<p>I'm curious about options in the military after one graduates from a non-military college. Does anyone here have any experience with this? Some of my questions are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Is it easy or common to enter the military with a bachelor's degree?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the career path for someone who does this very different from the career path of someone from a service academy?</p></li>
<li><p>Is ROTC required, or recommended, or unnecessary?</p></li>
<li><p>Is there a particular major that would lend itself to such a career path? (I'm guessing engineering, but I'm sure there are others.)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>All branches of the US armed services are in need of strong leaders, especially officers. Officers typically start out with a bachelor’s degree. If one has a strong interest in a particular field within the military, they are more likely to be get that assignment/MOS (military operation speciality) if they go in as a member of the enlisted services. Ex: a young man I know has interest in the FBI and he went into the Army after receiving his degree because they guaranteed him a certain MOS that would be an asset to his future in the FBI. He would have made more money, had more prestige, etc. as an officer, but starting as a private better served his personal goals. The academies offer outstanding leadership and academic opportunities but I suspect most with military backgrounds would tell you that each member starts out as a Lieutenant with a clean slate regardless of college background and would be expected to prove him/herself, earning each promotion based on personal competencies rather than where they went to school. ROTC also offers great opportunities for scholarship money as well as training, but no real advantage simply because they completed the training. I was recently involved in a conversation that strongly recommended the military as a source of much-needed experience in the tight job market faced by today’s graduates. Clearly doesn’t come without some risk, but does offer opportunity. As to college major, even a liberal arts background serves the military well. I believe you’d find that many of the highest ranking officers have background in English, history and the social sciences. They want you to be able to think on your feet and exhibit leadership skills.</p>
<p>I think from previous posts you’re still in the “looking at colleges” stage, right? If so, why not a college with a strong military tie, like the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M? You can be in the Corps without any kind of military commitment, but it might give you an idea of whether it’s something your ds or dd really wants to pursue.</p>
<p>Yes, still looking. But this is just a subject I’m curious about. I don’t think my son is seriously thinking about a career in the military. Still, all options are on the table at this point.</p>
<p>Masslou has hit it all correctly. To summarize:
the military always needs leaders.<br>
No difference in career paths between academy/ROTC/OTS (Officer Training School)
ROTC is primarily used to see if you want to have a career in the military, but is not necessary.
Any major works. Right now in the Air Force there are shortages of contracting officers and financial managers. A friend of mine (graduate of a Cal State school) was an Art History major.</p>
<p>Suppose a student gets a degree in physics and completes four years of Army ROTC training while attending college, where does that put him when he applies for a career in the military? Would he need to go through basic training or could he get an assignment in his field of interest? How does it work?</p>
<p>Chinablue and OP-- take my words with a grain of salt, since I’m still pretty new to this –</p>
<p>FYI - You can do two or four years of ROTC. Our son decided he wanted to join last year as a sophomore. He sat in on classes and did PT with them throughout the year, and will make it official as soon as he finishes LTC at Ft. Knox this summer. His school does not offer ROTC, so he’s in the program at a neighboring college. </p>
<p>The summer after junior year, ALL cadets attend LDAC at Fort Lewis (WA). Based on their performance there, as well as GPA (and perhaps other factors ?), they will get their branch assignment. I have no idea what percentage of cadets get the branch they want, though it sounds like most get their first or second choice. There is also the branch detail program, [The</a> Army Branch Detail Program](<a href=“http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/MayJun01/MS651.htm]The”>http://www.almc.army.mil/alog/issues/MayJun01/MS651.htm), which I admit I don’t fully understand…</p>
<p>My son weighed ROTC vs. enlisting after college. For him, ROTC made the most sense. We asked MANY questions of him this past year, and made sure he was well-informed before taking the plunge. I don’t know how much their major plays in branch assignment.</p>
<p>Is it common to enter the military with a bachelor’s degree? OF course, all officers are required to have a bachelor’s degree at the least, and even some enlisted members have bachelor’s degrees. It is generally better to join as an officer if you have a BA/BS than to enlist, though – you get paid more, and the benefits are sometimes higher.</p>
<p>Career paths different? No. Service academy graduates do get commissioned one rate higher than ROTC and OTS grads – so in the Army and Air Force, they come out as 1st Lieutenants instead of 2nd Lieutenants. But as far as training and jobs, the paths are virtually the same.</p>
<p>ROTC is not any of those things. You have to be trained in one of three ways to be an officer:</p>
<p>1) Service academy
2) ROTC
3) Officer Training School, which is about 3 months and is sort of like boot camp for officers</p>
<p>If you already know you want to be an officer when you are in college, it may be beneficial for you to do ROTC – because it leads to a commission when you graduate, and you can get scholarships and all cadets get a monthly stipend and can take the classes for free.</p>
<p>You can major in anything, but your major can determine the kind of job you can do. You can’t be a nurse without a nursing degree, but you can work in public affairs with just about any degree.</p>
<p>Chinablue, if you go through four years of Army ROTC in college, you don’t need to go through BMT or OTS, since your training would already be completed by doing ROTC. You can take up to two years of ROTC without a commitment to the military, but if you want to join the last 2-years (in your junior year), then you do incur a commitment.</p>
<p>I wanted to add a caveat about the Navy, if you are considering it: ROTC and Academy graduates are generally required to become Unrestricted Line Officers, while Navy OCS graduates can choose to become Restricted, Unrestricted Line or Staff Officers. Unrestricted Line Officers are Surface, Submarine, Aviation, Special Operations, or Special Warfare (SEAL) Officers. The restricted line includes other officers, such as Naval Intelligence and Information Warfare officers; Staff officers serve supporting roles such as JAG officers, Navy Nurse Corps officers and medical officers.</p>
<p>When I was in college, I wanted to pursue intelligence or cryptology, so I opted to wait until after graduation to go to OCS. However, I had lots of friends in ROTC and they seemed to really like it. </p>
<p>The Navy was the most wonderful experience of my life and I miss it every day. It definitely shaped who I am today.</p>
<p>I wish you the best of luck with this decision and please ask any other questions you can think of.</p>
<p>It is very early in the process for my Son, but he is talking about eventually working in military intelligence (Army). Are certain degrees more desirable if that is your career path? My son loves physics and languages (Spanish, French and just starting Chinese).</p>
<p>chinablue-- will let you know in a year or so! S1’s first choice is probably going to be intelligence. He is majoring in IR and Arabic. We know of other grads with similar interests who work for the State Department, CIA, Dept of Defense and the NSA, all without joining the military (though am guessing it definitely helps).</p>
<p>For the Army - ALL West Point grads commission Active Duty for 5 years plus 3 years Reserves or IRR.
Army ROTC grads will commission either Active Duty, Reserve or Nat’l Guard and it is competitive. Not all ROTC grads who want AD get it.</p>
<p>Many college grads enlist. This is extremely common and they do so for many reasons including career opportunities. Some also do it for the GI bill for grad school.</p>
degree doesn’t matter at all for the Army. GPA matters. GPA is a big factor when it comes to choosing branch.
Cadets who Commission through ROTC don’t go to basic training. They get military training in the summers and during the year, however.</p>
<p>
only for the Navy. They want them as line officers, serving on ships, subs or aviation.</p>
<p>I am also thinking of going to the military after college. I want to travel and be independen. My major is BA in Econ, minor in statistics and computer science. I don’t really know anything about the military at all, and I am worried because I am not physically active, I do not think I will survive boot camp and I am very slow. Should I forget about it?</p>
<p>If you truly want to join the military, you can train hard and imrove your physical fitness level. If you are not naturally athletic, it will take hard work and determination on your part but it can be done. </p>
<p>My S was a PT officer for his NROTC unit this past year.<br>
He was assigned to train all the midshipman who could not pass the fitness test.<br>
They had an extra day of PT each week. He worked them hard and was really proud at the end of the semester when every one of them passed the test. It can be done.</p>
<p>PackMom, I hope this is not a stupid question, but is there a job in the military, navy or whatever, that does not require someone to be physically fit?</p>
<p>Nutridame, everybody must pass fitness tests on a regular basis, pursuant to the fact that all members are potential combatants. They give you time to lose the weight, get back into shape, etc. You’ll retake the test but you must be able to pass it eventually in order to stay in…</p>
Service Academy grads are commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants (Ensigns by Navy terms), just like ROTC or OTS/OCS.</p>
<p>Officer vs. enlisted really depends on what job you want. Some career fields are only officer or only enlisted. Most enlisted jobs are more technical/operational whereas most officer jobs are more management based.</p>