Can I make a decent living by going active as a 46s (public affairs specialist) for the National Guard?

2021-04-16T03:40:47-04:00

I have a masters degree in Multimedia, but I will not a have a civilian job by the time I am done with basic and AIT. A huge concern for me is that I don't know how I can make a living since the National Guard is part time.

Personally, i'd love to work in my field of Multimedia Design as my civilian job, while 46s as my part time. But i can see that as a very difficult dream to get due to how many employers are reluctant to hire Guardman because of the military time they have to commit too.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2021 5:53 AM

2021-04-16T05:53:26-04:00

You will make a better living on Active Duty with a full time Army paycheck in comparison to only having your part time NG paycheck.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Apr 16 at 2021 12:31 PM

2021-04-16T12:31:49-04:00

You may be shocked that many, maybe most, civilian employers don't care about you National Guard duty. Any company wanting to have VA compliance needs to show something and have you working for the Guard one weekend a month is a cheap way to do it.
I will also say that if you wanted Active Duty, you picked the wrong path. Now it will require finding a Army Recruiter willing to mess with it to fill out a DA368 Conditional Release that must go up the National Guard chain to the first General Officer. He/She is under no obligation to sign it. When I was in the Guard, anyone that hadn't served a substantial portion of their enlistment were seldom approved.
If you can't find work, hit your unit up to see if you can swing a ADSW or ADOS tour. There seems to be a lot of them around these days.

Response by SGT Chris Stephens made Apr 18 at 2021 4:42 PM

2021-04-18T16:42:44-04:00

When I was in, I was a 46Q, which was the precursor to the now 46S. After I got off active-duty and worked in the field, while also being in the reserves and then National Guard, it could sometimes be difficult with civilian employers. The news doesn't stop for anyone, and while it's not something they will flat out admit, if they have two candidates with equal qualities, and one is in the national guard, they'll likely go with the one who isn't because then they don't have to worry about the headaches of a drill schedule with one of their employees.