Officer vs enlisted4/30/2023 In wartime, that career path can change, depending upon the needs of the SEAL teams and your operational capabilities. There will be more administrative responsibilities as an officer. The simple answers are the leadership roles and more base pay, but also a straightforward officer career path that is consistent, to a degree. The biggest questions people ask are: What Is the Difference Between the Navy SEAL Enlisted and Officer Jobs? This process can take a year or more from submitting an application to receiving your OCS date. Naval Academy and other service academies' cadets and midshipmen seeking one of the few officer slots they offer each year (usually 50-70 slots). If you get selected to attend the selection program, you will attend SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection (SOAS) during the summer after your application was submitted in January or February of that year. To join the Navy as an officer as a civilian after college, you will request to attend Officer Candidate School, followed by BUD/S. ![]() (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anthony W. Commit to the path that’s right for you.A Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) candidate negotiates an obstacle during training at Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, California, May 21, 2020. Parting ThoughtsĪre you officer material? Would you be happier enlisted? Do your research. Most 18-year olds do not have two equally open opportunities before them. Hopefully by this stage, you see that the two paths are different in timelines, requirements, experience, implications, and expectations. Read more here: Enlist First, Try to Commission Later? Myth #5: High School graduates have a two equally valid options: Officer or Enlisted If you enlist with the actual goal of becoming an officer, you very well might waste years working through that process, and may end up unsuccessful. MECEP ( and related programs) is for a minuscule amount of enlisted Marines who are personally recommended for commissioning by their Commanding Officer, and pass a significant amount of hurdles to commission. Myth #4: Programs like MECEP are for those who already plan to become officers, but will enlist first Related: The idea that going enlisted first will make one a better officerĪs suggested above, officer life is different than enlisted life, not just higher up the chain. Additionally, the Marine Corps has much higher fitness and academic standards for officers. Individuals who feel like they could succeed on either path can find their best fit by contrasting the implications of the two opportunities. Even if you have a college degree, you may be a better fit for certain jobs and lifestyles as enlisted. The sheer amount of paperwork, management, and administrative duties each officer has make this a commonsense requirement. Firstly, a four-year accredited college degree is a prerequisite for officers. The requirements, expectations, and demographics of the officer pool does not overlap very much with the enlisted recruits. Myth #3: Everyone is officer materialĪlso false. More discussion available here: Why officers vs enlisted?. Or another analogy is baseball players (enlisted) vs the coaches (officers). Imagine the difference at an auto service franchise between the mechanics and corporate managers. A rough analogy for civilians is white collar vs blue collar jobs in the same organization. ![]() However, their roles, training, demographics, and expectations are vastly differentiated. Myth #2: Officers have the same role as enlisted, only with a college degree Joining the Reserves, a different branch, or enlisting first does not get you closer or a “leg up” on other applicants. For many individuals, i t’s better to focus on attaining a college degree, and then joining the military. In fact you might be better positioned financially and maturity-wise. If you wait until you’re 22 and a college graduate, or even 25-28 years old to apply for OCS, you are not regarded as any less of an officer. This is a simple, yet weirdly widespread myth. This post is aimed directly at the hard-charging future Marine in high school who does not really understand the different implications between the enlisted vs officer paths.įirst, for a very thorough discussion of how to decide which path is better for you, read the following post on Future Jarheads: Should I Become an Officer or Go Enlisted? Myth #1: Officer prospects must join the military ASAP
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |