As a prior-service 11B looking to reenlist, what are the ups, downs, career advancement opportunities for 74D, 68K, 68S, 68W, 15U?

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 12:58:45 -0400

For a little more information on the situation, I know that I won't know what I am eligible for until I get to MEPs. I've been told that I may not even be able to reclass at all. I have just been keeping an eye on the in/out sheets and the current bonus MOS's as I am assuming those would be the ones that I'd most likely get a spot to reclass for. Mostly I am looking for a bit more information about these MOS's as I have seen that 15U and a handful of the 68 series MOS's are understrength. Also with 11B's being balanced right now I feel like I have a decent chance to reclass out of it. Thanks for anyone that responds.

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2017 1:00 PM

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 13:00:37 -0400

Im sorry for the double post, I'm not really sure why it did it. Would be nice to be able to delete one.

Response by SSG Guillaume Meyer made Oct 23 at 2017 1:34 PM

SSG Guillaume Meyer — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 13:34:20 -0400

As a former 68S, it’s a great MOS but once you hit E-6 advancement becomes extremely competitive.

Response by SFC Stephen King made Oct 23 at 2017 3:25 PM

SFC Stephen King — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:25:25 -0400

SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member Congratulations on continuing your service. I look at your choices and my first question is which is going to be the best career path for the future. Civilian careers: 68 series are a good option as well as 15U. Career progression or promotions change all the time with the needs of the Army. Look at these jobs and figure the one you actually want to do.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2017 4:50 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:50:28 -0400

As a current 68 kilo reservist I am definitely going to recommend 68 kilo. After graduation from fort Sam you will receive an associate's degree from GWU which I just recently completed my bachelor's in lab science. But I did work as a Lab tech right out of school on the civilian side and started at 17.50 an hour. MLT is also an incredibly good stepping stone to nearly any medical program. I chose to do the PA program at FSU after completing my Ba in Lab science. If you get the option I recommend you choose it. School at Fort Sam is challenging though so if you are wanting something easy don't choose 68K. Good luck on whatever you choose
SGT McPherson 68-K

Response by SGT Ej P. made Oct 23 at 2017 9:03 PM

SGT Ej P. — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:03:33 -0400

74D has many “branches” in itself giving you a lot of different scopes which is highly advantagous after you leave the military if you choose to stay within the field esp with a HazMat background nowadays

Response by SGT Jeffrey Dennis made Oct 23 at 2017 9:27 PM

SGT Jeffrey Dennis — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:27:47 -0400

68W

Response by SGT Jeffrey Dennis made Oct 23 at 2017 9:32 PM

SGT Jeffrey Dennis — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:32:54 -0400

Since you are an EMT-I, you should go 68W. You should be able to skip the first 8 weeks of whiskey school. (Which is EMT-B school).

Response by SGT Daniel Hagerty made Oct 23 at 2017 9:34 PM

SGT Daniel Hagerty — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 21:34:14 -0400

The question I have to ask is what do you want to do with your life? Pick an mos that will help you to achieve your end goal. For me I started as a 91b now it's 68w. I love being a medic and did get to hit my dream of being a flight medic. I used my experience to become a paramedic then a nurse now a nurse practitioner. Best I can say is pick what will help you with your future.

Response by SGT Victoria Belbusti made Oct 24 at 2017 4:59 AM

SGT Victoria Belbusti — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 04:59:44 -0400

Check out 68N

Response by SPC Tony Means made Oct 24 at 2017 1:57 PM

SPC Tony Means — Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:57:09 -0400

68K points to E5 were always maxed out. If you are already past that point it's not too bad. But you are going to be working with a lot of females and civilians which I found to be a challenge to say the least.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2017 10:09 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 28 Oct 2017 10:09:51 -0400

As a 68W48, and former Readiness NCO, I am familiar with 68 series and 74D (CBRNE).
Most of these MOS’s cap out at either E5 or E6, except for 68W, which goes to 68W50 (MSG) or Chief Medical Operations NCO.

Response by SGT Brian Rush made Oct 28 at 2017 1:19 PM

SGT Brian Rush — Sat, 28 Oct 2017 13:19:24 -0400

I started as a 91W and ended as a 68W. It’s pretty easy to get to E5 as long as you do not mind being around a bunch of brass. If you choose medic, get an identifier at MEPS because you will never get an opportunity to do that afterwards. M6(LPN) is pretty popular identifier which is an additional 6 months of training after 68W school. And it gives you almost half of your credits towards your RN degree. As a 68W you get your EMT-B and CPR certification. Neither of which will qualify you for any decent civilian job. Also depending on your age and chain of command, you can get in the green to gold program to become a PA. Which is pretty close to being a doctor. I got out in ‘08 and there were 0 opportunities for me as a 68W with extensive trauma experience. The last part is 68 series requires you to have a high learning curve. My class started with just under 400 and graduated about 150 because soldiers failed out. If you do not pass the national EMT-B exam after 2 attempts, YOU WILL GET RECLASSIFIED.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2017 8:54 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 20:54:13 -0400

As A 74D (CBRN) some good aspects you can transfer to almost any unit that has openings.

You come out with your Hazmat Operations level from their you can get your Tech on the Civilian side.

To get a job most fire departments require fire certs and EMT certs. The MOS alone won't help you find a civilian job alone.

You can expect to do a 92Y job in supply after you do your Chemical duties.

Their is a chance to become part of your local CST team that does pretty awesome missions as a AGR but the postions are pretty hard to get without really studying and networking for that team.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2017 12:35 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 12:35:16 -0400

There are some really great opportunities in the service, but you also have to think about a potential outside career in my opinion. Rad Tech, Bio-medical repair, these are careers that can earn you a decent living on the outside. Also, take all the extra courses you can in the military, small group instructor, Master Resilience trainer, stuff like that will look great on a resume later in life. Even if you never plan to leave the military, plan for the eventuality that something will come up, and remember all those extras are great for promotion boards as well.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 1 at 2017 7:40 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 19:40:40 -0400

You will get a degree out of the 68 series and there points are low

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 5 at 2017 11:11 AM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 11:11:51 -0500

My advice on becoming a 74D is that if you're not "flexible", then this mos is not for you. If you don't want to deal with CS gas again, then you should reconsider this mos. 74D is on a similar boat as 68 series. Both require you to do your job, while also doing your unit's job as well, depending on location. But being certified as a 74D qualifies you a surplus of jobs/career opportunities. Being able to react accordingly when a chemical event occurs appeals to quite a lot of people. The pros of a 74D is that they're accepted on every post, while the cons is that they're accepted on every post.

Response by CPL Kenneth Norris made Nov 5 at 2017 7:39 PM

CPL Kenneth Norris — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 19:39:37 -0500

CBRNE is a highly technical field that can offer you some unique employment opportunities when you get out.

Couple that with a degree in emergency management and if you don't mind relocating you could end up with a starting salary of 6 figures.

Like Hagerty says: consider what you *really* love doing. If you do what you love, you'll never "work" a day in your life. Took me a long time to figure that out.

Now I'm 50 and doing what I do love - emergency management.

Response by SFC Antonio Nieto made Nov 13 at 2017 2:23 PM

SFC Antonio Nieto — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 14:23:13 -0500

Not only because it was my MOS but because other than signal is the MOS that gives you a lot of options in your civilian life I would recommend 74d depending of what state are you in you have a great opportunity to growth at a decent rate, moreover you will get at least for certifications that you could translate into civilian jobs opportunities or career wise if you want to explore an exciting career opportunity 74d is your best choice you could use to develop working for the private sector, state or federal and with your rank you have an opportunity to join your state CST group civil support team if you pick the national guard good speed and good luck stay green

Response by SGT J William Reynolds made Nov 25 at 2017 4:54 PM

SGT J William Reynolds — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 16:54:16 -0500

Didn’t see anyone comment on 15U. Spent 12 years as a 15U, it certainly has its ups and downs. As much trash as some talk about aviation it is a heavily deployed branch. During my 12 years of service the longest I spent not deployed was 2 consecutive years. Between PCS, training, and 4 12 month deployments I was always on the move. I am not sure how the optempo has changed since I’ve been out but 15U will certainly keep you busy. If you want aviation. Maintenance experience for the civilian sector this would be the best way to get it. About the only way to get twin engine tandum rotor maintenance experience.