Skills of value to the Navy?

[CalamityJean]

This is going to make me look moronic but I can't spend another hour on the search engine.

My new OR is having me rework sections of my application. Previously, I just left the "special skills/training of value to the Navy" part blank. I have an art degree. Can someone please enlighten me as to what should go in this section? I've got plenty of Photoshop/Graphic design/fine art skills...but my intuition says putting those down might do more harm than good.

Maybe a few of you could share with me what you listed and why?

 

[CUPike11]

This is going to make me look moronic but I can't spend another hour on the search engine.

My new OR is having me rework sections of my application. Previously, I just left the "special skills/training of value to the Navy" part blank. I have an art degree. Can someone please enlighten me as to what should go in this section? I've got plenty of Photoshop/Graphic design/fine art skills...but my intuition says putting those down might do more harm than good.

Maybe a few of you could share with me what you listed and why?

I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here, but it also may depend on what designators you apply for.

If some have flight time or a pilots license, they put it there. I am a certified skydiver and scuba diver and math teacher and put those all there.

Are they special skills for the Navy? Maybe. Maybe not. No one really knows for sure, but they might mean different things to the boards and they might be interpreted in a positive way. As I said, no one really knows for sure, unless they've sat on boards before; which some on AW have I believe.

 

[PropAddict]

Put down whatever you legitimately have. Photoshop experience is good, for PAO's and such.

Any leadership experience? I'd say that'd be a skill that could go there.
Ever run a budget for a company or group? There's another.

Think outside the box a bit and change your approach to this. This is your chance to say "Look at me! I can do all this cool stuff. You need me!" Rather than, "I'm a dumbass humanities major who should have studied something else because now I can't find a job and I'd like ot be in the Navy so I can eat." which is what your attitude sounds like to me.

 

[nzachman]

This is going to make me look moronic but I can't spend another hour on the search engine.

My new OR is having me rework sections of my application. Previously, I just left the "special skills/training of value to the Navy" part blank. I have an art degree. Can someone please enlighten me as to what should go in this section? I've got plenty of Photoshop/Graphic design/fine art skills...but my intuition says putting those down might do more harm than good.

Maybe a few of you could share with me what you listed and why?

Where is JT when you need him?

 

[Short]

I put down the skills that make me the kind of awesome that I am; nunchuk skills, bow staff skills, throwing star skills. If you are a ninja, those are good skills to list. If you are sufficiently skilled with photo-shop to airbrush out the dead hooker in the pictures of the admin, b/c someone didn't listen and thought it would be a cool background on their iPhone, that might also be a good thing to put on paper.

 

[Beans]

You can probably phrase your education to show that you are a better-than-average communicator, which is most likely very true. You probably had to write more papers and think more deeply about the meaning in many forms of media than your run-of-the-mill technical major. That's good and useful training.

 

[CalamityJean]

This is your chance to say "Look at me! I can do all this cool stuff. You need me!" Rather than, "I'm a dumbass humanities major who should have studied something else because now I can't find a job and I'd like ot be in the Navy so I can eat." which is what your attitude sounds like to me.

Hmm, Not sure how I inferred that to be my attitude in my question. You can check out my website http://www.blackandlightgallery.com/Gallery.html and judge for yourself on why I picked the major I did. However I really don't want to get in a pissing match about why I want to be an officer/serve my country because if I wanted it easier I most certainly wouldn't join the military. That's a duh.

I've had about 3 years of experience running my own business including a year of which I had my own store front. So I have had to run a budget, business acquisition, inventory, etc, etc. Where I needed clarification was in what way I could show that to be valuable, since everything is art related. Thats why I asked for examples to see how others had interpreted their own skills for this category.

Short, I had no idea I could put my computer hacking/bowstaff skills in there. GREAT idea.

Thank you all very much, your input is greatly appreciated.

 

[zab1001]

Think outside the box a bit and change your approach to this. This is your chance to say "Look at me! I can do all this cool stuff. You need me!" Rather than, "I'm a dumbass humanities major who should have studied something else because now I can't find a job and I'd like ot be in the Navy so I can eat." which is what your attitude sounds like to me.

He asked a legitimate question about a vague portion of the application. Chill out.

 

[HeyJoe]

I've had about 3 years of experience running my own business including a year of which I had my own store front. So I have had to run a budget, business acquisition, inventory, etc, etc. Where I needed clarification was in what way I could show that to be valuable, since everything is art related. Thats why I asked for examples to see how others had interpreted their own skills for this category.

Well, you haven't said anyhting in this thread about what community you are aspiring to join, BUT you did mention supply twice in your other posts...so drop the art background, period. If you want to be a "chop", talk about your business experience. That translates directly to what they do. Doesn't matter what the product was. it matters that you picked up business skills along the way.

 

[CalamityJean]

... BUT you did mention supply twice in your other posts...so drop the art background, period. If you want to be a "chop", talk about your business experience.

I've also read here and other places dozens of times not to make the application about a specific community, "You are seeking a commission FIRST...". My first choice has always been IW. I've had extensive computer training, even code writing, since middle school. But I've been lead to believe thats what the interviews are for, not the application. Is that not necessarily so?

 

[blarged]

I've also read here and other places dozens of times not to make the application about a specific community, "You are seeking a commission FIRST...". My first choice has always been IW. I've had extensive computer training, even code writing, since middle school. But I've been lead to believe thats what the interviews are for, not the application. Is that not necessarily so?

I made mention of becoming an IWO in my motivational statement. Whether this is best practice or not ... it worked for me.

 

[rookie7734]

I looked at your web site...great skills to put together a cruise video such as those from the VAW community on AW.

 

[le lyon]

Prior to/during my application process, I took three leadership workshops, became certified in CPR, and became a certified lifeguard. These were all things my OR suggested I do to help my package stand out. Will stuff like this help you? I don't know...though it didn't seem to hurt my package. If all else fails you could always find employment at the city pool next summer.

 

[HeyJoe]

I've also read here and other places dozens of times not to make the application about a specific community, "You are seeking a commission FIRST...". My first choice has always been IW. I've had extensive computer training, even code writing, since middle school. But I've been lead to believe thats what the interviews are for, not the application. Is that not necessarily so?

Then highlight the skills that community would like. Don't confuse the you are a Officer first. That's mainly for aspirants that want to be Fighter/Hummer/Prowler pilots/NFOs pilots (and particularly for Marines). Otherwise, you miss the particular traits the board is looking for in regards to leading/managing/motivating etc.

You get several choices so I'd recommend having specific skills/experience listed that appeal to the boards you're trying to throw your package at on top of your "universal" desire to be an officer.

 

[porw0004]

Where is JT when you need him?

Oh man, that made my night.