Enlisting in the USCG

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PurduePilot

New Member
Folks:

I'm enlisting in the USCG and would like to go to OCS. I just got back from MEPS and taking my ASVAB test. I scored high on my ASVAB test (a 96 on the AFQT and a 127 on the GT).

I'm looking into probably going enlisted first then OCS, but with my scores my recruiter is pushing me to go to OCS right off the bat.

If I do go enlisted, the two jobs I am looking at are Boatswains' Mate or Operations Specialist.

I believe my vision would prohibit me from flying, which is a shame with 700 tt. Perhaps, I could apply for a waiver? My vision is correctable to 20/20.

At any rate, from the folks here who have dealt with a recruiter what kinds of questions should I be asking? How should I go about asking/investigating incentive packages? I am a Purdue University graduate. I just want to prevent myself from being railroaded into a position that I would have never signed on for.

Thanks!
 
since you did score high you have a few more options. I not sure if the coast guard is like the Army in guarantee duty station. If so make sure that it is in your contract.
 
If you have a chance to do OCS now and plan on doing it anyway then why delay? Scores should have little to do with it, you have a degree so go to OCS, you'll have more responsibility, higher pay, and more opportunities to do something you want, like fly.

I went through flight school with a number of coast guard pilots and my first instructor was a coast guard pilot. They all had to do some time on a ship somewhere first and most of them went on to be helo pilots, but they do fly C-130's and Falcons (2 eng jet) as well. Like the Navy you can probably get a pilot slot by having laser surgery to correct your vision to 20/20 or if you are close to 20/20 already. That's something you'll probably want to research.

Don't waste your time as a BM or OS when you can go directly to OCS. Just my opinion.
 
I second (or third) that. Do not enlist if you already have a degree. The recruiters will try to talk you into enlisting first and then going to OCS once your already in because they want credit for getting you in. You will not enjoy being enlisted, especially once you notice the pay, and lifestyle, gap between what an E-3 gets when compared to your college educated O-1 counterpart.
 
subpilot said:
You will not enjoy being enlisted, especially once you notice the pay, and lifestyle, gap between what an E-3 gets when compared to your college educated O-1 counterpart.
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I very much enjoy being enlisted. ZERO desire to become a officer, and the lifestyle is what you make it. Active duty Army was the best time of my life. I wouldn't have traded it for anything.
 
The reason I was thinking about enlisting first is because I want to gain the respect of those I will be commanding (for lack of a better word). I don't think the enlisted folks look too highly upon those who just enter OCS "off the street."

In addition, I'm still foreign to military life and I don't want to be that incompetant officer.

At any rate that's my case. I'm still weighing the pros/cons of that course of action.

Thanks for all there responses guys!
 
Of course you can do what you want, but The best Commanding officer I had was enlisted first. You will remember where you came from, what it is like, and how your decisions impact those that you are commanding. Good Luck to you.
 
PurduePilot said:
The reason I was thinking about enlisting first is because I want to gain the respect of those I will be commanding (for lack of a better word). I don't think the enlisted folks look too highly upon those who just enter OCS "off the street."

In addition, I'm still foreign to military life and I don't want to be that incompetant officer.

At any rate that's my case. I'm still weighing the pros/cons of that course of action.

Thanks for all there responses guys!
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You don't have to be enlisted first to gain the respect of your sailors. Your actions- what you choose to do and what you choose not to do- and your attitude will dictate whether your sailors will respect you or not.

As a new ensign or 2nd lieutenant "butterbar" in the armed service, you don't have much more training than the sailors, airmen, soldiers, or Marines that you are leading, coming straight out of boot camp. What you do have are your non-commissioned officers, you should listen to them, and take their advice, but don't ever be a parrot. Your enlisted folks have all the technical skills to do their job. Your job is to lead them and give them direction to accomplish the mission of your unit. God help you when one day your NCO says to you, throwing his hands up in frustration, "Okay, you can run things now."

You get involved, you take an active interest in what your guys do, you learn what your guys do, you make sure they have what they need to do their jobs, you take care of them, take a look at their world through their shoes, not only in their professional lives but also in their personal lives... You don't hang out in the wardroom or your stateroom with other officers playing Nintendo (I have seen this happen) while your guys are doing their own thing, just marking time until it's time to knock off.

You're the middle management and buffer between the working sailors and the upper mangement of your CO and department head. When your sailors see you taking care of them and see you are a straight shooter, you'll earn their respect. They will definitely see through any facade, or bs that you put up.

Some days it will suck and you have to make hard decision that will screw your guys - but if you've taken care of them before, they'll understand that it's just crappy circumstances and they'll follow you until the end of the world.

But in the Coast Guard or any other service, it's the goat locker (chief's mess / senior non-commissioned officers) which get anything done.


Good luck in your decision - are you trying to get into the Coast Guard to fly? or just going into the Coast Guard in general?

Boatswain's Mates have a hard life - they get stuck with all the SLJ's, Operations Specialists well they've got a cushy job staring at radar screens all day, but tend to complain a lot over little things.

If you do fly helicopters in the Coast Guard, one advantage you have over Navy helicopters when you're doing counternarcotics ops is that you can shoot first and ask questions later - all the Navy can do is pop a squat on the go-fast and risk getting "knocked" down by the go-fast by the anti-helicopter device.

But of all my commanding officers, the best ones were the Marine CO's.
 
The QOL as an officer is better than the enlisted. I was enlisted in the Corps with the goal of eventually going to OCS and flight school for the Marines. My parents were officers in the AF. Officers have it better.
As stated above, as a junior officer, you will listen to your senior enlisted group and take the knowledge they bestow upon you to heart. You will learn to lead in OCS. Later you will hopefully master the tools given to you regarding leadership.
Go to OCS. Don't look back.
Enlisting will only slow you down as far as your goals are concerned.
 
Here's my thoughts on it.

I know a few guys who were enlisted and for one reason or another, were denied from attending OTS. Just remember that nothing is guaranteed, especially anything that comes from a recruiter's mouth. If you have a shot for OCS now, I say take it; you never know when manpower projections or budget cuts might cause OCS slots to shrink, and you might find yourself unable to attend OCS.

As far as being prior enlisted making you a good officer, I don't think that necessarily always does it. I've seen a few prior enlisted guys who got too chummy with the troops and would forget that they were now an officer and HAD to put their foot down. Being prior enlisted isn't a silver bullet to being a good officer; it will give you the experience to see things through their perspective, but it can also be a liability, especially if you start to hear the "Oh, LT, you know how it is; just let it slide this once, you know?" Like these guys said, it's all in your attitude and your actions how you will be perceived.

The rule I operated under as an officer (as explained to me by a MSgt whom I very much respected) is this: Give no crap, but take no crap either.

I treated all of my troops with respect. Then again, it's a very fine line; you can't get too chummy with them as their superior. Treat everyone fair and respectful, and you'll have no problems.

I always felt my role as an officer was one of keeping the crap off my troops from higher levels of leadership and to properly represent them back up the chain.

There's a lot of politics in the military these days (I am not sure if it was always this way, but it seemed to me like it had gotten worse in recent years), and there was a lot of stuff where "we're going to do this stupid thing that we know is stupid but we'll do it anyway." When I'd pass that along down the line, the troops would ask "why? this is stupid!" This is generally where the First Sergeant would step in and say "The Captain says to do it, we're going to do it."

The higher-ups generally have hidden motives for a lot of their stuff (like to get the CC promoted), and so I'd always get the First Sergeant alone and be straight up with him.

There is a thing in the military where a new officer will join a unit and immediately start changing things to make his or her mark so they could show evidence of leadership on their performance eval. I've always taken the approach of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

My advice is to go to OCS, spend your years as Ensign/LT listening and learning. Keep a balance between supporting the troops and supporting the CC, but above all, recognize that your ultimate responsibility is to support the mission.
 
I've decided to take all of your advice and I'm applying to OCS. I'm really giving the pilot thing a second look.

However, I'm not "putting all my eggs into one basket" on that because my vision is bad. I'm not applying strictly for aviation. I really would not care if I had to spend my entire career on a boat either.

Does anyone know what I would have to do regarding my vision to make the aviation thing even viable?

Thanks for all your advice guys!
 
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