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Apologies if this is not the type of question this forum is designed for. I'll happily delete if that's the case.
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Personal Background:
29yo college graduate with a BA in political science and history, currently working in a civil service position within my local government in the Washington DC area.
My job is as a staffer for a politician in my city. I enjoy it quite a bit, but there's limited growth, my boss might not get reelected, and they are flirting with the idea of retiring from public office after their next term. I need to start opening doors for myself now.
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Goals:
I'd like to transition from state/local government to federal/ international relations. The dream would be to land something in the IC. I realize that is an incredibly long shot without being AD, but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right? But even if I don't get a chance in the IC, my hope is that the military might give me a leg up in entering the IR field (whatever that may be).
I have a not so stellar undergraduate record but was recently accepted into a lower level MPA program. My job pays for the tuition, so my plan is to pad my record with hopes of transitioning to one of the big DC IR schools.
Perusing USAJOBS, the IC positions that stick out to me are all source analysts and GEOINT analysts.
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Reasons I want to join (in order):
Security clearance.
Intel experience.
General experience that will look good for other fed jobs and/or IR grad school.
A general desire to serve.
Student loan help and the extra monthly cash.
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Which branch:
Army-
Looking at 35F, 35S, and 35N.
The tracts and training seem more clear than with other branches.
I've heard people describe the Army Reserve as "It's what you make of it." I view this as a plus and feel that I can make something good out of it.
Navy-
Seems to be the more respected branch of MI. Does that open more doors?
I'm not quite sure I understand the different IS positions. The C- School options seem limited from the outside looking in.
Bonus points for A + C school being close to home.
Air Force-
Haven't looked too much at this option. Previous posts don't really consider things outside the Army and Navy.
My general knowledge is that the AF is the more "desirable" branch.
Help me out! Which branch is good for reservists and creating later opportunities? I've eliminated the Marines and Coast guard for consideration but happy to be convinced otherwise.
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What I'm thinking about:
I don't feel that I'm completive for any officer slots in the Navy or Air Force. I'd certainly consider an officer position within the Army, but let's say that there are no openings at the moment. Should I still go Army with hopes of becoming an officer after my first contract is up? Or should I go with the Navy and hope that a masters degree makes me more competitive?
Is there are space for "generalists" (think 35F) in the IC these days? Or are specialists more desired (think 35S or 35G) What skills are most marketable?
Thank you.
---
Personal Background:
29yo college graduate with a BA in political science and history, currently working in a civil service position within my local government in the Washington DC area.
My job is as a staffer for a politician in my city. I enjoy it quite a bit, but there's limited growth, my boss might not get reelected, and they are flirting with the idea of retiring from public office after their next term. I need to start opening doors for myself now.
---
Goals:
I'd like to transition from state/local government to federal/ international relations. The dream would be to land something in the IC. I realize that is an incredibly long shot without being AD, but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right? But even if I don't get a chance in the IC, my hope is that the military might give me a leg up in entering the IR field (whatever that may be).
I have a not so stellar undergraduate record but was recently accepted into a lower level MPA program. My job pays for the tuition, so my plan is to pad my record with hopes of transitioning to one of the big DC IR schools.
Perusing USAJOBS, the IC positions that stick out to me are all source analysts and GEOINT analysts.
---
Reasons I want to join (in order):
Security clearance.
Intel experience.
General experience that will look good for other fed jobs and/or IR grad school.
A general desire to serve.
Student loan help and the extra monthly cash.
---
Which branch:
Army-
Looking at 35F, 35S, and 35N.
The tracts and training seem more clear than with other branches.
I've heard people describe the Army Reserve as "It's what you make of it." I view this as a plus and feel that I can make something good out of it.
Navy-
Seems to be the more respected branch of MI. Does that open more doors?
I'm not quite sure I understand the different IS positions. The C- School options seem limited from the outside looking in.
Bonus points for A + C school being close to home.
Air Force-
Haven't looked too much at this option. Previous posts don't really consider things outside the Army and Navy.
My general knowledge is that the AF is the more "desirable" branch.
Help me out! Which branch is good for reservists and creating later opportunities? I've eliminated the Marines and Coast guard for consideration but happy to be convinced otherwise.
---
What I'm thinking about:
I don't feel that I'm completive for any officer slots in the Navy or Air Force. I'd certainly consider an officer position within the Army, but let's say that there are no openings at the moment. Should I still go Army with hopes of becoming an officer after my first contract is up? Or should I go with the Navy and hope that a masters degree makes me more competitive?
Is there are space for "generalists" (think 35F) in the IC these days? Or are specialists more desired (think 35S or 35G) What skills are most marketable?
Thank you.
Posted in these groups: IntelReserve Intel Officer
Washington
Intelligence Analyst
Military Intelligence
Washington Intelligence Analyst Military Intelligence
Edited 3 y ago
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 9
While this can be seen as a vague answer...it is still the only answer possible: The best one is the one that provides you the best opportunities. You're just going to have to PRO/CON all the branches and see which one lines up with what you want.
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Stone White
I guess part of the problem is that I'm not too sure what the pro/cons of each branch are. I can definitely say that one pro of the Army is being competitive for officer, but that's all I can think about for any branch. And if there are no officer slots available, then I'm back where I started.
How would you evaluate the "best opportunities?"
How would you evaluate the "best opportunities?"
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MSG (Join to see)
Stone White - Assignment opportunities, career advancement, rank progression, bonus given, loan repayment (if applicable), just to name a few
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MSG (Join to see)
SSG (Join to see) - I would if I could tag people. The updates took that away from me.
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Here's my biased opinion. As a commitment going forward in life the Army Reserves is going to be a larger opportunity for you to serve, and advance. You're Navy/USMC positions are going to be more coastal located with a smaller promotional base to advance from.
When I was an Intel Analyst there never were enough of us, and promotions were and are relatively easy in the USAR.
When I was an Intel Analyst there never were enough of us, and promotions were and are relatively easy in the USAR.
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CPT (Join to see)
Stone White - The challenge is........... my impression with working with other intel community agencies is they see all military as a joke. For you see, the CIA or DIA for instance will recruit the best minds the USA has to offer. Each agency has their tier of pedigree and the bottom are the military with a huge disparity in prestige from even the next higher agency.
Military Intel is pulling from the same population of Army recruits that could just as easily be generator mechanics. The semantics is were those Intel or Mechanic jobs open at the time the recruit walked through the door. Generally speaking, the younger a recruit is the less problems they will have getting a Top Secret Clearance if anything because they haven't had time to mess up in life.
I deployed as a Reserve Analyst as a SGT. I have a really cool combat patch tied to Special Forces. During my mission set I worked along side (if you can call it that, I had a computer terminal across the room) from Civilian Intel Agency Analysts with PhD's.
Can you guess who was making the coffee and sweeping up the floors?
So, yes, RANK absolutely is ASTRONOMICALLY important because the CIA/DIA are not interested in a 22 year old SPC with 4 years experience. They are interested in a Harvard graduate they will train from scratch.
If you are a Warrant Officer Intel Analyst, NOW you are getting somewhere. However, that is a very long term commitment to even get selected as a Warrant Officer.
*************
Utilize the reserves to get a clearance, and the hustle your butt to get on as many deployments and intel missions as you can to build up that resume. Then keep pounding at the job market for intel work. Even police agencies of all kinds (larger cities for example) utilize the intel skill set with crime analysis. It might not be top secret, but it's the same skill set.
No one cares if you are an Intel Analyst in the reserves that only works once a month. They'd be interested in your clearance so you can take out the trash of secured offices.
Military Intel is pulling from the same population of Army recruits that could just as easily be generator mechanics. The semantics is were those Intel or Mechanic jobs open at the time the recruit walked through the door. Generally speaking, the younger a recruit is the less problems they will have getting a Top Secret Clearance if anything because they haven't had time to mess up in life.
I deployed as a Reserve Analyst as a SGT. I have a really cool combat patch tied to Special Forces. During my mission set I worked along side (if you can call it that, I had a computer terminal across the room) from Civilian Intel Agency Analysts with PhD's.
Can you guess who was making the coffee and sweeping up the floors?
So, yes, RANK absolutely is ASTRONOMICALLY important because the CIA/DIA are not interested in a 22 year old SPC with 4 years experience. They are interested in a Harvard graduate they will train from scratch.
If you are a Warrant Officer Intel Analyst, NOW you are getting somewhere. However, that is a very long term commitment to even get selected as a Warrant Officer.
*************
Utilize the reserves to get a clearance, and the hustle your butt to get on as many deployments and intel missions as you can to build up that resume. Then keep pounding at the job market for intel work. Even police agencies of all kinds (larger cities for example) utilize the intel skill set with crime analysis. It might not be top secret, but it's the same skill set.
No one cares if you are an Intel Analyst in the reserves that only works once a month. They'd be interested in your clearance so you can take out the trash of secured offices.
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I'm biased for Army MI -- 35N, 35P, and 35F in that order -- you probably will hit all your goals, less the "intel experience" if you get assigned to an MTOE unit in your 1st assignment. You could get lucky and get a TDA (think 3 letter agencies around the beltway). I'll be happy to answer questions...
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