Officer help?

Question

I have no absolutely no clue what is required to become a navy officer. I've read countless posts here and gone to Navy.com only to become more confused. Im 23, no direction in life and am bored. I have about 40 units done in school, which not so grat of a GPA(2.0) due to going to bars and being that typical teenager. Ive always had an intrest in the Navy but never pursued anything because i thought i'd be giving up too much, but after evaluating many things i'd have a much better life being in service.I hear all these people mentioning all these acronyms on what to join or what school to goto. My goal is to become an officer. Can anyone lay out a quick crash course on what i need to do and the best ways to go about it to get that goal. I want to be well imformed so when i see a recruiter im not fed a bunch of BS.

Answer 1

To have even a decent shot at being picked up for a Comission, you need 4 year degree, with a 3.5 or BETTER GPA in a HARD science like Engineering or Computers.

you must be Comissioned by 27, so you have no time to waste. Join a NROTC(must be a Navy unit if you want to be commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy) unit in your college. You incur no obligation until your second year.

Alternatively, you can enlist now and work your way towards being an Officer, either by getting accepted into the STA-21 program(get a 4 year degree in three years, so the more credits you have when applying the better shot you have at being picked up)

Or, you can finish your degree, Apply for OCS, and get in that way.. or, if you don't get picked up, enlist, than after a while in the Fleet apply again.

URL officers must be Comissioned by the time they are 27, but there are higher age requirements for RL and Staff/Admin such as Supply and IWO.

Something to keep inmind.. the Navy uses DIFFERENT recruiters for Enlisted and Officers. Make sure you speak to BOTH of them to find out your realistic chances.

Answer 2

If you're going to be an officer, don't go to the recruiter. I'm not so sure he could or would help you.

There are a couple of options, but you need at least 60 hours of college to start. Also, you MUST have your degree either by the time you commission or shortly thereafter.

One option is OCS (Officer Candidate School). I'm not sure how long the Navy course is. I taught OCS for a couple of years and it' a good program for what you're looking for, plus you get to stay in the Navy while you do it.

A second option is to join ROTC in college. If you already have enlisted time, you start out as a MS3 and only have to complete the last two years before you get commissioned. That's what I did through Army ROTC. I has enlisted time before I got commissioned.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Well, first off, I started off in your shoes...so I hope this helps. When I went to college, I was the party guy..joined a fraternity...didn't have great GPA (around 2.0 as well)....enlisted in the Navy, had an outstanding career..trained junior officers. Sooo, I think I have a little experience to speak from!
Let me start by saying that Naval Officers need to be scholars. They are always being trained, taught new skills and responsibilties, and are expected to lead. With that said...if you really want to be an officer, you need to re-focus on those grades. You NEED around 3.0 or better to be considered for a commissioning program. The higher the GPA, the better your chances, as these programs are competitive. The best bet for realistic, no B.S. advice is to locate the nearest ROTC unit...either at your college or a nearby school. Their coordinators are usually active or reserve officers who are on shore duty after being stationed on ships or shore commands...so they are well versed and knowledgable, and willing to answer questions.
Next, if you go talk to a recruiter.....pay attention, this is important.....talk to a Chief Petty Officer. The junior recruiters (the ones with 1, 2, or three stripes on their uniforms) are usually more pressured to meet quotas, or simply may not know all the answers and may lead you astray. A Chief has an arch over his stripes and wears anchors on his collar....and their job in the fleet is to train all junior personnel AND officers. The Chief is the best bet for straight answers, patience, and solid advice. If you can't get a Chief, you really need to find an active duty Officer to speak to (once again, try to find a ROTC unit).
Beyond ROTC, there are direct programs to go straight to officer school after you get that degree....called OCS (Offcier Commissioning school). Like I said, you need to get the GPA up. You can have any major, any degree, and come from any school...you just need good grades.
If you are unable to get re-focused on school and get the grades up, then becoming an Officer will be really hard to do. You would have to enlist, be good at what you do, and work towrds a commission from there...but it is a hard path, very competitive, and not for everyone.
I hope this helps a bit. There is much more to be said, but this is a limited forum...so you are going to have to continue looking for all your answers. For more info on OCS or ROTC, ask your local recruiter for an Officer recruiter...or talk to the Chief!

Answer 4

I was in the navy. While I would normally advise that you should go in the military, now is not a good time to do so because of the war in iraq and the way our V.A. along with our goverment in general is treating our veterans. Speaking of which, why dont you talk to a navy veteran who actually became an officer ? As for recruiters. They can, will and do bullshit people wanting to join. You just have to use common sense and again talk ahead of time to someone who was actually there. I would give you more advice on the subject but I was medicaly discharged while still in boot camp. I can say this. If you go into the navy, and the recruiter pressures you into a specific rating. Its because the recruiter needs to fullfill a quota on that rating not neccessarily because its the best rating for you. The 3 ratings are (1) Sea man (2) Air man AND (3) Fire man.

Answer 5

IM me im a Sea Cadet we work with the navy i know this ****