Joining after college.

[Texan]

While in government class this past week, my teacher told us about how you can be recruited as an officer if you have a college degree. I don't really know anything about it, so I was wondering...

Is it difficult to get into this program?
Whether it is or isn't, is it a good path to take?

 

[daveleau]

There are three ways that you can get into the military as an officer.

1) (easy) ROTC in college: you sign a contract in college and once you graduate, you go in as an officer. Often they give scholarships for college as well. The only drawback is that a scholarship would preclude you from the GI Bill once you are in.

2) (easy) Graduate from college and talk to a recruiter. The recruiter will find you a job and you will be guaranteed that before you go to Officer training, which is a 3 month program. It is boot camp for officers. The drawback is that ROTC typically gets better jobs since recruiters have quotas. Recruiters deal very infrequently with officer candidates.

3) (moderately difficult) Go in as an enlisted troop after high school. After you are done with your training, you can begin taking college classes. It takes most around 8-10 years to finish a college degree this way, but it is free (or almost free). The drawback is that you spend 8-10 years with a much lower salary and the upgrade from enlisted to officer is far from definite. You have to excel and be selected and often prior enlisted troops have less success as officers because of the differing levels of prejudice between officers and prior-enlisted officers.

I'd suggest option 1 or 2.

God bless,
Dave

 

[alexgb00]

Thank you, Dave. It so happens that i've been thinking about option #2.

Explain to me, if you will -- if you are given a scholarship, you cannot receive money the GI bill? If that is so, which is a better choice?

Thanks,
Alex

 

[jeepgirl1]

Dave,
I wouldn't necessarily call it "easy" to go the path of OCS.

Alex,
A lot of the answers to your questions depend on what branches you're interested in. I agree with Dave that the path of least resistance would be going the ROTC route. However there are more options than Dave listed if you're truly seeking a career as a military officer. What branches interest you?

 

[Billnew]

I think some offer assistance with college costs.

I don't know if ROTC is much easier.

It depends more on the usefullness of the degree.
More money for the harder to fill postitions.
Which Branch might fit in there too.

A Nursing Degree is more needed then a Business degree.(My guess since Nurses are in a Shortage(Registered nurses that is)
Special bonuses apply. BUt check all Branches to see who offers more.

 

[alexgb00]

Jeepgirl1, i hope to join the navy, and work in a construction battalion. I'm studying manufacturing engineering in college. Can they use people like that? Are you, or were you at one time in the service? I have met many teachers in high school and college who spent many years in the navy and air force, mostly. I guess the military tends to accept people with good educations.

Alex.

 

[SHA77]

I agree with option 1-2. As a Third Class Petty Officer, those are your best options. If after your tour , which is 3 to 4 years of service,and you feel you don't want to be in the service any longer, you may want to consider going Reserve, that way you don't lose any points for retirement. It's only one weekend a month and you can work another full time job at the same time!

Blessings

YN3

 

[SHA77]

The Military perfers, security, parole, police, medical, computer techs, weapon etc. And yes, the higher you education level the better your chances at coming in a higher rank.

YN3

 

[navybig]

Don't forget the academies as an option. If you want to go Navy, apply to the U.S. Naval Academy. It's a tough school to get into and it's extremely demanding, but you graduate with an awesome education (which is 100% free) and you earn a commission upon graduation as well. I don't know how old you are or how far into college you are etc. maybe I didn't read the thread enough. I was a MIDN at USNA and am going back with the class of '09 this summer, so if you want to know about it PM me.

You'll lose your college credits if you go now of course, but you can place out. I've been through 2 years of college already myself as a biochem major, going to lose all those credits but will be placing out of calc1-2, chem1-2, ochem1, physics1 eng1-2 etc.

Only problem with the Navy is they're downsizing, same with AF, so it's harder to go those routes if you go OCS/ROTC routes. Army and USMC, on the other hand, are being upsized as of the 06 fiscal year which should start ~October 05. I've been up and down all the application processes, had a 4 year NROTC, appointed to USNA, talked about gettin a NUPOC with an O recruiter, so give me a hollar if you want to talk like on AIM or e-mail.

 

[Jetgirl]

While in government class this past week, my teacher told us about how you can be recruited as an officer if you have a college degree. I don't really know anything about it, so I was wondering...

Is it difficult to get into this program?
Whether it is or isn't, is it a good path to take?

I am going for my commission into the Navy right now, and there's several things to be aware of:

1. Certian kinds of degrees are preferred over others. Some programs require you to have a specific degree. For instance you HAVE to have an engineering degree, and not less than a B- in any of your technical classes to go into any of the nuclear programs. For some of the aviation maintinence and supply officer jobs they're looking for a degree in business.

2. Dealing with recruiters as an officer canditate is a lot different than as an enlistee. As far as I can tell from comparing notes with my friends and fiancee (all of whom enlisted) enlistment recruiters will give you a LOT of help, and be in pretty much constant contact. For me, they expect me to have my act together yesterday, and make a sustained effort to make everything come together (with little to no encouragement or contact whatsoever).

Makes sense: can you really be a leader if you can't get your paperwork and general self in order in a limited amount of time?

Is it difficult?

Yea and nay. I personally would like to have been in ROTC in college.. then I would know a little more about what to expect, be in better shape, and have a extra boost from that program. But, obviously, it can be done "cold" like I'm doing right now.

I'm having a panic attack about my EPSQ at the moment. They want individual unrepeated references to qualify everywhere I lived and went to school in the last seven years, and I honestly don't even know that many people. :o

Ask me if you have any specific questions.

 

[Yekcidmij]

Whether it is or isn't, is it a good path to take?

I went through the NROTC progam. I started out without a scholarship, but picked one up after a year in the program. Just about anyone can do it for the first 2 years of college, but after that the navy has to decide to keep you around, which they will normally do. Im sure the other services are similiar to that.

 

[kranich]

While in government class this past week, my teacher told us about how you can be recruited as an officer if you have a college degree. I don't really know anything about it, so I was wondering...

Is it difficult to get into this program?
Whether it is or isn't, is it a good path to take?

I did. The route I took was to enter ROTC and then apply for a scholarship, which I was awarded. Afterwards I received my commission and served four years. I came in a 2LT and when I got out I was a 1LT. The pay was rough that first year but by the time you leave it is up there.

I am not sure about graduating first then entering as an officer without going through ROTC but there was a guy in my officer’s class who received a congressional appointment and also there was also a program where college grads could enter as an E-4 and then go through OCS. That seems like a long way around to do it.

Some guy posted earlier that the ROTC was "easy". I disagree with that. It as very competitive to get an RA commission. You had to graduate near the top. You also had to sacrifice a lot of freedoms.

 

[daveleau]

ROTC is four years. OTS/OCS is 4 months. I did both.

I went to a military college (The Citadel) where only 1/3 "contract" with the military, but all students are required to attend ROTC classes. I wanted to contract, but was told that if I did not get into med school (my dream) on the first try then I would be made an armor officer (Army). So, I decided to decline the commission and I tried for 4 years to get into medical school (remember, I said it was MY dream, not God's desire). I didn't get in, so I decided to listen to God and I joined the USAF. I went through OTS by going to a recruiter in my area, who told me my scores would allow me to do anything that my body didn't disqualify me for (eyes-pilot). So, I became a B-52 navigator.

ROTC's difficulty depends on the school.

 

[phoboskaitromos]

I have heard of very few officers who have received direct commissions in the army. Most officers either go through ROTC, West Point, or OCS--after having been enlisted for a time.

Most direct commissions come for Doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, and Chaplains-which God willing I'll become in the near future...pray for me.

Find a recruiter who doesn't seem to want to push you to go the enlisted route and OCS....this would take a while. It is an option, but depending on your first commands as an enlistee, OCS may not come for months or probably years, unless you could get the school promised you in an enlistment contract, which would be great--take it. If you find one (recruiter) that wants to help you receive a commission without OCS, you'll know he/she is really trying to help. I can only speak for the Army...I have 8 years in as an enlistee...but your chances are slim unless you qualify for one of the specialties I listed above. Not trying to rain on your parade, I pray this will work out for you, but in the Army it is uncommon to receive a direct commission.


God Bless,
Will

 

[jeepgirl1]

The Military perfers, security, parole, police, medical, computer techs, weapon etc. And yes, the higher you education level the better your chances at coming in a higher rank.

YN3

Um, why exactly have you felt the need to direct this statement in my direction? I never said that the military DIDN'T "perfer" folks who are trained and have higher education ...

 

[jeepgirl1]

Alex,
Sorry its taken me so long to respond. How far along are you in your degree?

The problem with the Navy is, like Navybig has mentioned, they're in the middle of forceshaping. They're trying to thin their numbers, so to speak, and this is reflected in the fact that they're raising the bar slightly for folks who wish to enlist or attend OCS. They're able to be choosier. Average accepted OCS applicant has a technical/engineering degree with a GPA hovering around 3.0-3.5.

AF is in a similar situation.

The Marine Corps offer a program called Platoon Leaders Class (PLC). It allows folks to complete the requirements for a MC commission without interrupting your education; all training is done in the summer. If the MC interests you, and you're not too far along in your education (junior or less), this could be an option.

I believe the Navy offers similar programs to the MC PLC. I know of the Nuclear Propulsion Officer Candidate (NUPOC) program for sure, which allows selected folks the chance to finish their education on the Navy's dime in exchange for serving as a nuclear officer. I think there is another program as well, but I can't remember the name and details.

The Academies could be an option as well. Keep in mind that you have to be a "top-notch" candidate to get accepted though. Also, everyone starts off at the first year/freshmen status regardless of transfer college credits, AP credits, etc and so forth. If you're willing to go through another 4 years of college supplemented by some hard core military training, go for it. There is an age limit, though. You have to be 23 years of age or less.

ROTC is the way to go, especially if you're interested in either the Navy or AF. All you do is enroll in the first class when you register for classes and show up. If your school doesn't have either on your campus, see if they are involved in cross-town agreements with any other colleges in your area.

If you're close to graduation, and you're willing to put the needs and desires of the country before your own, you might look into Army OCS. Right now, they are in desperate need of junior officers. If you meet the basic qualifications/requirements, you stand a very good chance at being accepted into OCS. As a matter of fact, the acceptance rate for qualified college ops is extremely high around the country (>95%). In some parts of the country, its virtually 100%. They're even offering a bonus of $8K right now, which is unheard of, b/c officers traditionally haven't received signing bonuses. Only drawback is that you really have no control over your branch (job). You fill out a dreamsheet with 10 branches that you would like; there are 20 branches overall. The Army will do its best to put you into one of your desired branches, however, at the end of the day, it goes by the needs of the Army, ie they'll put you where they need you. There's even a chance that you'll get placed in a branch not on your list.

DO YOUR RESEARCH! Every branch has an official website. There are also some really great websites that have forums devoted to the military. Try www.military.com and www.usmilitary.about.com. As for OCS/OTS info, try: www.armyocs.com, www.usanavyocs.com, www.airforceots.com, www.marineocs.com, and www.coastguardocs.com.

Good luck

 

[Diane_Windsor]

I agree with option 1-2. As a Third Class Petty Officer, those are your best options. If after your tour , which is 3 to 4 years of service,and you feel you don't want to be in the service any longer, you may want to consider going Reserve, that way you don't lose any points for retirement. It's only one weekend a month and you can work another full time job at the same time!

Blessings

YN3

Isn't one of the drawbacks of being in the Reserve though is that if you are called to active service then you might have trouble supporting your family? I recall hearing several news reports during the Iraq War in which civilian companies wouldn't pay wages to the reservists or something to that nature. I think that Sears was an excetion to this-they helped provide for the families of reservists if memory serves. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

Texan, if you go the ROTC route the Aggie's Corp of Cadets is top-notch (and this is coming from a Baylor Bear . You might look into going to College Station, however; be aware that a dog :o (mascot Reveille) is the Corp's highest ranking member and is a Five-Star General. Anyway, Aggie cadets really have to swallw their pride on that one.

And as others have mentioned there are direct commissions and the academies (GO NAVY!). The direct commissions have shorter training periods.

Here is info on US Navy Careers and NROTC. I couldn't find any info on the direct commissions, but I'm sure the Navy site has something.

Diane

 

[HumbleSiPilot77]

It takes most around 8-10 years to finish a college degree this way, but it is free (or almost free).

Man that must be the Airforce way, 8 years sheesh! Yes tuition is free, there is a semester and credit hour cap however, I believe you can only spend 4500 per semester which is not bad. Army encourages everyone to go to school and they can fix your schedule according to school.

I am happy that I went enlisted route which I had the goal to eventually become a warrant officer, you learn so much about the traditions and soldiering skills and the military, Army... Army tends to grant waivers also to cadidates within the service.

But what is wrong with all these kids, scared everything being "difficult, hard, impossible to accomplish"? Don't you have Jesus on board? What are you scared of?

 

[HumbleSiPilot77]

I am going for my commission into the Navy right now

Forgive my curiosity, if that is you in the picture, how did Navy accept you with all those tattoos? Waiver?

 

[Jetgirl]

Forgive my curiosity, if that is you in the picture, how did Navy accept you with all those tattoos? Waiver?

It's paint.


I have nine real ones, but they're all within size regulations and not visible under a tee-shirt and shorts.

Just about gave my recruiter a heart attack though... she'd never had to fill out any tattoo paperwork before...