What is it like being a warrant officer in the national guard vs the reserves?

I have been in both the Guard and Reserve. While I don’t have experience with the Warrant Officer program, I can touch on the difference between the Guard and Reserve.

In the Army, the Reserves have no combat units, only support. Only the Guard has Combat unit’s. But if you keep your same MOS, it shouldn’t be an issue.

The Guard tends to be busier and gets activated more than the Reserves. That’s because they serve two masters. They can be activated under Title 32 by the governor to serve stateside missions, national disasters, riots, etc. However, they can also be activated under Title 10 to serve Federal missions (such as OEF/OIF). The Reserves can only be used for Title 10 missions (there are a few exceptions).

The Guard tends to have a more laid back mentality than the Reserves. While the Reserves is going to be more like active duty.

Promotions above E-5 in the Guard tend to be fewer because many folks sit the the same position for years.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Guard. I only left because of a promotion opportunity and I was tired of the constant deployments.

I made the switch to Reserves in October. I joined the Army to become an Aviator, but through deployment, duties and becoming an NCO, a lot of your focus is on your soldiers and it's easy to lose focus on yourself. It is a huge adjustment, but it allows you to prioritize what is important to you. Whether that be school, civilian employment, etc. I just received my orders to WOCS and I couldn't be happier. I know with the Reserves it will be easier to transfer states, should you want to move somewhere, but my advice is go talk to multiple recruiters as well, I went through four until I found the right fit. If you would like to connect, I'd be happy to keep you posted on my journey!!

I'm in the guard and love it.