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I have been out of the Navy for 6 years now, and have since obtained my Associates and now (very soon) my Bachelors. I desperately miss being active duty and am trying to decide if I should reenlist (I loved my rate and was very good at it) or if I should apply for OCS once I graduate. In my head, becoming an officer seems daunting and my enlisted heart hurts a bit, however, it would be an absolute honor to be able to work with sailors and have a hand in bettering the fleet. I am just truly unsure of which direction to take. I know as an Officer you're more of the big picture, but I truly love getting down and dirty in the thick of maintenance and training. As an E-5 I would never ask my junior sailors to do anything I myself hadn't done, or wasn't willing to do first, and I'd want to carry that mentality into the Officer realm. Any advice would be fantastic!
Posted in these groups: 
Officer Candidate School (OCS) (Navy)
Re-enlistment
Officer Candidate School (OCS) (Navy) Re-enlistment
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 7
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PO2 Krysta June
My Fiance, who is a GM1 (We actually met at our first command) is strongly encouraging that route as well, as is most family and friends. I think the only thing that keeps nagging at me is that I really loved my job as a CTT, especially on a ship. However, a goal would be to one day be a Department Head for Operations. Thank you for your advice!
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Apply to what you feel cause no one answer will satisfy what you wanna do and what you will enjoy
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I would have the same struggle if I was in your shoes. You sound like a good NCO, but also look at it like this. What can negatively impact moral on a larger scale? A bad E5 in charge of a handful of people or a bad officer in charge of dozens of people. Ive had both bad officers and bad NCOs and I would take the bad NCO every day of the week. Good NCOs recognize bad ones and can cover down but there isn't much that can be done to cover up for a bad officers deficiencies. The best officer I ever had was able to fix bad NCOs, but the best NCOs I had were not able to do much about the worst officer I had. I don't really have a recommendation for you because everyone's experience is different but I would be equally torn between staying an NCO and having a handful of people that I love and work with every day and becoming an officer and maximizing the impact I can have even if its more hands off.
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PO2 Krysta June
You are absolutely right. I've seen entire divisions of great people run ragged and dragged through mud all because of a bad Divo. I've seen Chiefs and Senior Chiefs stand up for departments, but it only does so much against the big brass. As an Officer, you could be that positive change to a division or department. Take care of not just a handful of people, but 40-50 or more. Be the one to not only suggest changes but develop an implement them as well. Thank you for your advice!!
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