Can you enlist as a 38B, or must you wait until you have a certain period of service/rank?

Mike Chapman — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 10:32:17 -0400

I just took the ASVAB two days ago, scored a 93 and hit all the sections most important to the jobs I was looking at. As I was looking over the jobs available to me, I read about 38B, the Civil Affairs Specialists, and was intrigued quite a bit as many of the skills that seem to be applied there would also apply to what I want to do when I return to civilian life. But I've seen a lot of conflicting information out there, so I figured I'd ask here - can you enlist directly as a 38B, or must you wait until you have a certain period of service/rank under your belt?

Thanks in advance!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 30 at 2018 11:27 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 11:27:19 -0400

If you are joining the Reserve, then yes, you can enlist as a 38B.
If you are joining the Active Component, then no, you can not. In order to do so, you must complete AIT in some MOS, then go through selection and a couple more hoops.
It is a very rewarding and interesting field, though and worth a look.

What was your ST score? That is the one that matters.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 30 at 2018 3:44 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 15:44:26 -0400

18X if you are between the ages of 20-30.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2018 6:35 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 18:35:53 -0400

Current qualifications are:
SPC or SGT (non-promotable SGT)
SPC between 1 and 3 years Time in service, no more than 3 years time in grade
107+ GT score (tech score no longer matters)
65+ DLAB
240+ APFT - have higher than that if you want to succeed
SERE physical (not just Airborne physical)
able to get a SECRET clearance.
US citizen

Even enlisting as a 38B reserve does not allow you to direct transition to active 38B, still need to enlist active in another job, then go to selection.

Best I've seen as a prior MOS are - 19D, Engineer (any of em), and Intel. MPs are some of the worst I've seen at CA, because they talk at people, rather than with people. Don't worry about getting airborne school in your contract, it's automatic upon Selection.
Once you complete OSUT/AIT and arrive at your first duty station, seek out your local SORB office (goarmysof.com) to initate the process. DO NOT WAIT, Soldiers "age out" quickly due to our archaic and ridiculous promotion system.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 26 at 2018 9:05 AM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Oct 2018 09:05:46 -0400

You can in the Army Reserve. For active component, we recruit from the force.

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 8 at 2018 3:58 PM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 15:58:14 -0500

You can enlist as a 38B, but more than likely it would be as a reservist. It is much easier to get a Reserve slot than Active Duty, as the CA active community is pretty small and they typically look for NCOs and officers who are already in to cross over.

I can't remember the ASVAB specifics for 38B, but I believe it has a high GT score requirement. Sorry for the late post. Hope this helps.