Commission after leaving OCS

[chevroletnavy]

Hello everyone. I need some advice, preferably from recruiters or people who have sat on OCS boards. During my senior year of college, I applied in 2008 to become a NUKE officer in the Navy. I also applied for graduate school to get my masters or phd in engineering. I was selected for NUKE officer and started OCS, however during the middle of my training I received several fellowship offers from schools to attend grad school completely free with a $25,ooo/yr research stipend. Long story short, I requested to leave OCS to get my masters. I went to Vanderbilt and received a masters in chemical engineering doing medical research. Also, after graduated from Vanderbilt, I received another fellowship offer to get a second masters in Industrial engineering at UAH. Now that I am approaching completing my second masters, I am looking at going back into the Navy Reserves or even active duty. I am currently a controls engineer for a manufacturing company and I have also received a Six Sigma Blackbelt and electrical certifications. My question is this, what are my chances of getting into the Navy Reserves or active duty since I left to pursue these degrees? My discharge was full honorable and I had a clean physical upon leaving. Im just not sure how negative it will look that I left the Navy once.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Short answer, very negative, NRC refers to people like you as "quitters", when we would submit an application on someone that had dropped from say ROTC or OCS, they would say "so you submitted a quitter".

You can try, but first you have to get a CNRC waiver due to your discharge code, IF you get cleared to reapply then the hurdle is the board members.

 

[chevroletnavy]

The discharge code meaning the KHD? I guess it does come across that Im a quitter even though I was pursuing higher education. One other question NavyOffRec, since you can not do NUKE in the reserves, what is the best fit for someone with electrical and chemical engineering degrees in the reserves sir?

 

[exNavyOffRec]

The discharge code meaning the KHD? I guess it does come across that Im a quitter even though I was pursuing higher education. One other question NavyOffRec, since you can not do NUKE in the reserves, what is the best fit for someone with electrical and chemical engineering degrees in the reserves sir?

Reserves is not just about having a degree in a certain field, it is also about what real world experience do you have in a field that fits something in the reserves.

RE-3K means you can't come back without a waiver from CNRC, DOR is DOR they see it as you made a commitment and then backed out.

 

[chevroletnavy]

Understood sir. So basically at this point its better for me to enlist in the reserves then apply for officer later? As far as experience I have 2 years doing medical research at Vanderbilt University and I am working my second year as a Chemical Controls Engineering for a manufacturing company. Of course as previously mentioned I have 3 engineering degrees. Bachelors in Chemical 3.7 GPA, Masters in Chemical 3.5 GPA, and Masters in Industrial Engineering 3.8 GPA.

 

[DIVO]

Engineering Duty Officer (reserves) -- that job sounds like it most aligns with your education. Intel (reserves) has put out they WANT people with engineering/technical degrees. Do the paperwork for the waiver -- add your statement on why you left OCS. Also note on why you are now more qualified to serve as a reserve officer.

 

[wink]

I do not recommend enlisting in the reserves just to apply for a commission later. In any case, the RE code applies to all re-enlistment, not just a commission. So you would still need a waiver. Just take a chance. Some restricted line jobs like Engineering Duty may look the other way regarding your OCS DOR. Unlike a regular app for active duty OCS, those guys usually like an interview or two from guys in that designator. That will give you a chance to explain yourself and impress them. An active duty app for a line or staff corps job goes before the board without a personal interview.

 

[Spekkio]

Short answer, very negative, NRC refers to people like you as "quitters", when we would submit an application on someone that had dropped from say ROTC or OCS, they would say "so you submitted a quitter".

You can try, but first you have to get a CNRC waiver due to your discharge code, IF you get cleared to reapply then the hurdle is the board members.

Do they not look at the reason? You'd have to be really sick in the head to turn down a full scholarship + $25k research grant in order to earn a master's.

Regardless, it sounds like OP's only choice is to write a really convincing letter on why he DOR'ed from OCS and why he wants to come back and hope that CNRC approves the request.

Engineering Duty Officer (reserves) -- that job sounds like it most aligns with your education. Intel (reserves) has put out they WANT people with engineering/technical degrees. Do the paperwork for the waiver -- add your statement on why you left OCS. Also note on why you are now more qualified to serve as a reserve officer.

EDO is not what you think it is. They want technical degrees because it's easier for those people to understand the concepts/language of ship's maintenance, but they don't do any design work. Unlike nukes, the EDO community doesn't put its officers through a year of training to catch them up on technical stuff.

OP, the job that would actually use your degree is working at NR through the NUPOC program. Anything else and you risk wasting the master's degrees and any network connections you made in grad school as you do something entirely different for 4+ years. I'm not trying to discourage you from service, I just want you to realize the decision you are making, and nowhere in the AD Navy will you be afforded the opportunity to do biomedical research. It sounds like you have the potential to be extremely successful in engineering and you are essentially going to leave that behind. Your potential employers will know that you're not going to remember what you learned in grad school after 4 years of not using any of it and that can make things more difficult for you down the road.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

Do they not look at the reason? You'd have to be really sick in the head to turn down a full scholarship + $25k research grant in order to earn a master's.

Regardless, it sounds like OP's only choice is to write a really convincing letter on why he DOR'ed from OCS and why he wants to come back and hope that CNRC approves the request.

EDO is not what you think it is. They want technical degrees because it's easier for those people to understand the concepts/language of ship's maintenance, but they don't do any design work. Unlike nukes, the EDO community doesn't put its officers through a year of training to catch them up on technical stuff.

OP, the job that would actually use your degree is working at NR through the NUPOC program. Anything else and you risk wasting the master's degrees and any network connections you made in grad school as you do something entirely different for 4+ years. I'm not trying to discourage you from service, I just want you to realize the decision you are making, and nowhere in the AD Navy will you be afforded the opportunity to do biomedical research. It sounds like you have the potential to be extremely successful in engineering and you are essentially going to leave that behind. Your potential employers will know that you're not going to remember what you learned in grad school after 4 years of not using any of it and that can make things more difficult for you down the road.

They will look at the reason, but the will look also look at the lack of commitment, if he quit once for what to him is a better offer what is to say he won't do that again, and why should the board take that chance when there are others that haven't done that.

 

[wink]

They will look at the reason, but the will look also look at the lack of commitment, if he quit once for what to him is a better offer what is to say he won't do that again, and why should the board take that chance when there are others that haven't done that.

Maybe true. But even if there was concern over commitment to get through OCS, there isn't necessarily a need for OCS is there? Reserve is direct commission followed by a couple weeks Officer Indoctrination School. Don't know if it is still true, but even active duty NR used to be OIS only. Significantly less hassle than OCS.

I agree that Naval reactors might be a good fit. But I don't know how one would get into Naval Reactors as a reservist without having served there before. Last time I checked there was no way to designate to it as a reservist. The best option might be an EDO commission and then working your way into it via a network.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

I don't like it. Accepting an OCS slot is about commitment and personal sacrifice. You chose the Navy and then basically said, "No thanks. Something else better just came up." I don't begrudge you for doing this. You did what you felt like was what you needed to do for you. But you chose that path AFTER having already chosen another. You'd better have one hell of a convincing reason. Masters degree, $25+ research grant....that's just all white noise to me. My guess is you probably went into OCS with this other stuff pending in the background and you already knew what you were going to do if the opportunity presented itself while you were in OCS. Just a hunch though.

 

[Spekkio]

Maybe true. But even if there was concern over commitment to get through OCS, there isn't necessarily a need for OCS is there? Reserve is direct commission followed by a couple weeks Officer Indoctrination School. Don't know if it is still true, but even active duty NR used to be OIS only. Significantly less hassle than OCS.

I agree that Naval reactors might be a good fit. But I don't know how one would get into Naval Reactors as a reservist without having served there before. Last time I checked there was no way to designate to it as a reservist. The best option might be an EDO commission and then working your way into it via a network.

He would have to go AD to work at NR. NR is the only AD option in the Navy that will allow him to do actual engineering.

My guess is you probably went into OCS with this other stuff pending in the background and you already knew what you were going to do if the opportunity presented itself while you were in OCS. Just a hunch though.

Yea, didn't think about that. People don't just 'suddenly' get scholarships and grants, they apply for them. OP probably should've been more forthcoming to the OR about this stuff before submitting his application to OCS.

 

[BigRed389]

EDO is not what you think it is. They want technical degrees because it's easier for those people to understand the concepts/language of ship's maintenance, but they don't do any design work. Unlike nukes, the EDO community doesn't put its officers through a year of training to catch them up on technical stuff.

Horseshit.

V/R
An EDO

 

[wink]

He would have to go AD to work at NR. NR is the only AD option in the Navy that will allow him to do actual engineering.

You absolutely sure about that? Seems to me that Naval Reactors is a perfect fit for selres support.

 

[chevroletnavy]

Thanks for all the advice and more is still appreciated. As far as being a nuke in the reserves, what everyone has said is correct. You can not become a nuke in the reserves without going active duty first. Im still in the dark about exactly what a EOD does per say day to day. I work now as an electrical engineer doing controls work, plc's, dcs's and programming. So as far as the degrees not fitting it, Im not too worried about my degrees matching up with my job exactly. This is mostly about just giving the Navy back 4 years that I promised while maintaining my current career. NR would probably fit me the best but I doubt I can take 12 months off my current employment to do NR training. Second you have be near DC or travel to DC if Im not mistaken.

Regarding the enlistment, I was looking to do something in electronics like ET or EM, but I don't see any electronic type jobs as navy officer jobs.