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It's still very early on in my career but I am seriously debating following one of these two paths. Can some of you current or past First Shirts / officers of any rank give me some insight? My main goal here is to be a positive role model, mentor and leader to young Airmen. My mom is a First Sergeant and she is nothing short of perfect at her job. I want to be able to see my troops succeed and grow, but I'm still not quite sure which viewpoint I want to do so from.
Commission
Role Model
Leadership
Airmen
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 54
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You can be a positive role model regardless of your choice. You can also see them grow through or as a result of your actions through either career choice.<br>The difference is the level at which your decisions will be effective. As an officer you will have the opportunity to affect the lives of many more than you ever will as an NCO. The unfortunate side effect is that your effect on them will not usually be as personal.<br>The good though, is that if you are a positive role model for other leaders, they in turn will become great leaders as well.<br>So the real question is, are you a hands on leader or can you lead from the front and trust others to hold your service members to the standard you set?<br>
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MSgt William Morris
As a retired Master Sergeant with a Master's Degree, I must say I regret not having taken the Officer route now that I'm getting about a third of the amount of retirement pay I could be getting. If you think you are going to make it a career, the officer route is the way to go.
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CMSgt Warren Weld
As a retired Finance Chief I think about the difference in retirement pay once a month -- but I remember the camaraderie with my troops almost daily. Cheif Evans is absolutely spot on - Officer/Enlisted camaraderie is not the same but the oppertunities to make a difference exist regardless of your pay grade. You sound like you have the right motivation and are making the right career choice. I love the Army Slogan "Be all you can be" -- I'm sure your mom is as proud of you as I am of my Squid Daughter.
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Capt Christian D. Orr
From having served on both the enlisted (mind you, a measly 2 years as an A1C) and officer side of the fence, I wholeheartedly concur with Joseph's post.
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Capt Dale Cleaveland
Being a "retread" myself, I went from being an E6 to retiring as a captain. One of my biggest motivations for making the jump was looking at the comparative retirements. I agree with the chief - I was definitely more "hands on" when I was enlisted, but I think I was a pretty good role model on both sides of the fence. You sound like you have the heart of a leader, already. The important thing is to take advantage of any opportunities that may be afforded to you.
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I talked to several senior officers about whether or not I should apply for OTS and get a commission. When they asked me why I wanted to do it, my biggest reason was that I wanted to make sure that my airmen were being taken care of. I feel that you have to have been there to know what they are going thru. They all told me that if I wanted to make sure that my airmen were taken care of, being an officer was not the way to go. They said that as an officer you have very little interaction with the airmen and it is mostly left up to the Senior Enlisted and the 1st Sergeant to take care of. I decided to apply for a commission anyways and after 14 years as an enlisted airmen I received my commission. After receiving my commission I have personally not seen the point of view that they gave me. I am a very interactive person and am involved with my airmen and have been able to help them when they were unable to get things done, especially when dealing with the assignments folks. As a brand new lieutenant I could call and talk to AFPC regarding my airmen as well as my career, but as a TSgt with 14 years they would not even talk to me, that is something that I just don't understand. I would say that receiving a commission or becoming a First Sergeant are both very rewarding career paths, except that the commission route pays A LOT better.
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MSgt (Join to see)
That is some awesome insight, Captain Beasley. I like your vantage point on making sure your Airmen are taken care of. However, I'm not in this for the money. I really think I would just enjoy the job.
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Maj Walter Kilar
As an officer, your level of meaningful interaction with enlisted depends on the job. If you plan on commissioning into a technical field where officers outnumber enlisted, you can find interaction with enlisted only on rare occasions. On the other hand, pretty much every First Sergeant has a duty to interact withwith and mentor enlisted, regardless of the enlisted to officer ratio. As an officer I have been in units where there are exactly four enlisted to 100+ officers, ten officers to 50 enlisted, and the only officer amidst 20 enlisted.
You cannot go wrong with either route, but if you want to guarantee that your role will be as a mentor for many Airmen, First Sergeant is the way to go.
You cannot go wrong with either route, but if you want to guarantee that your role will be as a mentor for many Airmen, First Sergeant is the way to go.
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Having spent five and half years as a first sergeant, I had the same opportunity to continue from the First Sergeant ranks to the commissioned officer path. I chose the enlisted path and found (in my case) it was the most rewarding and allowed me to have the greatest influence on enlisted and officers. As a First Sergeant I held the ranks of MSgt and SMSgt and advised both senior NCOs, Junior and Senior Officers (to include my squadron commander). In that role I had the best opportunity to support the enlisted troops and also help guide them in either path they chose (continuing enlisted or pursuing the officer path). I completed my career as a CMSgt and look at my years as a First Sergeant as the most rewarding. I commend you selecting either path. You will find arguments on both sides, but for me, if I had it to do all over again, I'd choose First Sergeant again.
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