Jan 19, 2013 8:57 AM
How soon to apply for OCS after AIT
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I know I need recommendation latters but how soon can I apply for OCS, am a civil engineer and have a masters degree too (MBA).. and my MOS is 12N horizontal construction worker (enlisted) related to my civil engineering degree. I will complete AIT in june but will have one year from June this year before I hit OCS cut off age. How soon can I get all my documents ready within this one year ill have from June this year to June next year.
Please dont ask me why i didnt apply to OCS directly from civilian life.. Just know that I couldnt do that .. it was impossible, so that was not an options
My ASVAB score is prefect 99%
GT is 139
Physically fit
GPA 3.5 for civil eng and 3.66 for master degree
Working on enrolling for a PHD, ill do it while enlisted regardless of whether or not I get to OCS
I have worked as a manager in Civilian life and can get recommendation letters (dont know if this will help)
So with this background can I get to OCS within one year after getting to my duty station??
That is going to be up to your Chain of Command. They must endorse your packet. They may let you apply immediately after you arrive at your duty station or they may make you wait to prove yourself before they endorse your packet. Their reputation is at stake if they endorse your packet and you are not a good Soldier.
All hope would not be lost IF you can't get your packet in by the deadline. You could always still apply to be a Warrant Officer. With a couple years as a 12N, you may be able to get some of the required experience waivered due to your level of education. While it is not being an Officer ( I am assuming you would want to be an Engineer Officer...which would not be a guarantee, but being a degreed Engineer would help in OCS since they can make special requests for degreed Engineers), it is another option that you would probably be right in line for if you were not able to get your OCS packet in on time.
Since you haven't shipped off to BCT yet, there is one thing you must understand. The Army isn't waiting for you in submitting your OCS package regardless of what the recruiter may have told you. You have thousands of enlisted soldiers with degrees as OCS hopefulls and for this year the Army only has approx 200 OCS slots for active duty soldiers. Believe it or not, as a civilian, you're in the driver's seat regarding your military career. Once enlisting you're at the MERCY of the Big Green Machine and at times it can be brutal. You decided to roll the dice and enlist than applying for OCS outright. Keep your fingers crossed and you best be an outstanding performer. Without your chain of command recommendaions, no OCS slot for you. You'll be competing with those who had multiple deploments to the war zone. Who would you choose?
It's always been easier as a civilian than a soldier in obtaining an OCS slot. You would think differently but that is not how the system works.The best site on OCS is armyocs dot com, go figure. Good luck in your Army career and best keep those fingers crossed.