FY 18 IWC DCO BOARD

[exNavyOffRec]

I appreciate the feedback. But aren't they REALLY evaluating the PERSON to see if they would be an effective naval officer? Regardless of how many Phd's someone has. I am wondering what my chances are of getting all 10s.. What if they saw a great officer in me, just not for INTEL lol

It is called a professional recommendation because they are evaluating your professional experience, so your degrees, GPA's, and type of degrees are a big part of that. Then factor in how you do on the in person interview. I have seen people with all the right degrees and certifications get less than 10's, I have seen write ups where the board members can't say enough about the person during the interview and then add something in like "an advanced degree would make him a better candidate"

so that is what is stumping me, they very well could be looking at you the way bubblehead is looking at you, but that isn't necessarily what gets you selected.

 

[bubblehead]

"an advanced degree would make him a better candidate"

They have to say that because nearly every other applicant has an advanced degree.

It also depends from which region you are apply for DCO.. Washington, DC region? Forget about it. The applicant pool in that region is insanely over qualified for every designator.

 

[jagM3]

My undergrad is in History. According to the PA my degree is one they prefer/accept. I currently do analytical work and I have a lot of leadership experience believe it or not. Them saying i'm more suited for IP may very well be a knock on me and a "nice" way of saying I wouldn't get selected for INTEL but NOT saying I wouldn't be an effective officer

Accepting critical feedback is a trait of professional maturity. A bachelor's degree in history is virtually the only thing you have going for yourself to compete for a slot in the lowest 40th percentile. Your "analytical experience" is not qualifying nor is your leadership experience related in anyway to the 1835 field. You would be competitive for active duty OCS which is where they prioritize looking for just simply good people to fill any array of designators from SWO to NFO, but this ain't that program and having good leadership potential makes up perhaps about 5 percent of the decision. Take off your blinders, realize this isn't happening, and seriously consider reenlisting as an IS and doing a mob.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

They have to say that because nearly every other applicant has an advanced degree.

It also depends from which region you are apply for DCO.. Washington, DC region? Forget about it. The applicant pool in that region is insanely over qualified for every designator.

for many years that is where a good number of those selected were out of

 

[USNAVY]

for many years that is where a good number of those selected were out of

I am in the North Florida area. Thanks for the feedback. My plan is to continue to hammer out my masters and build my professional experience and try to get some certs if I can along the way. Reapply, reapply, reapply, ill be 32 this summer. Or heck maybe ill just apply for OCS after I reapply a couple more times before I age out. Ill have my Masters by then

 

[jagM3]

I am in the North Florida area. Thanks for the feedback. My plan is to continue to hammer out my masters and build my professional experience and try to get some certs if I can along the way. Reapply, reapply, reapply, ill be 32 this summer. Or heck maybe ill just apply for OCS after I reapply a couple more times before I age out. Ill have my Masters by then

More experience in your current line of work, lacking "certs," and finishing the MA in Communications I do not believe will make you anymore competitive for 1835 than where you stand right now -- you will still be the same applicant who was deemed "better suited" for IP without bringing anything new (or more desirable for 1835) to the table. I don't think your issue is a problem with needing more experience or education, I think your issue is a problem with lacking the type of experience the Navy wants from its applicants for the 1835 program. There are no such thing as any "certs" that will make you competitive as an 1835, perhaps for IP but not Intel. I've said it multiple times in this thread to you, the only thing you can realistically do without uprooting your current life while simultaneously gaining experience that would make you more competitive is reenlisting in the reserves as an IS and doing a mob -- very likely you would get picked up by the next board the following year. Barring that, I just don't see a selection in your future, particularly since the 1835 designator is the single most most over-manned designator in the entire Navy reserves and the number of absurdly over-qualified applicants is only increasing each year.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

More experience in your current line of work, lacking "certs," and finishing the MA in Communications I do not believe will make you anymore competitive for 1835 than where you stand right now -- you will still be the same applicant who was deemed "better suited" for IP without bringing anything new (or more desirable for 1835) to the table. I don't think your issue is a problem with needing more experience or education, I think your issue is a problem with lacking the type of experience the Navy wants from its applicants for the 1835 program. There are no such thing as any "certs" that will make you competitive as an 1835, perhaps for IP but not Intel. I've said it multiple times in this thread to you, the only thing you can realistically do without uprooting your current life while simultaneously gaining experience that would make you more competitive is reenlisting in the reserves as an IS and doing a mob -- very likely you would get picked up by the next board the following year. Barring that, I just don't see a selection in your future, particularly since the 1835 designator is the single most most over-manned designator in the entire Navy reserves and the number of absurdly over-qualified applicants is only increasing each year.

He did mention possibly applying for 1830. While a slightly higher selection rate, assuming he gets selected and completes his service time he can transition back to the civilian sector and continue his service as an 1835 until retirement.

 

[USNAVY]

More experience in your current line of work, lacking "certs," and finishing the MA in Communications I do not believe will make you anymore competitive for 1835 than where you stand right now -- you will still be the same applicant who was deemed "better suited" for IP without bringing anything new (or more desirable for 1835) to the table. I don't think your issue is a problem with needing more experience or education, I think your issue is a problem with lacking the type of experience the Navy wants from its applicants for the 1835 program. There are no such thing as any "certs" that will make you competitive as an 1835, perhaps for IP but not Intel. I've said it multiple times in this thread to you, the only thing you can realistically do without uprooting your current life while simultaneously gaining experience that would make you more competitive is reenlisting in the reserves as an IS and doing a mob -- very likely you would get picked up by the next board the following year. Barring that, I just don't see a selection in your future, particularly since the 1835 designator is the single most most over-manned designator in the entire Navy reserves and the number of absurdly over-qualified applicants is only increasing each year.

Master's of Science (Corporate and Public Communications) I'm applying for (IP,Intel, IW)

 

[USNAVY]

He did mention possibly applying for 1830. While a slightly higher selection rate, assuming he gets selected and completes his service time he can transition back to the civilian sector and continue his service as an 1835 until retirement.

Yes, I have decided to finish my masters and re-apply until its done. I should be done by Dec 2018/Spring 2019 ill be 33 years old. Apply for OCS after I finish. Do my 4 years active. That way if I stay in or go reserves ill have that Master's ill need to make Commander / CAPT and finish out my retirement in the reserves. I spent my time Enlisted, deployed more than once. I was the top E-5 sailor in my division. I have a plan and it will happpen

 

[Hair Warrior]

particularly since the 1835 designator is the single most most over-manned designator in the entire Navy reserves

I don't doubt it, but I'm curious where this data point comes from.

 

[Bmore84]

Question, I am approaching age cutoff for other branches. I did an interview with an Army Officer in the Intel field, he thinks I'd be a shoe in for Army OCS and a Intel or Psy Ops slot.

I do not have a masters degree. I do have tactical and strategic & technical Intel/SIGINT experience on ships, supporting SOF, and forward deployed to marine firebases in Afghan/Iraq. I also did digital forensics and worked with the Naval Post Graduate School to program an analytic tool for digital forensics use. I have a DMSM from a head of an Intel agency as an E-6, awards from the DNI, and have since started gone into HUMINT. Plus, I worked specialized missions and have a really strong electronics and TCP/IP networking background with certs. My BS degree is a specialized program DIA helped produce mixing databasing/programming/SATs for Strategic Analysis, plus Asian Studies/poli-sci minor at a good university, I graduated with a 3.8 GPA.

I was basically told not having a masters is a "no go," honestly I think I have more diverse and practical experience than most, but it is what it is. I would like brute honesty, do I have a shot? I did my interviews and I feel like I did decent on the board and knocked it out of the park with OIC. If I am not competitive, then I don't want to wait a year and blow my chance at being able to commission with the Army because of an age cutoff (I am early 30s). I don't mind working for what I want, so the going though OCS with the Army is not a big turn off for me. I run and lift weights several time through out the week, so I think I should make it through. I wish the Navy offered the same option to OCS for the reserves. Either way, I will always appreciate every opportunity the Navy has given me, but the Army seems to be growing at this time and is less competitive because they require everyone that is non-chaplain, legal or medical to attend OCS.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Question, I am approaching age cutoff for other branches. I did an interview with an Army Officer in the Intel field, he thinks I'd be a shoe in for Army OCS and a Intel or Psy Ops slot.

I do not have a masters degree. I do have tactical and strategic & technical Intel/SIGINT experience on ships, supporting SOF, and forward deployed to marine firebases in Afghan/Iraq. I also did digital forensics and worked with the Naval Post Graduate School to program an analytic tool for digital forensics use. I have a DMSM from a head of an Intel agency as an E-6, awards from the DNI, and have since started gone into HUMINT. Plus, I worked specialized missions and have a really strong electronics and TCP/IP networking background with certs. My BS degree is a specialized program DIA helped produce mixing databasing/programming/SATs for Strategic Analysis, plus Asian Studies/poli-sci minor at a good university, I graduated with a 3.8 GPA.

I was basically told not having a masters is a "no go," honestly I think I have more diverse and practical experience than most, but it is what it is. I would like brute honesty, do I have a shot? I did my interviews and I feel like I did decent on the board and knocked it out of the park with OIC. If I am not competitive, then I don't want to wait a year and blow my chance at being able to commission with the Army because of an age cutoff (I am early 30s). I don't mind working for what I want, so the going though OCS with the Army is not a big turn off for me. I run and lift weights several time through out the week, so I think I should make it through. I wish the Navy offered the same option to OCS for the reserves. Either way, I will always appreciate every opportunity the Navy has given me, but the Army seems to be growing at this time and is less competitive because they require everyone that is non-chaplain, legal or medical to attend OCS.

You're comparing apples to oranges here. From what I'm taking you're interested in Reserve Intel as well as active duty Army OCS programs (likely Intel). Why not consider or apply for active duty navy intel? Your back ground meets the criteria and assuming you can ace the OAR exam I would consider you a competitive applicant. Army OCS selection percentage are going to be higher because there's hundreds of spots available. As for Navy Reserve Intel, anywhere from 10-30 (depending on the FY).

 

[khestergk]

Hey all, starting back into the fray for 2018 but really getting a sense of noncompetitiveness. here's my stats...

40 year old
Prior army 6 years
20 years experience wireless telecommunications (cell phone/RF), routers, copper to fiber...ect.
BA - business 3.39 GPA
MBA - 4.0 GPA

had a couple IPs look over my stuff via my recruiter and was told my I really lacked a stem degree. makes no sense seeing how I've taught half the RF engineers in the companies I work for how trace interference and was looking more toward management. in any case I'm looking to finish my MBA in 2 months and was planning on starting my doctorate, debating on doing another masters in computer science.


thoughts?

 

[khestergk]

You're comparing apples to oranges here. From what I'm taking you're interested in Reserve Intel as well as active duty Army OCS programs (likely Intel). Why not consider or apply for active duty navy intel? Your back ground meets the criteria and assuming you can ace the OAR exam I would consider you a competitive applicant. Army OCS selection percentage are going to be higher because there's hundreds of spots available. As for Navy Reserve Intel, anywhere from 10-30 (depending on the FY).

army national guard if your looking at reserves will take you until your 35. Remember also the army officers don't really get to pick your job, it's "needs of the Army" first. you can request Intel but you are just as likely to get infantry on active duty in any case I'm unsure on the reserves side. However, being prior army if it's not in writing then it doesn't exist. Doesn't matter what the recruiter said... get it in writing.

 

[lweathe]

Hi all,
First time post. Long time reader. Applying for INTEL, IW and IP in that order.

Here are my stats:
-BA in Political Science and international relations and history (minor in classics)
-MS in Information Science
-Graduate Certificate in Applied Statistics
-MS in Analytics
-All from pretty good universities and decent GPAs
-5 years of work as business intelligence and analytics team lead for one of Big 4 US Banks
-Experience in college and grad school interning for state department and a couple of congressmen
-27 years old civilian (will be 28 at time of boards), no prior service
-SAS Business Statistical Analyst Certification
-Working on ISSC and Six Sigma Certification (should have both by board)