change) | moderate |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting & Auditing ClerkO*NET 43-3031.00 | Accounting & Finance | $49,210 | -5% (Decline) | moderate |
| Cost EstimatorO*NET 13-1051.00 | Construction & Manufacturing | $77,070 | 1% (Little or no change) | moderate |
Supply chain, inventory control, and operations roles across the fulfillment and logistics network
Package operations, inventory, and supply chain management roles nationwide
Logistics coordination, materials handling, and distribution operations
Supply chain, procurement, and government property management on defense programs
Procurement, subcontract administration, and logistics roles on federal contracts
Material management, contract administration, and supply chain positions
Logistics support, supply, and acquisition roles supporting federal agencies
GS-2010, GS-2003, and GS-1102 supply and contracting billets across the DoD supply chain
Civilian supply, logistics, and acquisition roles, including the Surface Forces Logistics Center
Supply, procurement, and budget roles across CBP, TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard
Supply chain, inventory management, and distribution center operations roles
Inventory, replenishment, and supply chain roles across stores and distribution centers
Procurement, supplier management, and material control on aerospace and defense programs
Freight, transportation, and supply chain coordination roles for logistics-experienced veterans
BMR rewrites your SK experience for any of the roles above, in the language the people reading actually scan for.
Free to start. 2 tailored resumes included.
Upload it and get a number in about a minute, plus the SK lines a civilian hiring manager will not follow. No account. Sign up and tailor it like they did.
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Logistician resume example (military to civilian): the whole page, the lines that changed, and the words the posts use. Built from SK work.
GS-0346 Logistics Management resume example (GS-11, 2 pages): the whole page, the lines that changed, and the words the posts use. Built from SK work.
“I used the resume your site built for me to apply for my first-ever position on USAJOBS, and I was selected for a GS-13 position writing policy for the same type of work I did while on active duty. First pitch- Home Run!”
Christopher · Chief Petty Officer (E-7) · Coast Guard · Federal Policy
Federal service is the strongest single path for a Storekeeper, and not by a small margin. You already worked appropriated funds, Federal Stock System transactions, and government property accountability. The GS supply and acquisition series were written for exactly this experience. Veterans' Preference (5 or 10 points) and noncompetitive hiring authorities like VRA and VEOA give you a real edge on USAJobs, and your prior federal-systems fluency means a shorter ramp than almost any civilian hire.
GS-2010 (Inventory Management) and GS-2003 (Supply Program Management) are your most direct matches. Stock control, requisitioning, and supply operations are the daily work. GS-2001 (General Supply), GS-2050 (Supply Cataloging), and GS-2030 (Distribution Facilities and Storage Management) round out the supply family for catalog, distribution, and warehouse-management billets. Most SKs qualify at GS-7 through GS-11 depending on time in rate and supervisory scope.
If you held acquisition duties, GS-1102 (Contracting) is the high-value target. Your COR or warrant experience plus the DAWIA-style training many SKs received maps straight onto it, and 1102 is a chronically short-staffed series across DoD and DHS. The accounting side of the rating supports GS-0560 (Budget Analysis) and the GS-0501 financial administration family. For the management track, GS-0346 (Logistics Management) and GS-0301 (Miscellaneous Administration and Program) capture broader operations roles.
As a Coast Guard veteran, DHS components (your own service, CBP, TSA, FEMA) are natural landing spots, but supply and contracting billets exist across every cabinet department. Build the document to the announcement: a federal resume is longer and more detailed than a private-sector one. Our federal resume builder handles the format, and these guides help you tune it: 15 federal resume tips that get veterans referred and 10-point Veterans' Preference: who qualifies. The Army 92A guide shares most of these same GS targets.
| Series | Federal job title | Typical grades | Match | Explore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-2010 | Inventory Management | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | 5 of 5 | View details |
| GS-2003 | Supply Program Management | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 | 5 of 5 | View details |
| GS-2001 | General Supply | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 | 4 of 5 | View details |
| GS-2050 | Supply Cataloging | GS-5, GS-7, GS-9 | 4 of 5 | View details |
| GS-1102 | Contracting | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | 4 of 5 | View details |
| GS-0346 | Logistics Management | GS-9, GS-11, GS-12 | 4 of 5 | View details |
| GS-2030 | Distribution Facilities and Storage Management | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | 3 of 5 | View details |
| GS-0560 | Budget Analysis | GS-7, GS-9, GS-11 | 3 of 5 | View details |
Federal raters match your record against the announcement's specialized experience statement. BMR writes the federal format for any GS series above, with the hours per week and supervisor detail a rater looks for.
Free to start. Federal and private sector formats included.
Not everyone stays in a related field. These paths run on the transferable half of the job: leadership, risk, logistics, planning.
Storekeepers spend years assessing whether a request meets the rules and the money is available before authorizing it. Loan underwriting is the same judgment applied to credit and borrowers.
Transfers: Appropriated-funds accounting and reconciliation, Risk and eligibility assessment from purchase-action review, Document verification and compliance, Customer-facing transaction handling.
How to get there: Most banks hire on financial aptitude and train in-house. A SAFE/NMLS mortgage license or a short finance certificate accelerates entry. No degree is strictly required for many consumer-lending roles.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 3% (As fast as average)
The SK rating builds comfort explaining money and risk to people who do not share your background, plus the discipline to keep accurate records. Insurance sales rewards exactly that mix.
Transfers: Risk assessment and coverage matching, Customer-facing financial advising, Records accuracy and policy administration, Trust built handling other people's money.
How to get there: Pass a state insurance licensing exam (life/health or property/casualty), which takes weeks of study. Most agencies provide product training and a base-plus-commission ramp.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 6% (Faster than average)
Storekeepers run meticulous, audit-ready records under federal rules. Health-information management is the same discipline applied to patient records and HIPAA compliance.
Transfers: Federal records management and accuracy, Regulatory and compliance documentation, Confidential information handling, Audit-ready recordkeeping.
How to get there: A postsecondary certificate in health information or medical coding, then optional RHIT certification through AHIMA. Many programs are GI Bill eligible and run under a year.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 9% (Faster than average)
Tracking obligations, chasing discrepancies, and reconciling accounts was daily SK work. Accounts and collections roles use the same persistence and financial-records skill.
Transfers: Accounts and obligation tracking, Financial reconciliation, Records research and documentation, Professional handling of money disputes.
How to get there: Entry-level roles hire on aptitude with on-the-job training. Familiarity with accounting software and customer-records systems is the main asset employers look for.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · -9% (Decline)
You already enforced federal acquisition and property rules and survived audits. Corporate compliance is that same rules-enforcement and audit-defense work in a private-sector setting.
Transfers: Federal Acquisition Regulation environment fluency, Audit and internal-controls experience, Regulatory documentation, Discrepancy investigation and corrective action.
How to get there: A compliance certificate (for example CCEP) plus your audit and regulatory background opens analyst-level roles. A bachelor's degree helps for senior positions but is not universal at entry.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 6% (Faster than average)
SKs analyze where money and materiel are wasted and recommend fixes to the command. Management consulting packages that same efficiency analysis for civilian organizations.
Transfers: Budget and resource analysis, Process and inventory efficiency improvement, Data-driven reporting for leadership, Cross-functional coordination.
How to get there: A bachelor's degree is common, and certifications like Lean Six Sigma or CMC strengthen candidacy. Start as a junior analyst and build a track record of measurable improvements.
BLS OEWS May 2024 · 11% (Much faster than average)
The skills behind the specialty carry further than the specialty. BMR rewrites your bullets for any of the paths above without making it sound like you have never done the work.
Free to start. Try as many angles as you want.
If you are staying in supply, procurement, or logistics, your terminology already translates. Recruiters in those fields know what a Federal Stock System, a property book, and a COR are. This section is for SKs targeting careers OUTSIDE the supply specialty, where a hiring manager has never heard your rating language and will skim past it unless you convert it to civilian business terms.
The goal is not to dumb it down. It is to name the civilian system or outcome instead of the military one, so an automated tracking system or a human recruiter scores the match. For the full reference, see 50 military terms translated to civilian language.
Before: "Managed Federal Stock System requisitions and maintained the unit property book for a 110-foot cutter."
After (for a finance or operations role): "Administered procurement and inventory operations for a $2M asset portfolio, processing 600+ purchase actions annually with full audit-ready financial reconciliation."
Before: "Served as COR on multiple service contracts."
After (for a project or vendor management role): "Oversaw vendor performance and deliverable acceptance across multiple service contracts, verifying compliance before payment authorization."
Once your bullets read in civilian language, the military resume builder formats them for ATS scanning, and how to explain military experience in a civilian interview helps you carry the same translation into the room.
Before, in service
Processed Federal Stock System requisitions for a 110-foot cutter across 600+ line items annually
After, on the resume
Administered enterprise procurement and inventory operations for 600+ purchase actions annually with full transaction tracking
Before, in service
Served as COR on multiple unit service contracts, monitoring deliverables and performance
After, on the resume
Oversaw vendor performance and deliverable acceptance across multiple service contracts before payment authorization
Before, in service
Maintained appropriated-funds records and reconciled monthly obligations against the unit operating budget
After, on the resume
Executed and reconciled an operating budget, tracking obligations and expenditures with monthly close-out reporting
Before, in service
Held property accountability for unit equipment valued over $2M with zero unresolved discrepancies
After, on the resume
Managed a $2M asset portfolio with full accountability and zero unresolved inventory discrepancies
Before, in service
Conducted financial liability investigations for lost or damaged property and documented findings
After, on the resume
Led loss investigations and audit-compliance reviews, documenting root cause and corrective action
Before, in service
Administered the Government Purchase Card program and reconciled monthly statements against authorized purchases
After, on the resume
Administered a corporate purchasing-card program, reconciling monthly statements and enforcing spend controls
Before, in service
Conducted wall-to-wall inventories and resolved discrepancies across the unit supply department
After, on the resume
Executed full physical inventories and cycle counts, reconciling discrepancies to maintain 99%+ record accuracy
Before, in service
Managed shipping, receiving, and issue of parts and consumables to support cutter and air station readiness
After, on the resume
Coordinated materials handling and distribution operations to meet operational demand and on-time fill targets
Before, in service
Prepared budget-forecasting reports and funding requests used by the command for fiscal-year planning
After, on the resume
Produced demand forecasts and budget plans that informed fiscal-year resource allocation
BMR turns your SK duties and accomplishments into civilian bullets aimed at the job you are applying for. No manual translation.
Free to start. Tailored to each posting.
Which ones you need depends on where you are headed.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 6-12 monthsGI Bill eligibleConverts SK appropriated-funds accounting into a recognized civilian bookkeeping credential.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 1-2 monthsPractical software credential for SKs pivoting into small-business or clerk-level accounting roles.
RecommendedCost No cost (federal employees)Time VariesFederal supply and contracting roles offer agency-sponsored credentialing once you are on board in a GS-2010 or GS-1102 series.
RecommendedCost No cost (federal employees)Time VariesThe civilian-federal equivalent of your Coast Guard COR duties. Maps directly to GS-1102 acquisition work.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 4-6 monthsGI Bill eligibleIndustry standard for inventory and production planning. Directly extends SK inventory experience.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 6-9 monthsGI Bill eligibleEnd-to-end supply chain credential employers recognize for mid- and senior-level roles.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 4-6 monthsGI Bill eligibleFocused on logistics, warehousing, and distribution for SKs moving toward transportation management.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 6-12 monthsGI Bill eligibleTop procurement credential. Pairs naturally with COR and Federal Stock System purchasing experience.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 3-6 monthsSupports supplier and vendor management roles in private-sector procurement.
RecommendedCost No cost (federal employees)Time VariesMany SKs already hold DAU coursework toward the GS-1102 contracting series. Confirm what credits you carry.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 3-6 months prepGI Bill eligibleAccelerates moves into operations and program management. Requires documented project experience.
OptionalCost Check current pricingTime 2-4 monthsGI Bill eligibleEntry-level project management credential for SKs without the experience hours for PMP yet.
RecommendedCost Check current pricingTime 2-4 monthsGI Bill eligibleProcess-improvement credential valued in supply chain, manufacturing, and operations roles.
Placement decides whether a screener ever sees it. BMR knows where each one ranks, what to call it, and how to frame it.
Free to start. Built around your real certs and clearance.
Use these resources to move from rating to civilian role. They are split by whether you are staying in the supply, procurement, and finance lane or pivoting out of it.
Start with the military resume builder for private-sector roles or the federal resume builder for USAJobs, explore options with the career crosswalk tool, and when you know the role you want, build your resume now.
Most people do this backwards: wait for terminal leave, then panic. This is the sequence that works. Already out? Same plan, day one is today.
Days 0 to 30
Days 30 to 60
Days 60 to 90
The most direct matches are logistician (BLS OEWS May 2024 median $80,880), buyer or purchasing agent ($75,650), shipping/receiving/inventory clerk ($46,120), and bookkeeping/accounting/auditing clerk ($49,210). With management scope, transportation, storage, and distribution managers report a $102,010 median. Your edge over a general warehouse candidate is the combination of procurement authority and appropriated-funds accounting. Most applicants have one, not both.
For most Storekeepers, yes. You already worked the Federal Stock System and appropriated funds, so the GS-2010 (Inventory Management), GS-2003 (Supply Program Management), and GS-1102 (Contracting) series fit with little retraining. Add Veterans' Preference and noncompetitive hiring authorities, and you compete from a stronger position than a civilian applicant. As a Coast Guard veteran, DHS components are natural targets, but supply and contracting billets exist government-wide.
It is your highest-value credential. A Contracting Officer Representative role or a warrant maps directly to GS-1102 Contracting on the federal side and to buyer, purchasing agent, or contract administrator roles in the private sector. 1102 is chronically short-staffed across DoD and DHS, so name the authority explicitly on your resume rather than burying it under 'logistics duties.'
The SK rating carries a money-and-records skill signature that travels well. Common different-industry pivots include loan officer in banking (BLS median $74,180), cost estimator in construction ($77,070), medical records specialist in healthcare ($50,250), and bookkeeping or accounting clerk ($49,210). See the 'Want to Change Careers Entirely?' section on this page for entry paths, since each one names the certificate or coursework it actually takes.
Not always. Inventory, purchasing, and clerk roles often hire on experience plus the right resume. To move up faster, industry certifications carry weight: CPIM or CSCP from APICS/ASCM for supply chain, CPSM from the Institute for Supply Management for procurement, and Defense Acquisition University coursework toward 1102 contracting. Many are GI Bill or tuition-assistance eligible.
It adds 5 or 10 points to your rated score and can move you up the referral list, and authorities like VRA and VEOA let agencies hire veterans noncompetitively for many positions. It does not guarantee a job, and your resume still has to prove you meet the qualification standard for the GS series. Our 10-point Veterans' Preference guide explains who qualifies and what documentation you need.
BLS reports national medians: logisticians $80,880, buyers and purchasing agents $75,650, and bookkeeping/accounting/auditing clerks $49,210 (BLS OEWS, May 2024). Private-sector supply roles pay more in port cities, distribution hubs, and manufacturing corridors. Federal GS pay is set by grade and locality, so a GS-9 in a high-cost locality earns meaningfully more than the same grade in a rural one.
Replace rating-specific terms with civilian equivalents: Federal Stock System becomes enterprise procurement and inventory management, appropriated-funds accounting becomes budget execution and financial reconciliation, and COR becomes contract administration. The Skills Translation section on this page has before-and-after bullets. Our military resume builder structures it for ATS scanning. Build your resume from your evaluations and qualification records, not a discharge document.
Lead with outcomes a civilian manager cares about: dollars managed, error or discrepancy rates, audit results, and on-time fill rates. Drop the acronyms and explain the business impact. Our guide on explaining military experience in a civilian interview walks through answering 'tell me about your background' without jargon, which matters most when the interviewer has never served.
Supply and logistics ratings across the branches translate the same way. The Navy Logistics Specialist (LS), Air Force Materiel Management (2S0X1), Army Unit Supply Specialist (92Y), and Marine Corps Supply Administration (3043) all map to the same civilian titles and GS series. Compare them to see the full range of employers hiring this background.
Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024. Career data from O*NET OnLine.
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