NCO or Officer? I’m about to go home and do college (I’m in the Gaurd). Should I do ROTC?

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:14:51 -0400

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2018 3:15 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:15:24 -0400

Couldn’t hurt. I enjoy being enlisted.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2018 3:17 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:17:14 -0400

You can do anything you want but just don't do drugs! Now you know and knowing is half the battle.

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Jun 27 at 2018 3:17 PM

SPC Margaret Higgins — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:17:29 -0400

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member: I would answer your question; with a resounding yes.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2018 3:19 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:19:57 -0400

Really depends on what you want to do with your military career. I was enlisted first and recently direct commissioned.

Do you want to lead troops from the front and actively engage with your soldiers? (NCO)

Do you want to be a trusted specialist/expert with a completely different and technical skillset? (Warrant)

Do you want the opportunity to lead troops and work with planning and development working your way through “executive” type positions and ultimately impact/write new policy someday? (Officer)

As a guardsman, also take into account what would most benefit your resume and civilian career opportunities.

For me, commissioning as an E5 with 8yrs In was a no-brainer because I wanted to do the executive type of leadership functions. However, I’m already discovering (in the Little Mermaid way) - being an officer is a whole new world and a dazzling place I never knew. There are different responsibilities, expectations, and opportunities.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2018 3:25 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:25:47 -0400

Like they stated above, it’s what you want. For me personally I want to be an Officer. I want to lead troops and develop as a leader. At the end of the day it’s about you; being in the guard what would want you military experience to get you in the civilian world? Or are you going to try and switch to Active Duty?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2018 4:04 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 16:04:54 -0400

What State?

If you want to become an officer and plan to attend college full time then ROTC is the best path to get you commissioned.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2018 4:37 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 16:37:10 -0400

Others have said it but I'll say it again. This depends on what you want to do. Think about it this way. An NCO can spend a 20 year career in the same MOS, actually performing that job, with troops. The same 20 year career for an officer will see roughly 6-8 of those years with the troops and the rest on staff and whatnot.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 27 at 2018 7:50 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 19:50:32 -0400

Become an NCO if working with troops is what you want.

Response by SPC Kevin Ford made Jun 30 at 2018 9:50 AM

SPC Kevin Ford — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 09:50:56 -0400

Generally if you are thinking about your career outside of the military, being an officer will likely be more beneficial to you. From that perspective an officer would be a better course to go. My career has been pretty successful but more than once I wished that was on my resume.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jun 30 at 2018 12:27 PM

Lt Col Jim Coe — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 12:27:19 -0400

It depends on your life goals. If you aspire to management positions within the Guard or Active Component, then becoming an officer is the way to go. If you want to be a highly skilled technician or work at leading Soldiers daily at the small unit or tactical level, then you should work toward being a Sergeant. Senior NCOs do hold mid-level and a few upper-level leadership and management positions, but the time to those jobs is often measured in decades, especially in the Guard which operates on a unit-vacancy system.

You have two readily available options to become an officer: Officer Training (or Candidate) School or ROTC. Which option you take depends on several things including your personal goals, the time available, age, and the college or university you attend. OTS crams officer training into a relatively short period of time. Usually 3 months or less. You can't start OTS until you complete you bachelors degree. The five armed services all offer OTS/OCS as a pathway to a commission. Guard and Reserves may have their own OTC/OCS separate from active component, so look into that also. ROTC comes in three flavors, Army, Navy, and Air Force. Marines feed off Navy ROTC and the Coasties don't do ROTC. Universities may offer one, two, or three ROTC programs, or most often no ROTC. Some universities have agreements with neighboring schools that do have ROTC to allow their students to attend those programs for credit. ROTC programs may have shortened curriculums for prior-service people. Also, some programs may offer 4, 3, and 2-year options. In all cases, you will be commissioned upon graduation. I personally recommend ROTC. Talk to the ROTC recruiters for each Service. Joint the program that best suits you personal goals.

Response by SFC Ralph E Kelley made Jun 30 at 2018 4:36 PM

SFC Ralph E Kelley — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 16:36:17 -0400

Background:
I had three soldiers leave service in 1988-90, the two years prior to the Gulf War in 1991. One chose ROTC since he had his 3rd year of college already. Two went into the Guard and Reserves respectively, but attended their choice's OCS programs.
All three were reactivated back into the military and returned to our unit. The three prior servicemen's original orders were at their previous ranks of SGT (2) and SPC (1). Once they arrived - our unit being down 3 platoon LTs of 4, no Troop XO, with a 1LT(P) commanding it wasn't hard (Squadron CSM & XO walking the paperwork up & back) to 'transfer' them to active duty as commissioned officers in the grade O-1, 2LT.
All were very happy that I had counseled them prior to their ETS that they should pursue their commissions after ETS.
An additional plus is: ROTC cadets committed to serving in the military after college are eligible for scholarships covering the costs for tuition, fees, and textbooks for four years, plus a monthly stipend for personal expenses while at college.
Since you do have a Guard requirement - While getting a GFRD money can be easier they aren't naive (any more that is) and wont let you take the money then run off to AD. So you will still be in the Guard.
Hope this helps - I say go for it.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jul 11 at 2019 3:17 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 15:17:27 -0400

Live in coed dorms for a couple semesters if can you swing it. You will make good friends and eye candy.