Would you rather be a Drill Sergeant or an Executive Assistant to a CSM?

2022-03-01T13:31:03-05:00

I have an NCO who was selected to interview for the Executive Assistant position with the USAICoE CSM and was ultimately selected for the position. She has until COB tomorrow to either accept or decline the position. She also wants to be a Drill Sergeant. I have tried to explain to her that in my opinion, the Executive assistant position would likely be better for her career in the long run and that she can go Drill after the 1 year assignment, especially since the CSM was a drill sergeant and likely has connections with the Drill community so she would probably have more say as to where she goes as a Drill Sergeant.

If you were to choose, which one would you chose and why? MSG Private RallyPoint Member SFC Private RallyPoint Member CSM Charles Hayden

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2022 1:35 PM

2022-03-01T13:35:44-05:00

I would TOTALLY tell that NCO to take the Exec Assistant gig first and THEN Drill Sergeant. Both are great broadening assignments...but the Exec Assistant gig will get her a better leg up down the road.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Mar 1 at 2022 2:15 PM

2022-03-01T14:15:46-05:00

Having had several Executive assistants assigned to me during my Tenor, I can say that a well connected CSM will ensure the best assignment available ensuring the NCO’s success, save personal failure. I would recommend this position to most qualified over drill. It is likely that they will make E7 coming out of the position, or while assigned.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2022 2:25 PM

2022-03-01T14:25:55-05:00

She will get more mentorship out of one year with a two star command CSM than she would with five year of being a Drill Sergeant.

At a certain point, around SSG , we're all really good at our job, so getting ahead isn't about being good, or even being better than our peers. Positions get people promoted. People who are in certain fields for long enough know what positions get people promoted. Cooks know that an Enlisted Aide will get you promoted to SFC immediately. Infantry know that being a Master Gunner in a battalion will get you promoted to SFC immediately. Career Counselors know that being a Senior in a BCT or a Senior Ops in a Division will get you promoted to MSG. There are positions that leaders reserve for the sake of grooming potential future leaders.

Career progression really comes from opportunities, and opportunities come from word of mouth recommendations. One thing I have definitely noticed over my career is that getting noticed and making connections is how people get those opportunities to fill career making positions. I don't know much about the intel career progression map, but assuming she is MI, she could walk out of that position being recommended to lead an MI detachment for a joint assignment. The connections you make at that level span across entire ACOM's.

Even more important than that, you are getting direct, daily mentorship by someone who is literally at the top of the game. It's not just a CSM, it's a nominative CSM. This CSM was selected by the CG out of a field of other potential CSM's. You have direct access to see how the Army works at the higher level. You have direct access to a wealth, several decades worth, of Army and life knowledge. You have a chance to be directly influenced by someone who is ahead of all their other peers as CSM's. They have cracked the code for leadership and promotion in the Army. That right there is worth the assignment.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2022 3:26 PM

2022-03-01T15:26:30-05:00

Definitely executive assistant. The USAIcoe CSM more than likely has connections across the MI branch. Speaking from personal experience doing something like that has opened a lot of doors for me.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Mar 1 at 2022 3:36 PM

2022-03-01T15:36:17-05:00

The exec Assistant job is a rare opportunity. There is no reason she can't pursue being a Drill Sergeant later on but this position won't come around again.

I would choose the assistant position, network and soak up everything I could before moving on to something else. The assistant job will only help her career and future pursuits.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Mar 1 at 2022 4:44 PM

2022-03-01T16:44:43-05:00

The job at hand, Executive Assistant, is by far a better deal. SSG Private RallyPoint Member, everything you said about the Executive Assistant job is correct. Additionally, there's no guarantee that your Soldier would be accepted as a Drill Sergeant. Any time a Soldier is offered an opportunity to work directly for a Senior NCO of Senior Officer, I believe it's a good deal. She will learn a great deal about the Army from the perspective of the CSM. She probably will meet senior officers and get to hear their opinions and perspectives as they discuss issues with the CSM. Recommend she take the Executive Assistant job!

Response by Sgt Lee Ajaye made Mar 1 at 2022 5:03 PM

2022-03-01T17:03:50-05:00

It's all about networking. If take the EA job and be damn good at it so that it would give me a better chance at understanding the drill world before I truly decided that was what I wanted to do. The connection and chance for free unencumbered information makes the 1 year totally worth it.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2022 5:45 PM

2022-03-01T17:45:57-05:00

She can be rated by a Sr Drill, or she can be rated by a MG's CSM...............

Duh..................

Just the math alone................. how many NCO's out there have Drill experience????? Now how many of them will have the MG/CSM work load on their NCOER?

I had a former PL of mine now a 1LT call me up that interviewed for a General's Aide de Camp. I told him to not pass it up if he gets it. He's also toying with Command as well (which is a given if he wants it), and I said the best command he could get is in a subordinate company under the General who he was an aide to. That could only benefit his BN and BDE. Even if he doesn't "milk it" he would have far better intuition what the BG wants than most others.

I just had a brief during my last battle assembly about career progression. It was targeted way above my pay grade and laying out the ground work to prepare for promotion to BG. Yea, that wont happen for me, but the bottom line was laying the ground work with the Annual Evals all the way through your career.

************
If I have figured out one thing in this military career progression stuff is opportunities are rare. There is no bouncing around one civilian job to another civilian job to round out your professional experience. If one of the rare career positions opens up you need to jump on it when it's there.

HUNDREDS of NCO's (thousands??? I don't know) will have Drill SGT in their packet. What folks are not thinking about is this NCO in question will probably have visibility to other CSM's subordinate to the CSM's 2-Star command. Then the CSM's that belong to all the BDE's then the CSM's that belong to the BNs. All those subordinate CSM's will progress as well, and when the NCO in question progresses and is up for SFC or MSG they might "remember" her as everyone moves upward.

At the very least the NCO in question for the aide position will have visibility to how things work all the way down to the company level if she wants. Other CSM's might not know her, but she could know who all the other CSM's are in the chain (and at least one level up) and literally get a birds eye view of the career field.

As a Drill SGT she will get better at gaming the system. As exposed to a 2 Star CSM she will find out how to learn what game is being played before anyone else is told.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made Mar 1 at 2022 7:20 PM

2022-03-01T19:20:38-05:00

Drill Sergeant

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2022 10:01 PM

2022-03-01T22:01:16-05:00

I'd take the Executive Assistant to the CSM position. Respect to the DS route, but she can pursue it after this and also benefit from the additional mentorship, experience, and of course the meet and greets.

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Mar 1 at 2022 10:44 PM

2022-03-01T22:44:15-05:00

USAICoE CSM assistant for the win

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Mar 2 at 2022 11:44 AM

2022-03-02T11:44:31-05:00

You are spot on.

I used to be that position's PSG. I saw three different NCOs in that role. The first two left with a GLOWING NCOER from a nominative CSM, which gave them a definitive leg up for SFC. One went to Drill school a year later (after completing "tour" on Huachuca) and then to (IIRC) Jackson. The other went to Airborne and a job in the 82nd. Both of those assignments were exactly where they wanted to go with their careers. The third outlasted me, she was still in the job when I left, so I do not know what her outcome was.

Never EVER pass up a chance for being rated by a nominative CSM. As long as you can perform, only good things can happen for you.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Mar 2 at 2022 3:53 PM

2022-03-02T15:53:41-05:00

Look, DI's are a dime a dozen, but they are damn few NCO's ever been polished by a 2 star CSM. Hell that is like an advanced ANCOC

Response by MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P made Mar 2 at 2022 8:30 PM

2022-03-02T20:30:19-05:00

Holy smokes this isn't even a question! Were it me, I'd have jerked the CSM's arm off shaking his/her hand so hard while accepting the position! The way I see it, your NCO will gain VASTLY more experience and opportunity as an aide than they will as a DI. As several others have commented, DI's are a dime-a-dozen but there are precious few EA's to CSMs of that level. The opportunity to build contacts among senior ranking staff alone makes the position MUCH more desirable in my opinion. Since the CSM was a Drill also, I'm quite positive they will have connections among that community and can open doors that would otherwise likely remain closed. Drill positions come and go. EA to a MG level command CSM only happen once (if ever!) in a career.

Response by CSM Tony Blair made Mar 14 at 2022 4:04 AM

2022-03-14T04:04:56-04:00

To me, this would be a easy choice, I hate paperwork.
Being a Drill Sergeant, you are the foundation for our future soldiers and leaders, some of your basic trainees will go on and do great things in the military, plus’s it’s fun to play the mind games they do. Lol
There is no one in the military who does not remember their Drill Sergeant even after 20 years of duty.
Who remembers the CSM’s assistant??

Airborne All the way!!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2022 12:39 PM

2022-04-18T12:39:13-04:00

I'm curious as to why she was even considering turning down the executive assistant position when she could still do DS right after?