What are the pros and cons of going Regular Army vs AGR?
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-going-regular-army-vs-agr
<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I started out as Regular Army and ETSed after my initial contract. In my final year of IRR I started getting the calling again and decided to go into the Reserves. So far the Reserves is not satisfying that calling I have. Right now my life does not seem complete and I want to go full time Army again. I have been tossing around Regular Army vs AGR in my head for a while now. <br /><br />I miss the Regular Army Soldier experience but at the same time the AGR seems to be a much more relaxed environment with less shenanigans. The problem I see with the AGR though is that you are kind of on your own with a lot of things while in the Regular Army you have a team to back you up.<br /><br />If any of you want to throw out some experiences you or someone you know have had or just want to state some pros and cons of each I would much appreciate it. Thanks for your time.Thu, 10 Sep 2020 02:19:38 -0400What are the pros and cons of going Regular Army vs AGR?
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-going-regular-army-vs-agr
<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I started out as Regular Army and ETSed after my initial contract. In my final year of IRR I started getting the calling again and decided to go into the Reserves. So far the Reserves is not satisfying that calling I have. Right now my life does not seem complete and I want to go full time Army again. I have been tossing around Regular Army vs AGR in my head for a while now. <br /><br />I miss the Regular Army Soldier experience but at the same time the AGR seems to be a much more relaxed environment with less shenanigans. The problem I see with the AGR though is that you are kind of on your own with a lot of things while in the Regular Army you have a team to back you up.<br /><br />If any of you want to throw out some experiences you or someone you know have had or just want to state some pros and cons of each I would much appreciate it. Thanks for your time.Thu, 10 Sep 2020 02:19:38 -04002020-09-10T02:19:38-04:00Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2020 2:39 AM
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-going-regular-army-vs-agr?n=6296808&urlhash=6296808
<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You should know, that with a few exceptions in the maintenance and supply fields, most AGR positions are sdmin or admin support jobs. Training and operations, personnel and commo jobs. You won't necessarily have the same experience as you had in active duty and may not find the satisfaction you think you are looking for. (However, being in HR, an AGR position may be the right fit. ) The other thing you should know is that there are very few, if any AGR positions for E4 anymore. Budget cuts are eliminating those positions and redistributing those responsibilities among more senior positions.1SG Private RallyPoint MemberThu, 10 Sep 2020 02:39:10 -04002020-09-10T02:39:10-04:00Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2020 3:45 AM
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-going-regular-army-vs-agr?n=6296826&urlhash=6296826
<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>To add to what <a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="304679" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/304679-74d-chemical-biological-radiological-and-nuclear-operations-specialist">1SG Private RallyPoint Member</a> said... AGR is a whole different animal. You don’t get to reenlist for your duty station of choice. You don’t have as much control over your future. Not so say you have no control, but it’s different. The AGR philosophy is “If you don’t like what we’re offering you can GTFO because someone else will take it. It’s crazy to see RC personnel competing over a position that AD would snub their nose up at if you put them side by side. <br /><br />AGR is a great program when you’re coming at it from the right direction. You’re not an NCO, you’d do better in AD or else in the RC first and becoming an NCO. Don’t carry that mentality that everyone is chill because most of those chill NCOs on AGR have earned their stripes on deployments and hard work. It’s a common misconception that AGR is laid back and does nothing. On top of that AGR is very competitive. It’s usually not as simple as just applying. If you aren’t ahead of your peers in some way, you probably are not competitive. <br /><br />My experience with AGR is that some were douchey, some were excellent, most were more experienced than their AD peers. All that I met were ahead of their peers in some way or other. Usually degrees, years of experience, or just excellent performers. If you’re not one of those, it’s probably not your routeSFC Private RallyPoint MemberThu, 10 Sep 2020 03:45:47 -04002020-09-10T03:45:47-04:00Response by MAJ Ronnie Reams made Sep 10 at 2020 10:05 AM
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-going-regular-army-vs-agr?n=6297713&urlhash=6297713
<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Does AGR perform super critical jobs beyond the capability of civilians? They have to be way more expensive than a civil servant.MAJ Ronnie ReamsThu, 10 Sep 2020 10:05:54 -04002020-09-10T10:05:54-04:00Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2020 1:39 PM
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-going-regular-army-vs-agr?n=6298352&urlhash=6298352
<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I wouldn't say there are less shenanigans in the USAR. I caution against AGR. I saw desperation of the AGR program keeping many sub par soldiers in positions because simply there are not soldiers there to replace them. <br /><br />I proactively mentored a Jr NCO AGR I had who was newly MOS trained as a 42A and thrown right into the fray. I could see the system constantly beating him down. He was the hardest working guy I had. I constantly had to keep reminding him the piles and piles of taskers are simply never going to end. There is absolutely no way you are ever going to catch up. Trust me I said. Focus on the ones that are being given priority at the current time, and eventually the lesser items will simply be forgotten. If you eventually get to them, great, if not, oh well. The best thing the system can do to you is fire you. <br /><br />The best way for soldiers to get out of the system without ruining anything in the future was to drop a WO packet. Two of my AGR's played this card to get out. I had my entire AGR staff turn over in a 2 year period. The ACE of playing this card was getting picked up for Officer or WO makes them TPU's again. <br /><br />Then if you land in a TDA unit that doesn't deploy and doesn't have any property on the MTOE is going to be a different world than landing in an RFX unit with hundreds of millions in equipment with a training OPTEMPO that simply never stops. <br /><br />I am a TPU 1LT that drove 800 miles round trip for four years to my place of duty (2+ years spent in command), and finally put in a voluntary transfer request at the end of 4.5 years. Remember, I was TPU 1LT seeking transfer to a TPU position 5 miles from my home into a primary open vacancy of CPT in a Branch I was qualified for into a position of upward development. It took the actions of one LTC, two COLs and a Brigadier General to finally action that transfer. <br /><br />Now........ I'm in a non equipment MTOE TDA unit and there is a full time AGR supply SGT in the unit and their life is MUCH different than the AGR Supply NCO I left behind (both getting the same pay check). One with a property book of $0, and the other with a property book of $50,000,000. <br /><br />Same goes for the S1 and S3 I left behind. I left 160+ soldiers behind dominated by 100 warehouse clerks between E1-E4. So the S1 issues for that 42A AGR are going to be much different than the one I am now at with only 90 soldiers who are mostly Field Grade Officers and E6+. <br /><br />Then my current S3 doesn't have to plan anything for us beyond getting us to our training events and DTS reservations. Yes, I understand it's not THAT simple, but we are not moving vehicles by rail, having equipment fall apart in the field with no way to get it back home, or having to make sure we have plans in place when we get broadsided with our mission once on ground. <br /><br />One day you can be in a sweet AGR position, and then next you can find yourself in something completely on par with an Activity Duty OPTEMPO, but as mentioned, you don't have nearly the support behind you because of the 160 soldiers in the unit, only 5 of them are full time. Your commander is 400 miles away, and clueless, and your 1SG isn't full time either.<br /><br />I’m guessing anyone leaving it up to the system to choose your duty station is probably not going to be put in a TDA non equipment MTOE unit.CPT Private RallyPoint MemberThu, 10 Sep 2020 13:39:12 -04002020-09-10T13:39:12-04:00Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2020 11:25 PM
https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-going-regular-army-vs-agr?n=6299682&urlhash=6299682
<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>AGR is a different kind of hard than active duty. You (probably) won’t mow grass or do motor pool Monday but you’ll invariably be taking on more responsibility and work than your pay grade indicates. You’ll do multiple peoples’ jobs and absorb a lot of appointed additional duties. A lot of it dependent on the unit you’re with. My workload as a company training NCO was insane and I spent my last year also performing the duties of the readiness NCO. Now I’m at a brigade HQ and while my workload is less the impact and ramifications of what I do can affect thousands of soldiers both for better or worse. <br /><br />You MUST be a self starter. You must know how to prioritize time and attention. I’ve become a much much better creative thinker and problem solver because of the AGR program. I’ve gained a lot of skills far outside of my MOS or duty position. The money is nice, and usually better than what you could make doing comparable work in the civilian world. But the Army will damn sure get its time and productivity out of you. <br /><br />Lots of soldiers get hired on and fail for a lot of reasons. Some can be saved and some can’t. It’s very important that the person you present to the hiring board is the person that’s going to show up for the job. If you go into that interview putting on a good show, the results will out you with quickness. <br /><br />I encourage anyone with a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn to apply.SFC Private RallyPoint MemberThu, 10 Sep 2020 23:25:41 -04002020-09-10T23:25:41-04:002020-09-10T02:19:38-04:00