New Cohort Starts:

Donate

4615 Career Guide

Marine Corps

4615: Combat Photographer

Career transition guide for Marine Corps Combat Photographer (4615)

Translate Your 4615 Experience Now

Get a personalized AI-powered translation of your military experience into civilian resume language.

Start Free Translation

Civilian Career Pathways

Top civilian roles for 4615 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.

Graphic Designer

$65K
High matchStable demand

Web Designer

$77K
High matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

Advanced JavaScript frameworksUX/UI design principles

Digital Marketing Specialist

$68K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

SEO/SEM certificationSocial media marketing strategies

Technical Writer

$72K
Moderate matchGrowing demand

Skills to develop:

Technical writing certificationFamiliarity with software documentation tools

Instructional Designer

$75K
Good matchHigh demand

Skills to develop:

eLearning development toolsAdult learning theory

Salary estimates from VWC career data

Hidden Strengths

Cognitive skills your 4615 training built — and where they transfer.

Resource Optimization

As a 4615, you managed budgets and resources to maximize the impact of your visual products, ensuring projects were completed efficiently and effectively within allocated means.

Your ability to strategically allocate resources and manage budgets translates directly to skills in financial planning, project management, and operations optimization in the civilian sector.

Procedural Compliance

You adhered to strict protocols and guidelines in creating and disseminating visual information, ensuring accuracy and security in all your work.

Your commitment to following established procedures and maintaining high standards of accuracy is highly valuable in roles requiring regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and risk management.

Team Synchronization

You collaborated with diverse teams, including information operations, command, and public information personnel, to create visual products that effectively communicated key messages and achieved strategic objectives.

Your experience in collaborating with cross-functional teams and aligning your work with broader organizational goals makes you well-suited for roles that require teamwork, communication, and coordination.

Situational Awareness

Your role required you to understand the context in which your visual products would be used, adapting your designs to effectively communicate in various operational environments.

Your ability to assess situations, understand audience needs, and tailor your work accordingly is highly relevant to roles that require strategic thinking, communication planning, and user experience design.

Non-Obvious Career Matches

Technical Writer

SOC 27-3042.00

You've been creating documentation, reports, and instructions throughout your military career. As a Technical Writer, you'll use those communication skills to create clear and concise documentation for technical products and services. Your experience managing and archiving imagery also gives you a unique edge in creating visually engaging documentation.

Training and Development Specialist

SOC 13-1151.00

You've been supervising and instructing personnel in the operation of equipment and software. As a Training and Development Specialist, you'll leverage your instructional experience to design and deliver training programs that enhance employee skills and performance. Your background in visual communication will help you create engaging training materials.

Marketing Specialist

SOC 13-1161.00

You've been conceiving and creating visual products for a broad range of areas. As a Marketing Specialist, you'll apply your skills to develop and execute marketing campaigns that promote products and services. Your experience in web page design, print formats, and combat documentation gives you a strong foundation in visual marketing.

Training & Education Equivalencies

Basic Combat Correspondent Course, Defense Information School (DINFOS), Fort Meade, MD

350 training hours9 weeksUp to 6 semester hours recommended in photography and visual communications

Topics Covered

  • Basic Photography Principles
  • Photojournalism Ethics
  • Combat Documentation Techniques
  • Digital Image Editing (Adobe Photoshop)
  • Visual Storytelling
  • Operational Security (OPSEC) for Visual Information
  • Equipment Maintenance and Troubleshooting
  • Archiving and Metadata Management

Certification Pathways

Partial Coverage

Adobe Certified Professional in Visual Design65% covered

Advanced design principles, typography, color theory, and specific Adobe software features beyond basic operation.

Certified Print Professional (CPP)40% covered

In-depth knowledge of printing processes, color management, finishing techniques, and industry standards.

Recommended Next Certifications

Certified Web Professional (CWP)Project Management Professional (PMP)Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Technical Systems Translation

Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.

Military SystemCivilian Equivalent
Defense Information Infrastructure (DII)Secure cloud-based data storage and transfer services (e.g., Box, Google Workspace, Microsoft OneDrive)
Joint Targeting Toolkit (JTT)Geospatial analysis and mapping software (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS)
Tactical Imagery Production System (TIPS)Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for image and graphic editing
Wide Area Workflow (WAWF)Electronic invoicing and payment processing systems (e.g., SAP Ariba, Bill.com)
Digital Asset Management System (DAMS)Cloud-based digital asset management platforms (e.g., Brandfolder, Widen)
Production Automated Tool Set (PATS)High-volume commercial printing and binding equipment (e.g., Xerox, Canon production printers)

Ready to Translate Your Experience?

Our AI-powered translator converts your 4615 experience into ATS-optimized civilian resume language.

Translate My Resume — Free