AnthroNerd & Jack of all Trades: How "Marketable" am I to OCS/SWO?

[Junglebambii78]

you would need to talk to an officer recruiter to see what is feasible in terms of age waivers. you should review the program authorizations for the various officer designators to get your timeline in order as they all list age limits as well as any other qualifications.

Okay, duly noted. Thank you!

 

[AllAmerican75]

Idk if you can't tell I'm all over the place XD But one thing IS FOR SURE- I am definitely going for "it" whatever it is. I appreciate you telling me that because I've had recruiters tell me that my majors didnt exactly fit into their categories of usefulness, so I felt like I wouldn't be as marketable... but I get that a lot from people who don't truly know the usefulness of anthropology in diverse fields. So thanks for the encouragement.

The military isn't like a traditional job hunt; marketability isn't really a thing. We'll train you for what we need ultimately. You don't get into marketability until you start trying to join specialty communities such as JAG, Medical, Civil Engineering, Engineering Duty, and others. Then your academic and professional background begin to matter. That said, operational experience trumps nearly everything in most selection board members' eyes.

Yeah, actually that's a good way to think about things. I definitely have had my eye on the SWO or the Navy Diver positions (although I am a former competitive swimmer, but Idk if I have the stamina to become a Navy Diver. Ive seen grown, able men fail those trainings- yikes).

These are vastly different jobs. One is a commissioned officer and the other is an enlisted Sailor. What exactly do you REALLY want to do? You don't have the luxury of being all over the place since you're not in your teens or early twenties. Why are you going to law school if you want to be a SWO? Do you REALLY want to be a SWO or does it just "sound nice" in your head? None of these career paths end well when you undertake them on a lark. You need to be dedicated and willing to put up with large amounts of bullshit for a GOAL of some sort to look forward to. The lack of sleep, harsh commanding officers/department heads, long work days, constant underways, and the many family events you will miss out on take their toll. If you aren't committed to it, you will have a bad time.

Most of all I know based on my backgrounds I would make a good SWO. But I also know that I'd be good at HR and do feel content with that as well. I guess it just depends. I'll do some more research and go for it.

How do you know you will be a good SWO? Seriously. What makes you want to be a SWO? It sounds like don't really know what you want and SWO just sounds good. Have you looked into the Human Resources community? You mention HR a LOT and seem to be pretty centered around it. Why not become an HR officer? https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/officer/Detailing/rlstaffcorps/HR/Pages/default.aspx

 

[taxi1]

With an anthropology degree, you are either well positioned to enter the military and its unique society (you will NOT be in Kansas anymore, Toto), or it will fry your mind from overthinking it.

But basically, as an officer your primary weapon is the people you work with, so understanding how to form and operate a high performing team is your central desired skill.

So don't overthink it. Apply...

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I graduated at 22 but went to work for 3 years in CPM and went to grad school '19 and I'm 27 right now. So If I were to go for any officer position I'd have to be 29 by the time of commissioning. I know I pushed Navy back (and I regret) that but I just didn't know all my options and didnt know any better, unfortunately. Great thing is there's still a little time.

How hard is it to get an age waiver?

How hard or easy it is to obtain an age waiver now may not be the same 2 or 3 years from now, so developing a plan that will need to include an age waiver is not a good plan.