LTJG Private RallyPoint Member 1606575 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>This post is pretty lengthy so I apologize. Won't blame anyone for not wanting to read my self absorbed dilemma but anyone who does and wants to help.. You're awesome.<br />There's a few reasons I'm having such a tough time deciding. Some background info, I'm 25, working on a master's degree in forensic psychology. The degree is more to be applied when I get out of the military though, because for now all I want to do is be a pilot.<br />Why I'm having such a tough time is because the degree I got into really is a great program. Rare, hard to get into.... And I was told if I take a few years out of the program, I'll lose most of my credits. Usually this by itself would make this a no brainer to stay in it... But my goal to fly is in the way.<br />I was Pretty close to getting it in the Army. Passed the sift, flight physical even got a unit willing to take me... Then big army said no. Fought for it for a bit, then started exhausting other options, and it seems jumping ship to the marines is my best option to fly. They offer a OCS aviation option in itself to apply for. If I don't get accepted, I'm right back where I started no mos branch transfer. Only problem.... Can't get it if I'm 27. I won't be finished with my degree by then. And that's my dilemma. Act now for it, or that opportunity is gone. Any insight, advice at all is appreciated. Regardless if you're in aviation, college or what. Most of you guys have more life experience than me anyways. 2016-06-07T19:08:55-04:00 LTJG Private RallyPoint Member 1606575

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>This post is pretty lengthy so I apologize. Won't blame anyone for not wanting to read my self absorbed dilemma but anyone who does and wants to help.. You're awesome.<br />There's a few reasons I'm having such a tough time deciding. Some background info, I'm 25, working on a master's degree in forensic psychology. The degree is more to be applied when I get out of the military though, because for now all I want to do is be a pilot.<br />Why I'm having such a tough time is because the degree I got into really is a great program. Rare, hard to get into.... And I was told if I take a few years out of the program, I'll lose most of my credits. Usually this by itself would make this a no brainer to stay in it... But my goal to fly is in the way.<br />I was Pretty close to getting it in the Army. Passed the sift, flight physical even got a unit willing to take me... Then big army said no. Fought for it for a bit, then started exhausting other options, and it seems jumping ship to the marines is my best option to fly. They offer a OCS aviation option in itself to apply for. If I don't get accepted, I'm right back where I started no mos branch transfer. Only problem.... Can't get it if I'm 27. I won't be finished with my degree by then. And that's my dilemma. Act now for it, or that opportunity is gone. Any insight, advice at all is appreciated. Regardless if you're in aviation, college or what. Most of you guys have more life experience than me anyways.

2016-06-07T19:08:55-04:00 2016-06-07T19:08:55-04:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 1606580

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You can go active duty and finish your degree.

2016-06-07T19:10:31-04:00 2016-06-07T19:10:31-04:00 SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM 1606600

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="275573" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/275573-139x-officer-in-training-for-duty-involving-flying-as-a-naval-aviator-pilot-nas-pensacola-cnrse">LTJG Private RallyPoint Member</a> ,<br />Most certainly finish the degree, as it is a rare opportunity that you have embarked upon. The military is going to be here, however you must be realistic to the fact that you may not get the ideal path that you currently envision. This is where the use of alternatives and back up plans come into play in which you are going to need to exercise. Lastly, keep in mind that the options that you are not afforded from initial enlistment, does not mean that they are forever unavailable. You will be surprised at how much easier the avenue of approach is once you're in the organization. It is simply meaning that delayed does not mean denied. Best of luck in your pursuit moving forward.

2016-06-07T19:14:18-04:00 2016-06-07T19:14:18-04:00 SFC Dan Sorrow, M.S. 1606615

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I'd complete the degree. It's a given, but completing flight training isn't. Think of what you'll do if you don't make it through training. I know that's negative thinking, but it's also an option for you to consider. Are you willing to be a "whatever else they find for you to do Marine?" if flight training doesn't pan out? Yes, I know a Marine is a Marine... If you're cool with that, go for it. But, I'd stick with the sure thing and have a great life. You're young and they (government) keeps snatching benefits from your generation. Think about it.

2016-06-07T19:19:38-04:00 2016-06-07T19:19:38-04:00 Capt Gregory Prickett 1606617

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>None of us can answer that question for you. You have to decide which you want more, the degree or flight school.

2016-06-07T19:19:50-04:00 2016-06-07T19:19:50-04:00 SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member 1606660

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Honestly that is only decision that you can make. You're going to have regrets either way so my best advice to you is to choose a course of action that you can live with and stand behind it.

2016-06-07T19:32:56-04:00 2016-06-07T19:32:56-04:00 LTC Kathleen Maddox 1606744

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>My advice is follow your dream to fly. You are young and can complete your masters degree later. I waited to finish my masters till much later and it was fine. Most colleges will accept credits earned even it they are a few years out. If you don't take your opportunity now you will always look back and wonder 'what if'. At any rate you will have to decide for yourself and be happy with your decision. I hope this helps you a little .

2016-06-07T19:58:53-04:00 2016-06-07T19:58:53-04:00 Lt Col Jim Coe 1606760

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Tough one! Some ideas: <br />Get out of the Army and finish degree. Then go see recruiters for all 5 services. Age waivers are possible. <br /><br />Focus on the pilot goal. Talk to all 5 recruiters and get the best deal you can to get a commission and go to pilot training. <br /><br />Complete the masters degree. Get out of the Army. Find employment. Get a pilots license on your own or use GI Bill. <br /><br />Id go for choice 2. You're only young once!

2016-06-07T20:02:07-04:00 2016-06-07T20:02:07-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 1606781

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>What is your goal for getting aviation training? Do you intend to become a military pilot, and then serve 20 years in the military? If so, your Masters Degree will be meaningless when you get out and seek to work in that field, as your education will be 20 years behind. Or do you want to get qualified as a military aviator, serve the minimum committment you incur from flight school (I don't know what that is, but I would think at least 4 years) land then go into forensic psychology and civilian aviation is just a hobby for you? <br /><br />I think a lot depends on what your ultimate goal is. If the forensic psychology is what you really want to do when you grow up, so to speak, then I would suggest you take the course of action that maximizes your opportunities in that field. Stay in school, complete your Masters, and then seek employment in that field. But if it is only a reserve parachute in case you don't make it through flight school, and military or civilian flying is what you really want to do with your life, then take the course of action that maximizes your chance to fly. You don't want to jeopardize the main attack by putting too much effort into the reserve forces.<br /><br />If the foresnic psychology field is just a backup plan, then I wouldn't be overly concerned about leaving the program to pursue flying. If you qualified to get into the school once, you most likely will again later. Plus, once you are out in any career, the school you went to becomes much less important for advancement than the way you perform in the job. So decide what your main effort is, and prioritize your resources to that. If you fail, you fail, and go to the backup plan. But don't handicap your true desire by putting too much effort into the reserve parachute. Worry more about the main chute opening instead.<br /><br />Just my thoughts. It's really up to you to decide what you want to do with your life. Good luck.

2016-06-07T20:06:29-04:00 2016-06-07T20:06:29-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 1606784

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You will still have the academic skills if you defer school for later. You need to weigh your academic interest in this career, versus the cost and debt for this education with the rocking chair effect. When your 80 years old what would you feel most proud about having done ? Perhaps you can do both. Compromise can be the death of your dreams or enable you to truly have it all. Consider, finish degree and FY transport for AF or non combat helos for Army. Combat pilots are the toughest jobs to get with the hardest requirements. Decide exactly what is the minimum and max you need out of each decision to be worth it for you.

2016-06-07T20:07:08-04:00 2016-06-07T20:07:08-04:00 LTC Private RallyPoint Member 1606802

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>If the school is prestigious enough that alone may Warrent completion of what you started. Some opportunities only knock once

2016-06-07T20:11:38-04:00 2016-06-07T20:11:38-04:00 SGT Kristin Wiley 1606821

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It sounds like you want to be a pilot more than staying in your degree program. Is there a way to get a waiver around the Army requirement? Have you looked into the Air Force and Navy? I would ensure you have a solid chance of getting a pilot slot before quitting your degree program. You have to weigh the risks, and hope for the best when you make your decision. Good luck!

2016-06-07T20:19:01-04:00 2016-06-07T20:19:01-04:00 MAJ Monique Ruiz 1606858

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Finish your degree first. Look into being a warrant officer when you apply to be a pilot (you can be as old as dirt and still fly). However, if you are able to save money as a pilot to start your master&#39;s all over again, then continue the fly option. Either way you&#39;ll have a great civilian resume doing either option. Understand that the military doesn&#39;t make promises. <br /><br />Reason is because when you are done with the service and begin your next chapter, what will the military say?, &quot;thank you for your service, here&#39;s the door.&quot; You cannot blame the service for what you do or cant do after you get out. <br /><br />Take my situation for example, I started my master&#39;s in 2011, I volunteered for a deployment in 2013. When I came home, I was told the program changed and only 9 out of my 27 credits carried over. I was also told I wasn&#39;t going to get my ADOS job back. What did I do? No choice but to keep trucking along, started my degree all over again and applied for more military jobs. <br /><br />I gave years to the military to show my potential for greater responsibility. It paid off! I am a company commander (not active duty) and have a strong resume. But if the military doesn&#39;t have a full time paid position for me, I cannot be without something to fall back on.<br /><br />Thus, I will complete my master&#39;s in December 2016 and apply for a civilian job. When I&#39;m offered a military job, I can accept it with confidence that I still have a job when my orders end. The cycle will repeat itself to ensure I can serve and better the Guard, preserve an income to support my family, and die a happy man (like the song says).<br /><br />Decisions aren&#39;t always easy, but nonetheless, they are decisions without knowing the what-ifs.

2016-06-07T20:27:50-04:00 2016-06-07T20:27:50-04:00 MAJ Michael Pauling 1606864

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Get the degree then get pilot license with the money you can make from it. If military still there go reserves or guard. I know a lot of unemployed pilots from Army and the air force is short on pilot's. Want to take a guess why?

2016-06-07T20:28:31-04:00 2016-06-07T20:28:31-04:00 Sgt Private RallyPoint Member 1607460

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div><a class="dark-link bold-link" role="profile-hover" data-qtip-container="body" data-id="275573" data-source-page-controller="question_response_contents" href="/profiles/275573-139x-officer-in-training-for-duty-involving-flying-as-a-naval-aviator-pilot-nas-pensacola-cnrse">LTJG Private RallyPoint Member</a> Qeustions: Do you have a family to consider? You are 25, so why can't you finish the Master's Degree before you turn 27 by taking additional courses? I recommend that you do what it takes to finish your degree by age 27, and then take a shot at the OCS option. The decision is yours to make. Good luck!

2016-06-07T23:00:45-04:00 2016-06-07T23:00:45-04:00 CPO Andy Carrillo, MS 1607730

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Your academic path is assured given you have already been accepted and are currently enrolled; a military mos and an attendant career is anything but (as you have already discovered). A degree in the hand is worth more than recruiting promises as there are too many variables (the needs of the service and reductions in force) that could easily torpedo your dreams of becoming a military pilot. The Marines are grounding and cannabalizing aircraft to keep planes flying while their flight hours are being cut back, etc.

2016-06-08T00:47:00-04:00 2016-06-08T00:47:00-04:00 SPC Greg K. 1608093

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>FLY BABY FLY!!!! IF it's in your heart...!!! School will always be there. And at the very least you tried. Don't spend your life think about what could have been. Spending time thinking that your chance was looking at you in the face and you passed it up, it's your chance, GRAB IT!!!! And if you don't pass it, oh well your tried, suck it up for a few years in the Marines. You've now served your country and walked away with an adventure and a story of a life time to tell your kids and family about. Yes, you may have to "retake" some college classes, but if you have the GI Bill it will be covered. I graduated from Penn State, then enlisted in the infantry for 4 years, after that went to grad school with the GI Bill. What ever your decision, make a choice, stick with it, and don't look back...what happens will happen. "It always works out in the end...if it's not working out, it's not the end!!!" Good Luck!!!!!

2016-06-08T07:03:17-04:00 2016-06-08T07:03:17-04:00 CSM Darieus ZaGara 1608099

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>They are both lifes choices. One does not need to be distinct from the other. If you truly wish to go actve duty, do so and finish your degree while serving. Thousands do it every year.<br /><br />Good luck!

2016-06-08T07:09:35-04:00 2016-06-08T07:09:35-04:00 SSgt Private RallyPoint Member 1608478

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Hi, SPC Ladolcetta. This might hurt a bit, and I'm sorry.<br /><br />You have two options. Finish the Master's program that you're already in (the bird in the hand) or pursue a flight career (the one in the bush). It seems they are both time-sensitive, so it might be one or the other.<br /><br />No one can make that decision but you. If it were me, I would finish the Master's degree. I know you want to fly, but the degree is lower hanging fruit (can't believe I said that about a Master's degree), with huge dividends.<br /><br />Good luck!

2016-06-08T10:02:57-04:00 2016-06-08T10:02:57-04:00 SMSgt David Zobel 1609685

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>A chance to fly in the best military on planet earth only comes around once. I'm all for master's degrees in psychology, got one myself - after I retired from the Air Force. Get your flying in, young brother, your country is calling.

2016-06-08T15:02:26-04:00 2016-06-08T15:02:26-04:00 MAJ Private RallyPoint Member 1612805

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Get your masters degree, if sequestration continues then it will be a better career multiplier than going on active duty.

2016-06-09T12:28:45-04:00 2016-06-09T12:28:45-04:00 1LT Susan Bailey 1614307

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I think you have to decide what your longer term goals are. Are you pursuing the aviation angle because it's just something you've always wanted to do, or do you have some sort of plan for the use of those skills? What are your plans on the forensic degree? <br />You can always get a pilot's license on your own, you don't have to get it through the military. <br />Education for skills you're going to use long-term are ultimately more valuable than a designation as a pilot if that is not what you're wanting to do long-term. Don't miss an opportunity for a great education simply to check a box. If you are meant to be a pilot, the opportunity will come again.

2016-06-09T18:50:23-04:00 2016-06-09T18:50:23-04:00 PO2 Private RallyPoint Member 1616101

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>How was SIFT? Got any notes?

2016-06-10T11:15:05-04:00 2016-06-10T11:15:05-04:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 1628253

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Hey man, this is a serious pickle.... take a scale and weight it your options with pennies. It adds a good visualization! See destiny in the making

2016-06-14T13:14:08-04:00 2016-06-14T13:14:08-04:00 SGM Private RallyPoint Member 1632080

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Do both

2016-06-15T14:01:50-04:00 2016-06-15T14:01:50-04:00 SSG Richard Reilly 1635046

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Finish your masters.

2016-06-16T10:52:04-04:00 2016-06-16T10:52:04-04:00 SPC Rebecca M. 1640057

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You're the only one who can make that call. Look ahead long-term. You're making an investment either way, so ensure it will pay off for you in the long run. My Master's is in Counseling Psychology, which isn't exactly what I'm doing right now (vocational rehabilitation), but I had to do it in Counseling because Vocational Psychology at that time (and for the most part still is) housed as a sub-section of the Counseling specialization. The trade-off for me was sitting through boring classes that had no relevance in order to get to the ones that allowed me to customize my studies to get to where I wanted to be - and have been now for years, loving it. I had other options at the time. I tried to project my career goals and did that whole "Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years?" bit on myself and realized as tempting as some of those were, they'd take time of my life away from getting to where I wanted to be later on. So I made my choice that way. Not sure if that would work for you, but however you do it, you are investing in yourself. How will aviation become a transferable skill into forensic aviation? Could you accept a lesser program later on and perhaps use the aviation background to specialize in forensic psychology for the FAA investigating pilots? Or would that get boring fairly quickly for you? How would the pieces fit together to shape your life? Just some things to think about. I'm in the process of doing the same thing right now with respect to earning my doctorate. Good luck with whatever you decide!

2016-06-17T14:11:52-04:00 2016-06-17T14:11:52-04:00 PO1 Private RallyPoint Member 1640354

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>You got some thinking to do. <br /><br />With the degree, you may or may not be able to land a job/career in the civilian world. A lot of people are going back for masters/doctorates because they can't find any work (my friend is working on his masters due to the issue). <br /><br />If you go AD, you get a steady salary, (have a few ranks ahead of some; I would assume 2nd LT or CAPT if Army/Marine or LTJG or LT if Navy). <br /><br />You've done your research which says a lot about you; you need to see what will provide you with a better future for you and your family (if you plan to have one/already have one).

2016-06-17T15:43:57-04:00 2016-06-17T15:43:57-04:00 PO3 Steven Stinnett 1723178

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>FINISH Masters Degree, believe me it is worth every penny...

2016-07-16T16:57:25-04:00 2016-07-16T16:57:25-04:00 PO1 Private RallyPoint Member 1813137

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Do both. I finished my BA and MBA while on active duty. If I can do it, so can you. And the Navy paid for it.

2016-08-17T11:02:18-04:00 2016-08-17T11:02:18-04:00 PO1 Private RallyPoint Member 1813138

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Do both. I finished my BA and MBA while on active duty. If I can do it, so can you. And the Navy paid for it.

2016-08-17T11:02:19-04:00 2016-08-17T11:02:19-04:00 1SG Christian Chenard 2124410

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Why not to both? finish you Masters online, while on AD.

2016-12-01T14:09:56-05:00 2016-12-01T14:09:56-05:00 2016-06-07T19:08:55-04:00