Jeremiah Thomas 3851596 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;m a highschool senior and I decided that joining that army would be a great first step to a great career. I&#39;ve taken the asvab, scored an 85, but not the dlab. I wanted to do civil affairs but found out you had to be reclassified as an E4 or above. Being a 35M looked interesting so I&#39;m wondering if enlisting as a 35M, going to airborne school and the DLI, then reclassing as a 38B is a good idea. Also any advice on what you should make sure is on your contract before signing or what it&#39;s like being in either MOS is welcomed. 2018-08-03T22:59:25-04:00 Jeremiah Thomas 3851596

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I&#39;m a highschool senior and I decided that joining that army would be a great first step to a great career. I&#39;ve taken the asvab, scored an 85, but not the dlab. I wanted to do civil affairs but found out you had to be reclassified as an E4 or above. Being a 35M looked interesting so I&#39;m wondering if enlisting as a 35M, going to airborne school and the DLI, then reclassing as a 38B is a good idea. Also any advice on what you should make sure is on your contract before signing or what it&#39;s like being in either MOS is welcomed.

2018-08-03T22:59:25-04:00 2018-08-03T22:59:25-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 3851766

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Jeremiah, any skill will help you. Civil Affairs usually wants to bring your civilian or other than military skills into the picture. The MOS you chose is a great one and anybody would want you with being a 35 Mike. I would say to keep up on current events, read the newspaper, Read International world news and listen to National Public Radio or BBC World News. Since civil Affairs covers different parts of the world, it would be good for you to basically be someone that likes reading or watching the International news so you have better situational awareness. Being a history buff will also help you. If you have the History Channel or National Geographic Channel and watch past historical events or battles, this can also help you. Studying up on the Middle East Wars would be very helpful if you are going to be dealing with the Middle East as your emphasis. I wouldn&#39;t worry about it, just make it a hobby.

2018-08-04T01:17:47-04:00 2018-08-04T01:17:47-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 3851772

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Your contract should be clear and to the point.<br /><br /> If they don&#39;t have it spelled out exactly that you are a 35 Mike and that you have Airborne School on it.<br /><br /> They can&#39;t say oh, maybe later? Do not sign the dotted line if it is not spelled out exactly the way it should be.<br /><br /> Another consideration would be to go into civil affairs from an Army Reserve unit. I know that 10 years ago, I remember seeing privates walking around my civil Affairs battalion. They were not all specialist or higher. There are various civil Affairs units throughout the nation that are airborne. That way, you could still be Affiliated and go to school. You could even join ROTC and possibly become a commissioned officer by the time you&#39;re 23 or 24. Civil Affairs units are usually deployed every other year it seems. So you won&#39;t miss out on much if you are in a United States Army Reserve Civil Affairs unit. If you score well on the Defense Language aptitude battery, they may even send you to a school for a year to learn a language based on the units needs. Depending on where your unit is located, is depending on what language they may allow you to have. Being proficient in a language can allow you to make $300 a month or more depending how many languages you have been certified in. Just stuff off the top of my head. I&#39;m sure there are many other civil Affairs people who could help you.<br />

2018-08-04T01:26:36-04:00 2018-08-04T01:26:36-04:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 3855186

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>CA is a SOF MOS, which require assessment and selection and their out q-course. Imy opinion, is a downgrade to what you could be doing as a 35M. You come in with a much higher clearance and work with a lot more sensitive information.<br />Do all you can in your first enlistment as a 35M and you may find other doorways will open to you.<br /><br />If your heart is really set on being CA later, go become a medic first or an Infantryman.

2018-08-05T16:37:19-04:00 2018-08-05T16:37:19-04:00 SPC Private RallyPoint Member 3857453

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The more qualified soldier you can become and the more certifications you have the better chance you have at getting what you want. I think you’re definitely on the right track. Also if you’re looking to get right in the shit STAY ACTIVE DUTY. You may miss family and friends. Eventually your contract will end. From my experience the reserve units don’t do as much as they used to since they are no longer part of SOCOM.

2018-08-06T13:46:23-04:00 2018-08-06T13:46:23-04:00 SPC Sheri Collins 3881285

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>35m it is a really physical job lots of travel and you have to be able to keep a secret. E4 is a rank if you have college or 4 years with rotc you can hit basic as an E3 if you test on the ASVAB right than after basic you have 20 weeks of school human intelligence. talk to recruiter airborne school will not help you.

2018-08-15T01:39:11-04:00 2018-08-15T01:39:11-04:00 SPC Adam Lincoln 3958459

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>The two have very little to do with each other. Psyop is probably the closest thing.

2018-09-12T14:49:22-04:00 2018-09-12T14:49:22-04:00 2018-08-03T22:59:25-04:00