Law School or OCS?

[sharkbait1]

Hi all,

Thanks for reading. I'm in an interesting position..

I'm currently in law school with a semester left for graduation. I'm the Student Body President. I've been offered an OCS slot for Aviation but have to leave in a month due to age limits (getting close to 27).

Being a Naval Officer is a dream, and serving as an Aviator would be an amazing honor. However, I am not sure if it would be worth leaving my post early. I can graduate law school with some work through on-line classes. It is the backing out of my position commitment that I am most hesitant about.

Hard to answer, but any thoughts are much appreciated.

I was in a similar type of situation. Been working in an office setting for two years after finishing up school, and also work with attorneys on a daily basis. Of course it depends on what you see yourself doing, but here's my take..the working private sector is always going to be around. You have at least 40 more years to work 50+ hours a week. And being 26, healthy, and fit, this is your chance to do something more than sit at a desk, or read legal briefs in the company library at 8pm on a Wednesday night.

The civilian working world is important, and I'm not belittling anyone's position. But serving the country, especially in this capacity, is only for a select few. If you happen to qualify for it (and you're being given the chance), I think you'd be selling yourself short by not taking the opportunity. Yes, you might be forgoing some potential future income. And you'll need to consider how you want to raise your family (or if you already have/want one in the future).

Ultimately, this is your chance to serve, fly the best aircraft with best crews, and do what you won't be able to later. And if you decide after 10 years that you would rather return to civilian life, I doubt there will be many other guys looking for lawyer jobs who can list Naval Aviator on their resume.

PM me if you want to chat more

 

[CellShock]

I was in a similar type of situation. Been working in an office setting for two years after finishing up school, and also work with attorneys on a daily basis. Of course it depends on what you see yourself doing, but here's my take..the working private sector is always going to be around. You have at least 40 more years to work 50+ hours a week. And being 26, healthy, and fit, this is your chance to do something more than sit at a desk, or read legal briefs in the company library at 8pm on a Wednesday night.

The civilian working world is important, and I'm not belittling anyone's position. But serving the country, especially in this capacity, is only for a select few. If you happen to qualify for it (and you're being given the chance), I think you'd be selling yourself short by not taking the opportunity. Yes, you might be forgoing some potential future income. And you'll need to consider how you want to raise your family (or if you already have/want one in the future).

Ultimately, this is your chance to serve, fly the best aircraft with best crews, and do what you won't be able to later. And if you decide after 10 years that you would rather return to civilian life, I doubt there will be many other guys looking for lawyer jobs who can list Naval Aviator on their resume.

PM me if you want to chat more

Cogently stated sharkbait1, I really couldn't agree with you more. The time is now. Think about optimizing for personal growth....avoid "what if's...." - a sage once told me.

 

[Hozer]

I'm a retired NFO, have been working at a law firm for the last 4 years and am about halfway through law school right now at night.The only "bummer" is you likely have a fixed amount of time to complete your JD from the time your started school. In Florida, that is 6 years. Otherwise, you may have to go to law school all over again, and obviously you'd want to for Bar prep anyway. I don't know how much $ you have invested in school, and of course there are other factors.

Make your OCS date, get commissioned, then get stashed to finish your last semester so you can have your JD in hand.

 

[Hammer10k]

I'm a retired NFO, have been working at a law firm for the last 4 years and am about halfway through law school right now at night.The only "bummer" is you likely have a fixed amount of time to complete your JD from the time your started school. In Florida, that is 6 years. Otherwise, you may have to go to law school all over again, and obviously you'd want to for Bar prep anyway. I don't know how much $ you have invested in school, and of course there are other factors.

Make your OCS date, get commissioned, then get stashed to finish your last semester so you can have your JD in hand.

This would be an ideal scenario. Any idea how I can request to be "stashed" in my hometown after OCS so that I could knock out my final semester?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

This would be an ideal scenario. Any idea how I can request to be "stashed" in my hometown after OCS so that I could knock out my final semester?

I never saw anyone stashed that long, the norm on average was about a month,when they had a big backlog or delay for SNA training we had a guy for 2 months one time, he was actually stashed with us a few times in about 2 month blocks, once before starting SNA training, after initial training, and then before advanced.

 

[Hozer]

This would be an ideal scenario. Any idea how I can request to be "stashed" in my hometown after OCS so that I could knock out my final semester?

I think you have such a unique situation, the powers that be would at least hear you out.

Missing three months max, and trying to schmooze it with your school, shouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

If "No-cost TAD" is still around, I'd go that route. Find a ROTC unit or some military unit close to school you can "check-in" with for muster purposes.

I would talk to the Dean of your school and I would be surprised if they didn't work with you, too. This is good PR for them too, at a time when law schools are getting summarily ripped in the press.