Well, I am going to disagree with Brunes here. Doing OPS/XO on a cutter is not a bad thing at all. Think of it this way, you go to the O-4 board as an aircraft commander with years of minor jobs and maybe getting a year as a department head in admin or supply. Or having the fact that you were an OPS boss or XO on a cutter, designation as a first pilot bypassing many of the more menial junior pilot jobs and even possibly getting a department head position going before the board? Having that shipboard leadership behind you is a good thing in most cases. I have a few friends who went that exact route and are currently air station COs.
The promotion boards understand if you are not as far a long in your aviation career as your peers if there is a reason you were delayed. As for going engineer, you can apply no matter what your degree is in and you have just as good of a chance. BUT once you go engineering your path is pretty much determined until about the O5 level. You won't be going to ATC or Pensacola as an IP. One pilot did do that a few years ago, permanently banishing himself from the engineering program. I don't think it will be happening again any time soon. It was pretty ugly.
