Should I reenlist in the navy or transition to the army?

Senior life is better in the Navy hands down and a few years back I considered switching. The Army is likely bigger which means more options, better profiles (for when you get old) but in many places, an E5 does not get treated much better than the E3. Officers are not treated any different than senior enlisted, sometimes worse depending on your rate (MOS), and it something you should think about long and hard. Honestly if you are thinking about changing situations, go to college and come back commissioned. I had more fun enlisted but my retirement pay will be so much better.

As an E4 in the Army our RCP /HYT is 8 years. So, you'll need an exception to policy to come in. The Army generally will not enlist you for anything less than 3 years which is plenty of time to promote. They also will place you into one of our critically short MOS's which will promote faster than other ones. Politics can become a factor to a degree, but that's something that effects senior NOCs and officers more because they have to compete for positions that are more likely to get them promoted. Our E5 and E6 promotions are fairly simple. You present yourself before a board of your senior NCOs and they say yay or nay. Then you compete amongst every other E4 in the Army with your MOS by earning promotion points. Those are based off of schools, awards, PT, shooting, civilian and military education. That creates an OML. Once a month the Army decides they need x amount of your MOS, they look at the OML, and determine the score they have to select to promote that many. There's no politics, it's handled by the Army and not any particular leader, and it's on you to raise your points. The Army is very much about rewarding self motivation.

So I think you, me and 4k+ other HM3s are in the similar boat. I am actually on terminal leave right now and I just got a job that is paying me 66k right outside the gate. Here are my analysis:
1. Given the trend over the past couple years, and I have been keep track of the FMS, the community manager, the total workforce and where I hear what command are short and in demanding and the NEC manning snapshot. As you know DHA is what we are heading toward, so a lot of people are getting dual platform order, they are cutting it huge. More quotas are pushing toward MAPS and I personally don't believe in MAPS, I believe in hardworking, technical savvy, knowledgeable and academically proven, I scored consistently 70s but given 1% chance of the largest E4 community in the enlist rating, there is just no chance it would bounce back. I don't know how you are with studying but I have a bachelor so studying is definitely not an issue for me. With IRAN and depend on what happening after November, I would say that quotas might be bouncing back but I bet, if it does increase will be no more than 5%. This is assuming your eval is EP. I had 1 award point. Like CPO (Join to see) said, IDC might be the route to go to get to 2nd class faster. Be realistic, don't let someone dictate your level of successfulness, so for me that means I want to know my effort is paid off, and 16 months with 1% chance, I wouldn't bet on it from business perspective.

2. Do you have anything you can transition directly into the civilian? I am L17A, and I have a license, currently working on next license. If you have always been a Zero and nothing else, you need to look into Navy Cool now within the next 2 years. Do you have a family? Even single as I am with a mortgage, I am still considering reserve to have that Tricare Prime at a discounted rate. $50 is not bad comparing to about 120 im about to pay. Last time I talked to my CCC, my SELRES quota was denied, HM has no quota. So I applied for conversion, it was IT, that got denied and now they said all I have is HT. I respect their work my time on the ship, but I will not be an HT even if that is as RSV. You have 2 years left, just think about that HYT severance pay. I had 3 left, but I didn't want to waste time, im 34 and I wanted to be 2nd class already to commission and build my professional career. You can decide if you want to be a 3rd for next 2 years just for couple $k or like me, now I will be working at a Trauma One with Research and Education, while pursuing my Master. Now, once you make that 10 years mark, there is no looking back, you need to push last 10. So ultimately, it is now or never.

3. Schooling, have you touched your GI Bill? Because I got my bachelor without touching a single dime. If you can, reenlist for that TA but know that TA has been cut back a lot so you will need to flex your muscles looking for money like FAFSA and other grants. Also, you need to go to TAPS now, even if you have 16 months left. What you learn in TAPS, I wish I knew 24 months before I separated. There are things you need to prep way ahead of time. Some schooling and skill bridge programs are great but given time line, it is not possible for me and not worthwhile either but for you, now is the time.

We not that fresh into the Navy, and we know how to succeed in the Navy as a 7-8 years experience. I know I can be an exceptional LPO, I know you know better than average E5 in 100% rating who has less than 3 years of active duty service. We know how to take advantage of the Navy and we appreciate the Navy. I love the Navy and I wanted to stay. I just can't do with 1% chance, and not as 8-10 years E4 when there are E5 less than 3 years in who has no idea just how many doors have opened for them as a PO2. So think, how valuable is time to you? You know the answer for mine.