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I dont know if its the same in the other branches but the Coast Guard just recently authorized people who want to pursue a second Associates/Bachelors to use Tuition Assistance.
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Mar 29, 2022 05:03
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It's definitely a by-service thing (often used as a recruiting/retention tool) but that's interesting. I've never seen that before.
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Apr 11, 2022 02:10
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Dick Burglar posted:-Ideally I'd like to do some kind of environmental science work, like the MOS I linked above. Maybe I could get an age waiver for the MOS I linked? I dunno. One thing that people often misunderstand about commissioned officer jobs, and which I think is important to mention, is that for the vast majority of these positions, you personally are not the one doing that kind of work. It's much more likely that you're going to be in charge of a team of enlisted or civilian workers who do the actual science stuff, and your role is as a manager and interface between the people doing the work and the higher military echelons. As an officer your primary role is to be a leader, and in all practicality a paperwork pusher, rather than someone putting their degree to actual use. It's always good to have some background knowledge of your subject area, and you may very well find the work rewarding and satisfying, but I want to make sure you're getting an accurate concept of what you're thinking about signing up for. That's not to say there aren't officer positions out there that are essentially full time professional workers, but those tend to be specialized staff jobs like doctors or civil engineers with specific degree requirements; and even then, those people are going to be in charge of a larger team of technical specialists. Any MOS, designator, etc that simply requires "a four year degree" is designed so that any dipshit 22 year old academy graduate with a degree in art history can step into that role. More explicitly, there will be dipshit 22 year old academy grads in those jobs, and they will be your peers. If that's something you're up for, by all means press on, but I'd also recommend taking a look at civilian government employee or contractor positions in those areas if you want to do that kind of work while still being somewhat military-adjacent.
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Apr 19, 2022 21:55
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Hey, checking in on this thread again. Thank you again Goons in Platoons Vets. I followed your advice to not run away to the armed forces when I was in a very dark place. I got help, changed, kept towards a degree, got a couple, kept working, fell in love, moved in, got a new job per-pandemic, kept it, promoted, Domestic partnered, bigger apt., and now another promotion. I start training on Monday, two cats, and a partner I love deeply several years in. Thank you for turning me away and reminding me of my better options. I DID IT AND SO CAN YOU. Just shut up and listen.
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Aug 14, 2022 05:02
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So it’s a perfect time to join the Navy Reserve?
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Aug 14, 2022 05:07
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Crab Dad posted:So it’s a perfect time to join the Navy Reserve? I mean if I wanna continue my education and get a housing stipend? Do they still do GI housing loans?
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Aug 14, 2022 05:42
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Herr Tog posted:I mean if I wanna continue my education and get a housing stipend? Do they still do GI housing loans? You can get a VA loan, the G.I. Bill now pays 100% of your tuition and a housing stipend equal to the E-5 with Dependent housing rate. For my area that’s $2,100 a month. It’s quite possibly the best way to get an education if you can memory hole 4-6 years in the military. Otherwise it’s kind of a wash. Unless you are Crab Dad.
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Aug 14, 2022 05:48
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LtCol J. Krusinski posted:You can get a VA loan, the G.I. Bill now pays 100% of your tuition and a housing stipend equal to the E-5 with Dependent housing rate. For my area that’s $2,100 a month. Damnit lads, My partner and I have been house shopping. I bet the air force would still consider me too stupid
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Aug 14, 2022 06:39
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Herr Tog posted:Damnit lads, My partner and I have been house shopping. I bet the air force would still consider me too stupid I had a 68 on my ASVAB and that was high enough for everything but 9S100 and Flight Engineer in the USAF. I went Intel, and I never really found any kind of correlation between that goddamned test and how people perform on the job. I think it was a 68 in the general, I don’t remember exactly. I just know 99% of people lie about their ASVAB scores because 99% of folks will say they got a loving 99. In short: You are plenty smart enough for the USAF. Have you thought about the Guard or Reserve?
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Aug 14, 2022 08:47
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Don't do any of them it's all a trap.
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Aug 14, 2022 12:44
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LtCol J. Krusinski posted:I had a 68 on my ASVAB and that was high enough for everything but 9S100 and Flight Engineer in the USAF. I went Intel, and I never really found any kind of correlation between that goddamned test and how people perform on the job. I got a 98. 
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Aug 14, 2022 13:52
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Crab Dad posted:I got a 98. Yeah but you still joined up so how smart can you really be?
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Aug 14, 2022 13:58
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Years ago I was on a DDG as a CSFTP observer/trainer and I met an ensign who was an actual Rhodes scholar. All I could think was "and now you're a SWO, and the AUXO. Poor decisions were made by all."
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Aug 14, 2022 15:42
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Stultus Maximus posted:Years ago I was on a DDG as a CSFTP observer/trainer and I met an ensign who was an actual Rhodes scholar. All I could think was "and now you're a SWO, and the AUXO. Poor decisions were made by all." Lol I ran into a 19 year reservist IT1 who had his doctorate from MIT in the robotics field. He gave up on chief after scoring high enough that his unit put him under investigation for cheating and now he’s just finishing his time content.
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Aug 14, 2022 18:37
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LtCol J. Krusinski posted:
I haven't thought more about it past this lol Thanks for the encouragement
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Aug 14, 2022 21:32
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Hello! I’m a civilian but I have a good friend who was in the army and, in their words, “fell for the trap while ETSing about joining the military reserve” and has been in the reserves for a while now. They wanted me to ask y’all, “since I fulfilled my initial contract, what all does an IRR packet entail?”
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Nov 8, 2022 20:23
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You're on the hook to attend musters, IF any occur. In my three years of IRR, I sat through one. They were trying to entice aircraft maintainers (which I'm not) to come back as reservists. Just keep the address updated for that purpose, show up if necessary, roll eyes throughout the presentation, and leave. In exchange for that, you get full base privileges...Class Six, commissary, PX, etc. Get that ID card. Edit: In theory, the IRR could be mobilized, but since we've finally wrapped up Iraq/Afghanistan, I don't think that's particularly likely barring a major loving twist.
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Nov 9, 2022 00:46
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I just totally deuce'd the gently caress out when I was done with active duty so I still had IRR time, meaning this is not first hand experience but foggy memories of paperwork from years ago. I'm preeeettttyy sure if you do reserve time after active duty that satisfies your IRR requirement. If they've done active duty, then reserve, and I'm not stupider than usual, they should be totally done.
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Nov 9, 2022 01:35
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bird food bathtub posted:I just totally deuce'd the gently caress out when I was done with active duty so I still had IRR time, meaning this is not first hand experience but foggy memories of paperwork from years ago. I'm preeeettttyy sure if you do reserve time after active duty that satisfies your IRR requirement. If they've done active duty, then reserve, and I'm not stupider than usual, they should be totally done. It does. For enlisted, the requirement is 8 years. Whatever isn't handled by active/reserve/guard gets rolled into IRR, but once you've already done 8 years of any other service, you're not required to do any IRR.
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Nov 9, 2022 03:49
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Make sure you don't have additional commitment for stuff like schooling, PCS, etc.
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Nov 9, 2022 22:10
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Hello, goons. I applied in march (lol) for an officer position with the CAF, and successfully sidestepped several people screaming at me this was a poor idea. The application is getting close (???) to the end now. You can make what you will of the 9 month process (so far) but it's beside the point. I've been kind of a sheltered baby my whole life, and while I'm super committed to this and think it's a good step to make me a better person, and a career I've considered even before I started my degree, I'm also an idiot. So I'm coming to ask goons like... what should a sheltered baby man know, learn, practice or adjust to so he doesn't end up being the weakest and dumbest link. Also my parents offered to buy me Really Nice Boots for it and I'm asking for recommendations. Thanks goons. God Save the King. [I will have to swear an oath to him I might as well get ahead of it.]
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Nov 11, 2022 01:50
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SRQ posted:Hello, goons. Skip the Really Nice Boots. Nothing like shiny new fancy poo poo to stand out as a sheltered baby. Use the same issued crap that everyone else gets until you have been around long enough to justify your existence and figure out the culture and norms of the people you work with.
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Nov 11, 2022 02:05
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Stultus Maximus posted:Skip the Really Nice Boots. Nothing like shiny new fancy poo poo to stand out as a sheltered baby. This is fair and good advice I will take to heart. Duty Boots it is.
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Nov 11, 2022 03:11
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In this and probably in a lot of other work situations, that same advice scaled up might help a lot. Do what is asked of you simply at first, and while you do, do your absolute best to understand the alien new culture and system you are a part of now. Once you do, even a little... try to find something you can do that generates value, and thereby goodwill, for your organization and the people around you, and (especially for officers) STRINGENTLY avoid doing things that drain value or hurt others, even if they are tied to some high-minded ideal of discipline or whatnot. What *really* helps, and what *really* harms, with a focus on incremental steady progress. Do that valuable thing until it is easy for you. Once you have a good value loop, you've got a basis to work from, and you can start picking up new, useful things. Scale from there. You'll do great.
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Nov 11, 2022 04:01
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Wrennic_26 posted:that generates value, and thereby goodwill, for your organization and the people around you, and (especially for officers) STRINGENTLY avoid doing things that drain value or hurt others, even if they are tied to some high-minded ideal of discipline or whatnot. On this topic, know that most "indicators" of good discipline are symptoms not causes. If you try to force it you can end up with a rotten false core that will implode. As Wrennic said, find that loop and then (and only then really) start to bother about helping others find theirs. There's a dance to it--being outwardly focused enough advertise your subordinates accomplishments can buy your subordinates credibility that becomes the breathing space they need; but there's always someone in there actually making sure people get what they need, not just advertising it. Ensure that people are taken care of and are protected from the capricious whiplashes of their directors. Success stems from that core and can only exist temporarily without it.
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Nov 11, 2022 04:35
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Wrennic_26 posted:In this and probably in a lot of other work situations, that same advice scaled up might help a lot. This is good advice, I like this. I will definitely be going out of my way to volunteer for things and make myself useful without trying to come across as a weirdo keener. Gonna be a balance, but I'm sure I can get it. I'm hoping to get armour officer, which actually I'm curious- what the hell do you do day in and day out? I know the tanks just stay in the garage, but between PT and the end of day what _are_ you doing? What is "desk work" for an armoured officer?
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Nov 11, 2022 06:06
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Maybe best to leave specifics off these boards, and my experience is US side, def not in armor, but -- advice in the same vein, would ask you to think about what big picture you would be accomplishing in garrison. Are you in a sleepy armor unit that will not deploy, trying to maintain a baseline of capability despite the boredom of garrison life? Then you may be trying to find ways to keep your folks sharp while still being limited by budget and resources. Hope they are ways that don't come off as miserable to your team. Or maybe you end up an armor officer sent elsewhere to train with other militaries, in which case you need people skills -- you are observing and reporting for your side, maybe helping others or learning from them, but really accomplishing an exchange and assessing how capable they are. Lots of recordskeeping and documentation to be done, regardless. Back to that value loop point -- if there's paperwork that everyone else hates, you can help them a lot by figuring it out and getting good at it. Once you're good at it, figuring out how to make that process suck less.
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Nov 11, 2022 17:08
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That makes sense. Was "armoured officer" too specific? I can walk back that post, although I suppose it's a bit late now. Those points actually do align with my best-guesses, I guess we'll have to see what it means practically.
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Nov 11, 2022 21:50
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Nope you're great, just helping you mind your digital hygeine. 
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Nov 12, 2022 00:26
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Wrennic_26 posted:Nope you're great, just helping you mind your digital hygeine. Great thanks, I super do want to be mindful of that and this actually led me to a question. I'm sure they'll drill me on this and give me the specifics in training, but I figure it might be nice to ask: How much should I abstract Story Time? Let's take a theoretical example. I'm 2nd Platoon, Company C, Lowtax Shitposters [Or whatever the real structure is] based out of Bumfuck Saskatchewan. A private who's been conspitated shits himself on PT when the ex-lax happens quicker than he planned for. Big funny. How much of this is it necessary to abstract away, and how much is safe to include?
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Nov 12, 2022 04:12
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Nobody cares. Just don't whip out Secret materials when you start arguing about the DU density of an Abrams on the WoT forums.
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Nov 12, 2022 12:17
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Don't worry about it too much, they'll train you in all of the tactical/technological poo poo you need to know. It's going to be pretty straightforward unless you're naturally an indecisive person. All officers spend most of their time doing white collar office work, you're going to become very familiar with Microsoft Office if you aren't already. If you want to get ahead of the game, get good at excel. Planning and coordinating upcoming events will occupy most of your time. Platoon leaders and commanders get to do more of the more exciting stuff as well but you're still going to be spending a lot of time behind a computer. If you want to make your bosses (and your own) life easier then get into the habit of never coming to them with problems unless you've already come up with some solutions yourself. It's extremely unlikely you're ever going to come across a truly unique problem to solve and your boss is going to feel like they need to micromanage you if you're constantly coming to them with problems but no solutions. Leverage the experience of your peers, your NCO's, or junior enlisted troops. They all have some knowledge or experience that you lack and you'd be a fool to ignore it.
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Nov 12, 2022 20:51
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Mustang posted:Don't worry about it too much, they'll train you in all of the tactical/technological poo poo you need to know. It's going to be pretty straightforward unless you're naturally an indecisive person. They did tell me of the "office" angle when it turned out they were more interested in my vintage computer hobby and failed tech-school attempt than how good or bad my university GPA was, which amused me. "Yeah I like, dropped out within a year, wasn't for me. Picked up some higher level computer skills though." -> Visible recruiter interest. I do actually find I'm fairly decisive, something I've grown from lived-experience. The vintage part there has already come in handy as I had to user an ancient power-mac to scan in my medical forms. Really looking forward to finding like, some ancient system somewhere that I just happen to know the edge-case troubleshooting for because I had one once. "Don't report an issue without a solution," is great advice. I tend to just naturally do that myself because I'm very good at seeking problem solving, and not shy to venture ideas that might be bad to see if they can help establish the real solution. Honestly I'm simultaneously terrified my ten-year free ride living at home with effectively infinite free time will be over soon, but excited that it will be and I can have an opportunity to grow as a person, pay off my loan, and become an actual person with social utility. Now if only the CAF would tell me more specifically when I was shipping out because it's been "in two months" since March. SRQ fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Nov 12, 2022 |
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Nov 12, 2022 22:15
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And if you're an officer, it's important to always remember the sort of cheesy Band of Brothers-style mantras. You'll always get better treatment and better pay and living conditions than your troopers, so if you try too hard to do the "I'm just one of you guys", they often smell through it. We get it, you're better. That's fine, just do what you gotta do. Don't try to be a buddy pal, no matter how cool or fun they seem. You'll never be a buddy pal in the end, and only a perception of favoritism remains.
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Nov 24, 2022 00:21
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In line units, yeah- your right. I spent a bit of staff time, and my best friends were Army lieutenants and captains while I was just a staff sergeant or so at the time. And in the USAF it’s entirely different altogether in a lot of different corners. But yeah, in general, what he said.
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Nov 24, 2022 02:50
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If your in and you loving hate it and you want to go somewhere else where they treat you less like a child the Coast Guard has expanded the enlistment age to 42.
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Nov 28, 2022 18:25
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Melthir posted:If your in and you loving hate it and you want to go somewhere else where they treat you less like a child the Coast Guard has expanded the enlistment age to 42. I’ve just been picturing a 42-year-old non-rate cleaning the chief’s shitters on a white hull. It was bad enough for me to do that as a 24-year-old with a degree, but I had at least known OCS was an option and was told what to expect…gently caress being 18 years older and dealing with that. But hey-any old people wanna put in, reach out to me and melthir so we can get some of that sweet sweet recruiting money.
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Nov 28, 2022 18:32
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Ya’ll got physical fitness standards and can you avoid having to get a security clearance? Asking for a younger but older friend.
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Nov 28, 2022 22:13
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Melthir posted:If your in and you loving hate it and you want to go somewhere else where they treat you less like a child the Coast Guard has expanded the enlistment age to 42. What about officers? My dumb rear end is about to have two bachelor's degrees. I'd rather commission in my old age than enlist.
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Nov 28, 2022 23:40
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FAT BATMAN posted:Hello! I’m a civilian but I have a good friend who was in the army and, in their words, “fell for the trap while ETSing about joining the military reserve” and has been in the reserves for a while now. I’m back to clarify their question: how does one go about putting together and submitting an IRR packet to get out of the army reserves?
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Dec 5, 2022 02:22
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