Help! My hubby is thinking about switching from the Navy to the Army when his contract is up. We still have a few more years, but I like to have as much info as possible about these type things. Here is a little background:

My hubby joined the Navy about 2 yrs ago. He has a degree, but somehow was decided to not go in as an officer. His recuiter told him he could go to officer school later, blah blah blah. Thats a whole nother story though. So anyway, he is currently only an E3. He did not use his degree or whatever, and he is not in Navy officer school. And basically, he is not liking his job that he has now, and is definitely not like the pay. And now, he is getting screwed over as far as even going to officer school in the Navy and he really just wants out.

So, he is thinking about joining the army and going in as an officer. With his degree he could become a JAG officer I think or something along those lines. My question is, is there anything special he would need to do to achieve this? We know he may need to retake the asvab, but other than that, is he good to go? Can he just finish this contract and then sign up for Army?

We are completely in the dark and I dont really want him to go to a recuiter and we get screwed again. I need advice from the general public so we can have some type of foundation to go on. Has anybody switched branches like this?

Have him go to an Army recruiter and work on a package for OCS (Officer Candidate School). That is the way to go since he already has his degree. He would most likely have to complete his contract with the Navy first, but the recruiter can tell him exactly what he needs to apply for OCS. Keep in mind some recruiters will push enlisting because the package and paperwork for OCS is a lot more work than the enlistment paperwork. DH's recruiter tried to talk him out of OCS many times, and he had to come in every other day to check the progress of his package bc they guy didnt want to do the work.

In the Air Force you cannot apply for OTS (Officer training School... equivalent of OCS for the ARMY or NAVY) until you have served for 3 years as enlisted. One of my troops got talked into going enlisted even though he already had his degree. He came to talk to me about going "to the dark side" and i was like.. man you have a degree why didnt you apply to OTS in the first place?! He told me the recruiter talked him out of it. I'm helping him with his Tuition Assistance now so that he can get his Masters Degree while he's finishing his last two years necessary to hit his 3 year mark and then Apply for OTS. It sucks that the recruiter did taht to him, but hopefully in 2 years he'll have his Masters and a new career as an officer

That's what they did to my hubby! He SOOO got talked out of going officer from the beginning. That's why Im not sure on going to talk to a recruiter...but it can definitely be done? I really hope so, that would make life so much better! UGH! We are in this contract until 2013 though

Did he talk to an enlisted Navy recruiter, or an officer recruiter?

Michelle--just seeing your post. Im not sure which he talked to, would it make a difference? If he was eligible for officer, shouldnt they point him in the right direction either way?

So far I have found lots of promising information about being able to do this. He has spoken with his Chief, and Chief supports him, so we will be doing some paperwork soon I hope :-) If not, we will just wait until his enlistment is up and go from there.

Im not sure which he talked to, would it make a difference? If he was eligible for officer, shouldnt they point him in the right direction either way?

From my experience with officer recruiters they are in different locations. I live in charleston, SC and there are a bunch of enlisted recruiters but the closest Officer recruiter is in Jacksonville, FL or Raliegh, NC. Also I was told that if you tell them you want to speak to an officer recruiter, the enlisted recruiter is no longer supposed to talk to you. I think you have to tell them that you want to speak to an officer recruiter though. Maybe that is what she is asking?

I dont know. Im just so confused. Hubby is deployed right now so Im left to figure out all the little details. Do you think a recruiter would talk to me about it? Or only the MM?

Im not sure which he talked to, would it make a difference? If he was eligible for officer, shouldnt they point him in the right direction either way?

It makes a HUGE difference. (Navy) The enlisted recruiter's job is to enlist people into the Navy. They do not handle officer commissioning at all. Only commissioned officers on recruiting duty can do that. If someone shows up to an enlisted recruiter and tells them they want to join the Navy, they will be more than happy to help them enlist. They have a quota to fill and don't care if you have a GED or PhD.

Anyone who wants to join the Navy as an officer has to talk to an officer recruiter. I can't tell you how many times I've talked to people who could have come in as an officer but instead enlisted because their *enlisted recruiter told them they could commission after joining, said they would be more respected as an officer if they were first enlisted, etc., etc. The fact is it is MUCH more difficult to go from enlisted to officer than it is to join as an officer. If someone's goal is to be an officer, it makes no sense to enlist if they already have a degree.

So, he is thinking about joining the army and going in as an officer. With his degree he could become a JAG officer I think or something along those lines

Does he already have a JD (Juris Doctor) degree?

No...he has a associates in physics and a bachelor's in Criminal justice. I dont really know about the JAG officer thing, I just threw that out there. Maybe i was thinking MA? Im not good with all these acronymns.

Anyone who wants to join the Navy as an officer has to talk to an officer recruiter. I can't tell you how many times I've talked to people who could have come in as an officer but instead enlisted because their *enlisted recruiter told them they could commission after joining, said they would be more respected as an officer if they were first enlisted, etc., etc. The fact is it is MUCH more difficult to go from enlisted to officer than it is to join as an officer. If someone's goal is to be an officer, it makes no sense to enlist if they already have a degree.

EXACTLY what happened to my husband! GRRR! So does he really have a shot at this officer thing? or are we wasting our time?

I would have him at leat talk to a recruiter and try.

I have only had experiences with Navy officer recruiters but they expect you to have done your research. Having some idea of what you qualify for, having your stuff together. There is a lot of stuff you have to get together and you are on your own to do it. It is all about how motivated you are.

Also (at least for the Navy) there are a lot of facebook groups for the specific officer fields. I would suggest looking for one of those and talking to some people. Also going to the Army website and researching all of the requirements. On the Navy website it tells you the requirements for a lot of the career paths.

Ok, Ill try that! Thanks so much! I feel like Im the one trying to join! LOL

It’s worth a shot. I would recommend he do his research this time around and be well versed in the process prior to talking to a recruiter.

My husband went through the recruiters office asking about OSC and it was a big pain in the butt! We were told that the recruiters dont get credit for OCS canidates, and it is more work, so they dont like doing the packets. Just be persistant.

As far as I know JAG is part of the Direct Commission program since you have to have your law degree and Bar credentials to even apply for it, you dont do OCS.

If you are going to become an officer in the Navy you have to go to a different type of recruiter. They are completely different, typically not even in the same building. It is just important to do your homework before you go and know where to go.

If you go in to be a lawyer, doctor, etc you go to ODS. Officer development school which is a 5 week program that is a lot of classroom learning and not so intense physically.

Well, i dont know about the Navy... but my husband went to one recruiter for his OCS package.. and that person handled BOTH officer and enlisted.. I didnt go to a recruiter so I don;t know how AF works it.

Posted By AF2ARMY on 11 Sep 2010 12:24 PM
Well, i dont know about the Navy... but my husband went to one recruiter for his OCS package.. and that person handled BOTH officer and enlisted.. I didnt go to a recruiter so I don;t know how AF works it.

Navy has Officer and Enlisted recruiters - completely separate from each other.

Well, i dont know about the Navy... but my husband went to one recruiter for his OCS package.. and that person handled BOTH officer and enlisted.. I didnt go to a recruiter so I don;t know how AF works it.

Navy has two completely separate recruiters for enlisted and officer.

Maybe that was the problem for DH...ugh! Im in charge this time around so I will make sure things are done correctly! LOL

I had no idea- my husband was the total opposite. He had a degree and didn't want to go officer from the beginning. Anyway, if I were you I would call and ask. If they're not into talking to you call another- be persisten and you'll figure it out.