Go enlisted or officer?

Question

So I have an AA degree now, and I want to become an officer in the navy. (keeping in mind my husband is in the Navy enlisted...so I know what enlisted life is like,lol) But I want to join and get my BA and THEN apply...is it harder to become an officer while being enlisted, or should I just wait and finish my BA and then go in? Thanks!

Answer 1

Manda,

I would go option #3 - which is joining ROTC in college.

OCS can be difficult to get in to. They look for specialized skills. In ROTC you are guaranteed a commission upon graduation.

Now here's the catch. The Navy seriously frowns on officer/enlisted marriages. I personally know of two families where the enlisted person was offered the option of getting out, or the commission was withheld. It violates the fraternization policy. You may need to look at Army or AF (not Marines since they are part of the Navy).

"Ranger"

Answer 2

I went in as Enlisted, go Officer.  

Intelligence Specialist, US Navy.  

Answer 3

Finish your degree then go in. You can do it as an enlisted but it takes longer and officer programs are very competitive.

If you are on a deployment you will likely have to put school aside until you return.

If you are on a ship, you will work long hours and have several deployments. If you are with something like Sea Bees or Marines (Navy gets stationed with them) your hours will be long. Often 6 days a week.

I am not telling you not to go. I was enlisted for 14 years. I never went officer and I finally finished my degree when I got out.

If you can wait a year or two to finish school...do that. It is a lot harder while you are in.

Answer 4

It's so much harder to earn a degree while enlisted.

Because of field exercises, it's tough to finish a class.

You have to get approval to go to school. It's just a pain!

Finish up your degree while YOU are in charge of it.

It difficult to be at the whim of a commanding officer.

Some soldiers I knew took five or more years to finally finish their degrees while enlisted.

I myself had to drop my classes because of training. I just got so far behind, that it just didn't make sense to continue. Besides, my commander was reluctant to let me enroll in any more because the military ALWAYS takes precedence over education.

That's not what they say on TV, huh?

I resorted to taking hours and hours of correspondence classes just because I love to learn!

Unfortunately, these hours are not applied for ACE college credits.

Good luck to you! Get that degree!

*Only certain critical MOSs get tuition reimbursement, so if you don't get one, forget about the free ride. (If you join first.)

Answer 5

Officer ....most definitely.  

USAF Veteran

Answer 6

I would go in as a Officer. You get better benefits than you would If you were to go in as enlisted. Plus, you will be a higher rank lol

It's your choice though! But whatever you do I wish you the best of luck! I myself plan on enlisting into the Marines soon!

Answer 7

I would get the degree first if you can and then go it, I think it is easier that way.  Good luck!

Answer 8

One thing to consider.  If your set on a military career then you might consider joining as enlisted and having the military cover the rest of your college. It would save you some money and you would become an officer just about as soon as you would by going to school and then the military.

The downside is you won't have a choice after college since you will be obligated for military service.  Second downside is that you would have to qualify within the service for the college and it might be more of a challenge to get your degree in their time frame.  

Answer 9

Officers are looked up to.

Enlisted, is looked down to.

(fact of life)