J P 5413247 <div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I currently am in the process of enlisting in the army national guard (Tx) and have an option of a 35 series language dependent MOS (35m/35p), or going to Federal OCS and earning a commission.<br /><br />I currently work as a contractor for one of the letter agencies and would want to move either an investigator role with one of them or some sort of intel analyst job would also be interesting.<br /><br />Which option do you think would be better considering my end goal? Any advice is much appreciated. 2020-01-04T18:53:43-05:00 J P 5413247

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I currently am in the process of enlisting in the army national guard (Tx) and have an option of a 35 series language dependent MOS (35m/35p), or going to Federal OCS and earning a commission.<br /><br />I currently work as a contractor for one of the letter agencies and would want to move either an investigator role with one of them or some sort of intel analyst job would also be interesting.<br /><br />Which option do you think would be better considering my end goal? Any advice is much appreciated.

2020-01-04T18:53:43-05:00 2020-01-04T18:53:43-05:00 SFC Casey O'Mally 5413321

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Neither 35M or 35P will set you up to be an analyst or an investigator. If you want to do investigations, you need to go 35L (however 35L is not an entry level MOS). If you want to be an analyst, go 35F.<br /><br />I am not sure what you mean by &quot;federal OCS&quot; but if you mean Army OCS, thatvwould be better, probably, for you, provided you get into Intel. However there is no guarantee you branch Intel out of OCS. You get what is available, based on your class rank and needs of the Army. You may get what you want, you may not.

2020-01-04T19:34:40-05:00 2020-01-04T19:34:40-05:00 J P 5413796

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Thank you everyone for your responses.

2020-01-04T22:22:14-05:00 2020-01-04T22:22:14-05:00 MAJ Ken Landgren 5413835

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Your post is way too cryptic. I don’t where you are coming from and where you want to end. The possible branches of your routes are significant.

2020-01-04T22:36:44-05:00 2020-01-04T22:36:44-05:00 CPL Gary Pifer 5414151

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It&#39;s normally who you know.. aint you got some connections as a contractor.. Bring Coffee, Doughnuts and or Pizza and ask those questions. I hope you visited a unit as a guest and shadowed Both Officers and Enlisted in the MOS you are interested in and ask their opinions and questions.

2020-01-05T02:59:11-05:00 2020-01-05T02:59:11-05:00 Lt Col Jim Coe 5419024

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>Not a lot to go on in your profile. Having worked as a hiring manager in both public and private sectors, here&#39;s my input: Go for the commission. You mentioning that makes me think you have at least a bachelors degree. Pay for an officer is way better than enlisted without regard to MOS or language qualifications. Additionally, you will be trained and gain experience in management and leadership. Most of this knowledge and ability is directly transferable to civilian management positions. Public sector hiring managers normally understand the role of an officer in the military and will consider it favorably when hiring for supervisory or management positions.

2020-01-06T12:26:17-05:00 2020-01-06T12:26:17-05:00 CW2 Private RallyPoint Member 5420424

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>35f.<br /><br />Or cyber.

2020-01-06T20:00:40-05:00 2020-01-06T20:00:40-05:00 LTC Mark Beattie 5420654

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It really is difficult to advise based on a somewhat cryptic post. However, in my view it boils down to what most interests you.....investigations or collecting intelligence, analyzing the intelligence, then making making sense of it for your boss and staff. I think either three letter agency would reward either skill set. Ultimately your success is impacted by how much you enjoy and are committed to your work. This requires some soul searching on your part. I’m completely unfamiliar with Federal OCS....never heard of it. Good luck!’

2020-01-06T21:20:29-05:00 2020-01-06T21:20:29-05:00 Lt Col Stephen Petzold 5425750

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>It depends which 3 letter agency it is. If it is the FBI (since you mention investigator), at least in years past they did not have a good reputation for how they treated their intel analysts. If you are working at the agency you might try talking with folks in those positions and see how they like it.

2020-01-08T13:31:34-05:00 2020-01-08T13:31:34-05:00 SSG Private RallyPoint Member 5437950

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>There are way too many factors to consider, as others have mentioned, but in my experience it really doesn’t matter one way or the other overall. I have seen people in those agencies who have zero military experience and I’ve seen retired full birds who have SF tabs and coded for 4 different languages and did 20 years in MI. It really is up to what you want your skill set to be. As a contractor I know what my military skills provide to enhance what I do. Others with completely different backgrounds have different benefits from their skills. There’s no one size fits all answer. I work with former commissioned officers, former 35M and former 35P. All bring a different SME area to the team. Really, it what you will enjoy most that will help you decide which option would be best for you.

2020-01-12T17:50:13-05:00 2020-01-12T17:50:13-05:00 SFC Private RallyPoint Member 5482621

<div class="images-v2-count-0"></div>I am going to simply list off some basics you need to know.<br /><br />Officers are parallel to supervisory/management positions; if this is where you see yourself going in life, it is where you need to begin. <br /><br />Enlisted are parallel (in general) to a standard workforce option, and NCOs parallel lead or supervisory positions based off the rank you attain. You can progress later into officer ranks or you can allow your resume to self develop through other means.<br /><br />The military does not put as much emphasis on language in the Officer’s Corps as they do with the Enlisted. While there are still options available, even the “Military Intelligence Officer” is not a language bearing job in itself. It is more advisable to seek a copy of the Army Strategic Language List (ASLL) prior to signing paperwork, and requesting Payment List A languages as your first and second choice if your GOAL is to work in the Intelligence Community, in any capacity, as a language professional. Additionally, the ideas “Language Dependent” (MOS 35M/35P) (mandatory annual language testing at particular skill for RETENTION purposes) “Language Capable (CMF 18/37/38 MOS 35L/N/V/Y/Z) (mandatory annual language testing if trained at government expense at varied skill levels) and “Language Enabled” (individuals bearing any MOS with a Language Identification Code matching the ASLL) are completely separate concepts.<br /><br />Language is not limited to the Intelligence Community; if your goal is language, you must understand that other routes are available. If your goal is Intelligence in any aspect, you should understand what languages are relevant for domestic affairs vs. foreign affairs; you should also understand the distinct and individual purposes of 3 and 4 letter agencies to suit what military career you would want to select in the military. For example, a French speaking 12Y (Geospatial Engineer) might be considerably less attractive to the FBI as it is to the CIA or USAP (not to mention the Army would not pay for you to achieve fluency from scratch). That was a very baseline example; there are dozens of jobs, dozens of languages, and dozens of agencies; the right combination for one can be wrong for another.

2020-01-25T15:33:35-05:00 2020-01-25T15:33:35-05:00 2020-01-04T18:53:43-05:00