Posted on Jan 21, 2018
I've been out ~10 years, but am considering the Reserves. While out, I got my BA in Psych and I'm also 10% disabled. What are my options?
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Posted in these groups: 
Reserves
Re-enlistment
Reserves Re-enlistment
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 8
"I've been out ~ 10 years, but am considering the reserves. While out, I got my BA in Psych and I'm also 10% disabled. What are my options?"
Well option A is go see your local recruiter armed with all your prior service records and receive up to date , verified accurate and current information pertaining to your options.
Or B
Ask a bunch of random well intentioned yet ill informed military members who are not current recruiters who will provide best guesses
Well option A is go see your local recruiter armed with all your prior service records and receive up to date , verified accurate and current information pertaining to your options.
Or B
Ask a bunch of random well intentioned yet ill informed military members who are not current recruiters who will provide best guesses
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LCDR Robert S.
PO3 Renae Cruz - go to a recruiter. Let him/her know that you want to know what your options are, but don't want to be on a bunch of lists. Don't give him/her your phone number or email address. If the first recruiter you talk to doesn't want to accept your conditions, find another recruiter.
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SGM Erik Marquez
LCDR Robert S. - Thats is it. ^^^
PO3 Renae Cruz
Get your self a Google voice phone number and Gmail email.. Both free, both fast to set up and faster to ignore. Offer up both of those when you sit down with the recruiter, be upfront, your looking for options not a hard sell and high pressure will make you walk, not buckle and sign
PO3 Renae Cruz
Get your self a Google voice phone number and Gmail email.. Both free, both fast to set up and faster to ignore. Offer up both of those when you sit down with the recruiter, be upfront, your looking for options not a hard sell and high pressure will make you walk, not buckle and sign
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LCDR Robert S.
PO3 Renae Cruz - continuing on a theme, when you talk to the recruiter and offer up your Google voice number and Gmail, let him/her know that you know that there are other recruiters, and if you get the hard sell, even if you decide to sign up, you're going to find another recruiter and fill *their* quota, rather than coming back to someone who can't follow a simple request.
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For the benefit of people just coming to this discussion, I'm going to summarize what I've said in some of my responses to other people (and add a couple points).
1. Ask a recruiter. If you're not comfortable with a recruiter putting you on a list, either don't give them contact information for a followup, or let them know if they contact you after you've already told them not to, if you do decide to go back in, you'll find another recruiter.
2. Remember that there are both officer and enlisted recruiters. If you want to be an officer, you have to go to an officer recruiter, because an enlisted recruiter only has enlisted billets to fill.
3. If you don't ask, you don't get. Recruiters are more interested in filling their quotas than they are in meeting your needs. Sure, a good recruiter will try to give you what you need, but they aren't all good recruiters, and at the end of the day, the recruiters bottom line is filling the billets that the people evaluating him/her tell him/her are most important. If the recruiters priorities are X and you can fill that billet, even if it's not what you want, that's what they're going to push. So if there's something you want, ask if it's available.
4. If you don't get it in writing, you don't get it. If a recruiter promises you anything, unless it's in the contract you sign, that promise is worth less than nothing. So if you expect to get something because the recruiter said you would, make sure it's in your contract *before* you sign. You did this once before, so you should know this already, but in case you forgot, GET IT IN WRITING is the rule of the day.
1. Ask a recruiter. If you're not comfortable with a recruiter putting you on a list, either don't give them contact information for a followup, or let them know if they contact you after you've already told them not to, if you do decide to go back in, you'll find another recruiter.
2. Remember that there are both officer and enlisted recruiters. If you want to be an officer, you have to go to an officer recruiter, because an enlisted recruiter only has enlisted billets to fill.
3. If you don't ask, you don't get. Recruiters are more interested in filling their quotas than they are in meeting your needs. Sure, a good recruiter will try to give you what you need, but they aren't all good recruiters, and at the end of the day, the recruiters bottom line is filling the billets that the people evaluating him/her tell him/her are most important. If the recruiters priorities are X and you can fill that billet, even if it's not what you want, that's what they're going to push. So if there's something you want, ask if it's available.
4. If you don't get it in writing, you don't get it. If a recruiter promises you anything, unless it's in the contract you sign, that promise is worth less than nothing. So if you expect to get something because the recruiter said you would, make sure it's in your contract *before* you sign. You did this once before, so you should know this already, but in case you forgot, GET IT IN WRITING is the rule of the day.
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LCDR Robert S.
PO3 Renae Cruz - No problem. I was only out for a year before I affiliated with the Navy Reserve, and there wasn't anybody around to answer my questions (I did eventually find an officer recruiter to talk to), so I can definitely imagine being in your shoes.
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Are you trying to go enlisted or officer? I know I have seen prior service members come back in at some long breaks. Just be prepared to come in as an E-1 or 2.
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PO3 Renae Cruz
If it were possible, I'd go officer, but I'm doubtful that my degree would allow for that.
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SMSgt Thor Merich
I had a 17 year break in service and came in at the same rank I left active duty (E-4). In my guard unit we had 2 guys with a 17 year break in service, 1 with a 15 year break, and many with over 10 years break. If you are E-4 and below, you usually keep your rank (in my experience). I was told that I would keep my rank that was listed on my DD-214. However, that was the Guard, they tend to be more flexible that the Reserve side.
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LCDR Robert S.
PO3 Renae Cruz - having a degree meets one check in the block to get a commission. If you talk to an officer recruiter, he/she might have a quota that needs to be filled.
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PO3 Tim Garman
But... When I reached out to an officer recruiter, I was instantly told I wasn't eligible for a commission because of my GPA and hung up on. So, for your sake I hope you have a high enough GPA. I'm actually asking the same question in life right now. I've been out 7 years and I'm leaning towards going back in.
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