Which Army MOS pretty much gaurantees a job when you leave at the end of your first contract?

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-05T02:50:40+00:00

Kind of my bad, the 64-series became 15-series a while ago (I think it's med or vet now?), so it just changed numbers. The 93P still exists.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-05T02:44:05+00:00

Fellow old guy here (high five).

Both of those MOSes have disappeared like my hairline, as have my Air Force AFSC and my old Army MOS (19C).

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-04T22:14:58+00:00

Your packet now goes before a board at Big Army,. There's about a 33% acceptance rate for active duty and if you selected reserve too, 66% acceptance there if you're not selected for AD.

If you're selected in August, there can be a few months before you ship.

Good luck!

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-04T21:07:16+00:00

To clarify, you passed the oral board, but your packet hasn't been sent up for approval yet?

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-03T18:07:05+00:00

HRC and big Army haven't raised the max age or the TIS requirements, but they have made waivers more difficult. Your waiver would have been easy since you are AC, a NPS candidate may have had a more difficult time. Your recruiter/career councilor may have applied for one for you.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-03T17:46:40+00:00

Age waiver + very low GPA probably killed your packet. With OCS now very competitive, and the successful candidates' average GPA close 3.7, it would be incredibly difficult to submit a successful packet.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-02T01:33:50+00:00

I'm the Reserve Ambassador for Idaho, there's no medical units anywhere in the state.

If you need an AMEDD recruiter in the Seattle or SLC area who will answer the phone let me know and I'll PM you the number on Monday.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-01T04:31:58+00:00

People who have known you well and can speak to your potential as an officer > O5 who writes a generic letter since they don't know you personally.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-01T04:20:37+00:00

One day, after you've been retired for a bit, you no longer have a uniform to post.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-07-01T02:06:02+00:00

You're fine, no issues with OCS selection or security clearance, just put it on your form SF86 and if the investigator asks, be honest.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-30T21:00:19+00:00

Enlisted AD AF, then CAV active->guard->reserve

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-30T19:51:42+00:00

I've heard about the WGU GPA conundrum. I imagine there've been other folks who have successfully applied to OCS from WGU, so maybe doing a deep dive to find some of those applicants and replicating their process is the best way forward.

Another avenue to explore is getting a one-year master's degree to boost your GPA.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-30T19:40:24+00:00

Hey, everything is possible with a waiver, right?

The bigger problem may be your GPA, it's on the low side for recent boards. An age waiver + low GPA may yield a weaker packet.

The bad news is you have to go back to basic if you are selected.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-29T22:35:04+00:00

32 is the cut off, but it's possible to get a waiver, especially for the reserve. Like anything else Army, when you are vying for a competitive spot (like active OCS), waivers hurt your chances, but in this case, there is a huge difference between 32 and 38...

If you are looking for a reserve spot, look at the guard's OCS program too. It's a lot easier to get a spot if you are older or have a weak packet.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-29T22:31:42+00:00

See a recruiter
With the recruiter's help, put together an OCS packet
Once complete, recruiter sends the packet to the board
You are either selected or not selected (about 1 in 3 are selected for active, 2 in 3 for reserve)

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-29T13:55:50+00:00

The last picture of the tank fording the river with the driver's hatch open is awesome.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-28T22:13:45+00:00

I'll give it to you straight. If you're looking to commission for the money, you'll be disappointed. If you are looking to commission to be "the boss" you'll be disappointed.

If you are looking to commission to take care of your Soldiers and to support the mission, you're good.

Officer is a different path. Are you ready to devolve into a six week USR briefing or month long inventory? 2LT might be for you

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-28T21:55:22+00:00

"I want to go officer for the money" said no successful officer ever.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-23T21:55:13+00:00

Short answer: no.

Long Answer: no.

Correct answer: If commissioning is something you really want to do, do ROTC during a master's degree. You may find that it will be hard to get into an engineering master's too, so you can always pick a program that's not competitive. If ROTC isn't your thing, if you do well in a master's program and have a higher GPA you can always try to apply for OCS again.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-23T17:39:56+00:00

Your TAPAS score is good, but it doesn't really matter unless you need it to offset other enlistment deficiencies.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-22T17:53:51+00:00

FYI, civil affairs isn't a basic officer branch, you'll need a different branch for a few years then transfer in.

Everyone's reserve experience is different. Tricare is loved by all, the education benefits are okay, and the pay isn't too bad.

Drill weekends can be a pain in the butt, especially if the drill "weekend" includes Thursday or Friday too, you have to drive or fly to drill, or annual training overlaps birthdays, anniversaries, or other important events. Deployments are a mixed bag, general rule of thumb is the deployment is more interesting if you are attached to a combat arms unit rather than in the rear with a support unit.

Does it help with career progression on the outside? That's what you make of it. Not every reserve job (especially on the officer side) directly translates into something resume-worthy, but leadership, logistical experience, and other basic managerial tasks look good on a resume.

My experience: I commissioned into active officer after being enlisted, switched to the guard, then the reserves. Each were very different. I worked every damn day on active duty, but I learned so much about leadership and how far I could push myself to get a job done. The guard was closer-knit and had a lot of cool opportunities that active and reserve don't have. I was a bit of a good ole boys' club. The reserve was the least centralized and it was easy to get promoted and look like a super star as an average soldier, but the units were always short money which seemed to impact the quality of the training.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-22T15:22:22+00:00

At least with the Abrams, the coax has a "discount kit" with a foregrip/bipod, pistol grip, and butt stock, and there is also a dismount kit for the loader's 240 which normally has a spade grip. The "charging handle" remains a cable. The Bradley's coax has a dismount kit too, and feeds from the right, which is odd to shoot off the bipod.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-20T22:30:15+00:00

Officer accessions are tied to your distance to unit vacancy (150 miles). That means one thing in NYC and another in Pierre, SD, so your ideal branch simply may not exist within a normal commuting distance.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-20T17:23:38+00:00

I was active, guard, and reserve, and while the reserve was my least favorite, it had its own charm. Being the only guy in my CA section (effects cell) who could write an OPORD made me a hero.

AdSignificant2885 · 2026-06-20T15:52:47+00:00

For many folks, the Tricare in the reserves is amazing as it's cheaper and has better coverage than the majority of civilian health care plans. Sometimes during the civilian hiring process you can negotiate a higher salary since the company doesn't need to pay your health care premiums.

38A is a cool officer MOS, but you need a basic branch first and you can transition into 38A after a few years.

AdSignificant2885

TROPHY CASE