Posted on May 10, 2016
Should DOD create a payscale for Enlisted with Degrees?
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Alot of enlisted have Bachelors, Masters, and PHDs, often times they have to make decisions on crossing over to the Commisioned Officer side or Warrant, but we all know those die hard NCOs who do to their love for the NCO Corps won't make the change, I say lets reward them besides promotions
NCOs
Military Pay
Education
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 36
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If you want to "Incentivize Good Behavior" Reward it.
We give higher Scores for Higher (A)PFT and in turn make promotions easier for them. That means more money. If you really want to reward someone, give them more money.
Establish a baseline. Get a 300 PFT (Perfect Score), get an extra $100/month. Watch how many folks will work out every single day.
Do the same thing for education. Get a degree higher than the one required for current rank, get $100. As an example, establish the following chart:
Junior enlisted = HS Grad
NCO (Service Specific) = AA/AS
SNCO/SrNCO & WO/CO = BA/BS
FG = MS
If a Junior Enlisted completes their Associates, they get $100 pro-pay until they pick up NCO. If they can get their Bachelors, they get $200/month. If they have a MS, $300.00 When they pin on, it drops $100.00 (because they are now expected to be more educated).
Same goes up the ranks.
Now will all the degrees be applicable? No. Of course not. However there will be diminishing returns as you get more education, and as you are in longer, so it's not going to matter. Furthermore, since people are in and tuition assistance is approved at command level, you will start seeing more and more applicable degrees at the NCO/WO/CO (Careerist) ranks.
We give higher Scores for Higher (A)PFT and in turn make promotions easier for them. That means more money. If you really want to reward someone, give them more money.
Establish a baseline. Get a 300 PFT (Perfect Score), get an extra $100/month. Watch how many folks will work out every single day.
Do the same thing for education. Get a degree higher than the one required for current rank, get $100. As an example, establish the following chart:
Junior enlisted = HS Grad
NCO (Service Specific) = AA/AS
SNCO/SrNCO & WO/CO = BA/BS
FG = MS
If a Junior Enlisted completes their Associates, they get $100 pro-pay until they pick up NCO. If they can get their Bachelors, they get $200/month. If they have a MS, $300.00 When they pin on, it drops $100.00 (because they are now expected to be more educated).
Same goes up the ranks.
Now will all the degrees be applicable? No. Of course not. However there will be diminishing returns as you get more education, and as you are in longer, so it's not going to matter. Furthermore, since people are in and tuition assistance is approved at command level, you will start seeing more and more applicable degrees at the NCO/WO/CO (Careerist) ranks.
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No and also see Capt (Join to see) comments. Would you pay a Walmart cashier more money because he or she has a PhD? SFC Randy Purham as much as we want to think civilian sector pays more, it is not the case at all. Think benefit, think opportunities, think free education, free training, think leadership building, think serving/fighting for your country, and think about the unique experience you are earning. Also, You can't compare someone who has a Master degree working as an executive to a Enlisted Soldier who has a Master degree. Think different job descriptions, responsibilities, and skill sets.
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LTC (Join to see)
SFC Randy Purham Echo to SFC Andrew Miller You have to "pay" for your degree in the civilian sector. The Military "pay for" your degree. You chose to join the Army knowing the pay. However, did you not negotiate with your recruiter on your enlistment bonus (if any) and your choice MOS (which I hope you did)? As for being in the civilian sector, no need to challenge me on getting into one because I am in the civilian sector. (look at my profile, I am in the National Guard) I can tell you first hand that the Military takes care of our SMs way better than the civilian sectors take care of their employers. But of course if all you see is the money into your pocket and not pay attention to the money you pay to live the civilian life, or you do not consider everything you get in the Military is not free in the civilian sector, then by all mean, being a civilian would benefit you.
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SFC Gary Edwards
I knew quite a few soldiers who worked on their education while serving at attained an undergraduate degree. Many did go on the earn a commission through OCS. A few did it to improve their chances for promotion. I also came across soldiers who enlisted with undergraduate degrees and could not understand why they enlisted as not a single one from my point of view had a good reason save one who was not a U.S. Citizen. The only enlisted people I knew to have a masters degree were Sergeants Major. Having a higher education should facilitate getting promoted ahead of your peers which will result in a pay increase however if you completed a degree program it really is up to you to exercise some ambition and strive to do better, not just make more money.
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SFC Gary Edwards
SSG (Join to see) - SSG Winkler, the enlisted soldier whether he is between the enlisted pay grades, junior or senior enlisted pay grades does not hold an office. The 'workloads' as you refer to them are different for each. Officers are accountable to higher offices and they conduct official business related to whatever office they hold. Enlisted soldiers conduct the work of the Army, Navy and Air Force as it pertains to making physical things happen. In other words we as enlisted people are paid for what we do. Officers get paid to manage enlisted soldiers as well as the units business. You may argue that you're accountable for equipment and soldiers and their training too and you are right. But the breadth and scope of the officers responsibility is generally more encompassing in nature to more than these things. Attend a brigade maintenance meeting sometime and you'll understand when you see that colonel holding those Bn. Cdr's to task.
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SFC Randy Purham
LTC (Join to see), yes ma'am there are those additional benefits that comes from the military that are rare to find in the civilian sector. However, there are jobs that do pay for your education or have a tuition matching program like Central Texas College for instance. I am sure the military treatment of employees are beer than most sectors of employment, but that too can be all perspective, market, and industry as well.
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SFC Randy Purham
SFC (Join to see), that is not always the case. There are jobs with sliding scale wages for having degrees, skills, etc. That is taken into account when filling out applications and going through the process for hiring. Negotiating pay is a failed/lost art with job/career seekers.
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SFC (Join to see)
SFC Randy Purham - I realize there are some jobs out there that allow for that. This lost art really came around with the downfall of the economy. As the economy is improving these opportunities will grow. It has been an employer's market for quite a while as there were so many more workers than jobs. Hopefully we're headed out of that now though.
PLEASE no one go political on this thread and start casting blame one way or another! We have enough discussions about politics everywhere else.
PLEASE no one go political on this thread and start casting blame one way or another! We have enough discussions about politics everywhere else.
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SFC Randy Purham
Sgt Gus Laskaris, I disagree. Many employers seek military personnel from job fairs, etc to bring them on with better pay and benefits packages. Check out your local Installation's TAP-SFL office for those stats or go to a job fair and see for yourself. Being in a Communications driven installation, I see it happening every week virtually.
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I think most are missing the question proposed. I don't think the pay scale should reflect the officer side exactly, however, it only makes sense to have a sub-scale for enlisted soldiers with at least a Bachelor's degree -- especially if they earned it outside of the Army. That is my opinion of course and it is a biased one: I joined with a BA and decided enlisted was right for me for various reasons. I believe a four year degree definitely has a positive effect on a soldiers ability and performance and should therefore be reflected in his or her payscale.
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No. Step up or return to ranks. Your degrees will help for promotion only.
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No. There is effectively a pay increase for if you get a degree. In the air force there in a correlation between level of education and rank. Well guess what? The higher ranked you are the more money you get! The opportunity is there to get the degree on the military dime. Get the degree and work hard and then get promoted. Too many people assume that because they're enlisted they need to "stay" uneducated. No way man! We have a more professional force these days that is only benefited by the enlisted getting degrees.
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Military grade, GS grade, or civilian, we are paid for the job we do in the position we are in. I say no.
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Yes. By law enlisted soldiers are only required to have a high school diploma or equivalent. Yet the army places heavy emphasis on advanced degrees. There should be a pay scale adjustment.
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I wish that I had someone giving me pointers when I came in. Things would be a lot different for me, financially, when I retire. My question about this would be: Do we reward folks that sit at their desks, most of the day, working on their degrees? I know a lot of folks do it. I give Soldiers time during the day, to work on this, but that isn't their primary.
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