Is it worth reclassing to 35P?

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 07:56:08 -0400

I'm very interested in learning a language and being able to use it in my job. It looks like the best MOS for that would be 35P. Anyone who has experience with that MOS, please let me know what you think!

Response by CSM Chuck Stafford made Aug 20 at 2020 9:12 AM

CSM Chuck Stafford — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 09:12:21 -0400

35P is a great career field, with a multitude of diverse opportunities at all organizational levels -- been there done that. Like all things Army, it will be what you make it, but the opportunities are not only rewarding, but also continue once you reach the point of leaving the service. Good luck in your decision, feel free to hit me up with any questions.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 20 at 2020 9:45 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 09:45:54 -0400

There's other jobs that teach language as well. Civil Affairs, Psychological Operations, and Special Forces all teach a language and it correlates to where in the world you would operate in...aka used in the job.
goarmysof.com

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 20 at 2020 10:18 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 10:18:59 -0400

35P is a Signal Intelligence job, meaning you will spend a significant portion of your career at a computer inside a vault all day not talking a whole lot to others or interacting with a lot of new faces. To some people that sounds wonderful, to others that sounds terrible.
There are other language aligned jobs you can pursue. 35M is now a language based job, that involves more human interaction. Both 35M and 35P you’ll need a TS and a 107 DLAB for. Plus you’ll have to maintain your language score at a 2/2 for your career.
CMF18, 37F and 38B are language aligned MOS’s meaning you’ll get a crash course in language and always be required to maintain a 1/1 score which is very simple with a little practice. You’ll have the opportunity later to attend DLI later if you choose. They only require a Secret clearance and usually a 60-80 DLAB, but they all have a selection you must pass before their AIT/Q Course

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 20 at 2020 12:05 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 12:05:09 -0400

You don’t want to be a 35P. It’s probably the worst utilized MOS in the Army.
After you get through DLI, you’ll be expected to maintain a 2/2 on the DLPT. No easy feat. Don’t be expected if your units don’t give you time for language specific training.
Another downside they won’t tell you. Real translation work will just about always go to a CAT 3 linguist. (Especially during deployment). So because they have just enough training, the 35Ps might be repurposed to help the 35Ns in SIGINT. Unfortunately, they generally know just enough to log on and not really do SIGINT work.

Too much to nutshell, but overall, it was my experience that 35P was a bad choice. After going through all the crazy training, The juice wasn’t worth the squeeze. The Army just couldn’t seem to figure out how to effectively utilize those soldiers. There are better avenues to DLI than just 35P.