What should my "backup" MOS be if I want to become a Civil Affairs Specialist?

Just some advice form some old guy that that spent 35 years plus in both the Active Army as an Infantryman and in the Reserves as a Civil Affairs Specialist with an attempt at minimal bias. When signing up for the Military you have to keep in mind the needs of the service always come first. So if what you want aligns with what is needed then all is good. If not then you need to see what you qualify for when testing for job placement (MOS). I have been told that Active duty CA is harder than Reserve CA so I will put that out there. When enlisting it is always nice to pick a career that can align with the civilian job market should you decide you are a one and done you can make the transition easier. If you want to stay in and qualify then you need to look for a career filed that will make maximum use of your strong points and provide you with something you enjoy doing. Again if you fail to make standards the Army will stick you where they need you. Recycle for school failures is not guaranteed, budgets, manpower and needs are all juggled to provide the best value possible for big Army. Whatever you decide make sure you get it "IN WRITING" on your enlistment contract and meet all the requirements for that selection or you go into the "Fill the recruitment monthly MOS number pot". As for picking a Backup MOS it all depends on how well you do on the ASVAB and what you qualify physically, mentally and legally. I have/had five Additional MOS's and one Primary due to some re-class and available MOS slots. Its always good to have additional skills to make you more marketable and to have a back up plan should an MOS go away which does happen. Good luck.

If you are planning on going Active Duty, you will need to have another MOS first and reclass when you make Specialist.
If going Reserve, you can go into CA directly as a Initial Enlistee.
Which path are you taking?

Let's ask a few obvious questions first and use the answers to guide what you'd like to do.

Why are you considering Civil Affairs:
o Is it just for the potential experience in meeting people from backgrounds dissimilar from your own?
o Do you have an interest in governmental operations?
o Do you feel this may become a stepping stone into civilian public service at an administrative level?
o have you considered how mutually supporting MOSs and Civilian Occupations can work within the frame work with Civil Affairs?

Now, some MOS options that can possibly help with CA specialty teams are as follows:
Finance; understanding of fundamental business banking and finacial record keeping can be an asset in rebuilding governmental operations.

Engineer; Building and road construction methodology and practices can aid in determining which infrastructure projects recieve priority in supporting the Commaders intent as well as Political intent.

Military Police; law enforcement functions while some what different in the Army and Civilian realms has overlapping applications as well.

Firefighter; similar to Policing, Fire Protection planning and operations overlap functions in the civilian and military realms.

Those are just a few choices, asking more questions about what other interests you have may also work as an asset to Civil Military functions can aid you in deciding what option to persue should you consider Active Duty assent into Civil Affairs,