Officer Preferences?

[bart27]

I will be turning in my package within the next week and was wandering what others put for their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices. That is, for those who wanted a pilot slot, did you only put SNA and nothing else or did you also put down a 2nd and 3rd choice? I was told that the Navy looks at each choice individually, but I have a hard time believing that if your qualified for SNA and you also put Supply as 3rd choice that the Navy won't go based on its needs. Is there a strategy if you really wish to be in a plane? Any and all suggestions and/or insight would be appreciated.

 

[rhollin1]

I just wanna be a naval officer regardless. If I were <given> a choice I would ask for 1) Supply 2) NFO 3) AMDO

Pain...is weakness leaving the body

 

[bart27]

I also want to be a Naval Officer regardless and will apply as many times as needed to do so. However, I would like to have a fair shake at what I might be doing the rest of my life.

 

[Goliath112]

if you aren't willing to be a NFO, SWO, AMDO, or Supply... etc etc, don't put those. If you only want SNA then just put that.

Oh and another thought. When you put preferences down they are supposed to look at them individually but, they can see which ones are your preferences. In other words they will know the order of your choices. You see I got called by the AMDO community manager and he was on the phone looking at my application and he knew that AMDO was my 1st choice.

The problem to all this is that when you are looking at just wanting to be a naval officer and willing to accept any designator, when you get passed up the boards know what put as 1st 2nd 3rd. I feel that maybe they might feel a little irritated at giving away a precious slot to someone who put it at thier 3rd choice.

man the wait is killing me

 

[jrklr]

Put whatever and however many choices you want. If you are competitive enough for your first choice, you will get it, they are looked at individually. The board's "needs" are met in every community anyway and they're not going to have trouble filling them up, meaning they're not going to select you for NFO if it was your second choice just because they need NFO's but you were qualified for your first choice of SNA. I actually heard from a previous recruiter that putting only one choice only hurts your app. because they supposedly think that you only want to be an officer if you get that one thing; but that's just gossip, believe what you want, I know there's been a lot of argument on this in the past.

 

[bart27]

Thanks everyone for your input...I plan to put down SNA, NFO, Intell/AMDO as my 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices. I wish everyone luck...bart

 

[Grandmaster235]

Originally posted by bart27Thanks everyone for your input...I plan to put down SNA, NFO, Intell/AMDO as my 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices. I wish everyone luck...bart

I think those are four choices...

My advice, drop NFO and make AMDO #2!!

<<tali264 says i love the dolphins>>

 

[bart27]

Grandmaster: Why do you or anyone else who cares to add their two cents prefer AMDO over NFO or Intell for that matter? Is there something I don't know about AMDO?

 

[Goliath112]

AMDO's a great community. However, it is very very difficult to get into. Do you have an A&P license or experience with aircraft maintenance? Those two things will help you to get selected for AMDO. I don't know why grandmaster says go AMDO over NFO though. I mean they are both good jobs.

man the wait is killing me

 

[LadyJayUSN]

AMDO...those are the guys who get things done for the squadron. I mean, they run everything from the Line Shack, Avionics, Maintenance Control, AIMD....yada-yada-yada. They basically run the place and pilots rely on them to ensure their planes fly.

NFO's...ummm, well, I'm not really sure what it is exactly that they do, but I'm sure they are important too....

 

[Grandmaster235]

Originally posted by bart27Grandmaster: Why do you or anyone else who cares to add their two cents prefer AMDO over NFO or Intell for that matter? Is there something I don't know about AMDO?

Well, I'm a little biased because while I was an aviator, my ground job for the second half of my squadron tour was spent working in maintenance. So I concur with what Goliath and LadyJay said about AMDO. You will work with and be in charge of the most motivated and dedicated enlisted sailors in the navy. I was mostly just telling you what I would do.

If geographic placement is important to you, AMDO has opportunities almost anywhere there's a navy base, in the U.S., or anywhere around the globe. Once you select a platform as NFO (or pilot, for that matter), you're pretty limited as to where you can go.

NFO... When I applied for OCS I put NFO as my #2 choice and SWO as #3 but knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have put either one down. I'm sure a lot of guys like it, and if your goal is to be an officer regardless of designator, NFO beats the heck out of SWO. I had a lot of buddies from OCS go NFO, and from hanging around them I got this impression about thier training: take SNA flight school, remove all the fun stuff, and multiply the crappy stuff by five. All that to ride in the back of a jet or stare at a console in a P-3 where there's one little window the size of a dinner plate. Again, this is my two cents, not trying to start a flame-off with the NFO-types. NFO still gets you a commission, but I just think there are more appealing jobs in the navy (AMDO, crypto, CEC, SEAL, PAO, intel, METOC, HR, and of course, NA... all of which are available as OCS options, or at least were when I joined - maybe not HR). If you talk to an NFO you may or may not get a whole different perspective.

Intel's OK but you don't get to lead the troops like you do as an AMDO. Once more, all my opinion, for what it's worth...

Feel free to let me know if you have more questions. Good Luck!!

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