What Happens After You Request Info: The Advisor Call, Step by Step

You may be hesitating at the Request Info form at St. Michael's Learning Academy (SMLA) because you expect a sales script. If you are thinking about whether to request info at SMLA but are not sure what happens next, this post is for you. The first step is simple: talk to an advisor about your funding path. Tell us where you are - still serving, separated, a spouse, or workforce-referred - and we will point you to the right program. Below are four questions worth thinking through before the call: your status, the work you want next, program fit, and your funding path and the official sources to check. We also cover what happens when a program is not right for you and what to have in hand when you hang up. We close with a note for Veterans Day, which is two weeks out.

Two things to know before the call: outcomes and cost

Before the steps, two points.

• Outcome questions go to our graduates. If you want to hear how the program went for people who took it, read their words on our testimonials page.
• Cost. We don't publish cost figures; cost depends on your program and funding path, and the advisor points you to the official source for each funding program.

See SMLA graduate employment outcomes →

What to expect when you request info at SMLA

After you submit the form, an advisor contacts you. Thinking through the four questions below makes the certification advisor call easier.

You do not need to prepare anything, but a few notes make the call faster and more useful:

• Your status and key dates, such as a separation date, the date you left the service or the date of a layoff.
• Your installation or city.
• Any benefits you have already used, or letters you have received about eligibility.
• Your case manager's name, if a workforce office referred you.
• Your questions, written down. Cost, schedule and prerequisites are all fair game.

If you do not have some of these, call anyway. The advisor can tell you which ones matter for your situation and where to find them.

Question one: where are you, still serving, separated, spouse, or workforce-referred

The first question is about your status, because it shapes everything else: your schedule, your funding path and your deadlines.

• Still serving. Be ready to share your installation and your separation date, because in-service benefits and any Department of Defense SkillBridge plans depend on them.
• Separated. Be ready to share when you left the service and what you have used since, because veteran education benefits may apply depending on your status.
• A military spouse. Be ready to share the service member's status and your own situation, because spouse programs may apply depending on both.
• Workforce-referred. Be ready to share which local workforce office referred you and who your case manager is, because the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) process has its own approval steps.

If you are not sure which status fits, say so. Sorting it out is part of the call.

See seven ways somebody else pays for your certification →

Question two: what work do you want to do next

Next, think about what you want to do after the credential. Not which course you want, but which job.

Some people know exactly: a project management role, an information technology (IT) security job, SAP work in logistics or finance. Others only know what they did before and that they want something steadier or more portable. Either answer is fine.

It helps to think about your past roles, your strengths and what you do not want to do again. Military experience can map to civilian work in ways people do not expect, and talking it through with an advisor can help you make that connection.

Read how to transition from a military to a civilian career →

Question three: which program fits, and which does not

With your status and your goal clear, you can look at which programs fit. SMLA provides students with training and certifications in high demand professions including SAP, Project Management, CompTIA, Microsoft, and Lean Six Sigma.

Fit depends on more than interest. Consider:

• Your experience. Some credentials have prerequisites set by the credentialing body.
• Your schedule. Day, evening, weekend and online formats suit different lives.
• Your location. Some classes run at a specific campus or installation.
• Your timeline. A separation date or a job start date can rule a cohort in or out.

Compare SMLA certification programs →

Question four: the funding path and the official sources we send you to

The fourth question is how you will pay. Funding paths may apply depending on your status. The advisor explains which ones are worth checking and points you to the official source for each, so you can confirm the rules yourself.

• Veteran education benefits are explained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at VA.
• Texas career school regulation is explained at Texas Workforce Commission. Our Houston campus, which also houses our corporate headquarters, is licensed and monitored by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), and our Detroit campus is licensed and monitored by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
• In-service credentialing, SkillBridge, spouse programs and WIOA each have their own official sources, and the advisor tells you which apply.

Two official pages are worth reading before the call. The VA's eligibility page explains who may qualify for VA education benefits, including active-duty service members, Veterans, National Guard and Reserve members, and qualified survivors and dependents. TWC's career schools page explains that TWC ensures career schools meet ongoing requirements to get and keep their licenses. Reading both first means you can spend the call on your own situation rather than on definitions.

Cost depends on the program and your funding path, which is why we do not publish figures in a blog post.

What we say when a program is not the right fit

Sometimes the honest answer is that none of our programs fits you right now. Maybe the credential you need is not one we teach. Maybe your timeline is too tight for the next cohort. Maybe your funding path needs to be settled first.

When that happens, the advisor will tell you. A good call ends with you knowing more, even if you do not enroll.

What you leave the call with

Before you hang up, check that you have what you need:

• A clear sense of your status and what it means for funding.
• The programs worth a closer look, or the reason none fit right now.
• The official sources to check for your funding path.
• Your next steps, if you decide to move forward, including how to enroll at SMLA.

You decide what happens next.

Find the SMLA location nearest you →

Veterans Day is two weeks out: a note for those who served

Veterans Day falls on November 11. If you served, thank you. If you have been putting off the question of what comes next, this is a good season to ask it, and Veterans Day 2026 is a natural moment to start planning training. Visit our Veterans Day tribute page, and when you are ready to plan your next credential, the advisor call is a simple first step. Share this post with someone you served with who is weighing the same decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Request info

The SMLA request info form is the first step. Tell us where you are and what you want to do next, and an advisor will take it from there. Our Houston headquarters is at 6220 Westpark Dr, Suite 180.