Should I stay in the Army or go civilian as a 25B?

Speaking from personal experience. Just like what SGT Romero said it can be hard to find a job right away if all you are going with is that you are a 25B. I have been on both sides of the table before coming back in the military as a 25B I have worked numerous IT jobs. And that is the big difference. An IT job in the civilian world is different from being a 25B in the military. Our MOS only gets you somewhat prepared, especially since so many bases have civilians that do a lot of the work we should be doing. Unless you are planning on going government or specializing in a certain field. You really should be well rounded. Understand all aspects of the IT field. You could become a manager or supervisor of an IT department and that will require you to be able to deal with everything from mobile devices, telecom, networking, security, repairs and so many more things. You might not have to do any of the work yourself but will be expected to have an understanding of it so you can relay it those that you are supervising. As for your education. You are on the right path and should continue on that path. Get as many certifications as you can. But make sure you stay current on them and how the industry changes. It's also not too late to start taking a class or two now. The college part hurts when it comes to negotiating your pay but if you can show your experience and sale your abilities your pay will come as well. I never went to school for anything computer related until I was back in the military or took a college class until this year and was able to beat out other candidates because of my experience and knowledge. A few of the places I have been able to work for with just my experience and being able to interview well are IBM, Department of HUD, Pentagon, Navy Annex, A nuclear company, an international law frim and a construction company in the DC area. I say this just to show you that it is possible to get a good job at this point in your career. You have to also take in account the location you would get out and go back to live and work. How big is the IT field there? How much of a demand is there in that area? What colleges you have in that area and the IT related programs they have at those schools. You will be in competition with recent graduates, seasoned IT professionals and those everyday computer people out there if you go private and not government. With government you can get a preference. Also if you are within 18 months of your ETS date it may not be a bad idea to go to your SFL-TAP briefings. With all this said it is going to come down to want you really want. Is there another MOS you really want to do so you can stay in the military and move up in rank and do 20yrs? How much longer you really want to be in the Army and do all the things that is required of us. If you have a family then you have to think about how it would affect them. Also check out ArmyReenlistment.com for options as it pertains to other MOS's and also make sure you are reading the bottom of your LES. there is always some good information posted on them. This past one had information about a possible change to the medic field for those interested. I think you have been given a lot of good advice from everyone on here but I wanted to talk to you from my personal experience. I am getting out next year and I had the same dilemma in front of me. You have to make the decision that is best for you.

I am a fortune 500 military recruiter and my recommendation is that you test the waters while you are still active duty. What do you mean? I am glad you asked. The best time to look for work is while you are working. So why not attend a SFL-TAP class, learn how to build a resume, create one and start applying for roles and even go on interviews/ How will you benefit:

1) Know what your value is in the civilian marketplace
2) You will get practice interviewing
3) You will build confident

I would not worry so much about NOT having a degree which may be important but focus on your skillset and how you add value to an organization. I personally know someone that is in IT field no degree, work from home and earning close to 70k. But again the best time to test the waters are when you are working that is what you can use your leave for. If you dont take care of yourself you cant expect no one else to take care of you.

That is an interesting question SGT Laura Delgadillo. I think it would make sense for you to looking into how many college credits your military career would provide right now and then see if the military would help you finish a degree while you think about a potential career change.