Should I stay in the Army or go civilian as a 25B?

If you're window is open and your undecided you have some of the right credentials for a good transition into the civilian world. Just make sure all your certs are up to date and you are sure that's what you want to do.

If you stay I would stay 25B maybe start doing some courses in cyber security, start/finish a degree then transition. Either way thanks for serving and good luck.

SGT Laura Delgadillo I have been struggling with this for awhile myself. I was active for 7 years as a 91D. I got out and went to the reserve. Now, having reclassed as a 25B. I am now having thoughts of just letting out again and returning back to civilian life.

I would say that life in the military is a much easier thing than being a civilian in the IT World. I was a 31R (25Q) when I ETS'd from active duty. I had a few job offers, but no real plan to go to work. I finally pulled a job down and a place called Parker Hannifin making hydraulic flight controls. This obviously has nothing to do with the Signal World unless you count post Air force history. I got really bored on the outside not moving around and finally walked into a Guard recruiters office and told him to put me in the first unit that was deploying...Civilian workforce is very dog eat dog. Earned my Associates in IT while there, and was able to pull an entry level Help-desk position which was not a good place for someone with kids to be (pay sucks). Decided to go back to school and finished my Bachelor's in Computer forensics, and a Master's in Information Security (GI Bill paid for all but $3000). Have a Security + cert as well. Finally got a good paying job but again the civilian workforce there was knowledge is power and they would not even help me to learn my job because they thought if I knew it then they would be obsolete. I finally left an $80,000 per year job to put a uniform back on full time with 25U/B MOSs... Granted SFC pay is not bad w/ BAH, but still less than that. I look forward to the retirement in 5 years is going to be great.

What I am driving at with my story is that without the degree you will have issues getting your foot in the door for the interview. Once your degree helps you get the interview then your certificates and experience get you the job. You also need to remember that even though you are a sysadmin on a DoD network, you are very limited by what it is you are able to do and most everything is now scripted. If you ETS look into the Guard or reserves promotions come a little bit easier there and it is a good way to network with other communications Soldiers and might help you get your foot in the door. Best of luck to you and it will always come down to being what is best for you...Make sure you have a plan for life after the Army.

If you are a SPC in the Army right now and unsure if you want to get out or not. Stay in, get promoted. Sergeant Stripes are looked at as a management position and those individuals tend to get hired first. Plus the additional experience is priceless. If you get out I agree with SSG Beavers that you should go Army Reserve or NG and have that paycheck coming in plus you may discover new leads for civilian employment from other reservists working with you that you may not find in your civilian search for employment. I hope that helps you SPC Delgadillo. The very best of luck to you!

You have to make that choice on your own honestly. I'm a 25B myself and work for comcast as a technician. I don't have any certs yet and no college degree either. But still making decent money. There are jobs out there that will take you based on experience and how you portray yourself.

Complete your CCNA and get out I too was a 25B and got out joined the reserves it took me 2 months to find a Network Engineering position once your in the door your good. Know your stuff and be confident.

I noticed you said you have some college and I'm not sure if anyone else mentioned it but you might want to look into OCS. I'm doing that right now in the Guard. I will say that going to dark side has opened a lot of doors for me. A lot of recruiters in the civilian world hear officer and will stack you higher than as enlisted. That's not always the case but it seems to be a lot of the time. It's good you have A+ and Sec+ but those are now seen as entry level now at days. You need to be looking at the higher certs such as CCNP and CISSP or even some of the more cyber ones such as GCIH and such. It can progress your career in either the military or civilian world. Use your GI Bill to pay for those too. Hope that helps.

Depends where you're planning to live. San Antonio does have jobs with your skill sets and there is a Cyber unit if you want to join the reserves. Contact me for info if interested.

You have a lot to consider Soldier, If you still enjoy your time in the military, I would recommend re-classing, once you have fulfilled your initial commitment to the Army as 25B, most commanders will allow you to re-class even if it's potentially out of their unit. Note that this may not be as easy as it sounds, you'll have to figure out what you would like to do, find a unit that has a "will train" position in that MOS, then get that commands blessing before starting any transfer paperwork. I would recommend working with your retention NCO. Secondly if your leaning on getting out of the AC, consider the Reserves or NG, you keep your affiliation with the military and there might be more promotion opportunities on that side of the house and you can pursue your civilian side of your career as well.

Go to RobertHalf.com. they are an IT placement service. Nationwide. This will give you an idea of demand and salary. They are highly recommended to use if you choose to. Also check into Warrant program. We are in great need for 255 and a new 170 series warrants.