Deciding to stay enlisted or go officer?

SGT(P) (Join to see) I think my first question is do you want to be an Officer? Although you've said your CPT and LTs have mentioned you would make a good officer, have they really explained to you what that means? There is absolutely nothing better about being an officer or anything worse about being enlisted, each has its pluses and minuses. It is all personal preference.

Things to consider about being an officer:

1. Time with troops. Something we all love about being a leader (both officer and NCO). You will get plenty of time with troops as a LT and some time as a CPT, after that, that's about it. You will have minimal time at best as a MAJ and maybe, if you are selected for BN CMD as a LTC, but still you are dealing with the seniors of the organization. So, if you think you might like the interaction your SSGs, SFCs, and even 1SGs are having with you, then being an officer might not be for you.

2. Can you say Power Point? As an officer, you will spend majority of your career on a staff somewhere and in today's day and age, we are a slave to power point. Not fun, not sexy, and just a fact of life.

3. Command, Command, Command....not knowing what you would want to branch, but Command is an opportunity only afforded to Officers. We have command teams within the enlisted ranks as 1SGs and CSMs and any officer worth their salt would recognized that. Out of all my time as an officer, my 18 months and 3 days in Battery Command have been by far my highlight of my career. Now, I was surrounded by great NCOs, Soldiers and LTs, so it made it easier. From what you have seen of your commander, if you have that desire to command Soldiers, then going officer might be for you. However, just remember, out of my 18 years of commissioned time, only 18 months was in command, 18 months well worth it.

4. What branch do you want to try and go? However you would chose to become an officer (OCS, ROTC, West Point), you may not be guaranteed your branch of choice. So, if you like your MOS and your career field, it might be a good reason to stay enlisted. If you are thinking of going aviation and being a pilot, I would recommend looking into Warrant Officer versus Commissioned Officer, as Warrants fly a whole lot more than the officers do.

It's a tough decision to make. Based on what you have for college already, I would talk with your Commander about opportunities to help pay for school and still receive a pay check while doing it (Green-to-Gold ROTC Scholarship, West Point Appointments, etc).

Also, I would seek out other officers on RP from different branches and get their perspective on being an officer.

The best part of this decision is there is no wrong answer. If you stay enlisted, great, if you become an officer, equally as great!

Good luck!

There were many reasons I decided to become an officer after spending seven years enlisted. I encountered stagnation in my career as an E6. There are a few different paths that all infantry NCOs go through and they seemed lack luster to me. I wanted to broaden my scope of responsibility as well as my personal development. Army schools, institutional learning, and civilian education/licensing is not only easier to get as an officer, but a lot of it is required. The Army invests a lot in the development of its officers and there are numerous paths to go on, far more than I could ever have had when I was enlisted. I also wanted a new challenge and I have not yet been disappointed. Of course the extra money looks good at retirement. Good luck on your decision!

I looked at the paychart. I was in the NG and my drill pay doubled going from enlisted to 2LT.