Best IWC Fit?

[JMN3240]

Hello, I am a former FC1(SW) looking to apply for the March 2017 OCS IWC board. I think my stats are competitive (see below) but I am torn on which designator would be the best fit for me among CWO, IP, and Intel. I would love to get into the cyber side to utilize my degrees but I also would not mind the IT management side to utilize my work experience.

About me:
38 years old
I left active duty in 2014 as FC1 after 9.5 years.
Current job: Director of Information Technology - two years in August
A.A.S. Applied Electronics Studies
B.S. Cybersecurity and Newtowking - 3.35 gpa
MBA - 3.74 gpa
M.S. Cybersecurity and Intelligence - 3.74 gpa
I'm taking the CISSP exam in September.
I have not taken the OAR and I have not done any interviews yet.

My wife would rather me not be on a ship but I understand that sea tours as an IWC Officer are much shorter than the sea tour of an Aegis FC (5 years!). This is not the only reason I got out but it was definitely a deciding factor when we made a family decision to leave the Navy.

I have a great job that pays a six figure salary and I enjoy seeing my wife and son every day but I feel that, in a way, I still owe the Navy. It was the Navy that got me a great job. It was on active duty that I met my wife and had a child after I got out. I earned four college degrees and did not pay a cent, because of the Navy. I feel like I have an obligation to join for those reasons and many others, but I want to make sure I do it right.

I have spoken to a recruiter and a few members of the IWC community. They each have given me their recommendations but I am curious what everyone on here thinks.

I appreciate your input!

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Hello, I am a former FC1(SW) looking to apply for the March 2017 OCS IWC board. I think my stats are competitive (see below) but I am torn on which designator would be the best fit for me among CWO, IP, and Intel. I would love to get into the cyber side to utilize my degrees but I also would not mind the IT management side to utilize my work experience.

About me:
38 years old
I left active duty in 2014 as FC1 after 9.5 years.
Current job: Director of Information Technology - two years in August
A.A.S. Applied Electronics Studies
B.S. Cybersecurity and Newtowking - 3.35 gpa
MBA - 3.74 gpa
M.S. Cybersecurity and Intelligence - 3.74 gpa
I'm taking the CISSP exam in September.
I have not taken the OAR and I have not done any interviews yet.

My wife would rather me not be on a ship but I understand that sea tours as an IWC Officer are much shorter than the sea tour of an Aegis FC (5 years!). This is not the only reason I got out but it was definitely a deciding factor when we made a family decision to leave the Navy.

I have a great job that pays a six figure salary and I enjoy seeing my wife and son every day but I feel that, in a way, I still owe the Navy. It was the Navy that got me a great job. It was on active duty that I met my wife and had a child after I got out. I earned four college degrees and did not pay a cent, because of the Navy. I feel like I have an obligation to join for those reasons and many others, but I want to make sure I do it right.

I have spoken to a recruiter and a few members of the IWC community. They each have given me their recommendations but I am curious what everyone on here thinks.

I appreciate your input!

There's an entire thread already dedicated to what NRC is considered competitive and for applicants to post and evaluate stats. Also with some searching there's notes and tips from previous boards.

 

[JMN3240]

There's an entire thread already dedicated to what NRC is considered competitive and for applicants to post and evaluate stats. Also with some searching there's notes and tips from previous boards.

I know, that is why I posted that I think my stats are competitive. There are no questions in my post about what is considered competitive nor is there a request to evaluate my stats.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I know, that is why I posted that I think my stats are competitive. There are no questions in my post about what is considered competitive nor is there a request to evaluate my stats.

Yes you did. You are asking to evaluate your stats for which IWC program would be a good fit for you. Pretty much the same thing.

 

[JMN3240]

I'm asking which IWC program is the best fit based on my stats, not to evaluate my stats. Pretty much the same thing and the same thing are not the same thing.

Should I post this on a thread about what NRC considers competitive even though that isn't what I'm looking for?

 

[egiv]

Hello, I am a former FC1(SW) looking to apply for the March 2017 OCS IWC board. I think my stats are competitive (see below) but I am torn on which designator would be the best fit for me among CWO, IP, and Intel. I would love to get into the cyber side to utilize my degrees but I also would not mind the IT management side to utilize my work experience.

Firstly, I would recommend managing expectations, since you really never know what's going to happen on a given board, despite stats and qualifications. That said, a recruiter can speak to that aspect better than me. To your question, the three designators are pretty different from each other. Intel has a more poli-sci feel and it basically boils down to briefing commanders, whether it's on a ship, in a squadron or on the ground. IPs manage ITs, so they're concerned with comms and networks. They touch on cyber, but only in terms of defending networks (not necessarily the sexy stuff people think of when cyber is talked about). CWs focus on SIGINT collection, which sounds specific, but actually encompasses a lot, to include EW and Cyber. We get more down in the weeds into how collection works; yes, we also brief powerpoints like Intel Os do, but we're much more actively involved in intelligence collection vice trying to guess what Russia is going to do next.

I can't speak for the other communities, but CW JO progression starts you off with 3 years shore orders to get your pin, after which we are *encouraged* to go tactical, be it PCS afloat (2-year orders), DIRSUP surface, subsurface or air, or NSW. Then you can either go to NPS, do cyber stuff, or take a staff tour, it's pretty open.

 

[JMN3240]

I'm not expecting to be accepted at all, I just think that my degrees and work experience make me competitive. I mentioned that I thought my stats were competitive because I was trying to separate my post from the typical "are my stats competitive" post but it looks like I failed. Besides, I still need to do the interviews and OAR to get a complete picture. Even if those are great, who knows if I will be selected.

A two year PCS afloat tour isn't bad at all. That is my biggest point when trying to pitch the idea to my wife. I was on shore duty when we met and I got out after that tour. She has never experienced what it's like to have a husband stationed on a ship.

Judging by your response, IP might be the best fit.

Thank you, I appreciate the information!

 

[Renegade One]

I have a great job that pays a six figure salary and I enjoy seeing my wife and son every day but I feel that, in a way, I still owe the Navy.

I applaud your motivation, but I question your common sense. Why not focus on the happy family and success thing? You've done enough for the Navy.

Join the Reserves in some capacity if you still want to contribute and feel a part of the team.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

...

 

[JMN3240]

I applaud your motivation, but I question your common sense. Why not focus on the happy family and success thing? You've done enough for the Navy.

Join the Reserves in some capacity if you still want to contribute and feel a part of the team.

Because I'm looking at the big picture. Most of my motivation comes from everything the Navy has given me but it isn't purely selfless. An O1E with over 8 years of service makes the equivalent to six figures in the civilian world, so it's not about money. Plus, I only have 10 years left to be eligible for retirement. There are other motivating factors too that my wife and I have discussed. Besides, can I not have a happy family and success in the Navy?

I agree that the common sense, safe route is to stick with what I have but I think the best big picture strategy for me and my family is active duty.

I thought about the reserves and that isn't off the table. Maybe things will change from now until March.

 

[Renegade One]

Because I'm looking at the big picture.

Okay. So your wife DOES understand that you're talking 10+ years of sea/shore rotations, long family separations, probable multiple PCS moves, yadda yadda yadda, and not just "a two year afloat tour", yes? If she's in…go for it.

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

Okay. So your wife DOES understand that you're talking 10+ years of sea/shore rotations, long family separations, probable multiple PCS moves, yadda yadda yadda, and not just "a two year afloat tour", yes? If she's in…go for it.

Don't forget... global situations change and there's been a growing demand for a cyber warfare presence on the battlefield.

 

[JMN3240]

Okay. So your wife DOES understand that you're talking 10+ years of sea/shore rotations, long family separations, probable multiple PCS moves, yadda yadda yadda, and not just "a two year afloat tour", yes? If she's in…go for it.

Of course she does. By saying "a two year afloat tour", I didn't mean I would be doing only one. I meant that only having to do two years per afloat tour (I understand that isn't the same across the board) isn't bad at all. I'm used to 5 years per afloat tour.

 

[exNavyOffRec]

I'm not expecting to be accepted at all, I just think that my degrees and work experience make me competitive. I mentioned that I thought my stats were competitive because I was trying to separate my post from the typical "are my stats competitive" post but it looks like I failed. Besides, I still need to do the interviews and OAR to get a complete picture. Even if those are great, who knows if I will be selected.

A two year PCS afloat tour isn't bad at all. That is my biggest point when trying to pitch the idea to my wife. I was on shore duty when we met and I got out after that tour. She has never experienced what it's like to have a husband stationed on a ship.

Judging by your response, IP might be the best fit.

Thank you, I appreciate the information!

do a search for PERS-472 on facebook, that is the best resource for looking at your stats, during the last board between IP and CWO there were 16 selected and only one had a non-stem degree (they way it used to be defined is if your degree had a year of calc and calc based physics it was considered STEM)

if you go for the odds you would go for INTEL as #1 and CWO as #2, those 2 designators have the most billets available per year.

My NRD put in IP's that went right to a ship, one of the command ships, and we have put in CWO's that did their entire obligation and never left the US, you never know how things will change.

 

[JMN3240]

Don't forget... global situations change and there's been a growing demand for a cyber warfare presence on the battlefield.

I know and I'm ok with it. We talked about that this weekend, actually. I was stationed on USS Cole 10 years after the bombing, so I got plenty of reminders of the risks.