More Important: Multiple Deployments or College Degree?

I think it will take another ten years to see the benefits of the true balance.

Most all of us in today are combat veterans and many of us with multiple tours. While there are a lot of Soldiers with degrees, there are far more without. If you look at the promotion reports from the last SFC selection board it is evident to me that at this point our senior leadership that is sitting on the selection boards are not just looking for those with college degrees. Too many times the first thing we hear from our Senior leaders is one of two things "you need to have a degree" and/or "you have too much dwell time". Personally I don't feel that either of those are completley accurate as it takes a little bit of both as well as many other things.

I have been here in TRADOC for almost two years now and witness fellow NCOs that have (for one example) 4 months deployed back in 2004, was a DS as a SSG, recruiter as a SSG, PSG as a SSG, and had an associates as a SSG. However since then he has been in TRADOC as an instructor/writer the only thing that he has done is attain his bachelors and masters degree. He has been doing the same job essentially for the last 7 years. He is puzzled as to why he can't get selected for MSG. I try to talk to him and help mentor him and his only defense is "but I have a masters degree".

A CSM said it here a few months back and it will always hold true in my mind with the above example, "what got you to SFC, will not get you to MSG".

I think both are important in creating the well rounded military member.  I think that college degree's however have become watered down to the point that they aren't all that meaningful anymore.  I watched several Airman take the easiest class they could, to get the credits and earn a degree simply to 'check the box' for promotion.  All the on base colleges, internet degree mills etc. are simply businesses striving to make money. I am known for stating "take a class, pay your fee and get your 'B'".  I usually said this somewhat 'tongue in cheek' until I took some classes to finish out my CCAF and later to work on my bachelor's.  I sat through those classes and watched people not attend class, barely participate, occasionally turn in their homework and still pass the class.  The instructor told me everyone passes the classes because that is what they paid for. A minimum passing score to receive credit needed for degree completion.  Granted those 'slackers' received the lowest possible score to still get credit, which lowered their GPA, but we don't look at GPA's on promotion boards, we just look to see if the "square is filled or not", very few businesses look at GPA, they only care that you have the piece of paper. 

Deployment experience is invaluable experience but it doesn't fully prepare the military member for future leadership roles.  We still need to complete PME/ leadership courses, and have the time to be mentored by current leaders to prepare us.  When deployed that level of mentoring declines as the focus is on the mission at hand.  Members in garrison that have deployment experience need to pass that experience on to those they haven't deployed through training, exercises and mentorship.

So for promotion potential, both are important, I think however that deployment experience and the subsequent leadership of that member should way heavier than education. 

For continued service we need to retain as many of those quality members as we can to retain that experience and pass it on before the next major conflict arises.

As someone with both a college degree and two deployments, I can say that I feel more experienced with both.

For me, college was four years of knowing what was important and what was NOT important.  To me, THAT is the critical knowledge that everyone should have, whether gained through college or other experience (deployments?).  I got an "A" in a course having gone to class only three times.  I knew when I needed to be there, and how to get the notes inbetween those times.

Two deployments gave me more experience as a Soldier and a leader.  I saw lots of good leadership and lots of not so good leadership.  You learn from both.  However, the take-away for deployments is the process, the workloads, the expectations, and dealing with being away from home/family as well as dealing with those in your unit and foreigners (be they friendly nations' military, host nation or third-country nationals).  During this decade+ of being at war, a leader should have some deployment experience.  Junior Soldiers look to leaders for reassurance and experience.  Without those, you are not as effective.

So both are important, and they should be weighted equally.  They are essential ingredients in the pie of leadership.  Taking out either one messes up the recipe.