Education of our enlisted soldiers: Should they receive a bump in pay for having a college degree in their career field?

Would I enjoy the pay increase? Most definitely. There is compensation in other ways though. For those of us using Tuition Assistance, we have already had a good portion of our education paid for. In certain units, education will help you make rank. The issue I foresee is that all my friend in a combat MOS claim they don't have time to take classes. While I've seen many of these soldiers spending all their free time drinking it up with their buddies, some might have a legitimate point. If all soldiers are afforded the same opportunities (around mission requirements) to attend college classes then I am all for it. However, I don't think this will ever be the case. I don't see it as equal when an unit with a high operational tempo can't modify the battle rhytmn to allow soldiers to attend classes in order to get this pay increase. I am all for expanding educational programs, modifying promotion requirements (less PT/weapons focused, more leadership education focused), providing more opportunities to attend military schools, and routes to become an officer.

This is a very interesting question SSG Ike Phelan. Today's enlisted force is significantly more educated than we were when I joined the Army. Soldiers who have a college degree when they enlist enter the service as either a PFC or a SPC. That degree will assist them significantly to move up the ranks with the additional promotional points that they possess. Centralized boards also look very favorably on those who possess degrees. By looking at pay associated with moving up the ranks in a quicker fashion than your peers is one way to reap the financial benefits of possessing a college degree.

I was told a long, long time ago that the pay gap between the enlisted and officer corps is not specifically tied to the college education. It is associated with the level of responsibility difference between the enlisted and officer corps. Some may argue the different degrees of responsibility and such, but at the end of the day it was my PL, not me as PSG, that was ultimately on the blame line if things went south. It was the same for my CO CDRs when I was a 1SG. While by level of responsibility was very encompassing, the CDR was ultimately the one responsible for the Company. Even though there are a larger number of tasks and duties that NCOs are responsible for that may have been traditionally fell into the "officer lane," at the end of the day, the officer is still overall responsible for success, failure, property accountability, etc.

Personally, I would like to see some sort of additional pay for enlisted who hold a degree. It could vary depending on the level of the degree held and could be something similar to FLPP for those who possess language skills. That is just my personal view. I do not believe though that education alone is enough to significantly close the pay gap between the enlisted and officer corps.

I'm just going to suggest, isn't the Army paying for your college, compensation? I don't know about active duty, but I've never met a Guardsman, whose college hadn't been paid for by the State or by Uncle Sam.