How would you make the most of your career in the Navy reserves if you only plan to stay in the reserve component?

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 23:21:08 -0500

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Feb 28 at 2019 11:34 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 23:34:33 -0500

Try to elaborate if you can...I saw you're on the clinical side, do you want to go further clinically? Go to another rating or field? Are you doing, or have you done, an assocs? Bach? Grad school? Hobbies? Interests? Reading tastes? Sports, incl martial arts at all? Flight interests? Would you think about other svcs despite mentioning you'd wanted only USNR? Would you wamt, e.g., PA? RN? NP? Clinical doctoral level of some type? USPHS possibly, incl their Jr and Sr COSTEP? Could your circumstances possibly change, such that you !might ever want active duty? Are you doing civilian clinical work now outside of USNR? If not clinical, what type of other civilian work at all? What level? Have you supervised? What are your ultimate long term USNR or other svc related ambitions? Senior enlisted? Warrant? Commissioned? The more you relate the greater the detail, the more I and others can suggest as possibilities, no rush, whenever convenient, I have an interest in career/educ questions similar to yours, I'd never most eager to hear more, whenever convenient, incl course titles, grades, GPAs, majors, etc, hope was of interest and/or use....

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2019 8:49 AM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 08:49:53 -0500

I would say to make the most out of the reserves, take any opportunity given to improve yourself. we have access to Active Duty for Special Work orders, ATs, Short term non-deployments, and deployments. like in my case, I'm currently deployed willingly and can put in for TA for education and building up my post 9/11 bill percentage I can use later. I tell my juniors in my unit this after I can off year orders at DC before mobilizing, deploy once and see how you feel after. better to pick it yourself than be voluntold. its a good way to save money and use the TA provided for education. also look up navy COOL for certs that can help you both military and civilian side. there's a mob portal in the Navy Reserve Homeport to pick mobs, ADSW/AT/non-mobs are in a different link path but have selections based on rate and rank. all I can say as a nearly 6 yr in sailor, keep striving for what you want, learn & keep improving yourself, and get a warfare pin early on the reserve side or when available.