Posted on Oct 23, 2019
What additional information should I consider to help me determine if I should follow through with the commissioning process?
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I am currently a cadet at my university, and I have invested 3 years into ROTC at this point. I've began to come to terms with the fact that I'm no longer enjoying what I'm doing as a college student. I enjoy being a soldier and I am thankful for the fact that enlisting in the Army has allowed me to be able to attend college, however I am no longer enjoying being a cadet. I am not contracted, so dropping ROTC would not be a problem. My unit is expecting me to become a cadet any day now. Everyone I talk to has told me to stick it out, that I am only feeling this way because it's a rough patch and I'm almost there, but I am still unsure of what I should do. Is there any information that anyone knows that they wished they had known before following through with the process? I don't want to make a career-impacting decision when I am uninformed of what the possible consequences are.
Posted in these groups: 
Junior Enlisted
ROTC
Junior Enlisted ROTC
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 11
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PFC(P) (Join to see) The MSIII year is not designed to be "fun" this is your rite of passage. If this were easy , there would be matching shirts and everyone would do it. They call it bowling.
You are a short sprint away from accomplishing something. If you don't want to be a commissioned officer, learn from the experience, and take care of soldiers, then quit. If you are simply miserable in your junior year, congratulations, welcome to college. Gut it out.
So what is he alternative? What will improve in your life if you don't endure a little bit? I think you are chucking a serious opportunity.
You are a short sprint away from accomplishing something. If you don't want to be a commissioned officer, learn from the experience, and take care of soldiers, then quit. If you are simply miserable in your junior year, congratulations, welcome to college. Gut it out.
So what is he alternative? What will improve in your life if you don't endure a little bit? I think you are chucking a serious opportunity.
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LTC John Mohor
Listen to LTC Mackay PFC Alan Hicks! I gutted out 5 and a 1/2 years in college to earn my degree. Four years in the Corps of Cadets at North Georgia. You just need to man up and be the leader that you can be it takes being a good follower knowing when to take it and when to lead! If you’re three years into it you’ve got the right stuff going! Long term you wanna be making 50 thousand a year in your fifties or getting upwards of six figures plus income potential? The leaders we’re helping develop today in the military have more responsibilities at 23-26 years of age than an MBA Vice President in their 50s. You really wanna know what you’re made of stick it out “EARN” that commission !
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CDT Hicks,
A lesson to learn; avoid social media as a sounding board, regarding doubts about military commitments....
Especially when the platform is filled with salty retirees.
A few cliches to share...
(1) You are in a "rough patch"; don't make a permanent decision about a temporary situation.
(2) Resiliency is built in diversity. None of us know what your rough patch is.... but, struggling through will make you a better person, than simply quitting.
(3) It is a weeding out process..... you make it, or you don't. If you can't hack it, you can't hack it. No shame. But if you push through, don't voice thoughts like this again, online. Your command will find out, and more importantly, your Joe's will find out..... once you lose the confidence of your Joe's it is too late.
Good luck in your decision, and may your rough patch smooth out.
A lesson to learn; avoid social media as a sounding board, regarding doubts about military commitments....
Especially when the platform is filled with salty retirees.
A few cliches to share...
(1) You are in a "rough patch"; don't make a permanent decision about a temporary situation.
(2) Resiliency is built in diversity. None of us know what your rough patch is.... but, struggling through will make you a better person, than simply quitting.
(3) It is a weeding out process..... you make it, or you don't. If you can't hack it, you can't hack it. No shame. But if you push through, don't voice thoughts like this again, online. Your command will find out, and more importantly, your Joe's will find out..... once you lose the confidence of your Joe's it is too late.
Good luck in your decision, and may your rough patch smooth out.
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OK, having gone the other route through OCS, I'll give you my perspective. The big question that you need to ask yourself is do you really want to be an Officer in the Army, or Army National Guard. If the answer to that question is yes, then just look at the remaining ROTC time as the obstacle that you need to overcome to reach your goal. I hated OCS and despised my TAC's, but I managed to finish at the top of the class simply because I developed the attitude that this was just a trial that I had to overcome. I can tell you that the ROTC route is a lot less "painful" than OCS.
On the other side of this, not everyone is cut out or desires to be an Officer, a lifestyle that is not without it's downsides. The lifestyle of an NCO appeals more to some people, my son included, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that route or Warrant Officer either.
On the other side of this, not everyone is cut out or desires to be an Officer, a lifestyle that is not without it's downsides. The lifestyle of an NCO appeals more to some people, my son included, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that route or Warrant Officer either.
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