Ever Heard of Officer to Enlisted?
- Thread starter WP23
- Start date
To all,
I realize I have made a mistake in posting such a question. I was not aware that inquiring about the transition from Officer to Enlisted was offensive to so many. To those of you who asked where I am in life right now, I have recently accepted an appointment to USMA Class of '23. This has been a goal of mine for a while, and many of my friends and family are very excited for me, so dropping out of West Point is definitely not an option for me. Regardless of where I end up in the Army, I will be proud to be in the service. Although I would prefer a more hands on job, working a desk job in the military would be more satisfying than anything the private sector can offer. Additionally, I am aware that because I am young and inexperienced in the military, my opinions are bound to change within the next few years. So who knows, maybe I'll be more drawn to a desk job upon graduation anyways!
Overall, I wanted to apologize for such a naive question. I was under the assumption that an Officer to Enlisted transition was at least somewhat common, and I certainly did not think it was an inefficient and inconsiderate process for which to aim. And again, I cannot stress enough how proud I am to attend West Point; it is with out a doubt an opportunity to which I will put forth all my effort to learn as much as possible about the Army and all of the different career options. Thanks for reading such a lengthy response, and I hope you accept my sincere apology.
I realize I have made a mistake in posting such a question. I was not aware that inquiring about the transition from Officer to Enlisted was offensive to so many. To those of you who asked where I am in life right now, I have recently accepted an appointment to USMA Class of '23. This has been a goal of mine for a while, and many of my friends and family are very excited for me, so dropping out of West Point is definitely not an option for me. Regardless of where I end up in the Army, I will be proud to be in the service. Although I would prefer a more hands on job, working a desk job in the military would be more satisfying than anything the private sector can offer. Additionally, I am aware that because I am young and inexperienced in the military, my opinions are bound to change within the next few years. So who knows, maybe I'll be more drawn to a desk job upon graduation anyways!
Overall, I wanted to apologize for such a naive question. I was under the assumption that an Officer to Enlisted transition was at least somewhat common, and I certainly did not think it was an inefficient and inconsiderate process for which to aim. And again, I cannot stress enough how proud I am to attend West Point; it is with out a doubt an opportunity to which I will put forth all my effort to learn as much as possible about the Army and all of the different career options. Thanks for reading such a lengthy response, and I hope you accept my sincere apology.
No worries, treat it like a learning experience.
You're a plebe at West Point? It's way, WAY to early in your career to worry about what you're going to be doing after your two years as an SF team leader. And, as you recognized, it comes across as awfully presumptuous to assume you're going to make it that far. Most people never do.
As you know, you can tap out at the Academy any time up to the first day of class your Cow year. I suggest you take some time and think about what you want to do with your life. If you want to enlist, save the peoples' money and do it early and don't soak up all of those resources that are going to be going towards making you an "O." If you're committed to staying at USMA and also committed to serving out your five year commitment, then I strongly urge you to consider focusing on the things that will make you a good cadet, student, and officer, and stop worrying about the "sexy"stuff that you may or may not be able to do later.
In the meantime, here's a related article you might want to read and consider.
A Message to Cadets: Be the Best “That” That You Can Be, On Branch Night and Every Night - Modern War Institute
Good luck at the Academy and in your Army career. Thank you for choosing to serve, and for joining the site.
You're a plebe at West Point? It's way, WAY to early in your career to worry about what you're going to be doing after your two years as an SF team leader. And, as you recognized, it comes across as awfully presumptuous to assume you're going to make it that far. Most people never do.
As you know, you can tap out at the Academy any time up to the first day of class your Cow year. I suggest you take some time and think about what you want to do with your life. If you want to enlist, save the peoples' money and do it early and don't soak up all of those resources that are going to be going towards making you an "O." If you're committed to staying at USMA and also committed to serving out your five year commitment, then I strongly urge you to consider focusing on the things that will make you a good cadet, student, and officer, and stop worrying about the "sexy"stuff that you may or may not be able to do later.
In the meantime, here's a related article you might want to read and consider.
A Message to Cadets: Be the Best “That” That You Can Be, On Branch Night and Every Night - Modern War Institute
Good luck at the Academy and in your Army career. Thank you for choosing to serve, and for joining the site.
ThunderHorse
Verified Military
He hasn't even reported for R Day.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2012
- Messages
- 12,896
Let’s give the young man a break, now.
Deficiencies in his perspective were called out, he posted a mea culpa note - all good.
Moving forward.
