18X vs 11X,13F,19D w/ Experience

[TheAdventitiousOne]

Hello, all.

I am soon coming up on my ETS date with the Army Reserve and have to make a decision on how to move forward with an Active Duty contract. I have heard many different things about the 18X pathway in comparison to simply enlisting as something else, then volunteering for selection.

Namely, the largest concern that I see voiced is that the overwhelming majority of 18X candidates who were non-selects have been getting reclassed to things like cooks, cooks, laundry specialists, etc. Is this really as much of a risk as some say? I have been told that in the last few years its been a toss-up between reverting back to 11B (which I would be perfectly fine with) or getting reclassed to a REMF position (which I would absolutely hate).

I would prefer to hear mainly from those who were 18X candidates themselves, or guys who ran the schoolhouse. or have some sort of data on the subject.

Thanks!

 

[DZ]

I left the school house almost two years ago and they were reclassing 18Xs.

It comes down to this: if you can't live with the idea of getting reclassed, then dont go 18X. The needs of the Army quickly change and it may be one way now, but it can quickly change by the time you get there.

If you go to the regular Army, be prepared to spend time there. I made the mistake of not taking an 18X contract and I spent a lot more time out of the pipeline than I wanted to.

 

[TheAdventitiousOne]

How often were guys a non-select, even if they were performing well across the board? I think a big question is the personality issue. I’ve heard it rumored that candidates will sometimes be a non-select for some kind of quirk or behavior trait, even if they meet all of the physical standards. Does that have any accuracy to it? Or is it mainly an issue of someone not examplifying the ARSOF attributes?

 

[DZ]

You're judged off the ARSOF attributes. Don't listen to rumors.. or do and psych yourself out, that's cool too.

Listen, I remember what it was like. SFAS is a huge unknown, and you want to have all the answers. All you need to do is show up with everything on the packing list, in good shape, ready to do your absolute best on every event.

If you do that I can guarantee that if you don't get picked up it will be because of something you can't control.

 

[TheAdventitiousOne]

You're judged off the ARSOF attributes. Don't listen to rumors.. or do and psych yourself out, that's cool too.

Listen, I remember what it was like. SFAS is a huge unknown, and you want to have all the answers. All you need to do is show up with everything on the packing list, in good shape, ready to do your absolute best on every event.

If you do that I can guarantee that if you don't get picked up it will be because of something you can't control.

Tracking. I appreciate the input. I’ll be posting up my upcoming training plans and progress reports over the next several months. I haven’t had much opportunity in the past for actual SOF mentorship, so I’ll be using this site to the best of my ability.