Posted on Jul 11, 2019
Updates on available options for prior service enlistment (11B30 with 9 years)?
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Got out to do school, finished and have worked a few years. I have been out since 2012 and left as an E-6 who had all his NCOES completed. Im wondering if anyone has gone through the whole process recently and can give any intel on what options were available or how they approached it. I have read the Prior Service Business rules, and what im expecting is that if i did pull the trigger, Army would bring me down a rank and i'd be going through the prior service basic and assigned to a line unit as as Team Leader most likely, or other based on needs of the army. So my questions are
1. Did you get any visibility on your duty station before pulling the trigger(at meps)?
2. Did you get any option in terms of enlistment length?
3. I have a shiny engineering degree now(im 34, that's why im not going OCS) but would not want to get stuffed into a staff job. should i hide the fact that i have a degree lol.
4. Am i best to assume that re-class/re-train wouldn't be an option in my career. I assume that ill go back before the board relatively quickly and become a SL and would need to go to Ranger school to be competitive for E-7(based on last SFC board summary for 11B). So i'm assuming that after this enlistment, the next option would be indefinate. That will limit further options right? not sure how that works with that much time in service.
1. Did you get any visibility on your duty station before pulling the trigger(at meps)?
2. Did you get any option in terms of enlistment length?
3. I have a shiny engineering degree now(im 34, that's why im not going OCS) but would not want to get stuffed into a staff job. should i hide the fact that i have a degree lol.
4. Am i best to assume that re-class/re-train wouldn't be an option in my career. I assume that ill go back before the board relatively quickly and become a SL and would need to go to Ranger school to be competitive for E-7(based on last SFC board summary for 11B). So i'm assuming that after this enlistment, the next option would be indefinate. That will limit further options right? not sure how that works with that much time in service.
Infantry
OCS
Prior Service
Career Counselor
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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If you have less than 10 years in service and were interested in OCS, I would talk to Officer Recruiting about an age waiver, which used to be pretty routine. BTW, an Engineering degree does not guarantee becoming an Engineer Officer. I was enlisted Infantry, Commissioned as an Infantry Officer, then Branch Transferred to the Engineers when I joined the Kentucky National Guard (almost a full Brigade of Engineers at the time). I wouldn't trade my Infantry time, but the two best jobs I had in the Army was as an Engineer, Combat Engineer Co Commander and Assistant Battalion Engineer.
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Barbour connect w me and Il give you the low down of reclassing and being prior service 11B
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I did a NG to RA transfer back in 1984, then worked at USAREC HQ in 1994-1996 as a civilian contractor. I am sure some of the PS business rules have changed but back then (keep in mind these could have changed and I only listed them so you can ask your Recruiter). In regards to #1..........No BUT they will attempt to fulfill your preference list and ask you to do a preference sheet. So if you select an overseas unit, they will attempt to at least get you overseas. If you select a CONUS unit they will attempt to get you to Division at least if a slot is opens. Otherwise, roll of the dice.
#2..........Yes but they restrict you from enlisting for the shorter periods, when I enlisted a second time the 2 year option was crossed off. They might cross off the three year option for you.
#3...........No, don't hide it because that counts towards promotion regardless of if you use it in the Army or not, your going to make Senior NCO ranks faster with that degree than those with just a high school degree all other things being equal. Even with the new promo system which I got to glance at a year or two ago. Education counts.
#4...........Lets say you have 6 years TIS, you could go re-class and it would only set you back a little bit, you just said above they are going to pull a stripe so you would be E5 SGT (agree with SGM on grade determination, that is new since I was in service in the 1980's). Well they enlist folks with college degrees right at SPC not a big difference there if you need to lose a stripe. Also if you went Special Ops you would be even better off as a E5 because that is what they graduate you as for Medic at least. 8-10 years TIS is where reclass starts to set you back from what I was told when I was in because your basically starting over in a new MOS at a rank that they do not normally enlist you to the new MOS in so you are initially learning the MOS instead of starting to move around to other areas of leadership / admin.
If I were you though, you should shoot for a path where you could switch to WO or enlist for WOCS. Though you should still try and get a full Commission as an Officer if you can (you might be Direct Commission eligible with that specific degree). You gotta know by now how repetitive Infantry gets after a while, pay is better as a Warrant Officer and you should be thinking about that after 6 years Infantry unless you really are in with the MOS. I had 5 years of it and near the end I was getting bored, I thought about the board and promo to SGT E5 when I was in but I kept thinking. $50-60 more a month in pay to supervise and take the rap for the E1-E4 ranks? Did I want that if I was going to ETS anyway? Looking back though I kind of wish now I would have accepted it just for the life experience. I got it later as a civilian manager but it would have been interesting to see what the Army difference was. I never would have stayed Infantry for 20 years. I would have lost my patience after 10-12 years.
Also, your correct you do have to repeat Basic and AIT (Infantry OSUT, if you keep the MOS) with more than 5 years off Active Duty. That was the rule in the 1980's. They suspended it a while for GWOT but they brought that one back.
Who told you that about Ranger School? Either that is new or it is BS. Can't tell you which been out too long but I would be surprised if that was really a prerequisite to regular unit Infantry SFC as so many choose Recruiting duty or Drill Sergeant School and there is just not time for Ranger School unless you do it as SGT or below.
#2..........Yes but they restrict you from enlisting for the shorter periods, when I enlisted a second time the 2 year option was crossed off. They might cross off the three year option for you.
#3...........No, don't hide it because that counts towards promotion regardless of if you use it in the Army or not, your going to make Senior NCO ranks faster with that degree than those with just a high school degree all other things being equal. Even with the new promo system which I got to glance at a year or two ago. Education counts.
#4...........Lets say you have 6 years TIS, you could go re-class and it would only set you back a little bit, you just said above they are going to pull a stripe so you would be E5 SGT (agree with SGM on grade determination, that is new since I was in service in the 1980's). Well they enlist folks with college degrees right at SPC not a big difference there if you need to lose a stripe. Also if you went Special Ops you would be even better off as a E5 because that is what they graduate you as for Medic at least. 8-10 years TIS is where reclass starts to set you back from what I was told when I was in because your basically starting over in a new MOS at a rank that they do not normally enlist you to the new MOS in so you are initially learning the MOS instead of starting to move around to other areas of leadership / admin.
If I were you though, you should shoot for a path where you could switch to WO or enlist for WOCS. Though you should still try and get a full Commission as an Officer if you can (you might be Direct Commission eligible with that specific degree). You gotta know by now how repetitive Infantry gets after a while, pay is better as a Warrant Officer and you should be thinking about that after 6 years Infantry unless you really are in with the MOS. I had 5 years of it and near the end I was getting bored, I thought about the board and promo to SGT E5 when I was in but I kept thinking. $50-60 more a month in pay to supervise and take the rap for the E1-E4 ranks? Did I want that if I was going to ETS anyway? Looking back though I kind of wish now I would have accepted it just for the life experience. I got it later as a civilian manager but it would have been interesting to see what the Army difference was. I never would have stayed Infantry for 20 years. I would have lost my patience after 10-12 years.
Also, your correct you do have to repeat Basic and AIT (Infantry OSUT, if you keep the MOS) with more than 5 years off Active Duty. That was the rule in the 1980's. They suspended it a while for GWOT but they brought that one back.
Who told you that about Ranger School? Either that is new or it is BS. Can't tell you which been out too long but I would be surprised if that was really a prerequisite to regular unit Infantry SFC as so many choose Recruiting duty or Drill Sergeant School and there is just not time for Ranger School unless you do it as SGT or below.
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