Posted on Mar 1, 2015
SGT(P) Daniel McBride
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I'm close to making E-6 as an 88M. I want something outside of my CMF that could assist me in making E-7 and guide me into possible retirement.
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Drill Sergeant seems more fulfilling to me. Taking a raw, unknowing, scared individual, and give them the foundation to become a lean, mean, confident soldier.

Takes a special kind of person.
MSG Raul Dinzey
MSG Raul Dinzey
>1 y
I served three years as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Dix, NJ from 2/1987 to 2/1990. Two years in Basic Training and one year at the Reception Battalion as a Senior Drill Sergeant. Being a Drill Sergeant brought out the best and worst in me. The best because I was driven, self motivated and wanted to excel in everything I did. The worst because I did not manage stress well and it took me years to be less of a Type A personality and more of a Type B personality. Being flexible to your environment and your partner takes some getting used to. Being a Drill Sergeant helped to test myself and to see what I was made of. Motivated, dedicated, driven and dog gone determined to get the job done right the first time.
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SSG Platoon Sergeant
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Dead on, SSG Christopher Adame!
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SFC Jerry Barker
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If you enjoy being a "soldier," stay as far away as you can from Recruiting Command. Professionally, yes, they are necessary. Personally, that was the worst job I have had in my entire life. I was forced into the job for three years, then had a one year involuntary extension when I was down to six months. I left as a Gold Badge Recruiter, so no, I wasn't a failure at it. The JOB could be rewarding, but Recruiting Command is a different story. Four years with no support system. Four years of constant threats of having my career destroyed if I didn't meet quota, that renew at the first day of every month. Four years of having to take "working vacations" where you take leave, only to go to work in civilian clothes in order to make mission. You see, if you take more than 14 days of leave, they reduce your mission. Guess what never gets approved? So you take shorter vacations but have to work anyway to make mission. I could go on and on, how the stress ends careers, destroys marriages, results in suicides, and USAREC could care less. Stay far, far away.
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SFC Charles S.
SFC Charles S.
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Sounds like we had very similar experiences. Recruiting eats their own was the under the breath BN motto.
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MSG Mark Perry
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I will have to say a Drill Sergeant. As a leader, you look influence others by providing purpose, motivation, and direction (funny I still remember that definition after being retired for over 4 years). As a Drill Sergeant, you have the opportunity to actually develop future leaders and isn't that the role of a true NCO. You will have the opportunity to make a major impact in a large number of Soldier's lives by influencing, molding, or even shaping them into great leaders. Nothing against Recruiters, their job is as important but to have that role of developing the Soldiers of our great Army, means a lot to me.
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Drill Sergeant or Recruiter? ** and why in comments**
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SFC Michael Hasbun
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Recruiter. I have to imagine the interpersonal communication skills learned there are a lot more transferable to the outside world..
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SFC Combat Engineer
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There's more soldering as a drill sergeant. If you want to sit at a desk be a recruiter. Obviously that's not all Recruiters do. I'm just saying. Being a drill sergeant is awesome, challenging, and fun
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SFC Platoon Sergeant
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I believe you should go for the challenging part ; DS!
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COL Charles Williams
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I can't pick... As they are both essential to our Army. It depends on what you want to do. Both are super important, but difficult for different reasons. I am not a salesman, or extrovert, so I think would have a hard time as a recruiter. Plus the stress of making mission would be rough. I believe I would enjoy being DS more.

For you SGT(P) Daniel McBride , you have to decide what you would enjoy most.
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SSG Paul Lanciault
SSG Paul Lanciault
>1 y
I think Drill Sergeants are more respected. And for good reason. Not many good things to say about recruiting. I'm sure they start with the best of intentions, but turn into car salesmen in time. Quotas etc I'm sure play into that. Recruiting should give up on the numbers and focus on the quality of the recruits.
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COL Charles Williams
COL Charles Williams
>1 y
Clearly, there is more prestige with with being a DS, but we need good NCOs in both positions. I think the stress recruiters have to make numbers, would make it quite a bit less fun. That said, the current environment (downsizing) make recruiting a whole lot less stressful. In my time in the Army, it seemed like NCOs who were selected for DS duty were excited and those selected for recruiting were less than thrilled. My best CSM (as a Battalion/Brigade Commander) was a gold badge recruiter).
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SFC Louis Roesch
SFC Louis Roesch
>1 y
@COL Williams...In my experience it was more difficult recruiting during a downsizing because the quotas became more strict for who was allowed entry and of course just like the civilian sector we wanted to attract only the best and brightest. During times like Desert Storm, the quotas seldom slacked by categories meaning that if you weren't qualified before Desert Storm you were probably still not qualified during Desert Storm contrary to popular belief.
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1SG Frank Boynton
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I was an E-6 88M when I attended drill sgt school. But I was prior 11B. It worked for me. I was selected for my advanced course below the zone and was able to attend my school during my last cycle of basic training. When I completed my advanced course I returned to the trail and had orders in hand for my next assignment. It is what allowed me to make 7 first time in the primary. I select Drill Sgt because you control your own future, unlike a Recruiter who has to worry every single day he's going to make quota, and the current public opinion doesn't change at a whim, which means a drop in popularity of the services for the just graduating high schooler. I assisted some recruiters from Olean New York for a week, and I wouldn't do that job for anything. Unless you're like the best used car salesman, I'd advise against it. As a drill sgt, you know what's expected of you every single cycle. If you have the drive and love of the job, you will succeed. It's a tough job. I trained mostly female cycles, seldom had more than a weekend off between cycles, unlike male cycles who had at least a week and sometimes 2 weeks off between cycles. But it was one of the most fulfilling jobs I had in the Army. I was drill sergeant of the cycle for 3 cycles in a row in my first year. I was involuntarily extended for a 3rd year, but I loved the job. Hated the location, Ft. Dix, NJ was the armpit of the world, really. It opened a lot of doors for me after the assignment also. Made E-8 in the secondary zone and was selected for Sgt Maj. Academy, but gave it up to retire at 37 years old. E-5's struggled as Drill Sergeants. The power is overwhelming. You must be very mature and dedicated to the military to succeed as a Drill Sergeant. Most the Drill relieved from the trial during the 3 years I was there at Ft. Dix, were E-5's, both male and female.
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SFC Louis Roesch
SFC Louis Roesch
>1 y
13 years in the recruiting force and as 1SG Boynton said your success was based on how hard you worked...it definitely was not a 9-5 job in Dayton Ohio (1984-93) and St Louis (1993-1996). One of the best rewards though were meeting and working with not just several of the finest NCO's in the Army but on special events that included meeting people like Lee Greenwood, General William Westmoreland, General William Ryder General James Yarborough President Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush just to name a few. If I had to do it over again, I would want to try being on the trail.
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SFC Frederick Hammel
SFC Frederick Hammel
>1 y
I would say being a Drill Instructor is way better, I was one from 97-2000, I love it I was a 13B and trained those for that MOS. As I seen in another comment Recruiters have a quota to make, we did not. I always strived to weed those soldiers out that I would not want to serve next to me in a foxhole.
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MSG Garland Moore
MSG Garland Moore
>1 y
I was a Recruiter from 1977 to 1984. Was DA controlled. Tried two times to get off recruiting duty after 7+ years and was denied each time. So I ETS'd as an E-7 with 12 years active duty service as a 30 year old and used my GI Bill to go to college and eventually law school. All that I learned and did on Recruiting Duty served me well in later years. I am proud to have been a Recruiter, but I was ready for a change. I volunteered for any hardship assignment in the world, and was still told "No, you stay on recruiting duty!" Ended up going into USAR (5 years TPU and 6 years IRR). Such is life!
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SFC Jim Tanquary
SFC Jim Tanquary
>1 y
I was a Recruiter from 1971 to my retirement in 1982. I loved my job and followed all the rules and didnt have a problem making my goals. It meant alot of hours but when I saw a soldier return successfully I felt I had done my job. I never has a complaint, received Commendation Medal for my services with USAREC and retired with a gold badge w/2 sapphire stars. I have always believed that if you love you job, you will never work a day in your life.
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SFC David Zamora
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I wasn't a DS so I can't really say one or the other and I can only speak of my experience as a recruiter. I got hit with Recruiting orders and reluctantly went and did it. I went to recruiting school at Ft Jackson where we were housed next to the DS school and we had class every day from 1200-1800 M-F and weekends off. It was all classroom instruction and I can't remember doing PT while I was there except for the APFT. Meanwhile, while we were strolling over to our POVs to go to class in the afternoon after sleeping in, the DS' were marching around and yelling modules to trees..... at that point I was glad I was a recruiter. In the end, I voluntarily extended to stay in recruiting longer and tried to convert to 79R but at that time they weren't converting E-7's so I had to go back to the line.

I thoroughly enjoyed recruiting and getting away from the normal stupidity that goes hand in hand with regular army. Organized PT, formations 12 times a day, Motor Pool Mondays, hand receipts, inventory, getting called in at 0 dark stupid because one of your Soldiers was a dumb ass. In recruiting, you're expected to be able to do your job with little or no supervision and you're given free reign to do that.

If you really like "playing Army" and doin all that stuff, then to each his own, I personally enjoyed being away from it and it also set me up for my new career post army as an Executive Recruiter and I absolutely LOVE this job. Plus it pays MUCH MUCH MUCH better than any Enlisted rank to include the SMA and even most officer ranks. I don't think there's many civilian jobs out there that will hire you on straight out of the military making 6 figures because you have DS experience, but recruiting experience can easily do that.
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CSM Charles Hayden
CSM Charles Hayden
>1 y
SFC David Zamora That was a great post about learning to be a salesman.

A local recruiter told me he found himself in personal interactions he would never have attempted in his regular MOS. He told me he was a totally different person after being a recruiter for a while!
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SFC Bhrett Sikkema
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As one of the few that has done both jobs, it would have to be Drill Sergeant. Recruiter was one of the hardest on the family and really did nothing for my career. I was in recruiting from 97-98, yes less than a complete three years but unlike others when I was offered the chance to get out I did. My penance for leaving early was another trip to Korea. Drill Sergeant, 01-04, signing in as 9-11 occurred and being involuntarily extended for a third year, was one of the best assignments I ever had. Training troops to thrive and survive in their future endeavors was satisfying in a way that recruiting could never touch. Yes the rules have changed since I went through basic back in the 80's but there are no quotas and when you are off duty, something you never are as a recruiter, you are off. The hours are long and dealing with fresh kids every 8 or so weeks can be challenging, but if I had to do it over again, I would take the trail over recruiting every time.
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SPC Ken Harper
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I'd say DS, because you would have the op to mold civilians into soldiers, transform them into something they even have doubts about themselves, and you would be their first real role model. How many troops remember their recruiter? How many remember their DS/DI? Who do you see comments about, the recruiter or DS? The recruiters get them in, the DS molds them into soldiers.
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