Is Warrant officer the way to go?

Best decision I ever made in the military....there is no down side to it...except you have to buy your own uniforms or get them off E-bay...:)

I've known two CSMs that decided to go Warrant. If you think you are planning to stay around for the long haul it is definelty worth dropping your packet. Good luck in whatever you decide.

That is a very personal decision. The best advice I can give is to talk with your unit's Techs and seek their advice. They should tell you pretty much what you need about the field an - if you decide to go that route- help you out your packe together since it is a requirement to get their endorsement.

I would say go for it. I had and E7 that went warrant and I respected her more then ever after she made it. You should do it. It will further your career and let you still be with the troops. You might have more paper work to do. Good luck with your decision, you will be supported either way.

You have to ask yourself what your true intentions are? Do you want to enter a world where you are truly expected to be a technical subject matter expert well versed in regulations and facts coupled with the ability to provide sound advice and honest assessments to various commanders at all levels. Are you prepared to take on various jobs and duties as Warrant Officer that can challenge your ability to be adaptive and flexible. Warrant Officers are expected to be tactical leaders too. Warrant Officers often perform duties that O-grade officers perform such as Platoon Leader, Company Commander or be a primary staff OIC. You have to be willing to teach, train, coach and mentor young soldiers, NCO's and Officers of all ranks. Since you are a NCO now, that aspect shouldn't be new to you. What do you want? Don't become a Warrant Officer just for the money or for a better retirement, become a Warrant Officer to value added and to make a difference. We are always looking for high speed NCO's to continue their successful career as a highly motivated and dedicated Warrant Officer.

If you are over 34 and you have logistics experience..then go for it!

My opinion of this is a little different than some. Becoming a WO should be a decision based on being a WO; meaning you need to understand the duties and responsibilities of a WO before deciding to go this route as it is neither quick or I am told reversible. Being a WO has its rewards, however being an NCO has it's completely different rewards. If you like being in charge and leading troops; remain a NCO. Not that WOs cannot or never do that, they do in many circumstances, however this is not their primary function. I was a SF WO which is considerably different than any of the others in many respects, but at the end of the day you need to understand both positions and decide what better suits your personality and goals. I have zero regrets becoming a WO, I loved it and spent a lot of my time as a Team Commander, Operations Officer, etc. That said, I saw many become WOs for all the wrong reasons; higher pay, "respect", etc. You need to become a WO because you completely and totally want to do that job; which is to support the Officers and NCO's in accomplishing their jobs.

Going Warrant was right for me because I did not want to become a CSM; rather I wanted to stay in the skill and advance in it. I was an SFC PSG when I decided to submit my packet. I knew as an E8 I would go the route of Ops NCO to 1SG and while noble endeavors, there were NCOs who wanted this and I didn't want to stand in their way. That was 1987. I had 14 years in at that time and I understand that now the WO field wants younger folks with not much time invested in the NCO Corps. To me, the WO is the SME in his field and you don't get there without significant time invested in the MOS and the NCO Corps. That said, the short answer is that it was certainly the way to go for me. If you had a goal of retiring as a CSM, do you want to change that? Short term I initially lost money going to WO1 but I made it up. Biggest benefit I could do things in my Career Field that kept me working and learning the skill set and still manage troops. I did not have to go the NCO Admin route. That was the biggest benefit to me. Good Luck with your decision.

If your MOS has Warrant slots then check it out and go for it. For us in CA we don't have that option, but several have gone to flight school.

I think it would be a great idea to go to warrant school. You would have the best of both sides as a warrant I would think. You would know what to expect from your enlisted and NCO's because you have been one. Then you would be in the officers world sort of. You would be under a LT Ubut above an NCO. It would be a good career move for you if your allow to do it. Good luck on this.