We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Military opinions on Officer Training School

sktllmdrhmz
sktllmdrhmz Posts: 1,799 Member
edited December 2024 in Chit-Chat
Anybody done this? Anybody got pros and cons on being an officer? Thanks

Replies

  • jennifer783
    jennifer783 Posts: 86 Member
    Prior-enlisted officer's wife here. Better pay after OCS....suckier schedule. There are pros and cons for everything, though, lol. I think the officer route was definitely the way to go for us. What branch?
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    My husband went from enlisted to officer after 15 years in.
    The pay and retirement is significantly better, but he misses his old job and has to put up with more bureaucratic bs than he likes.
  • sktllmdrhmz
    sktllmdrhmz Posts: 1,799 Member
    Undecided leaning toward Air Force
  • jennifer783
    jennifer783 Posts: 86 Member
    I have a friend in the Air Force who is an officer and loves it. She's been in about 10 years now. You do have to put up with more of the "office politics," but if you have long-term goals including military, it is definitely the better path to choose. Every branch has significant waiting lines now due to the economy.

    Good luck to you :flowerforyou:
  • millerll
    millerll Posts: 873 Member
    Hi, there. Retired Air Force officer here....did my 20 years and retired about 7 years ago, so my experience may be a bit out-dated. :laugh:

    Pros: Better pay, and hence higher retirement pay if you stay in. This sounds snobby, but it's true: higher status as an officer and you are in command most of the time. Of course, there's always someone who out-ranks you! Depending on your career field (aviation, medical, etc.) officer status sometimes is either required (pilots) or leads to better advancement opportunities.

    Cons: Could be longer hours and much more repsonsibility, depending on your career field. The buck stops with you - everything your subordinates do reflects on you - they screw up, then you screw up. As previously stated, a lot more BS from the higher-ups. More meetings, telecons, blah, blah, blah. Gets tedious sometimes.

    OTS itself is pretty easy. A lot of mind games - just learn to play and you'll do fine. The physical part is no worse than boot camp, and probably better since they do trend to treat you with a little more respect since you're training to be an officer. If you decide to get commissioned, the best advice I could give you is to surround yourself with the best NCOs and LISTEN to them. Treat your subordinates with respect, and they'll reward you with loyalty and hard work, which, of course, reflects well on you in the end. OTOH, treat them like indentured servants, and they can make your life miserable so fast your head will spin. You can make them respect the rank, but not the man. That is earned through hard work and dedication.

    Good luck!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories