<p>Hi there, I'm a junior thinking about ROTC scholarships. I have the creds to possibly get it (3.5 GPA, 36 ACT, loads of honors/AP/pre-IB courses), but my parents are both against it. My mother is opposed for personal reasons (she's Russian, and well, that would always be a problem if war broke out). My father, however, is opposed to it (as well as CIA/NSA offers, which I'd also make) because he is concerned that military service may change how marketable I am to civilian firms if I decide not to continue my career in the Armed Forces (if it helps, I'm considering engineering, probably electrical or mechanical). If there are any former ROTC recipients out there, how did military service affect your civilian career?</p>
<p>I think especially in branches like the Air Force and Navy, if you pursue an Engineering degree while on scholarship you’ll be placed in an Engineering job in the service unless you request otherwise. </p>
<p>So that means you get college paid for, then guaranteed an engineering job for 5 years after graduation where you can build your resume and show you have leadership experience. Then if you wanna get out, it’s not like you’ve been driving tanks for 5 years, you’ve been doing an actual engineering job and employers notice that. I think you’d be competitive for the scholarship as well, I just received a 4-year Army scholarship with slightly worse stats than you.</p>
<p>Ultimately, you are at the “needs of the service.” If they need contracting officers, you might get that. If they need police officers, you might get that. Now, generally speaking, if you do well (GPA, commander’s rankings, PT scores, etc), you will be able to get one of your top choices. If you are toward the bottom of your peer group, you’ll get whatever is left.</p>
<p>How will your military service affect your civilian career? It’s hard to say. As an officer, you are likely to gain a lot of leadership and management experience, very quickly. Assuming you get some sort of engineering career field, you may or may not have much practical experience, as the amount of “hands-on” work depends on the specifics of programs. A fair number of military engineers wind up being project managers rather than subsystem designers.</p>
<p><strong><em>IMPORTANT</em></strong>
Only join the military if you want to be in the military. Lots of people have lots of different reasons for joining, but you should actually want to be there! People who join the military for reasons other than wanting to be in that job are often miserable and cynical. You don’t need that, and the military doesn’t need that!
<strong><em>IMPORTANT</em></strong></p>