OCS... share your experience, please?
I am a graduate of Naval Officer Candidate School. However, that was over 30 years ago so I'm sure things have changed considerably. Back then, it was approximately 20 weeks long. Now I understand it is only 12 weeks long. During my time in service, the Navy had two different Officer Candidate Schools; one in Newport Rhode Island and the other at Pensacola Florida. The Florida location was for aviation types. Sometime in the 1980's, the Navy moved the Newport OCS to Pensacola and combined them into one. But just a few years ago, the Navy returned to having two OCS's when they moved it back to Newport. As a PAO (Public Affairs Officer), you would attend the Newport OCS. At the Newport OCS when I attended, although males and females were all members of the same Regiment, all females were assigned to all-female companies in each battalion. So females trained with females and males trained with males. We lived and slept in the same building, but in separate wings. At the Newport OCS, we had commissioned officers and chief petty officers who instructed us in the classrooms. But we had officer candidate upperclass personnel who drilled and grilled us out in the field. That was possible because classes were overlapping. In otherwords, we had a new class of candidates appear every six weeks. At the Pensacola OCS, Marine Corps Drill Instructors drilled and grilled the candidates in the field. The transition from civilian life to military life will be immediate and demanding. You will be monitored and expected to perform all sorts of tasks that may seem trivial, but do serve a purpose. The best way to prepare yourself is to realize that no matter how tough things may get, it will come to an end and the majority of people who go through it survive and graduate. This is why I didn't quit when the going got rough. Since you have a young child, you need to get more information before you make your decision. Visit the source links I posted below for more updated information such as how to apply for the PAO designator. Also, you can contact any Navy recruiter to obtain more information. I applied for OCS through my local Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center. And since your husband is a Naval reservist, check where he drills at. Good luck with whatever you decide upon.
My old Army National Guard tank battalion had at least two captains who, for whatever reasons, resigned their commissions and reverted to the previous NCO ranks and MOSs they held prior to going to Officer Candidate School. One of them was a captain the same time I was. As your retirement pay is based on the highest grade ever held, they still retired with captains’ pay. I myself, as I moved up and around battalion staff level and further away from being in a line tank crew, seriously considered several times just resigning my commission and enlisting as a tank gunner (didn’t even need to be a tank commander) just because being a staff weenie wasn’t as much fun and too much like my civilian job in public school special services. Being in the Guard with a decent-paying civilian job, the amount of pay per month wasn’t as critical to my wallet as the retirement points.1st Lieutenant Karl Timmermann was the commanding officer of the US Army armored infantry company that captured the Bridge at Remagen, the last remaining bridge across the Rhine River in World War II. He and several of his company members received the Distinguished Service Cross (second-highest combat decoration after the Medal of Honor) for continuing their assault after the Germans detonated the demolition charges on the bridge, with the bridge holding together because they used a smaller charge of industrial explosives rather than full military demolition charges. After the war, Timmermann returned home to Nebraska and became a salesman, but grew bored and felt like a fish out of water and decided to return to the Regular Army; since the postwar drawdown resulted in no officers’ slots being available, he enlisted as an E-7 Technical Sergeant (today called a Sergeant First Class). Within a year, as the Cold War heated up, he was reinstated as a 1st Lieutenant, then fought in the Korean War before dying of natural causes. He’s the first person I think about when discussing officers who return to the service in the enlisted ranks, other than the guys in my old Guard battalion.
Do i need military experience to get into OCS?
No, you do not need to enlist to go into OCS but it would make you stand out though if you were prior enlisted because you will have the experience of leading but also all the military jargone, drills, and discipline would come in handy in OCS. Some people are meant to excel without experience while others need to learn in order to lead. Good luck! Don't be unkind to your enlisted men when you graduate and get your posting as they are who you depend on when the tough gets going.
If I join the military as an officer how long do I have to serve in the military?
I want to get my degree first in Interior architecture, or Industrial design. I've heard that once you get a degree you are automatically ranked as an officer in the military? So I'm deciding between joining the coast guard, navy, or air force. I heard that the air force isn't really accepting anyone right now. Some people are saying that I only have to do 3 years, and some are saying 6 years. I'm confused... I'll be starting college in the fall of 2014, and graduating in 2018 at the age of 21, if I'm not mistaken. After that I want to join the military, and put my degree to use, or at least do something that's hands on with that degree. I do not want to have a military career. I want to learn from it, and eventually get out, and leave, and reap the benefits. After leaving I want to use the GI Bill, and pay for my masters degree in industrial design. I heard that once you join as an officer you will forever be an officer, so they will always call you when you're needed. So, if I have kids will they call me to serve, and I have no choice? Thanks for the answers!
Outside of doctors and lawyers, simply having a degree isn’t enough to become a Commissioned Officer in the United States military.You still have to complete the requirements of your “commissioning source” like OCS or ROTC.For ROTC that includes 2 to 4 years of ROTC courses that include a fair amount of training and “summer camp.” To get away with the 2-year method you have to be prior enlisted. Many of these ROTC students also still attend basic training. Many of the cadets also serve in reservist units or do rotations to active units to broaden their experience. So these young officers are FAR from just some kid with a degree. Most of the ROTC officers I knew in the National Guard were prior NCOs (sergeants).For OCS, you have to have a degree and be currently enlisted (or Warrant Officer). Most of these are NCOs (sergeants) with several years of experience already. OCS is a couple months of additional officer-specific training. From what I’ve heard, OCS isn’t something to be taken lightly at all. To even get an OCS slot you have to get some good recommendations.So to summarize, a degree alone does not the Commissioned Officer make.Having said this, more experienced officers come in two kinds : the best officers and the worst officers. Being a prior NCO (even a good one) is no guarantee you will be a good officer. Sometimes the best officers recognize their role and when to stay in the officer lane.
In all the discussions and answers, no one mentions the primary reason for ODS compared to OCS. ODS is aimed at teaching professionals how to be officers in the military. These are typically people that have been through professional schools and want to serve their country in that profession. These are not people that will be leading troops into combat but people that have specialized skills that are needed by the military. We are looking at Doctors, Nurses, Lawyers and Dentists. They will be leading specialized personnel in the performance of their duties in support of the combat troops. They are taught the basic tenants of the service, rank structure and how to wear the uniform. Most of them are commissioned as LTJGs and are often promoted to full LT within a year of their initial commissioning. Part of this is to increase their pay scale to be a little more competitive with their counterparts in the civilian world, though they are not likely to come close to matching it. The other part is recognition of their additional schooling, training and experience.
Almost everything that David Rishel said was absolutely correct, except that officers will retain their ranks upon changing services. Each branch of the service has programs in place for personnel to do so, and each program is different, depending on the from/to branches, and whether or not the person is officer or enlisted.For example, to answer your specific question, there has been in place for quite some time "Operation Blue to Green" which allows Air Force and Navy officers and enlisted personnel to transfer their eligible commissions or grade to the Army. I recall as I was leaving the Air Force Reserves that such a program existed, and that was nearly 10 years ago, so I know this program has existed for some time. Officers will retain their rank, and they will either directly enter a MOS that matches their AFSC or Rate, or will receive MOS-specific retraining to enter a new MOS.The Air Force has a similar program, allowing officers to perform "interservice transfer," but not for enlisted personnel. There is a Prior Service enlistment program that allows eligible Prior Service enlisteds to transfer into the Air Force. They may not be able to retain their exact rank, it is different for each person.
Navy OCS possibilities?
Your 2.75 GPA is above the minimum application 2.5 GPA. You can apply with your GPA but the OAR and ASTB scores are a big factor - if you max them out you move ahead of someone with a higher GPA but lower ASTB score. Unless you virtually max out the OAS and ASTB you stand little chance. Despite what anyone says, Naval Aviators are not recruited from rocket scientists - particularly not Navy pilots. Talk to a Navy Officer Recruiter and take a shot at the OAR to see if you even need to take the ASTB.
Army OCS vs Navy enlisted?
Goodness, Navy and Army two completely different things. My brother is navy and I'm army. Look if you want to be a Navy officer, keep trying. Go for a Masters, that helps a lot. Enlisting in the Navy and then trying to become an officer is typically one giant and unproductive pain in the ***. Secondly, as an Army officer, you will probably get one form of combat arm. If the idea of ground combat makes your stomach feel just a little bit funny, why risk it? Here's the deal. I don't recommend you going into the Army if you want to be a Navy officer. Being an officer in the Army is about leading soldiers in the Army. Being an officer in the Navy is quite a different thing all together.
Navy Question: Enlistment to OCS or Navy for masters degree?
I am 23 years old, graduating with a 4 year degree in Creative Writing with an overall 2.7. I contacted the Navy Officer Recruiting office and they said I had no shot with my degree and non-competitive GPA. I then went to the Navy Enlistment recruiting offices. I scored a 93 on the practice ASVAB test and they told me that I was pretty much qualified for anything. I can really only seeing myself enjoying jobs in Information Specialists, Computer Science, or Air Traffic Controller. I'm hesitant though because what if, after MEPS, those jobs aren't available? I know I could just walk out, and I might have to do that. What are the hypothetical odds that those wouldn't be available to me? Checking out the 2011 CREO, they all were 1's in the E-4 rating. I want to join the Navy, work my butt off, and if I like it, put in an Officer package and apply for OCS. The Enlistment recruiter told me that this is generally the best way to go to OCS because it is so competitive and the Navy likes to promote from within. But I'm hesitant to believe an enlistment recruiter... Any thoughts on this? Has anyone done it? Is it the best way to go? If this isn't possible, I would like to put in my required years on active duty, have them pay for my Masters, get out and join the Navy Reserves while working as a professor in Creative Writing. Is this a viable option? Thank you to anyone taking the time to read and respond to this post. I appreciate everything!