• Please take a moment and update your account profile. If you have an updated account profile with basic information on why you are on Air Warriors it will help other people respond to your posts. How do you update your profile you ask?

    Go here:

    Edit Account Details and Profile

USN Prep for Interviews

FloatingBui

New Member
Greetings,

I am applying for the Information Professional (IP) option under the STA-21 program this year and am now trying to prepare for my six officer interviews. I have a general idea about what the community does, but I could use some help on getting an idea what to focus on for the officer interviews.

The following are questions that I have about the IP Officer community:

- What are the main differences between a Surface Platform IP Officer and a Shore Command IP Officer? What main role do they have in the mission/command and how do they each operate (shore/surface)?

- What is the main foundation of an IP Officer in relation to their mission? And what resources do they rely on to accomplish their missions?

- What are the main challenges that IP Officers face? Do the differ between deploying billets and shore billets? If so, how?

- What other Officer Communities do they work hand-in-hand or closely with?

- How do IP Officers operate in joint-service or inter-agency environments?


These are the only questions that I could come up with. If anyone has resources or have other points that they think I should focus on, whether related to the IP Officer community or just Officer Interviews/boards in general, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for your time!
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
Greetings,

I am applying for the Information Professional (IP) option under the STA-21 program this year and am now trying to prepare for my six officer interviews. I have a general idea about what the community does, but I could use some help on getting an idea what to focus on for the officer interviews.

The following are questions that I have about the IP Officer community:

- What are the main differences between a Surface Platform IP Officer and a Shore Command IP Officer? What main role do they have in the mission/command and how do they each operate (shore/surface)?

- What is the main foundation of an IP Officer in relation to their mission? And what resources do they rely on to accomplish their missions?

- What are the main challenges that IP Officers face? Do the differ between deploying billets and shore billets? If so, how?

- What other Officer Communities do they work hand-in-hand or closely with?

- How do IP Officers operate in joint-service or inter-agency environments?

These are the only questions that I could come up with. If anyone has resources or have other points that they think I should focus on, whether related to the IP Officer community or just Officer Interviews/boards in general, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for your time!

Have you seen the number of selections for IP for STA-21 the past many years?
 

FloatingBui

New Member
I'll be "that guy" who asks: "Why on earth do you want to be one of you have no idea what they do?"
I mean, I have a general idea about what they do. I'm at a command of 1800+ sailors, and there are only 4 IP Officers in the entire command working special missions, so getting a hold of one to shadow or observe is pretty difficult. Especially, when they are on the shore billet side of my command and I'm on the sea billet side of my command and deploying on submarines.

I've reached out to the IP officers at my command to get a better idea of the job, but since there are so few and with the mission they are working, I'm pretty sure they are super swamped, I was just hoping to get some info here too to supplement my lack of resources and cover all my bases.

Just trying to prepare as best I can before my interview with my CO, who is also a Commodore. >_<

If you have any resources, I'd greatly appreciate it! Any bit helps.
 

FloatingBui

New Member
Have you seen the number of selections for IP for STA-21 the past many years?
Yea, I know it's a long shot. Selections for STA-21 are already super competitive and with the past year having only one selection quota for IP, I know the odds are against me.

I would've chosen IW officer, which is more directly in my field, but those selection quotas for IW officers have been zero for the past 5 years. I figure I'd shoot my shot and have a sliver of chance than not try at all and have no chance.

The program also requires you have a second core option back-up to be included in the entire STA-21 application package in the case that I'm not selected for IP. So if I don't get IP, I can still participate in the program and fill an empty quota for one of the other options.
 
Yea, I know it's a long shot. Selections for STA-21 are already super competitive and with the past year having only one selection quota for IP, I know the odds are against me.

I would've chosen IW officer, which is more directly in my field, but those selection quotas for IW officers have been zero for the past 5 years. I figure I'd shoot my shot and have a sliver of chance than not try at all and have no chance.

The program also requires you have a second core option back-up to be included in the entire STA-21 application package in the case that I'm not selected for IP. So if I don't get IP, I can still participate in the program and fill an empty quota for one of the other options.


The quotas do suck for STA-21. It is sad that this is our main commissioning program for active enlisted undergrads, because since fy 2010 STA-21 has devolved into a Nuclear Officer Commissioning program. 35 out of 50 are Nuclear every year, and other desigs get the scraps. Oh, and Active Enlisted Sailors can't apply for NROTC, even though every other branch can.

I wanna share with you, and any other punished individual reading this that didn't make the cut, the best advice I got from an XO: work on your degree. Find a way to get classes in, because it is way more likely that you will get your bachelors and get accepted into OCS before you get accepted into STA-21. By all means keep shooting for it, because it shows drive, and you learn more about the O world through the package and appraisal process. However, if you really wanna go to college and get a commission in something that motivates you, there is already part of the equation you control.
 

rockthearts281

meh, worst case scenario, we die.
The quotas do suck for STA-21. It is sad that this is our main commissioning program for active enlisted undergrads, because since fy 2010 STA-21 has devolved into a Nuclear Officer Commissioning program. 35 out of 50 are Nuclear every year, and other desigs get the scraps. Oh, and Active Enlisted Sailors can't apply for NROTC, even though every other branch can.

I wanna share with you, and any other punished individual reading this that didn't make the cut, the best advice I got from an XO: work on your degree. Find a way to get classes in, because it is way more likely that you will get your bachelors and get accepted into OCS before you get accepted into STA-21. By all means keep shooting for it, because it shows drive, and you learn more about the O world through the package and appraisal process. However, if you really wanna go to college and get a commission in something that motivates you, there is already part of the equation you control.

This! This right here! Pretty much the path I took. Left active duty to work on my degree, going to OCS in 19'
 
Top