Benefits of a Masters Degree?

[Sonog]

I began my Masters degree while applying to OCS. I had the mindset that selection, no matter how competitive I made my package, was out of my control and by no stretch a guarantee. Therefore, I was doing everything in my life to prepare for a career in the civilian world. Then, if I were selected while still in my Masters program, I would evaluate my priorities and make a final career decision. Ultimately, I was selected and received an OCS date that would cut my degree short 2/3 the way through. My number one priority is now to become an officer, and if I have the opportunity to finish my degree (4 more classes) online in the near future, I will probably try to get that done and maybe have the Navy help me pay for the final credits.

I also believe that doing everything that you can to better yourself and further yourself in the civilian world (advanced degrees, job opportunities, professional relationships) can only help to further improve your OCS application.

 

[Jim123]

FWIW, I got through flight school and out to my fleet squadron fairly quickly, and I rolled to shore duty about 5 1/2 years after I shipped out to OCS. What is significant about that is that realistically, the earliest in your career that you'll be able to dedicate proper effort to graduate studies will be when you roll from sea duty to shore duty. Some exceptions apply and you may get short windows of opportunity now and then, but this is generally a good rule of thumb.

That said, compare that ballpark figure of ~6 years of putting your degree on hold to your university's policy on how much time students have to complete a graduate degree, and their policy on academic extensions. You could pull it off, but the timing will be tight.

If your school's extension policy is generous and you ship off to OCS with an incomplete online course dangling, then you could nickel-and-dime the remainder of the course while you're waiting in the sometimes unpredictable student pools throughout flight school. I'd be very careful with the balancing act of online graduate credits and flight school though. I've done both, just not at the same time (and I wouldn't suggest trying both at the same time).

YMMV...

 

[Spekkio]

To the thread title, the benefits of a Master's Degree as an URL officer is a check-in-the box that can increase your competitiveness for O-4 and above given everything else is equal. Not exactly required, but many have one.

However, there seem to be a lot of posts that say "go into the Navy now, get your Master's later." Well, there's a little more details to that advice than that:

1-If you go into the Navy, it is likely that you will have the opportunity to earn your Master's on your first shore tour. However, where you get that Master's is going to be determined by the needs of the Navy. You are not guaranteed an NROTC instructor job at the college of your choice so you can get a degree. And you may even be assigned to a job that actually requires long hours such as a staff job working 100 hours writing emails and power points for a workaholic O-6 trying to make flag... not much time for a degree there, especially if you are married or have children.

2-Most of the Master's programs inside the Navy are good for fullfilling their purpose for your career in the Navy -- a check in the box for promotion -- but may not be so good for fulfilling any alternate career paths you want to pursue or at least keep optional. Besides, a large portion of the worth of your graduate degree is networking with prospective employers, something you may not be able to do because of point 1 above.

3-The GI bill can take a good chunk out of grad school costs, but it most likely won't pay the entire bill.

So given all this, if you can swing it, are looking at a good school, and are doing this for your employability as a whole, going for your Master's now will probably be the best choice. It simply leaves the most options open to you for employment both in and out of the Navy. It's also the only way you can guarantee attending a school tha you want in an area where you want to attend it. After you graduate, you'll be 25 and you'll have 2 years to apply for a commission. That gives you plenty of time to apply, especially if you start your first application in your last few months of school.

Of course, if none of the above is a priority to you, then go for OCS and attempt to get a Master's in your first shore duty.

 

[KODAK]

This may be obvious to some, but is turning down a Pro Rec the same or worse than turning down a Final Select?

To make a short story long, as a 21 year old mechanical engineering student I applied to two local graduate schools along with Navy OCS this past spring semester and I am fortunate to have been offered an SNA Pro-Rec along with fully funded TA/ GA positions at both schools. Thanks to my recruiter I was able to start the MEPS physical process early at the beginning of April, and with the exception of getting "cheater" glasses to correct my distance vision from 20/25 to 20/20 so I can take the MEPS depth perception test, I anticipate being physically qualified.

I bring up the difference between Pro Rec and Final Select because if I do not get glasses and complete the physical by the end of May I obviously won't earn a Final Select letter. I certainly don't want to burn my bridges in the future with the Navy by going this route, so this is why I am looking for advice...

It goes without saying that my #1 priority is to earn a slot as a Naval Aviator to fly for and serve my country, but I have the opportunity to earn an advanced engineering degree in Aviation Systems (i.e. aviation flight test) from a local school which has served as the last stop for dozens of Navy/ Army aviators (plus many current and future astronauts) before they go to Pax River and become test pilots.

I feel that this degree will better prepare me for a career in Naval Aviation versus picking a boilerplate degree later on which will just serve to "check a box", but the decision is still incredibly tough: either accept the SNA slot now and prepare for Newport this summer, or decline it and do two years of grad school (plus PRK for the full 20/20) and reapply for SNA within six months of graduation.

I really appreciate any and all advice that folks can offer, and thanks in advance.

 

[Spekkio]

It goes without saying that my #1 priority is to earn a slot as a Naval Aviator to fly for and serve my country, but I have the opportunity to earn an advanced engineering degree in Aviation Systems (i.e. aviation flight test) from a local school which has served as the last stop for dozens of Navy/ Army aviators (plus many current and future astronauts) before they go to Pax River and become test pilots.

Unfortunately, I can't answer your direct question re: will withdrawing your application affect your ability to commission in the future.

However, the other bridge you have to worry about burning is with your education and civilian employability. Even if the Navy is your #1 priority, you have to consider that there's always a chance that you get medically DQ'ed, have a change of heart, wash out, etc. There is also going to be a time, whether it be in 10 years or longer, that you will resign your commission and look for employment outside of the Navy. A free ride to a graduate school is nothing to dismiss because you want to prove your loyalty to the Navy. You'd be reapplying for a commission at 24 years old -- plenty of time to apply multiple times. While that might be your #1 priority for employment, you have two schools offering to pay you money for a Master's, and you'll still be eligible for the Navy on the back-end...seems like an obvious choice.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

This may be obvious to some, but is turning down a Pro Rec the same or worse than turning down a Final Select?

To make a short story long, as a 21 year old mechanical engineering student I applied to two local graduate schools along with Navy OCS this past spring semester and I am fortunate to have been offered an SNA Pro-Rec along with fully funded TA/ GA positions at both schools. Thanks to my recruiter I was able to start the MEPS physical process early at the beginning of April, and with the exception of getting "cheater" glasses to correct my distance vision from 20/25 to 20/20 so I can take the MEPS depth perception test, I anticipate being physically qualified.

I bring up the difference between Pro Rec and Final Select because if I do not get glasses and complete the physical by the end of May I obviously won't earn a Final Select letter. I certainly don't want to burn my bridges in the future with the Navy by going this route, so this is why I am looking for advice...

It goes without saying that my #1 priority is to earn a slot as a Naval Aviator to fly for and serve my country, but I have the opportunity to earn an advanced engineering degree in Aviation Systems (i.e. aviation flight test) from a local school which has served as the last stop for dozens of Navy/ Army aviators (plus many current and future astronauts) before they go to Pax River and become test pilots.

I feel that this degree will better prepare me for a career in Naval Aviation versus picking a boilerplate degree later on which will just serve to "check a box", but the decision is still incredibly tough: either accept the SNA slot now and prepare for Newport this summer, or decline it and do two years of grad school (plus PRK for the full 20/20) and reapply for SNA within six months of graduation.

I really appreciate any and all advice that folks can offer, and thanks in advance.

There are many things that could happen that could affect you being a Pilot that is the risk everyone takes that accepts a SNA position.

I have seen a few people decline pro rec's, never seen a final select decline, those that have come back later are still trying to get in, one was able to get back in after 2 years of trying.

I have heard a term used by the people at NRC that decline a pro rec then come back, they call them "quitters" so take that into account.

 

[Spekkio]

I have seen a few people decline pro rec's, never seen a final select decline, those that have come back later are still trying to get in, one was able to get back in after 2 years of trying.

I have heard a term used by the people at NRC that decline a pro rec then come back, they call them "quitters" so take that into account.

So are you actually referring to an official Navy policy, or are you just quoting a couple of personal examples and using in-office colloquolism to imply Kodak would be a quitter for pursuing a free Master's?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

So are you actually referring to an official Navy policy, or are you just quoting a couple of personal examples and using in-office colloquolism to imply Kodak would be a quitter for pursuing a free Master's?

It is just a term that floats around back east, but when one declines, they rarely get a spot back, especially when we can pick and choose

 

[KODAK]

I have heard a term used by the people at NRC that decline a pro rec then come back, they call them "quitters" so take that into account.

And that was my exact concern... I truly get it that "the needs of the Navy" (always) come first, and all the reading I have done/ people I have spoken with say that once you turn down an SNA Pro Rec it is 'near impossible' to get it back.

Assuming that I do take the grad school opportunity I will graduate at age 23 which gives me several years to reapply and complete OCS before turning 27 and hitting the age limit. Given the circumstances, if I go down that road I can only hope that an additional engineering degree will help boost my chances and make me competitive with other candidates.

Not to thread jack, but how does NRC know that you have declined a slot in the past? I am certain that it would appear it whatever online/ paper files that I have started at my local recruiting district, but unless I highlight myself in the subsequent applications does this immediately come to light to the board via some other means?

And thank you again to Spekkio and NavyOffRec for the advice - I really appreciate the opportunity to bounce my questions off folks who have been there and done that...

 

[exNavyOffRec]

And that was my exact concern... I truly get it that "the needs of the Navy" (always) come first, and all the reading I have done/ people I have spoken with say that once you turn down an SNA Pro Rec it is 'near impossible' to get it back.

Assuming that I do take the grad school opportunity I will graduate at age 23 which gives me several years to reapply and complete OCS before turning 27 and hitting the age limit. Given the circumstances, if I go down that road I can only hope that an additional engineering degree will help boost my chances and make me competitive with other candidates.

Not to thread jack, but how does NRC know that you have declined a slot in the past? I am certain that it would appear it whatever online/ paper files that I have started at my local recruiting district, but unless I highlight myself in the subsequent applications does this immediately come to light to the board via some other means?

And thank you again to Spekkio and NavyOffRec for the advice - I really appreciate the opportunity to bounce my questions off folks who have been there and done that...

They know because once you are put in the computer system to go to board you stay in the system, those that decline are archieved, but then you can bring them back.

You are also supposed to disclose whether or not you have applied, if you put no when you have there is a little term for that "fraudulent enlistment" there is a former Ensign that is currently in the brig at Miramar serving some time for falsifing some info.

 

[helolumpy]

... to imply Kodak would be a quitter for pursuing a free Master's?

I think he/she'd be a quitter because he/she applied for a spot, got offered a spot and turned it down.
Regardless of the reason he/she turn down the opportunity, the Navy offered a spot and the individual basically said, "I have better things to do right now".
Once you get into the Navy it's the same way. The Navy will offer an opportunity. If you decline, it will be noted and may not be offered again.

 

[PapaK]

This may be obvious to some, but is turning down a Pro Rec the same or worse than turning down a Final Select?

To make a short story long, as a 21 year old mechanical engineering student I applied to two local graduate schools along with Navy OCS this past spring semester and I am fortunate to have been offered an SNA Pro-Rec along with fully funded TA/ GA positions at both schools. Thanks to my recruiter I was able to start the MEPS physical process early at the beginning of April, and with the exception of getting "cheater" glasses to correct my distance vision from 20/25 to 20/20 so I can take the MEPS depth perception test, I anticipate being physically qualified.

I bring up the difference between Pro Rec and Final Select because if I do not get glasses and complete the physical by the end of May I obviously won't earn a Final Select letter. I certainly don't want to burn my bridges in the future with the Navy by going this route, so this is why I am looking for advice...

It goes without saying that my #1 priority is to earn a slot as a Naval Aviator to fly for and serve my country, but I have the opportunity to earn an advanced engineering degree in Aviation Systems (i.e. aviation flight test) from a local school which has served as the last stop for dozens of Navy/ Army aviators (plus many current and future astronauts) before they go to Pax River and become test pilots.

I feel that this degree will better prepare me for a career in Naval Aviation versus picking a boilerplate degree later on which will just serve to "check a box", but the decision is still incredibly tough: either accept the SNA slot now and prepare for Newport this summer, or decline it and do two years of grad school (plus PRK for the full 20/20) and reapply for SNA within six months of graduation.

I really appreciate any and all advice that folks can offer, and thanks in advance.

KODAK, having acquired two Masters (MA/MBA) I can assure you that those same schools will be there and begging you to accept the GA/TA position whenever you complete your "tenure" with the Navy. Graduate schools are always happy to accept a formter or current military officer. Not only that, schools, unlike the Navy, will be more forgiving of your declination of the GA/TA offer than the Navy would about the SNA.

TAKE THE NAVY'S OFFER. Another major point to realize is that the Navy also offers amazing opportunity for eduational advancement (including in the Ivy Leagues).

GO NAVY! You won't regret it.

 

[phrogdriver]

I'll defer to others about how the boards view "quitting," though as one who's been around a bit, I'd say that declining an actual OCS slot may indeed be the kiss of death, but stopping during the application process before that probably isn't, especially if one comes back later having done something worthwhile.

I think some are overselling the "get the degree later" bit. Yes, you'll probably get a chance to get a "check in the box degree" in the service, whether that is via a part-time program, or via a service school. The prestigious fellowships to high-end civilian schools are very limited, though. That isn't to say impossible, or even that difficult to get, but they aren't something to count on. I think of them as being about the same as a Test Pilot School slot--a great thing to shoot for, but don't join thinking they're a sure thing.

As far as school after the service, getting in may not be difficult, but whether you'll be able to is another. A lot of people get baggage during their time in--e.g. a family, a house, a certain standard of living they grow accustomed to, whatever. Going back to being a starving grad student may not be on the agenda. That's a personal choice issue, but something to think about.

This, in the end is a matter of priorities. Whichever thing you do first decreases the likelihood of doing the other by some amount. If you do the service first, the chance of getting the grad degree goes down to say 70%. The reverse, or at least something similar, also applies. Just figure out your priorities in life and the chances you're willing to deal with, and go from there.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I'll defer to others about how the boards view "quitting," though as one who's been around a bit, I'd say that declining an actual OCS slot may indeed be the kiss of death, but stopping during the application process before that probably isn't, especially if one comes back later having done something worthwhile.

You are correct, or at least a good recruiter will prefer a person to stop before submitting than after, I tell them often if you are having second thoughts stop and do not submit, I have had many do that and most came back.

 

[phrogdriver]

You are also supposed to disclose whether or not you have applied, if you put no when you have there is a little term for that "fraudulent enlistment" there is a former Ensign that is currently in the brig at Miramar serving some time for falsifing some info.

Out of idle curiosity, what did he falsify? I'm thinking it was not for an administrative issue. That might be grounds for separation, but not brig time. I'm guessing we're talking criminal record or something regarding money/entitlements.