FA53 Officers, what do you love most about the job and do you think you made the right choice?

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 12:49:47 -0500

Going to FA53 School in October. Very excited and want to hear from other 53's about their experiences. Second, what does the future look like for the 53s? Are there any AGR 53A's out there? Thank you!

Response by LTC John Shaw made Feb 5 at 2016 1:15 PM

LTC John Shaw — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 13:15:47 -0500

The demand for 53 will remain high. I am a 25 that serves as a 53 as needed from my civilian acquired skills. Your skills are critical to running the LAN/WAN and higher Networks, I think you made a great choice.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 5 at 2016 2:17 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 14:17:51 -0500

I went through the ISM course in Mid-2008 after transitioning from Armor branch. Overall, I am pretty happy with the opportunities I have had and the skills I have acquired. The challenge is always to maintain currency within the realm of IT and particularly IT security, which is by its very nature very dynamic. Your experiences will of course be informed by which type of assignment you get as a FA 53, e.g. so far I have worked in a combat aviation brigade S6, a Division G6 and am currently working in the J3 at USCYBERCOM. Each of them came with their own set of challenges (or opportunities if you're an optimist) but I don't regret the decision I made to transfer to FA 53.

Response by SFC James Young made Feb 6 at 2016 4:26 PM

SFC James Young — Sat, 06 Feb 2016 16:26:14 -0500

Is this a new specialty? I will say GREAT!!! The Army finally got smart and certified Soldiers to manage IT rather than "here joe, go learn this stuff."