green to gold?

[Anonymous]

Okay. Before I asked for advice on reclassing from 54B to ___(?). So I'm still looking at all the possibilities and I've come across "Green to Gold". Is there anyone out there who has completed this program that can give me some pros/cons? Furthermore, are there any officers out there who can shed an honest light to an enlisted soldier about different fields. If I did go GTG I'm not sure what career field I would want to commission into. Paula? Help. :)

ronyra@hotmail.com

[Anonymous]

OK, I'm here, I'll tell you what little I know. My best friend went green to gold. First thing, make sure you have enough time remaining in service to make the required rank. She did it as an E6 and got forced into retirement because you have to make Major by 20 years. In other words, she was rifted. She retired as an E6 and had to go into court to get her retirement at an officer's ranking. This isn't as easy as it seems, making rank. She only got to 1LT and they had told her there was no problem making MAJ. Officer's ranks don't come as easy as enlisted. She had nine years until 20 when she started the program, but you have to figure in your school time. That cut her down to 7 years to make MAJ. Not good time figuring.

That's another thing you have to take into consideration when picking a field, how much further schooling you need. She went from CMF 97 (the Band field) to a Nursing degree. The majority of her college classes where music classes so when she went to nursing, it was like starting all over again. Rather than having to complete her degree (which she was short only a few hours) it was more getting a whole new one.

You can't just pick a college, it has to be one within the area where you are or in the vicinity of a post. The reason for this is you still have military obligations you have to fulfill. PT tests, weigh ins, CTT testing, MOS testing, and in some cases they even require you to be on duty rosters.

Best advice I can give is choose a CMF that matches the degree you were originally going for. That just makes it easier on you.

I know this all sounds negative, but I will tell you my buddy never regrets a day or her choice. She loved nursing (almost as much as she loved music) and since retirement has gone on for her master's in Pediatric Medicine. She also loved being an officer. If you asked her, she would tell you that in some aspects being an officer is for the glory (and that's not meant as a slam) and enlisted is for the doing. She does say there is a lot more paperwork involved in being an officer and she missed the personal contact with troops that she had as an enlisted.

There's good and bad for both.

[Anonymous]

Spc Bowen: My husband and I are currently in an ROTC program. My husband did GTG as an E-6 with 8 yrs in and I did a 2 year ROTC scholarship as a civilian with 6 years prior service. We have been in the program for a year now and we will graduate in May and receive our commissioning in the US Army. To go GTG you just have to find a college or university that has an accredited program and has ROTC. It does not have to be near a base, you can even go home if you are from a state that doesn't have a major base located there. GTG offers 2,3 and 4 year scholarships. You get paid a monthly stipened of $200 for 10 months out of the year and you get $255 for books each semester (not summer school). Here is a web-site that will give you some good insight: www.rotc.monroe.army.mil/ Because you are prior service you will not have to attend Basic Camp(bt soph and jr year) but you will have to attend Advanced Camp in Ft. Lewis, WA. We just returned from AC2000 a week ago and being prior service and having gone through basic trng, it was not difficult at all. About choosing the branch that you want to go into, I am an accounting major, but I was a mechanic, a supply clerk and finance on active duty, but I am choosing to go into the finance branch. There are many different branches that you can choose to go into, at Advanced Camp they have one day that is called Branch orientation and you sit through briefing after briefing on all the different branches the army has. If you have any questions that aren't asnwered by the web-site, you should have a recruiter at your post for ROTC-find them and talk to them or contact the school that you want to go to and they will have a recruter there, or you can ask us. Hope some of this helped your decision, it s a good way to go. Your college degree is paid for and you are guaranteed a job after graduation that will give you a tremendous amount of experience. Monica


:
: Okay. Before I asked for advice on reclassing from 54B to ___(?). So I'm
: still looking at all the possibilities and I've come across "Green to
: Gold". Is there anyone out there who has completed this program that
: can give me some pros/cons? Furthermore, are there any officers out there
: who can shed an honest light to an enlisted soldier about different
: fields. If I did go GTG I'm not sure what career field I would want to
: commission into. Paula? Help. :)


MRigaud@yahoo.com