CW does seem to be a decent fit for a P3 NFO, but the openings in 1830 Intel will be more numerous than in 1810 simply because intel is a larger slice of the IWC pie. Do you have a foreign language
and a master’s degree? If so, also look into 1710 FAO. The Navy is trying to grow the FAO program. The bonus of going FAO is — while you will have some required cross-training — you will not be automatically behind your “peers” and cross-training with a bunch of ENS, unlike CWOBC (8 wks in Pcola) or NIOBC (20 wks in VA beach).
Am I reading it correctly that there are two different paths to CW, Direct Lateral to Designator CW and SWO with a CW option?
My understanding is that SWO-IWC is only an option at the outset of commissioning (e.g. USNA, NROTC, OCS). This is to allow the officer meaningful time to earn a SWO pin and contribute something as a SWO before transition to IP or whatever. It can take 2-3 years. From what I have seen, the SWO-IWC options are very rare if not already closed.