E6 in 3 years? Is there such thing as making rank too soon?

Rank isn't based on merit so it doesn't really matter.

I knew a E-9 in the army and he only been in 9 years. It is all about the MOS and the demand

2.5 year second class here. I missed 2nd at 2 year mark by .01%. if I had stayed in the Navy and made e-6 my first try I would have made it in 5.5years... Fuck that noise! Without a lot of training and experience at being work center supervisor(3m boss); A LPO/LPO; specific in rate related job supervisor; and I would have had to get my Surface warfare pin.

Absolutely. As a FCPO (First Class Petty Officer, for oyu non-Navy / CG types), or any branch equivalent, really, one would be expected to know their job and how to lead / manage people. It took more than 3 years just for me to get my head out of my ass as an E3/E4.

Sure, someone could have their head on straight, but they don't have the seasoning to be that salty yet.

My answer to that is Yes and No; it depends on the person. Either way, it’s a challenge…and it’s supposed to be. How one positions him/herself to respond to the challenges can be the difference between a successfully progressing career or pure hell.
I’m not boasting about my successes but this is applicable to the topic: I made CPO (vice E7…there is a traditional difference) in 7yrs, 11mths, 29days; made everything 1st time up including LDO 0-4. Now, with that being said, I was 24 yrs. old when I enlisted so that tells you something about my maturity level as I “rate grabbed” my way up. I had an agenda: I made up my mind from the start that I would remain in service long enough to retire. I also had the frame of mind to consult with some very good Career Counselors who provided the salient guidance I needed to keep my head in the game but low enough to not get it “shot off”. I took the position that since I was going to do 20 (actually did 25), I would pursue the route that would give me the fattest retirement check...period! But, along the way, as my parents taught me, with one mouth and two ears, “you need to listen more than you talk”. Even as rate grabbers, boot chiefs or butter bars in the wardroom, there are folks that have your best interest in mind…if you’ll listen to them. Sure, sometimes you have to separate the wheat from the chaff (a.k.a. BS), but that’s part of the learning curve or curve ball; it depends on your mindset when you step up to bat.

Maturity level is key. Can one handle the next level properly.

I think a lot of it depends on the individual and their maturity. I've seen some folks who were prime examples of the Peter Principle when they were promoted too early. I was stationed with one guy who made E-6 after 15 years but turned it down. His rational was that he didn't know enough about being an E-5 to take on additional responsibility. Personally, I don't think he wanted the additional responsibility. I became a shift supervisor as an E-4 when I was 20 years old. Fortunately, I was surrounded by several saged NCO's who guided me through the initial phases of the transition. I also am reminded of the 2d LT's who come into the service and the difference you see in most of them by the time they make captain. In summary, I think the rapid rank climb is totally dependant on the individual. Some can handle it while others cannot.

Well, I am prejudiced I was E1,E2,E3,E5,W01,CW2,1LT,and CPT. From being a draftee in 4YRS, 4 months. So, I am not qualified to answer such a question. I was also a Rotary Wing Flight Examiner Instructor, the highest Aviation rating in the Army.

I joined the Marines in 1964. During my time in the Corps, a person usually shipped over to get E-4. I arrived in Vietnam in June of 1965 and stayed almost continuously until April 1968. I was not well trained before arriving in Nam, but I made E-5 in just over three years because of my job. I was only a combat Sargent, and because I got out when I returned from Vietnam in April 1968, I never learned what the duties of a Sargent were stateside.

It all depends on how you look at it. If theres an opening and your the next person in line to make E6 regardless of what age you are then it is what it is. Yes we have all seen the ones that shoukdnt have been promoted however, if they meet the criteria then you have to award them the rank.