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Enlisting first, then working on degree to get to flight school

Ken_gone_flying

"I live vicariously through myself."
pilot
Contributor
There's always the Reserves if you want to enlist and do college at the same time. Four years as a reservist and then OCS wouldn't be too bad.


Keep in mind that reservists do not get the same college benefits as active duty. At least as of a couple of years ago when my brother was using reserve TA. It was considerably less.
 

Mmlz

New Member
Thanks for all the replies everyone. Don't know what I was thinking. I didn't mean to insult anyone either.

I've been re-reading over everyone's replies and am now reconsidering NROTC. It seems like the best option but I'm still looking at everything.

Again, thanks for clearing this all up for me and sorry if I insulted/pissed anyone off.
 

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
You're not the first person to ask, and not the first to do the "I want to make things harder and feel like I earned it" thing, either. The responses you all got are the same, though: the worst way to become an officer is to enlist first. Once you enlist, your ass belongs to the Navy, and the Navy cares not for your dreams and desires and schedules.

If you have the means to become an officer without enlisting - do it.
 

rondebmar

Ron "Banty" Marron
pilot
Contributor
You're not the first person to ask, and not the first to do the "I want to make things harder and feel like I earned it" thing, either. The responses you all got are the same, though: the worst way to become an officer is to enlist first. Once you enlist, your ass belongs to the Navy, and the Navy cares not for your dreams and desires and schedules.

If you have the means to become an officer without enlisting - do it.

Possibly quite true today...but "back in the day", USN bent over backwards to make the "NavCad" program available to me.

Suggested some appropriate USAFI correspondence courses for me to complete; flew me from Rota to Port Lyautey, Morocco on RON's once or twice for physicals and other tests; allowed me to retake all my "basic battery" (enlisted) tests; aided in some other ways as well. And it all worked out well...for both me and USN. To this day, I enjoyed being a "Bluejacket"...and I believe my experience as such aided me greatly during my commissioned career. (Didn't meet many other fighter/attack pilots wearing Good Conduct medal back then.) ;)

And, of course, until I finally separated ten years after joining up...and even as a mid-grade, experienced, combat qualified A7 IP (1310)...Navy still owned my ass...and never let me forget it!! (LOL!!)
 

jl08

Member
pilot
Thanks for all the replies everyone. Don't know what I was thinking. I didn't mean to insult anyone either.

I've been re-reading over everyone's replies and am now reconsidering NROTC. It seems like the best option but I'm still looking at everything.

Again, thanks for clearing this all up for me and sorry if I insulted/pissed anyone off.

I would also stay away from enlisted recruiters when exploring your options, they will tell you anything to get you to enlist. Again, I know this is repetitive but trust me the enlisted route is not the best way to go if your goal is to become an officer. I am very proud of my time as an enlisted Sailor (you can tell by my avatar) but had I gone straight to college instead of enlisting at 18 I would more than likely be in a fleet squadron right now. Instead I am a junior in college just now getting accepted into a program. Take the path of least resistance! Good Luck!
 

Ken_gone_flying

"I live vicariously through myself."
pilot
Contributor
I would also stay away from enlisted recruiters when exploring your options, they will tell you anything to get you to enlist. Again, I know this is repetitive but trust me the enlisted route is not the best way to go if your goal is to become an officer. I am very proud of my time as an enlisted Sailor (you can tell by my avatar) but had I gone straight to college instead of enlisting at 18 I would more than likely be in a fleet squadron right now. Instead I am a junior in college just now getting accepted into a program. Take the path of least resistance! Good Luck!


Agreed. Asking an enlisted recruiter what the best way to become an officer is, is like putting the rat in charge of the cheese.
 

Mmlz

New Member
Recruitment problem

This may be the wrong forum. If so, sorry.

When school starts back I'll be a senior in High School. I've been trying to get in contact with an Enlisted Navy recruiter and get into the DEP but I've had 0% success. I first started on Navy.com. I looked up the number and the closest recruiter in the mountains of North Carolina was about an hour a way. I figured I'd give him a call before I drove there. I called the number and no answer and no answering machine. I live right on the border of NC and GA so I figured I give the closest GA recruiter a call. He told me he couldn't help me and gave me the same number I got off the site to the NC Recruiter. Well I looked on the yellowbook pages and it gave a different number for the NC recruiter. I tried calling that number and it turns out that the recruitment office is no longer there but the Navy.com site just lists that recruiter. So now I'm at a standstill. I don't know what to do next.

Also, before I contacted the GA Navy Recruiter, I requested more information from the Navy.com site and it told me a nearby Navy Recruiter would contact me very soon but I've not had any phone calls yet.

Does anyone have any idea what I should do next.
 
What are your intentions? You've given the forum no information to help you with. Do you want to take an enlisted job or pursue an officer position?

Either way, find the number for the nearest recruiter where you live and just keep trying. Determination is pretty key.

You'll talk to someone eventually. If you still don't have any luck there should be others in your state. If you explain to them you can't get ahold of anyone, I'm sure they would take a few minutes to answer your questions.

Hope it works out.

Oh.. And they are busy people. It may take a couple months after you request info. before they contact you.
 

Mmlz

New Member
Enlisted. I'll just call one about 2 hours away and I'll explain everything that has happened.

Edit: Thanks for moving this thread. Sorry about that.
 

Ducky

Formerly SNA2007
pilot
Contributor
Enlisted. I'll just call one about 2 hours away and I'll explain everything that has happened.

Edit: Thanks for moving this thread. Sorry about that.

There is nothing wrong with being enlisted if thats what you want to be. We definitely need them for the fight.

If your goal is to eventually be an officer you are forcing unecessary roadblocks that will make it take much longer to get to the O side or it may never happen at all with needs of the Navy.

If you decide you do want to pursue the O route I will be more than willing to share whatever knowledge I may have about NROTC applications and my experiences. Feel free to PM me. Looking back on NROTC is was an ass pain at times but such a drug deal to be able to go to Tulane at no cost to me($200+K)
 

usmarinemike

Solidly part of the 42%.
pilot
Contributor
The recruiter man will cometh...I guaran-freakin-tee it. That info you put in on the site will pop out at the recruiting station and get sent to the nearest recruiting substation.

If you have such a hard on to talk to the enlisted recruiter even after everyone on the entire internet told you not to, then just wait for school to start. He'll be there.

My take on this whole gotta enlist first business you got going on, good initiative, bad judgment. That is if you expressly enlist just to have some skill set that you think you will pick up there. There is a lot of pride in being enlisted, but enlisted commissioning programs were not designed to do what you're wanting to do with them, and active duty secondary education is very, very secondary to what the officers in charge of you are going to want from you.
 

Ken_gone_flying

"I live vicariously through myself."
pilot
Contributor
My last word on this: If you A.) didn't get scholarship type grades in high school or B.) Can't afford college out of high school, enlisting is a great choice for free schooling and an opportunity to learn a lot about the field you eventually hope to join as an officer.

However, if you have the means to go to college first, please take my advice. GO TO COLLEGE FIRST. Enlisting would just be an extra, very unnecessary, and time consuming step in between.
 

jtmedli

Well-Known Member
pilot
Well I was planning on doing NROTC in College but I've thought about it and I don't think it is the right thing for me. So I've decided to Enlist right out of High School but I still want to be a Pilot in the Navy so I have some questions about Officer Candidate School.

I read about OCS on Navy.com and it said I need a Bachelors degree to attend. If I enlist will I be able to get my Bachelors degree in 4 years while active duty and will I be able to get the Navy to pay for my college?

Any replies are appreciated. :)

Dude, quit dicking around with enlisting...If you want to be a pilot then get your butt in shape, make good grades in college, and be the F-ing man in NROTC. College is a Fu$%ing blast and despite all the bull$hit I put up with to get my engineering degree it was worth every second.

Short answer to a long question: You will not be able to get your bachelors while enlisted. Like Ken said, some people can and others can't. But, like I said, quit dicking around and just go get that degree.

Not to mention all the hotties you'll meet...that never hurts the college experience!!!
 
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