Serving in the Coast Guard as a yeoman is a challenging job. You are able to serve anywhere that the coast guard operates, as you are the equivalent of the company clerk. The Yeoman in the Coast Guard performs paperwork and record keeping duties, and also maintains pay and benefit records for all Coast Guard personnel. A Yeoman is a problem solver, and the source of information for the enlisted Coast Guard Servicemember. Situations involving incentive programs, entitlements, pay and benefits, or even career moves can be dealt with by the Yeoman to assist the Coast Guard personnel member.
Typical duty for a yeoman can be at any size unit in the Coast Guard, from the smallest Marine Science offices or shipboard duty aboard a Coast Guard Vessel, to a large Air Station or Group land base command. Working as a Yeoman will give a person a chance to work with different groups of people from larger metropolitan areas to group or unit offices in smaller locations.
Training for the position of Yeoman in the Coast Guard begins with Boot camp at Cape May, New Jersey. After 9 weeks of basic training you will advance to Class A school at Petaluma, California. You will train for four to six weeks at training dealing with office procedures, methods of filing and typing methods, in addition to other record keeping and office procedures. After attending the Yeoman school you will be eligible to attain the rank of third class petty officer. You can also opt to strike the rating from your initial duty station without attending Class A school. After completing requirements for the Yeoman rating you can test and achieve the third class petty officer position without having attended Class A school.
Skills involved in the Yeoman position include ability to prioritize and organizational skills. Having the ability to work with people and good interpersonal skills is necessary. Computer skills and the ability to use word processing and spreadsheets are also valuable skills. Data entry and data retrieval skills work to the benefit of the trainee. Civilian jobs as administrative assistant, personnel manager and positions with human resources positions are easily obtained after the training you receive in the Coast Guard.
