Dakryn's Batshit Theory of the Week

[The Ozzman]

(which I don't recommend at this point in history)

Insight on why?

doing enlisted first and then going officer gives you a ton of valuable insight on how things work that those who just go straight officer will never know.

I thought NCOs weren't really promoted to officers in the regular way? Anyway, that's the exact reason I'd go enlisted first. I'm not sure if being a college graduate allows me to advance in the enlisted ranks automatically at all, but whatever.

I'm leaning towards joining in about a year if I don't make any progress on landing another job.

 

[genocide roach]

the airforce is better about that kind of punishment. it still happens, but not nearly as often.

idiotic assholes are the issue. my experience though its usually been youn TSgt's and Majors who are the issue. guys who are in that "i've gotta prove myself to make the next step" phase of their career. trying to act like MSgt or LtCol without the power (power the dont acknowledge they lack)
~gR~

 

[Dak]

I thought NCOs weren't really promoted to officers in the regular way? Anyway, that's the exact reason I'd go enlisted first. I'm not sure if being a college graduate allows me to advance in the enlisted ranks automatically at all, but whatever.

I'm leaning towards joining in about a year if I don't make any progress on landing another job.

I know the USMC has, and I would imagine all branches have, programs to take shit hot enlisted and make them officers. Having the college already done will obviously make it easier. In fact, you would probably have to argue with the recruiter as to why you want to go enlisted since you already have a degree.

College has limited bearing on enlisted promotions, different branches put more weight on college than others.

Officers get better pay and bennies, but as a group, first term officers are pretty worthless. More money to sit around and pretend importance while the enlisted laugh at them behind their backs. It's not even the real "military" experience.

If you were going to do it and intended to stay in longer than 1 term, I highly recommend sucking it up for 4 years of enlisted time and then do the switch. You will be much more respected and know a shitload more.

 

[genocide roach]

If I ever go, I could go in as an officer but I would probably enlist instead

i had the chance to stay in college and go in as an officer. decided that wasnt what wanted to do. i could specialize myself more as an enlisted guy

If you happen to join the military (which I don't recommend at this point in history), doing enlisted first and then going officer gives you a ton of valuable insight on how things work that those who just go straight officer will never know.

this is a great point. the best O's are guys who can relate to E's. The best officers ive have were prior E

Insight on why?



I thought NCOs weren't really promoted to officers in the regular way? Anyway, that's the exact reason I'd go enlisted first. I'm not sure if being a college graduate allows me to advance in the enlisted ranks automatically at all, but whatever.

I'm leaning towards joining in about a year if I don't make any progress on landing another job.

your college has nothing to do with your rank until you try to become an officer. well, atleast not until you get to the SNCO part of your career. having your degree does help you out though with your office image though, which is important.

once enlisted you can apply to become an officer if you have a degree. you have to submit a package and be accepted though. youll also have to take the officer version of the asvab.

you can apply to be an officer at any time. i actually went to tech school with another guy (who was still a student) who put in his package while at school. i've also seen MSgt's do it as well.

 

[genocide roach]

If I ever go, I could go in as an officer but I would probably enlist instead

i had the chance to stay in college and go in as an officer. decided that wasnt what wanted to do. i could specialize myself more as an enlisted guy

If you happen to join the military (which I don't recommend at this point in history), doing enlisted first and then going officer gives you a ton of valuable insight on how things work that those who just go straight officer will never know.

this is a great point. the best O's are guys who can relate to E's. The best officers ive have were prior E. they just relate better and are able to speak to E's without being total douchebags. they understand the E structure and the responsibilities of each rank. a lot of O's who go straight in as an O dont have that experience. and academy grads are just miserable to work with because they think they understand the E structure, but they really have no clue.

Insight on why?



I thought NCOs weren't really promoted to officers in the regular way? Anyway, that's the exact reason I'd go enlisted first. I'm not sure if being a college graduate allows me to advance in the enlisted ranks automatically at all, but whatever.

I'm leaning towards joining in about a year if I don't make any progress on landing another job.

your college has nothing to do with your rank until you try to become an officer. well, atleast not until you get to the SNCO part of your career. having your degree does help you out though with your office image though, which is important.

once enlisted you can apply to become an officer if you have a degree. you have to submit a package and be accepted though. youll also have to take the officer version of the asvab.

you can apply to be an officer at any time. i actually went to tech school with another guy (who was still a student) who put in his package while at school. i've also seen MSgt's do it as well.
~gR~

 

[The Ozzman]

I was doing some research and apparently you have to have some college to become a Warrant Officer, so I guess it does matter if you're enlisted and want to specialize in something

 

[genocide roach]

yeah, i'm not too informed on the warrant officer program. the air force doesnt have em. i kinda wish they would though.
~gR~

 

[Dak]

Yeah, WO is a whole different thing though from normal officers.

 

[The Ozzman]

I also think Eagle Scouts get an automatic promotion to E-2 or something, so I have that going for me as well. Though, E-2 is just another degree of 'private', which I never understood why there are two degrees of private

 

[genocide roach]

Yeah, WO is a whole different thing though from normal officers.

with less pay too, right?

way more respect though. every WO i've met has been a total bad ass in their job. and they're pretty cool too
~gR~

 

[genocide roach]

I also think Eagle Scouts get an automatic promotion to E-2 or something, so I have that going for me as well

yup, i got that as well. also, depending on which branch you go into, you can get E-3 out of basic for having your degree. thats what the air force does
~gR~

 

[Dak]

with less pay too, right?

way more respect though. every WO i've met has been a total bad ass in their job. and they're pretty cool too
~gR~

Less pay and bennies, but mad respect. Then again,"Mustang" officers usually get mad respect as well, and all the pay and bennies of an officer.

@Ozzman: You've got mail.

 

[King Richard]

Ozz: I'm not going to sit here and call you a dumbass because you think enlisting first and then getting commissioned would be the best way, it just shows that you know nothing about the military. So, I'll say this in the nicest way I can think of:

Don't fucking do it.

There's nothing you'll learn or gain from being enlisted that would benefit you as an officer, aside from the fact that you know how much being enlisted sucks. Officers make 2-4 times as much as enlisted personnel, have more authority, better perks and benefits, etc. Enlisted are like the blue collar workers, and officers are like the white collar management. No one wants to be a blue collar worker, it's just that a lot of people don't have a choice.

So get those thoughts out of your head, unless you want every recruiter you talk to laughing in your face, including me.

 

[Dak]

Ozz: I'm not going to sit here and call you a dumbass because you think enlisting first and then getting commissioned would be the best way, it just shows that you know nothing about the military. So, I'll say this in the nicest way I can think of:

Don't fucking do it.

There's nothing you'll learn or gain from being enlisted that would benefit you as an officer, aside from the fact that you know how much being enlisted sucks.

I disagree. You learn how shit actually gets done, instead of walking around on the clueless cloud most officers walk around in.

Officers make 2-4 times as much as enlisted personnel, have more authority, better perks and benefits, etc. Enlisted are like the blue collar workers, and officers are like the white collar management. No one wants to be a blue collar worker, it's just that a lot of people don't have a choice.

So get those thoughts out of your head, unless you want every recruiter you talk to laughing in your face, including me.

This is true, but who makes a better manager? The one who worked his way up, or the hotshot guy straight out of college with 0 experience?

 

[The Ozzman]

I've talked to people who enlisted in the military and told me about the disdain they had for people who came into the military as a fresh officer and how they tried to act like they knew everything when they didn't. I'd prefer to develop a rapport with the people in my squad through genuine respect of my experience, not through the rank on my shoulders.

 

[The Ozzman]

To add to that: I can't really do a lot of shit I want to do in the military anyway regarding MOSs because I don't have normal color vision. The most I can do is infantry, desk work or construction. If I could, I would be a mechanic.

 

[Dak]

Construction would probably be the most interesting/beneficial out of those.

 

[The Ozzman]

Construction would probably be the most interesting/beneficial out of those.

That was my thought as well. Either that or be a paralegal since law school is an option for me regarding higher education.

EDIT: Some of the construction jobs even require normal color vision FML

 

[Dak]

Just don't go infantry. You will be treated like complete shit and be surrounded by people of such a lower level of intelligence than you it will be beyond teh suck.

TBH, you are going to have that problem in the military almost no matter what you do, but at least if you got into a technical MOS its not as bad.

 

[zabu of nΩd]

It is hilarious watching people weeping on CNN and Fox News footage when there's been some teenager spraying classrooms of schoolmates with bullets, yet it's very possible the friends, relatives and associates of many of the people involved are pro-gun and just as defiant regarding weapon ablishment as a number of people on this forum appear to be. It almost makes the outpour of grief for those who get killed by these kinds of violent outbursts insulting to the deceased. What will it take to prove to you people that your gun laws have more harm than good?

As for response... No, not the common sensical response, but the response of someone who is within the barriers of the situation and unable to reposition their thinking to correctly interpret the opinion (whether right or wrong) of someone outside the situation.

I don't mean to imply that banning guns will end violence in the US. Of course not. Your culture is too violently ingrained for this to happen now anyway. But it would certainly cause a shift of some sort. Paradoxically, it could spur even more violence, hence, Catch22 again because America cannot imagine a life without easy access to weapons.

Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps the solution to the gun violence problem is not to entirely strip citizens of the freedom to own a gun, but rather to restrict their ownership to qualified individuals? Take a look at Switzerland, where there are over 400,000 assault rifles in homes throughout the country. Their firearm homicide rate is .56 per 100,000 people - slightly high for the most developed Western countries but still less than 1/5 the U.S. rate. Plus, their overall homicide rate - 1.52 per 100,000 - is virtually indistinguishable from comparable countries with stricter gun laws.

Even the staunchly anti-gun nanny states in Great Britain have an overall murder rate of 1.45 per 100,000. That should make it pretty obvious that banning guns is not a panacea for murder. (stats here)

Considering the benefits of gun freedom in bringing a closer balance of power between citizens and their government, as well as allowing people the option to defend their homes from intruders if they feel the need (something the police usually cannot do for you), it's pretty short-sighted of you to write off that freedom as merely an enabler of paranoia.