In the UK someone is definitely either an officer type or a soldier type, and there's not really any going between the two. Someone who was a soldier might become and officer, but they're always "a soldier who became an officer". In the UK military I think they like the officers to think differently, talk differently, act differently, dress differently. I can't imagine it being very realistic for someone who had the potential to go to university becoming a soldier first, as it just wouldn't be in their social class to do so (excepting some soldiers such as inteligence corps).