I am currently in the last few months of my sea tour. My slate comes out soon for next orders to shore tour. I’m a 1320/NFO and instructor. On paper I have everything I need to excel on the golden path in P8 land, however I have realised I am not super passionate about the job and can’t see myself staying on this current trajectory for the rest of my career. I have a biology Pre-physical therapy degree that I was considering trying to use for something more suited to me. I want to pursue furthering my education, but would like to do so on topics I am actually interested in (biology, health, fitness, wellness) MSR is May 2026, so my next shore tour would finish out my commitment to the Navy. I would actually like to try and stay in for 20 years to retirement, just not doing my current job as an NFO. The options I am currently considering are Navy Physical therapist or Naval Aerospace Operational Physiologist. I’d like to know more about these career paths and advice on how I should work this transition into my conversations for orders/shore tour.
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Stepping off the “Golden Path”
- Thread starter Volleyball14
- Start date
I’ve already reached out. Just waiting for a time to meet. I had a friend that transitioned from E2 NFO to NAOP and it sounded interesting to me and I have the qualifications for the job. I am weighing both options since I know they are both competitive fields. I am unsure if my current community would let me go early if I applied to these and got in, or if I’m even allowed to apply until my MSR.
FormerRecruitingGuru
Making Recruiting Great Again
Feel like there's been a few "Hey guys I want to go off the golden path..." post. First example:
P-8 career advice -shore tours, sea tours, & more (oh my!)
I echo what everyone said above regarding a lateral transfer. I honestly think FAO would be a a good fit for you. You’ll have the opportunity to get a masters, learn a language, and live abroad. Sure you may not get the region you want, but you’ll definitely get to live some interesting places...
www.airwarriors.com
If you're interested in a lateral transfer or redesignation... first step would probably be to either reach out to a local officer or reach out to the respective OCM in Millington.
Second the recommendation you reach out directly to OCM or community folks for that program in Millington and speak to them directly. Likely you'll get someone "in the know" pretty quickly through the PERS contacts. I've found 95% of PERS is good people trying to help you, doubly so outside aviation. It's just PERS-43 (and helo/maritime specifically) that do the cloak and dagger shit because they hold all they keys but also have a bunch of shit deals they need to doll out.
Most aviation detailers will not let you out of the community until you’ve completed your MSR. Basically they own your ass until you complete wings + 6 (NFO) [+8 pilot]. There are always exceptions….i helped a helo pilot friend who became PNPQ for a rare blood disease. His detailer allowed him to lateral transfer to IP. He completed his 20 and retired as a CDR.
i believe you can apply a year out from your MSR.
Get familiar with this website, and in particular this document. Guidance on when intake communities expect you to apply to lateral transfer, be available, etc.
Table A on Page 17 shows the picking order for the intake communities at various year groupings. So, for example, maybe you're YG 15? Medical Service Corps is 5th pick. Not to worry, the FAO, EDO, and MSC probably aren't going to be fighting over the same person. Priority will come into play with the out-quotas, though...
Moving down to Table B, you'll see that VP NFOs had 2 out quotas for YG 15, meaning that they'll only allow two people to redesignate at that board. So if the FAOs and HR each grab one with their priority picks, then it doesn't matter how much you and the MSC community want each other. Those will be the two permitted to leave, and MSC will need to pick from a community that still has a remaining out-quota.
Talk to your detailer and tell them what you want to do. Depending on timing of course, most VP NFOs can look to lateral transfer towards the end of their shore tour. Might be some hurt feelings, especially if you're very good at VP-ing. But most people will look to help you get where you want to go as long as it doesn't impose on their priorities.