What are your opinions about going from the enlisted side of the military to the commissioned side?

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 11:41:25 -0400

Iv givin it a little thought. But I would enjoy some feedback on any peoples experiences from being ellnlisted to a officer. Both good and bad. Thank you for any feedback. And if going Warrant could be better later on down the line as a enlisted. I just enjoy advice, knowledge, and peoples opinions.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2018 11:50 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 11:50:25 -0400

This depends on what you want personally. There are pros and cons to being both an officer and enlisted. I enjoy being an officer because I enjoy planning and allocating and whatnot. I also enjoyed being an NCO and doing the "fun stuff" that officers don't get to do. Some days I'm glad I commissioned. Other days I miss being enlisted.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2018 12:03 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:03:47 -0400

I am prior service & I'm glad I was- went to OCS & got my Commission in 2002. Maybe I should have gone to OCS earlier, rather than waited. But, I'm glad I did anyways. If you have the ability and desire to be an officer- go for it.

There are many great NCOs that I've served with & surely the Army needs some good NCOs, no doubt. However, if you get the chance to be an officer and command troops that's the way to go. Always take care of your people! Prior-service officers understand this, not all officers do. Your people that serve under you will make or break your career as an officer. Treat them right (kick 'em in the tail sometimes if they need it too!) and they'll treat you right. That's just one officer's opinion.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2018 12:07 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:07:22 -0400

I think it’s great, an officer who was once enlisted has seen his/her share of toxic leadership and has their goals of changing it. To have an LT who was once a SGT has the knowledge base to help soldiers.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2018 12:25 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:25:20 -0400

Best choice I ever made was to go Warrant, I enjoyed my time as a platoon sergeant but I wasn't able to focus as much as I can now. Now I have the freedom to teach Soldiers, advise leaders and still get my hands dirty. In my opinion being a Warrant Officer is the best of both worlds, however with that being said the Army needs good Officers also. Find your calling and run with it, because no matter what our experiences are you will have to find your calling.

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Jul 11 at 2018 12:28 PM

LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:28:32 -0400

I never regretted it. It is a huge amount of work, and your perspective has to be very different. If you hope to do Green to Gold, you need to get top marks in everything, advance to leadership roles as quickly as possible, etc. Getting college courses done while enlisted, especially with good grades is also helpful.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2018 1:16 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 13:16:59 -0400

"The Grass is Always Greener"...

Having begun my career as an "O"...I'll readily admit there were many, many times that I'd look at NCOs and think, "Now that's what I wish I had done". (S)NCOs are presumed to be experienced, subject matter experts...they (can) have true authority and exercise real leadership. Nothing says "legit" like having the time and record to back up the rank. On the other hand, there's a lot of hard, hard work (and time) involved in that...most done while putting up with a pile of crap twenty miles high that we officers don't even get a sniff of most days.

From the "other side of the coin", being an officer can appear to be "cushy"...and depending on many, many variables (to include service, designator, rank, etc)...it can be. On ships, we get something that resembles a real bed, as opposed to a coffin. We "take our meals in the wardroom"...and even in the more "hard core" services, RHIP; though I'll say this for the Marines...their officer culture puts the men first in practical ways. Perhaps the biggest brass ring is the $$$...yes, comparatively, we get paid well. However, the "downside" is appreciable.

Even as a very junior officer, you're expected to manage a great deal of personal and unit accountability. Everyone knows and understands who really "runs" things...not us...but who do you think the O-3s and O-4s roast when things go pear shaped? Imagine going into a foreign nation and having to tell local national police that you'll be personally responsible for the acts of twenty or thirty enlisted folks in order to keep them from being put on lock-down...I had to that once. As a JO, you have no clue what you're doing, but you are not only expected...but required...to act like you have a brain and try to come up with the plan. Smart JOs use their resources...translation, seek the SNCOs mentoring. Still, they will be looking to you to do your job as well. It's a mysterious, often awkward, occasionally dangerous balance that one either masters...or gets out before critical failure.

Oh yeah...the money. Well, bear this in mind; starting pay for an O-1 with no prior service isn't great in comparison to the time it took to get a degree and a commission. In most cases, an officer will have to achieve O-3 to O-4 before achieving parity with their private sector peers. Even in today's modern world, officers do sometimes have to put up their own funds to keep things going. I bought tools and parts, cold weather gear and yes...beer...for my guys when the situation required. With great privilege comes great responsibility.

Ultimately, the greatest "downside" might be a little hard to define. You put a lot of work into earning those little brass bars, and frankly...no one will give a rodent's rectum for twenty years in most cases. Maybe if you're in combat arms, get all the right qual/schools, and maybe if you don't screw up too much...and maybe if you don't get divorced or a DUI...you can one day have "respect". More often as not, the situation is one in which you continue to progress and try to do the right thing, always feeling a bit like you're on the wrong side of the curve. You can't always make the right calls, stress does make you stupid, and people will remember every single time you went left when you should've went right. You'll never stop replaying the "bad calls" in your mind...or worrying about the next call to come. If you're smart enough to see help when it's being offered...and learn the first time...you'll be alright. If not, you may find yourself a "burn out" at twenty-five.

I think any prior service officer has a leg up...they've been on the receiving end, and know the score. Still, I recon there comes a point when one's enlisted experience has to translate into commissioned skill sets...and it probably comes pretty fast if that individual wasn't senior enlisted. I once had a SNCO explain it to me like this; an O-3's been in ten years, so he knows some stuff...so does the E-6...but what they've learned and how they've learned it will never be 100% the same. They can't just swap each other's jobs just because they've had the same time in.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2018 1:29 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 13:29:37 -0400

I'm pretty new to the officer side of the house, but I was enlisted for a long, long while. They both have their pros and cons. Being enlisted was definitely more fun. I still miss those days on occasion. It also gave me a valuable perspective that I believe will make me a better officer in the long run. With that being said I often wish I commissioned earlier in my career. I'd likely by a MAJ by now instead of a 1LT.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2018 1:46 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 13:46:26 -0400

When considering a career, be that as a professional NCO or Petty Officer you have to alighn your talents, ideals and passion along with your career. Now this is a lot to ask of a PFC (I’m assuming you have between 12-20 months in the Army). I would speak with NCOs and Warrants and Officers you trust and respect and get thier feedback. I was enlisted for 17 years and like some of the officers on this forum, at times I wish I have switched over earlier. But anyone who wants to be an officer has to be okay with making the hard decisions and then taking responsibility when things go wrong or answering for your actions. Being an officer is not popular, in fact most Soldiers will resent you because you respresent the “establishment”, you’re the “man”, basically you’re the one making thier life miserable. While this is usually it true, you will have to make unpopular choices. The struggle of the NCO is to enforce these decisions and ensure the Soldiers execute. Both roles are vital to the success of the Army and no one is more important than the rest. But I have found significant fulfillment in my service as an officer. It was solidified for me when I was a Company Commmader, I had always sought to make change and as a commmader I was able to do that on a daily basis for my Soldiers. Just my opinion.

Response by MAJ Bryan Zeski made Jul 11 at 2018 2:43 PM

MAJ Bryan Zeski — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 14:43:37 -0400

If you plan on making the military a career, I'd opt for the Officer side strictly for the long-range benefits in retirement and beyond.

However, if you derive your life-joy out of working with Soldiers, being in the dirt and muck and working your ass off every day, then stay enlisted.

Response by LTJG Richard Bruce made Jul 12 at 2018 2:16 AM

LTJG Richard Bruce — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 02:16:09 -0400

I was enlisted for an year before going to the Coast Guard Academy. I was unique since I worked at the Academy for six months as an E-2/3. I experienced both the behind the scene life and the Cadet life. Going through the Academy is different from OCS because it's a gradual, but intense, four year program instead of a few month "knife and fork" school.

Afloat officers may live physically close to the enlisted crew, but have distinct duties and functions. I spent about 1/3 of day on operations, 1/4 administrative, 1/4 on collateral duties, and rest of the time on odd ball stuff and personal time (sleep). I started as Gunnery Division Officer and became Weapons Dept Head overseeing gunnery, fire control, and ASW divisions. I was also a Deck Watch Officer, Boarding Officer, Ship's Store Officer, Auditor, Voting Officer, Mast Investigator, LE evidence Custodian, and whatever the Capt told me to do. Ashore, duties depend on job. I've done shift work and have worked 8-5 with every weekend off.

As an officer, you will learn to stay in your own sandbox. If you do your job and others do theirs, then the goals are met. You will be held responsible for your work and that of those you lead. There are times with the work is impossible and other times when you can go home early. Need to find a balance between the two extremes.

Here's the bad side to being an officer. You will be given an anal exam every six month. Everything you have done and everything those under your command have done will be cataloged. I evaluated three junior officers. I kept a book on each of them and made daily comments to provide support for the ratings. The promotion pyramid is highly competitive. Every promotion cycle, a certain number of officers get cut to fit the squeezing pyramid. Promotion is based on needs of the service, not your needs. If you do X and there are ten other people who do X, but there is only one slot at the next rank for X, then ten may not get promoted. If you do Y, and they need three people to do Y, but you are the only one, then you can be rated lower than all those people doing X, and get promoted over the ten that don't. What I wanted and what the CG was looking for didn't match. So I got squeezed along with about 25% of my class. If I stayed enlisted, I would have had no problem making retirement. Do the best job you can do. Think ahead on assignments. Get all the training you can, even if you have to pay for it yourself. Be prepared for rejection and success.

Response by Sgt Jesus Rodriguez made Jul 12 at 2018 6:51 AM

Sgt Jesus Rodriguez — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 06:51:13 -0400

All great feedback on your questions. My two cents would be to go for it! If you are planning on making it a career or just a tour getting college out of the way while serving is always a good option.

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 13 at 2018 5:11 AM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 05:11:32 -0400

I had multiple chances to put in packets for OCS and WOCS. I chose to continue my career as an enlisted Soldier and it absolutely worked for me. The decision to switch career paths is a difficult one and one only you can make for yourself. The key, in my opinion, is to make sure you are motivated by the right reason. Will you get paid more of you switch,sure, but if money is your only motivation you might not enjoy your self or even put forth the right effort and be the quality Officer or Warrant the Army needs. We have all three career paths to fill different needs for the Army and they all need high quality individuals. Good luck and I hope you make the right choice for you and the Army!!

Response by LT Ed Skiba made Aug 25 at 2018 9:26 AM

LT Ed Skiba — Sat, 25 Aug 2018 09:26:29 -0400

I had 14 yrs enlisted, 4 yrs Warrant and retired as O3. Best move I ever made. Gave me a much clearer picture of situations that frustrated me as enlisted and more influence on resolving those situations to assist my shipmates and strengthen the mission.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 10 at 2020 7:08 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 10 May 2020 19:08:33 -0400

Simply put, don't wait too long if that's what somebody wants to do.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 11 at 2021 5:31 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 17:31:32 -0400

Only officer I ever wanted to be was an AH-64 Pilot, but they were not excepting waivers for corrective eye surgery at the time for a long while. So I will happily retire at least as a SFC. NO RAGRATS!!! lol