The process is different for OCS than for NROTC, of course, but I made up my mind I wanted to be SWO as a Second Class Midshipman. The times I spent on surface vessels were the most interesting to me. I've never felt the urge to fly. So, if I push myself to qualify for NFO (nuke, not in two weeks, just too weak on science/math), then I should also qualify for SWO if it is my first choice. I'm all about doing more than I have to. If I should PRO-REC for both, maybe I'll come back and ask for opinions on why I should change my mind, but I'd hate to take the spot away from someone who really, really wants it.
I understand that SWO is supervision, and managerial duties. My mother once asked me what an Ensign did and I said... "Walk around spaces with a qualification card, ask a lot of questions, evaluating how the sailors in my division are doing, making sure they're taken care of, writing their fitness reports, counseling them. Learning, essentially, to be a leader." My mother said, "Oh. Sounds like my job. Only on a boat." She's a Senior Reference Librarian, which one of the higher managerial positions in public libraries. And she does a lot of the same stuff. Just not in uniform, or on a boat, or with a qual card.
My hope is that it is also teaching. I'm a Junior High School teacher right now, and a large part of why I grew up is because, gee, things look awfully different when you're the one that is in the position of authority and trying to prevent kids from making stupid mistakes. Once I started teaching, my paradigm shifted, pretty quickly too, comparatively. I would say that the person I was in November 2007 when I began teaching was not the person I was even by May of 2008, six months later. One of the things that has always interested me about SWO is the opportunity to be there for junior enlisted as a resource. I'll be an older ensign compared to my NROTC peers were, with the experiences of four years of the real world. Two rocky years where my debt was crushing, and the last two, that have been so full "gettin er done." If I can help my sailors perform better, just as I am able to help my students perform better, that is definitely of interest to me.
How likely am I to be in a position to teach right off the bat in the aviation pipeline? Serious question. If it is likely, that doesn't jive with the information I had about the pipeline. That is one aspect that could make me reevaluate in my interest.
