Should a 4-year degree be a requirement for selection to E-9?
Education
College
Universities were established originally to prepare land owning gentleman's children prepare for the world while still not being involved in it. Not much has changed with that sense of entitlement most private school undergrads receive upon graduation. I think proving they are worthy of selection to E-8/E-9 and time in service should more than cover the "must haves" for any soldier from the military's perspective.
MSG, I have mixed feelings about this topic. I earned my bachelor's and first master's degrees by taking advantage of the military educational assistance. It's been good for me, and I am happy to have the education I have; however, so much of what we do in the military (particularly as enlisted members) is very technical in nature not requiring degree granting educational programs but requiring specific vocational training. Most of us by the time we are E5/6s have a pretty good handle on what our chosen craft is while at the same developing the leadership skills required to motivate other people. We tend to be very operationally proficient and task oriented. In the field that works as it should. As long as we continue our professional development in such a way that we stay abreast of changes to our work environment, we should be good to go. But consider the E9s who serve as advisors regarding enlisted work force issues to the flag officers. The USCG assigns a command master chief (CMC) to every flag office staff in the service to ensure that the enlisted work force's issues are heard. The process is extremely competitive, and those who succeed in selection are the cream of the crop. My observation from reading the bios of a large number of the current CMCs in the Coast Guard is that in addition to exceptional career histories they all have at least fours year of college if not more. Educational bios include degrees in strategic studies, work force development, government, business management, and a host of other topics which are very relevant in the policy development and strategic planning arena. In the flag environment, the topics are far more varied; far reaching, and complex because at the flag level even small decisions tend to produce second, third and fourth order effects. I have a good friend (a CMC) who works for a three star, and the conversations we have about things in that world baffle me in their scope. As an advisor to the senior leadership of our services, it's very hard to speak with the level of insight; situational intelligence; and creditability to make an impact without some significant academic achievement. In our daily professional world of work, does the degree help? Maybe; maybe not depending on your MOS/Rate. It certainly helps develop you personally particularly for life after the military, but if we are just checking the box without some consideration of what the degree we earn, and how we will apply it, there may not be much value to having a degree solely for the sake of having a degree. What if we all majored in music theater? Would we be as qualified for E9 as the people who majored in organizational dynamics?
Senior Chief, I do not believe it should be a
requirement, and I look back at
those seasoned Viet Nam Veterans who raised me, and they stood on
truth; they pushed the envelope in more ways than one.
I did not obtain my Masters until late in
life; it takes a vast array of assignments, mettle, and the heart to push through obstacles. This requirement would hinder the objectivity on selection.
Senior Chief: I am currently 47, and I have just finished my third Masters in Military Resiliency. I concur that the school of hard knocks creates resiliency, mettle, and humility that provide the Leader with the ability to bounce back from adverse circumstances.
This is multi-dimensional and it is interdependent by experiences, interchangeable networks, and the ultimate ability to speak to all ranks. The depth of the SGM and the profound impact of social interactions growing the next generation of Leaders and that is why it is vital not to narrow the requirements for selection.
Cpt. Davis, where did you get your master's in military resiliency? I'd love to go that route.
parents dissuaded me from enlisting out of high school. They were
right--it probably would have killed me. Instead I did the only thing I
was suited for at the time. I went to college. While there, I grew
up, I grew physically (late bloomer), and
I wised up. The same day I completed my degree, I walked to the
recruiter's office and enlisted. I was 24. 6 Years made a lot of
difference. My point is that enlisting at 18 was not a good choice for
me. For others, like my younger brother, it's exactly the right thing
to do. To this day he still doesn't have a degree. He's also the first
person any of us in our civilian profession, that know him, turn to for
advice or an IT problem. I made it though my first deployment in the
secure knowledge that he'd answer the satellite phone and help me out.
Leaders
lead. It doesn't matter what their rank, their title, their position,
or their education. Real leaders can't be stopped from leading--it's
what they are and it's what they do. Choosing any kind of criteria for
leaders is pretty arbitrary. We can choose traits, behaviors, and
achievements that tend to help us identify those people, but we need to
be easy with the waivers for those people who don't check those blocks
but clearly are leaders anyway. The trick is to identify the natural
leaders and shape that and to provide the opportunities for those that
can learn leadership to develop.
In
1942, the US Army would not let the color-blind be commissioned
officers. My grandfather (the reason that I am color-blind) was
severely color-blind. He annoyed and pestered his chain of command
until they let him take the Officer's Candidate Battery. He told them
that they had nothing to loose--he had only completed the 6th grade, how
well could he do? He blew the test away. Between that and learning
that the color-blind have advantages in observing people and objects
under camouflage, they awarded him a commission, and ultimately changed
the rule.
For
me, becoming an officer would be the same kind of mistake that
enlisting at 18 would have been. Not that I lack anything, but that I'd
be miserable. I don't want to be the guy that sends the guy to solve
the problems. I want to be the guy who teaches others to be sent to
solve the problems.
So.
If they want to make this a rule, I don't have a problem with it--I can
see where they come from. But if they do it, I say they have to be
willing to allow either an alternative path (such as an examination) or a
relatively easy waiver process for the requirement.
I remember back during my tour at Ft. Benning, there was a rumor of requiring all NCO's to be Ranger qualified and have a min of 2 years of college. I don't think that went through, but I see that an education still remains as a requirement.
I figure that if I were still in the service and were required to get a 4 year degree to make E-9, I would go OCS or WOC instead.
Stand down and quit harassing the Specialist for a misspelled word here or there. We as NCO's must be the standard bearer, not vice versa.
I am in the same boat now.. well kinda. I am getting looked at this year for the SFC Promotion Board. I am so glad we have websites for this, so I ask all you Senior NCO's and more importantly you Command Sergeants Majors out there. Who do you promote, do you promote the SSG who has no college what so ever on his ERB, or do you promote the SSG who has lets say 15-30 college credits, buts its from one of those fly by night, pay me $200.00 and I will roll all your military education into a piece of paper to help with promotion. I am currently a Drill Sergeant in a BCT unit and it is HARD to do college here. I believe as a Leader my biggest contribution to our Army at my level is to train, and lead Soldiers. I feel I am best qualified to do so based on my Deployment Experiences and my "MILITARY" education. The best Platoon Sergeant I ever had did not have any college, but he had experience, and was with us all the time, in the conex, in the field, and taught us out of FM's, and showed us how to be Soldiers and leaders. Never did college come into play. You may say, well your just lazy, but after 10 plus years at war with 39 months in Iraq, then going to the required Military Schools, NCOES, and JRTC/NTC Rotations, the DS Duty... I truly have to ask myself If I will ever get around to taking college in the next 12-18 months myself. I am already halfway into my career, and I feel like im that next generation of CSM. So In response to this discussion, I feel like it should be based on the Total Soldier, Leader, NCOER, Schools, and background of said leader, with college being a factor but not a requirement.
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google