What's a good Navy assignment to help me complete my degree so that I can apply to be an officer?

Sir,

Thank you for the advice and it may look like I go to easy commands but the jobs I'm given at each command that I go to seem to be rather difficult. Last command I was the primary credit card holder for the EOD MU and stood up a 40 ft CNX box of major use supplies along with a Microsoft program to run it. Now as an E5 I'm sitting in an E7 position running the Postal Finace Office for the ATL fleet and have turned it around. I fully believe in getting a program and making it better without reinventing the wheel. I always step up to the plate and do what it takes to get the customer taken care of. My first duty station assignment was also harder because the command was only two years old when I got there and still going through growing pains when I left. It takes a team to move one person while it takes several teams and a few commands to move another command. It's all about one team and one fight not the assignments given by the retailers.

LS2, that's great! Do the best at every position you are given and you have clearly been doing that from what I have read. What I was getting at with my comment was to position yourself for success. Arduous sea duty, performance while at sea and breaking out in large summary groups stands out during these Officer selection boards. There are ways around some of these obstacles of course, but these definitely help. I went through the OCS process a year ago now so it's all pretty fresh. I was a prior AT1, but I am an AMDO now. I'm the Material Control Officer for a squadron, so I actually work with LS's at my squadron currently. If you have questions at all don't hesitate to ask and keep your eye on the prize. It seems like you are motivated and know what you want, just keep going!

LT (Join to see) is right PO2 (Join to see) . If you take on the hard jobs, which you have since you said you hold a E7 position as an E5; it looks great to officers who consider you a candidate and would recommend you rather than Seaman Timmy who only grazed by doing the minimal and avoiding strenuous tasks.

Also as a suggestion, take a look at your evals from when you were seaman to now. What have you done that shows increasing leadership roles, responsibility? What tasks were proven to be difficult either in your rate or outside but yet you were able to accomplish? Were you able to supervise an x amount of sailors under your wing? What awards have you be issued (BJOQ, SOOQ, Letter of Accommodation, etc.) Do you keep a running brag sheet of your accomplishments and what you've done within your command?

Just a thought so that when you want to help further your career, see about taking on other tasks, provide assistance to junior/senior enlisted or officers. Get your name out there so that when things get tough, they know who to turn to.

The program is there but I'm too old for it. It's called STA-21 Seaman to Admiral and last I read I had to be commissioned by my 28th birthday of which I am 30. Navy TA is still paying most of my schooling along with the schools scholarship and the Pell Grant. So far no out of pocket money.

Are you too old for NROTC? I was a 2 year NROTC scholarship recipient. I was only 20 at the time though... As long as your degree is from an accredited college and not one of these online fly by night schools, you should be good to go... Best of luck in your quest...

The program that LCDR is talking about in the navy is called CIP (Career Intermission Program) its a program that was recently approved by congress that allows Sailors to put their career on hold and "get out" for a max of 36 months as long as when you come back you do double the amount of months you were gone.

CPO Rick Fields - and if you are in good physical shape to take short-term loss of sleep and still be mission capable.

PO2 (Join to see) - I did forget to mention that I take all online classes and since they are all online my command immediate chain basically said since there's no in seat time required we need you to work. If there was class time in seat they would let me go. So needless to say I work my butt off to fit life, school, work, God And my family (not in that order) and sometimes I don't get to all of it. I'm really pushing for my degree so that's one less thing stopping me from being mission focused and ready to be out the door at a moments notice.

LTC (Join to see) - I'm lucky to get five hours of sleep a night and some nights it's broken five hours of sleep. When I crash towards the end of the week because of the lack of sleep I sleep about eight to nine hours and then I am good to go for another six days of lack of sleep.

I just retread your original post, are you wanting to be a Naval Officer? If so, get with Command Career Counselor and get some information on Enlisted Commissioning Programs. I have been retired now for over 9 years so I don't know what the current programs are, but generally if you get selected, the Navy will pay you to go to school and you would obligate to serve 6 years after you get your commission.