2010 DCO/DIRCOM boards: questions, answers, and discussion

[das]

I think it's about time to start a thread to consolidate those at 2010 DCO boards. I have found that most of the best discussion and assistance on AW has come from people going through a "shared experience". When all the DCO threads got split, we seem to have lost that a bit (with many adopting one of the thread fragments as "home"). People who have already been selected tend to start focusing on the path forward, not behind.

So that said, who will have (or is planning to have) a package at the 2010 boards (either fiscal or calendar)?

I'll have my package at the 22-25MAR10 joint Information Dominance Corps (Intel/IW/IP) board. Some of you may recall that the SEP09 Intel board was the first board to defer candidates to IW/IP, in preparation for a joint review process. That's what happened to me: I applied to Intel only, and got recommended for consideration by IW/IP -- but it meant another six months of waiting!

The March board is the first joint review board, and going forward, all Intel/IW/IP reviews will occur at joint boards. This should begin to help the IDC communities better synchronize candidate recruitment and placement efforts.

Who else will have a package in a 2010 board?

For reference, this is my package:

- 36 years old
- 15 years in academic/government enterprise IT (with the same organization)
- Various leadership and advisory positions
- Professional presentation and instruction experience
- BA in Intelligence Studies (Information Operations concentration), GPA 4.0
- MA in Intelligence Studies (Information Warfare concentration) in progress, GPA 4.0
- Several semesters of physics and calculus at UW-Madison
- ASTB 8/8/7/68
- AFOQT P-94, N-96, AA-95, V-90, Q-94 (AFROTC full scholarship recipient, but did not pursue at that time)
- Strong LORs: Employer; Chief Medical Officer at large firm/Retired O-6; Dean and professor/Retired O-6; MD/PhD researcher; MD/PhD VA physician; O-5 Army IO officer
- Strong interview and recommendation from NIRR Midwest CO/XO (O-5s)
- Information Management Group member of a state government Emergency Operations Center for several years
- Chair, Web 2.0 and Social Software Group, Federal Knowledge Management Initiative
- Intellipedia Administrator
- Strong extracurriculars

Here is what I believe I DON'T have:

- Current/prior service
- Other federal service
- Languages
- Formal intelligence experience
- Formal management/supervisory experience (but I do have group/team leadership experience)
- TS/SCI or other existing clearance

Here is what I added since the SEP09 Intel board:

- Continued coursework in IW for my masters
- Senior NROTC courses (Naval Leadership and Ethics, Naval Weapons) as a guest student at UW-Madison
- Five very strong IW interviews (Active O-7, Reserve O-7, three reserve O-6)
- Two very strong IP interviews (Active O-4, Reserve O-6)
- One very strong SWO interview, to show I can actually communicate with SWOs :icon_wink (Active O-6)

 

[xxxCharliexxx]

Wow Das, impressive. Sounds like you are on your way with this board. I wish you the very best and I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

As far as what you "don't" have...

Current/prior service - not necessary (I didn't have it)
Other federal service - not necessary (I worked in some agencies but nothing special)
Languages - a bonus (I had one and maybe it did help, not sure)
Formal Intel exp - not necessary (I didn't have it)
Formal management/supervisory experience - NECESSARY - Part of being a DIRCOM is that you have exhibited leadership skills (otherwise go through OCS like everyone else to get a commission). If you have ever taught a course (you mentioned presentation skills - what were you presenting? Were you teaching others?), mentored others, etc...put it down. That piece of information is what separates you from the rest. Having the displayed leadership experience that the other enlisted don't have - so enlisted go through the OCS or other programs (like ROTC , etc) to learn how to become good leaders and to demonstrate the ability before commissioning.
TS/SCI or other existing clearance - not necessary - the ABILITY to obtain a clearance is necessary though. So make sure you've led a relatively boring and mundane life and you shouldn't worry about this.

Looks like much has changed since your last board. I like the classes too - I wish I had the chance to take some of those courses! Nice work!


I look forward to the upcoming months as the new wave goes through! Good luck, Das!

-Charlie

 

[das]

Charlie, thanks for the reply. I'm sure it will be helpful to others as they navigate the process.

For my "didn't haves", I was mostly comparing with some things I saw other candidates with. That said, as IW is my first choice and my background is largely technical and in the cyber realm, it may be that being deferred to IW is the best thing that could happen. The problem is that Intel has dozens of slots each FY, and IW slots can usually be counted on one hand (or last year, no hands, as there were zero slots). :icon_wink At this month's board, there are 5 slots for IW, 10 slots for IP, and 9 slots for Intel (plus the 57 from September), and that's it for this FY.

As for leadership experience, what I meant is I have never had a formal (i.e., titled or written into position description) manager or supervisor position. Many have, and you are correct to say that's exactly what DCO is looking for. I did highlight all of the leadership roles I've had. Also, I'm too old for OCS, so applying for OCS isn't even an option for me -- DCO is it. That said, most of the program authorizations for DCO simply say "leadership experience or the potential to lead". At some point, one would think something subjective has to come into play with the "whole person" concept. And that's why I really focused on interviews, as that's the only place I really felt I could get my motivation across...

So the best advice I can give others is the advice I have tried to take myself: you can't control any package but your own, so you can't really worry about the competition. All you can do is put together the best package you can. I'm looking forward to the board, but just the application process has been an experience itself. I've traveled the country and met many great Navy officers doing exciting work. I hope I'll get to be a part of it!

 

[Devil Duck]

Last week I spoke with my recruiter reference the upcoming board. She stated that this board is set to select a very limited number of folks (she said about 10) who are already trained, i.e. branch transfers, etc. If true, this board will be highly competitive and will surely result in highly qualified folks being tabled to later in the year or passed over entirely.

 

[das]

Devil Duck, yes, that's right...there are 9 Intel slots, 5 IW, and 10 IP. This is the first time these communities have been together at the same board. You're also right that it will be extremely competitive. Going forward, the IDC communities will take a more unified approach to selecting candidates, as all IDC communities will see all applicants together, and will have an opportunity to more appropriately align candidates with communities. Individuals wanting to be considered by multiple IDC communities will need to comply with the specific requirements (e.g., interviews, coursework, etc.) of each community as laid out in the Program Authorization. The next IDC DCO board is currently scheduled for September 2010.

 

[Beeftek]

Hey Guys I too will be applying for either an IP or IW slot this upcoming March board. Hopefully everything works out successfully. If not I'll simply wait untill the next.

My stats
36yrs
Prior Navy airman (1992-1994)
B.S Information Systems
M.S Software Engineering
Doctorate in Management of Information System Technology
Currently work for JITC
Held management positions in the past and present
current TS/SSBI
Received Excellent LOR's from active and reserve CDR's

Well thats it. I guess we'll see what happens. I wish everyone else the best of luck.

 

[GIJ316]

Hey all. I too have an application with the IP Community March board. I am very currious as to the process and outcome. I have 10 years at the Director Level in IT Quality with up to 80 people under me, have an MBA, and finish my Ph.D. in IT Management a.b.d. this December. No prior though. With a consolidated Information Dominance Community Board this will be a highly competetive selection.

With the new IDC selection board, does this mean that candidates are available for selection throughout the IDC, or only for the community in which we submitted. I also submitted for Supply and EDO. I am not sure how competetive those communities are this year.

 

[das]

Hey all. I too have an application with the IP Community March board. I am very currious as to the process and outcome. I have 10 years at the Director Level in IT Quality with up to 80 people under me, have an MBA, and finish my Ph.D. in IT Management a.b.d. this December. No prior though. With a consolidated Information Dominance Community Board this will be a highly competetive selection.

With the new IDC selection board, does this mean that candidates are available for selection throughout the IDC, or only for the community in which we submitted. I also submitted for Supply and EDO. I am not sure how competetive those communities are this year.

Welcome.

Candidates are available for selection only for the communities for which they have fulfilled the requirements in the Program Authorization. The Program Authorization is where things like number and type of interviews, required educational or other experience, etc., are laid out (e.g., for IP, this is where it says you need two semesters each of calculus and calculus-based physics, and two interviews with IP officers at O-4 or above, with at least one being active duty).

So if someone wants to be considered for ALL IDC communities at a joint review board, they must fulfill the application requirements of each community separately. However, the joint boards will also allow the IDC to identify candidates that may be more suitable to other IDC communities, and refer them for further consideration.

 

[War D Eagle]

Hey All,
Your qualifications look excellent! Congratulations on your achievements and putting together such great packages! I am going for Civil Engineer Corps (Seabees) and thought I would include my background/qual's in this thread:

31/Male
Currently work as a civil engineer for a local government/utility provider. Responsible for design/engineering, construction contract management, and personnel management of capital improvement projects (water storage tanks, pump stations, piping systems, roadways, drainage, etc.)
Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Auburn University, 3.8 GPA (Magna Cum Laude)
Bachelor of Business Management w/ Economics Minor
Engineer-In-Training Registration
Scheduled to take Professional Engineer Licensure Exam this October
Associate Member, Amer. Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
Associate Member, ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute
National Society of Collegiate Scholars

6'1", 165 lbs
First Place, Corporate Division Individual, 2007 Orlando Sprint Triathlon at Baldwin Park
PRT is solid (but haven't timed it lately)

Package is at board right now. But I have no idea about the date that the board is convening, so I'm not holding my breath. Best wishes to everyone! Your accomplishments are something to be proud of!

 

[das]

War D Eagle, welcome! Looks like you've got a great package for CEC there, too! The most recent board schedule I had (from last year) has CEC listed as "still pending", so I don't know what the FY10/11 dates are. If I find out I'll pass it along.

However, this whole process is a very long one, and it's good to get used to waiting early. :icon_wink Best of luck!

 

[War D Eagle]

Das, thanks for relaying the information regarding the CEC community board. It's great that your board will be convening just a few days from now, after all the waiting you've done since last September! I would think your 15 years of experience, both your bachelors and masters degrees being in Intellegence, and your strong test scores, would make you a perfect fit for the Intel community.

 

[RedShirtEnsign]

Wow! Those are some pretty strong applications; looking at this site, I sometimes wonder if anyone actually has an ordinary-looking application, or if those folks are scared to post their statistics.
The strong points for mine:
Good ASTB (60's, all 7's)
Experience as a supervisor at work
Good interview (so I was told)
Fluent in a language
Experience working with a military contractor

The not-so-strong:
Non-prior service
No graduate degree
I have good recommendations from my bosses, but none of them were former admirals, Congressmen, royalty or other superbeings

Other:
Mid 30's
Applying for Intel

 

[das]

RedShirtEnsign,

Welcome to AirWarriors! The one thing that's common among all of us is the desire to serve, and that's the most important. Looks like you have a strong ASTB, which is good as Intel still requires the full ASTB (as I'm sure you're well aware). The only package you control is your own...so put together the best one you can! I can say that next week's board has many applicants and few slots (9 for Intel); Intel typically has the most slots of any IDC community (for example, there were 57 at the September 2009 board), and the first FY11 board will be in September 2010. Best of luck!

 

[War D Eagle]

RedShirtEnsign,
IMO, you have one of the most invaluable skills that exists - you are fluent in a second language. That's a skill I definitely don't have, and it's an excellent strength!

 

[RedShirtEnsign]

Only 9?

Is that 9 for the Intel slots the total for the entire country, or just one region? I'm one of the gazillion who sent in a packet for next week's board. How do you go from needing 50+ last fall to just 9?