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Mustang posted:32 is too old for OCS anyway, 30 is the cut off I just spoke with an army recruiter earlier today and he told me the max age is actually 31, so once you turn 32 you're cut off. I asked about this specifically because I am currently 31. For reserves, the age cutoff is 35. I know people are going to say "don't join you idiot" but I'm looking into some branch's officer reserves as an option. I figured being a pilot would be cool (I got Lasik and ended up with 20/15 vision), but who knows what the gently caress I'd end up as, since apparently you get no real say in the matter. And I'm good at making terrible life decisions--what's one more? 
Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Oct 14, 2017 |
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Oct 13, 2017 23:57
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| # ¿ Apr 20, 2024 10:26 |
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Indeed I am. Story of my life.
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Oct 14, 2017 00:15
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Well I have likely at least a few months to sit on it, because reasons. I know the general sentiment is "don't do it," but can anyone explain to me the actual process of OCS and MOS selection and all that goes into it? Specifically for reserves, if it matters. I have a college degree so I'm past that hurdle at least. The recruiter (and I trust recruiters about as far as I can throw them) told me I would technically enlist, then be sent to OCS. After passing OCS you talk to the different branches and then you give them a wishlist of officer MOSs. Then the army picks your officer MOS regardless of your wishlist. Is this accurate? The first part, specifically "you technically enlist but then you're guaranteed to end up in OCS" bit sounds like typical recruiter shady bullshit to me.
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Oct 14, 2017 00:22
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mlmp08 posted:It would be helpful to know why you are considering it, what you hope to gain, what your life situation is right now, etc before someone can give decent advice aside from a knee-jerk "never join" and a dumb and/or sadistic "DO IT NOW" I'm 31 now and I have wanted to do something in the military since I was a teenager, but things always seemed to fall through. I completed paramedic school at end of 2016 and decided it wasn't really what I wanted to do, and I didn't think I'd be able to do firefighter or LEO for reasons. I decided to aim for med school instead, and that way I could join the reserves as a mil doc. I was disappointed that I'd be unable to do anything as a first responder, though, because I really liked the general idea, just not as a paramedic. But now I've come to realize that I don't want to be in school til I'm 40. So I'm working on getting on the LEO path instead. As a result I won't be able to go in as a mil doc obviously, so I'm exploring the option of going in as an officer of some other sort instead.
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Oct 14, 2017 20:47
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Godholio posted:
I don't want to do security forces/MP. Military "police" and civilian law enforcement are completely different things. NUKES CURE NORKS posted:Do you think law enforcement officer is equivalent to military officer No? I mentioned that to explain why I only want to do reserves, and what I want to do outside of the reserves. mlmp08 posted:Huh. Kind of hard to get a read on that and what you're after, which seems to be your problem in general: you're not quite sure what you're after. Being a guard officer might not be the worst in your case. When you said you didn't think you could do firefighter or LEO for "reasons," did you just mean recreational drug use in your past? Cause if you meant physical capability reasons, you don't want to be an officer in the Army and probably not one in the military writ large. The military understands that people get hurt and older as they are in longer, but they're not keen on 2LT broke-dick showing up. The reason is I have a mark on my record, yes, but not drug use. I'm trying to get it overturned at the moment, which is why I said I have some time (this is an oversimplification). I am physically fine. I've got a long-term girlfriend. The reason I probably sound non-committal about any specific MOS is because my understanding is that you can't really pick for yourself. I have preferences, but I have no idea if they'll even be options. But yes, you are correct that I have struggled to find a career. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 16:23 on Oct 15, 2017 |
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Oct 15, 2017 16:20
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Enjoy being a Security Forces officer, supervising the enlistees who scored high enough to join the AF but not high enough to hand out towels at the gym.
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Godholio posted:Ok, I just read all of your posts in here. I am under no illusions that the recruiter is in it for anything other than himself. However, I didn't know much of anything, including whether it was even possible to join when you're over 30, so I figured I could at least start there and get better information elsewhere after I confirmed it was possible. That's why I came here to ask questions rather than blindly believe everything the recruiter told me. What am I trying to become? Are we talking about specific MOSs? If so, I'm looking at aviation officer or aeromedical evac officer. I think aviation is pretty self-explanatory and I understand if you roll your eyes at it. As for aeromedical evac officer: while I am not super sold on civilian paramedicine work, military medicine is quite different, and being a part of that system appeals to me. I wouldn't be playing Air Force PJ or anything, but coordinating medevacs and the likes appeals to the part of me that wants to do something with medicine. It seems to be closer to what I envisioned when I went to paramedic school. What am I trying to get out of the military? Preferably some valuable training and experience. If I became an aviation officer I'd be trained as a helicopter pilot, which would transfer well if I also work as an LEO, as I could work as a police helicopter pilot. Or really any civilian helicopter pilot job if LEO doesn't work out. Aero evac officer would be good for transferring to civilian air ambulance work which is also not the same as ground-based civilian paramedicine. That could also probably transfer to other kinds of medical or transportation jobs--I need to learn more about the MOS.
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Oct 15, 2017 19:49
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So how do you get those jobs, then? Also going by the goarmy.com site, infantry and armor aren't even listed as reserve options.
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Oct 15, 2017 20:10
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Mustang posted:If you're looking for a career why are you looking at the reserves? Particularly for experience? I have a hard time seeing how being a reserve or guard officer translates into any kind of relevant job experience unless their unit deploys. And the one thing junior officers need the most is experience. I wanted to supplement a career more than build one. I like the "service" aspect of military and first responder work, and I may not be able to work as a first responder at all, so I'm also interested in the military for that reason. However, I'm not super sold on the idea of going active because you basically hand your entire life over to the military for the next four years. I understand that reserves and guard still have obligations and can get deployed just like active duty, but at least you maintain some level of normalcy in the off-times. I suppose my attitude could change depending on the outcome of my legal challenge.
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Oct 15, 2017 21:25
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Ok, you guys are right that I don't have a good reason to go OCS. I was trying to justify officer, but the jobs I actually want are enlisted-only and I wasn't sure about going in as an E-4. But I figure I might as well run it by you guys. The jobs I was initially interested in (beyond helicopter pilot because, hey, it's a helicopter pilot) were combat medic/68W and firefighter/12M. Both jobs work essentially as first responders, albeit differently from their civilian counterparts. Combat medics mainly deal with trauma medicine, which is the kind of medicine I like. I'm already certified as a civilian paramedic, so I'd have a lot less to learn and maybe I'd come in with some extra information the army doesn't teach. Firefighters are firefighters, so I think that's pretty self-explanatory. And, if I can't get the mark on my record removed, this may be my only avenue to work as a firefighter. Assuming the army gives my record the go-ahead. I'm still thinking reserves/national guard, unless I can't get my record fixed. Ideally I'd like to work as a combat medic in the reserves/NG and also work as some form of law enforcement. I've been looking at things like park ranger and game warden jobs, where medical training is beneficial or required and also LEOs. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Oct 18, 2017 |
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Oct 18, 2017 01:29
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Not really, that's why I was trying to justify OCS. I just don't know what officer jobs I'd actually want (that I could get into).
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Oct 18, 2017 01:45
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White Chocolate posted:Coming in way late to the discussion but maybe dick burglar would be interested in CA/PO in the Army Reserve. That or team rubicon. In CA we do a lot of work with the state department overseas and deploy a lot to do aid, but there is a selection process for officers and they want you to do time as an officer in a line unit first. Although he could do something like AG or MI first then switch over. I appreciate the information, but I'm not sure what any of those abbreviations mean. If you could clarify that, I'll certainly look into it. Also I'm basically on the other end of the country from NYC--I'm in Austin, Texas.
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Jan 28, 2018 10:44
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It's amazing how far "don't be a fuckin' pussy" will push people in terrible directions.
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Feb 23, 2018 09:48
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Edit: whoops thought this was the idiot thread.
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Feb 27, 2018 20:38
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You say that like either of those things are exclusive to the military. The squeaky wheel getting the grease happens with every industry, and "gently caress you, I'm [your boss/a privileged person], do it" exists everywhere. I'm sure there's plenty of dumb loving things unique to how the military works (or doesn't work), but those specific things are pretty much par for the course in adult life.
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Nov 2, 2018 02:42
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Dumb question*, but what exactly does it take to get into aviation? I know it's difficult to be selected, but why? What does the selection process entail? * Any question regarding joining the military is automatically a dumb question.
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May 28, 2019 18:55
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I'm trash and still want to join up, though not til at least 2020 and hopefully we won't have Trump anymore at that point. Still the ol' imperialism, but at least hopefully without an utter loving madman at the helm. I'm currently 33, so I'm near the aging out range. I'm going back to school for pre-med, but that's going to take until sometime in 2021. Then med school, then residency. So I will almost assuredly be 40+ by the time I'm done with medical training. I'm considering joining reserves or NG now, just because I don't know that I want to wait until I'm 40+ to join as a doctor (and that's assuming I succeed). I have a BA in Sociology (lol) and I'm a licensed paramedic. I am also insane and would prefer a more active/involved job than your typical officer role. I know most people are going to say don't sign up, or to wait, but if I wanted to join in the near future, what would be my best option(s)?
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Jul 31, 2019 20:37
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I figured that might be the response I'd get. Good to have confirmation I was being as dumb as I thought I was.
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Aug 1, 2019 01:42
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Hello goons, I am a loving idiot and have some questions that I'd frankly rather ask in private than post publicly. Is there a GIP discord, or anyone who's more on the recruitment side of things who's willing to field my stupid questions?
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Jan 13, 2022 21:57
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Sorry, should've included some basic info. US military, officer, reserves. As for branch, I'd like to talk to army, navy, and air force. I'll be turning 36 this year, so I know I'm real close to aging out of at least some of those.
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Jan 13, 2022 22:48
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I forgot about coast guard. I'd be willing to go that route too, if it were available. I don't think my degrees would be considered specialized degrees, no. I've got a liberal arts bachelor degree, an associate's in emergency medical services and a paramedic license. I'm currently back at university for a science degree, but I'm skeptical it'd be of interest to any branch unless one of them has a conservation bent. Hopefully will be able to finish that degree soon-ish. Covid keeps loving with that.
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Jan 13, 2022 23:15
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The reason I wanted to talk to a recruiter or something to that effect is I have some questions about waivers, disqualifications, and the likes that I'm not sure non-recruiters are going to have satisfactory answers for. That's the stuff I'm not keen on posting publicly. Fake edit: no, I'm not a felon or paraplegic or anything like that.
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Jan 14, 2022 02:16
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Fair enough. I was trying to avoid the route of calling random recruiters because most recruiters tend to be, y'know, serial liars, but that's probably the route I'll have to take.
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Jan 14, 2022 04:15
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Ok, I'm back on my bullshit and revisiting this same stupid-rear end idea. I think I've gotten the questions about disqualifications squared away, at least. And for the record I'm not revisiting joining because I'm moto about fighting Russia or whatever dumb poo poo. It's for completely different dumb poo poo reasons. -Undecided on what branch. At this point it's whoever will take me (I'll be 37 by the time I'd be joining) and has an agreeable MOS, or whatever the other branches call them. I do kind of hate the idea of being stuck on a ship far away from shore for months at a time, so Navy is not my first choice. -Preferably officer. -Looking at reserves or national guard. Maybe I could be convinced to do active if I somehow got a sweetheart deal of some sort, but I doubt it. Nobody's gonna want me bad enough to give me a screaming deal. The only reason I can see is that a certain role I really want is active-only. -I'm still more than a year out from where I'd actually be signing up for anything, because I don't think I'll finish my current degree until August 2023. I already have a worthless liberal arts bachelor's degree and a slightly-less-worthless associate's degree in paramedicine along with a still-active state paramedic license (I let my NREMT-P expire because gently caress re-upping every two years). The degree I'm currently working on is a STEM degree, but not one that's gonna get any recruiter excited: wildlife biology. I admit I've not been super diligent about researching roles. I looked at Army MOSs and found one MOS I felt aligned pretty well with my degree but it has an age cut-off of 34  I haven't spent a lot of time looking at other branches because I just picked this idea back up. Maybe I should wait to post until after I do more research? Nah, gently caress that, I'mma be the idiot and post this now. Some thoughts:-I'm not interested in civilian paramedicine, but I'm not totally opposed to going mil medic of some flavor. The main downside of this is, AFAIK, medic roles of all branches are enlisted-only. Also 19 year olds will ask you to look at their dicks constantly. -My minor is in Japanese language, and I've got a... well, a frankly not-nearly-good-enough grasp of the language, but certainly far better than starting from scratch. I'm likely around JLPT N4 competency. IIRC milgoons said language schools were full of absolute weirdos. -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. I may have been drinking before and during this post. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Mar 24, 2022 |
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Mar 24, 2022 01:25
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According to the Navy recruiter I spoke to, I have to be off ADHD meds for a year (as well as be un-diagnosed, which frankly shouldn't be that difficult since I asked my doc if we could try the meds) to be eligible, and I very recently stopped taking them, so I'm not sure I have a choice in the matter either way. And, not that it's really much (if any) better, but I'm currently 36. I'll be 37 next year. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Mar 24, 2022 |
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Mar 24, 2022 02:24
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Ok, so I guess I had a misunderstanding somewhere along the line. The reason I gave ideas for what I "wanted to do" is because I at least thought someone had asked me that point blank. Looking back, I think I might've just imagined that? I was more looking at reserves or NG than active, because yeah I'm kinda old as dirt, but I dunno. Either way I've got a little while to think on it before I finish this degree. And while the recruiter tried to sell me on basically dropping out of my second degree and signing up right now with the degree I already have, that's not ideal: my old degree's GPA was a 2.6, which is barely good enough for OCS, period. My current GPA is a 3.8, and while that's likely to fall somewhat, I expect to maintain well above a 3.0, which will afford me better "job opportunities," for lack of a better term. Aside from the recruiter I interacted with when I was 18 (I got as far along as being carted over to an Army base and took the ASVAB... got like an 85, I think? It's been nearly 20 years at this point, I don't remember), the navy recruiter I spoke to the other day was the absolute sleaziest used car salesman kinda recruiter I've had the displeasure of interacting with. And I've spoken with a few, since I've bounced off this idea for basically 20 years. He wasn't pushy, but he was super moto about trying to convince me that the suspiciously-lovely-sounding option he was offering was actually TOTALLY COOL for several unconvincing reasons. He was trying to sell me on signing up as a SWO. When I talked to him about any "issues" I thought I might have, he was creepily trying to pooh-pooh my concerns while also basically feeding me lines about how to respond if asked about them. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 22:36 on Mar 25, 2022 |
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Mar 25, 2022 22:32
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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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Can someone explain to me how commissioning as an officer works, specifically how you do or do not get to select a role/MOS/whatever a given branch calls it? Is it possible to go in with a contract for a specific role/MOS/etc, like you can if you enlist? I've heard some conflicting information, mostly from prior-enlisted folks, so I'm not sure I trust their information regarding how commissioning works. Edit to add more information: I'm back on my bullshit and considering commissioning into the Air Force in my mid-to-late 30s. I have two bachelor's degrees*, but neither is a fancy degree that the military will likely care about. I have some aptitude in a foreign language, but I'm not sure it's enough to convince the military to let me do something with that. Plus it's not Mandarin or Russian or Farsi or anything like that, so I doubt there is much interest. One of my professors just retired from the Navy as a captain, but I doubt he'd have any pull in a completely different branch. I'm also not sure he'd be on board to help me even if he did, but I can still ask. So basically, how much control does one have over selecting their job as an officer? Is there any, or do you just get shipped to whatever base to do whatever job needs filling? Obviously the base you go to is out of your control, I'm just making a point. * Yes, I'm an idiot. That's why I'm posting in this thread. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 16:42 on Aug 11, 2023 |
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Aug 11, 2023 15:59
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Thanks for the write-up. Yes, I would be going through OTS. It appears all three rated fields have a maximum age of 33, so I'm automatically disqualified from those. Seems I'm stuck with non-rates. So you can request certain non-rated jobs, but there's no guarantee that you'll get anything remotely close to them, and you won't know until well past the point of no return. Not great, but also about what I expected. I guess the question is whether I think a four-year stint with a totally unknown job (one that may have absolutely zero employment value outside of the military) is worth it at this point in my life.
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Aug 12, 2023 16:00
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My language aptitude is frankly not good enough at this time to impress anybody. I’d need a decent bit of schooling before it was at a respectable or even useful level. I can bumble my way around the country, but certainly not hold conversations beyond basic stuff. It’s also not a highly in-demand language, since I’m sure the mil has a good chunk of weebs who likely have higher aptitude than I do. What happens if you sign up for a rated job and get turned down (due to lack of a staffing need)? Are you able to apply again later, or re-apply for a non-rate?
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Aug 12, 2023 19:49
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It looks like the Coast Guard also has a higher age limit (41!), so I suppose I could look into those jobs too. I don’t suppose anyone can advise on the process for Coasties?
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Aug 12, 2023 22:10
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I am having a hard time deciding how to answer some of these questions, or what information to give, because I am certain that I am easily identifiable already, and I am not keen on sharing certain details on a publicly viewable site--even if it is a dead gay forum. To be frank, I'd rather talk over PMs or Discord DMs or the likes. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 22:15 on Aug 14, 2023 |
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Aug 14, 2023 22:03
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