Switching from NCM to Officer later on(Already have a university degree)

[Dp2000]

Hi,

I am writing today as I am unsure if I have made a mistake by applying for a NCM position instead of an officer position to start. I had initially applied to be an Infantry Officer as I have a university degree, and it was something I had seen myself doing. However due to family pressures and feeling unsure about my initial decision because of it I switched to a Financial Services Administrator postion, as I also have a degree in finance. I am wondering as I have seen mixed comments about this and a lot of them saying it is a lot harder to switch from non-commisioned member to officer once you have been enrolled how tough would it be to switch to an officer later on? And would it be possible to switch to an officer position within the three year initial terms of service?

 

[CountDC]

This is just my personal opinion so take it with a grain of salt.

As you have a Finance degree contact your recruiter and discuss with them about applying to enrol as a Fin O. Prepare yourself with written questions prior so you get answers you need. some would be

compare FSA to Fin O enrolment timelines so you can determine if it is worth the wait.
Any special benefits - FSA has an enrolment bonus. What does Fin O have?
Does your degree give you an edge in trade advancement? ie rank upon completion of basic?

Again my opinion - if you can join the Reg F as a Fin O vice FSA then do it. In the long term it will be of more benefit when it comes to pay and pension.

 

[Brasidas]

Hi,

I am writing today as I am unsure if I have made a mistake by applying for a NCM position instead of an officer position to start. I had initially applied to be an Infantry Officer as I have a university degree, and it was something I had seen myself doing. However due to family pressures and feeling unsure about my initial decision because of it I switched to a Financial Services Administrator postion, as I also have a degree in finance. I am wondering as I have seen mixed comments about this and a lot of them saying it is a lot harder to switch from non-commisioned member to officer once you have been enrolled how tough would it be to switch to an officer later on? And would it be possible to switch to an officer position within the three year initial terms of service?

What do you actually want to do?

If you want to be an infantry officer, be an infantry officer. If you really want to go into the ranks, do a job that you want to do there.

I don't know what your family's pressure is about, but there may be some miscommunication going on there. If it's because of money, then I'd think the curve going through Captain would be persuasive. If it's about not using your finance degree, guess what? Your peers won't have one as an FSA, and there may be minimal advantage as you advance. It helps, but I have doubts of how much over how long a period.

If there's a coherent reason you want to go NCM (eg. "I want to be a competent infantry section commander before I'm an infantry officer"), which you maintain after taking a long, hard look and actually talking to someone in the relevant NCM and/or officer trades, then do it. If not, it just seems like adding extra steps. You don't want to spend 5 years second-guessing yourself after you take an unnecessary left turn from what you wan to do.