How to Become a Navy Officer After Enlistment

I'm only one semester away from my AA, I'd like to see where that could get me when I get it

 

Congratulations, definitely get your AA. Is it a general one or attached with a specialized certificate?

 

It's true. You have to sign a 6 year contract, but upon graduating A school, you get auto E4. That's how I made E5 so quickly. There are a few rates that offer that, with IT being one of them.

 

I'm working for a communications degree. I wanted to be on the radio or news when I graduated high school so I worked for that

 

Many are called, but few are chosen...

 

I'm feeling better and better about my options the more I talk about this. I have a guy in my office that was in the Air Force and a few other people I know from high school, everyone is being really cool about my decision and I'm loving it

 

Then they don't have to call me and I don't want them to choose me

 

That's great to hear man! Honestly the Navy is what you make it. I've met plenty of people who hate it, but twice as many people who love it. You seem like you'll be motivated and do good things.

 

Submarines is only voluntary. Can't put you on one unless you sign the paperwork saying you will do it.

 

My friend was single and wanted to be on a sub, but he’s wierd like that anyways. Good major for an AA. Maybe you will be left monitoring communications equipment on a little boat off the North Korean peninsula, or trying to date penguins. JK- sounds like a great opportunity for you!

 

I FUCKING LOVE PENGUINS THOUGH!!!

 

Pegged it

 

Looking at your avatar - you need a bigger boat and you’ve really got to try it with both oars in the water! Like it.

 

OP just as a heads up most commands won't support you using TA (Tuition Assistance) until you've done about a year in the fleet. If you end up undesignated (PAC Sailor) then that timeline slides to the right until you become rated.

Break this out mathematically: Bootcamp (9 weeks, when I went through) + A School (8-12 weeks) + 1st Command Time (Pay your dues for ~1 year)= Let's call it a about 1.5 years into your enlistment at the earliest before you can start taking classes. This is all assuming you are already accepted into a bachelors program and can start school immediately. To me, this is a best case scenario. It could be even longer if you are Forward Deployed, sent to a "C" School, etc. Take this and build it into your time of becoming an Officer. The process is long but achievable.

This isn't meant to discourage you. I just want to paint an honest picture for you. It will take time before you are able to work on school once in the Navy. If you put your head down, focus on becoming valuable (getting qualified), and don't talk about Bootcamp every 2 seconds....you'll be good.

I've been out for about 1.5 years so I hope most of this is still fairly relevant. Others with more current knowledge, feel free to correct me.

Best of luck OP

 

I appreciate your comment. I'm 22 right now, I don't plan on making this goal in a year or two, I'm looking at the next 4-6 years before I even get close to becoming an officer. Even then, that's if I decide to stay in for as long as that would take. If I'm out after my first contract then this is all irrelevant, I'm jsut wanting to weigh my options to work from a 5-year plan to a 10-year plan

 

This right here will always be relevant.

And never wear your bootcamp division tshirt/hoodie ever again

 

So never talk about before or after boot?I figured that if everyone has to go that it wouldn't be anything to pay attention to after I complete it so I don't think it'd be a problem either way!

 

Haha! No there's nothing wrong with talking about it. There's just some people who get out to the fleet and constantly tell stories about it, or be like "Well in boot camp we did this and that..."

If you have semi normal social skills then you'll pick up on if you're talking about it too much.

 

This one time, in band boot camp...

 

Make sure you are always aware of the maximum TIS if you do go this route. Literally the year I got my degree they changed it to 6 years maximum TIS, nonwaiverable, I had 7. It has since changed (last I checked was ~10 years). I fell in a weird slot to where I was over by a year every year. Even this last year I tried for PA school, had 15 years and 3 months and no waivers past 15 years. There are many others in my unit in the same situation. Two of us are E-8s with masters degrees that can't progress further. I'll retire at least as an E-8, most likely E-9, but it's not even close to what officers or even CW3s are getting so keep that in mind. I wouldn't change anything personally because of all the great trips I had. The days of great deployments are pretty much over, however.