coast guard ?'s

[buckybadge]

Going to talk to a recruiter, can anyone offer unbais opinions/facts about going officer vs. enlisted.. so far everyone trys to talk down the other, (enlisted if officer and vs. versa)

I am told enlisted get to do the fun stuff...does this mean officers only do paper work etc. and the buisness end of things? I wish there was a "ride along" type deal to tail a officer for a day to see their daily duties.

I'm not looking necessarly for a title, but would like responsibility.

I was also told that in the midwest there are very few openings in reserve units. I am considering either reserve or active. However I would prefer reserve officer, however there apparently are no openings currently and they are hard to come by according to the recruiter's email.

Finishing up the BA in Criminal Justice and a AS in Paramedic. Wondering if it would be smarter to wait to finish school then get in, as I'm not sure what the perks of getting in now would be if I have to do 4 years of active when I am done anyhow.

Again..when it comes to the particulars, I'm green. Dont know much, have been reading the websites for the CG alot, but would be easier to ask questions etc. before going in..anyone who is in now or has been in, have any info/suggestions i would appreciate it. I'm 24 in a month if that means anything.

Thanks fellas

[buckybadge]

Having gone through the USCG OCS process before, and not been selected, it can tell you that becoming a Coast Guard officer as a civilian is no easy feat. I made it to the final selections but ultimately wasn't selected. At that time I had a bachelor's degree, master's degree and had a few years of working as a manager for a sizable company. Unless you have a very desired skill (like a technical/engineering degree), are female (with so few females, it helps your chances if you are), or "know someone", you may not make it in as an officer as a recent college grad. However, I believe - from talks I've had with those in the Coast Guard - that if you go in and do a few years as enlisted, you'll not only learn if you like the job, but help your chances on selection for OCS down the road.

See thats great to know, when you look at the CG website they make it sound like if you are eligable and sign up there wouldnt be any reason why you wouldnt get it.

How hard would it be to go in as a reserve for a couple years or active and then apply for OCS? Is that a realistic goal? Obviously it would depend on the individual.

[muddyriver]

I did eight years as enlisted MK rate. It depends highly on what you want and what career field you choose. I loved the LE side of things so I persued that area. So many options, plus a great opportunity to see the world.

[Arewethereyet]

An MMMMMK huh? Hah, anyway muddyriver is right, the LE side of things are great, and there are great opportunities to see the world, even if you're a reservist!

If you want to come in enlisted in the reserves, you have several options. First, you can go through REBI (only 2 weeks instead of 8 weeks) and that will satisfy your "boot camp". Only stipulation is I believe you have to be 25 and have a college degree (I'm not too sure about the degree but I know age and maturity is a factor). Or you could just go right through boot camp and that's always fun.

Once you're in, as an enlisted reservist, if you decide you want to become an officer, you could go through the Reserve Officer Candidate Indoctrination (ROCI), but there are also some stipulations for that.

Also, you can put in a package for warrant officer, but getting a warrant gig is tough.

We have officers in our division (I'm at a Port Security Unit, in the Shoreside Security division), and yes they handle a lot of administrative stuff, but they also come out to the range with us, they do training with us, they did CG Special Missions Day at TRACEN Yorktown with us, and they deploy with us.

I just turned 23 a few months ago, but when I went to bootcamp, there were people as old as 29 who were there. So age isn't that much of a factor. It only becomes a factor for the physical fitness tests, as the standards aren't as higher, the older you get.