Continuing education

[TN FISH]

After searching for a while I can't seem to find any answers about continuing education while in SF. I know taking classes while in the pipeline would be out of the question because of everything should be focused on completing the process. But have any of you guys that have enlisted went on to earn your degree or an advanced degree while in SF?

Seems like with frequent deployment, and the different cycles when not deployed (green, amber, red) you would only have a small window of time to commit to anything else but SF.

I know many of the gentlemen on here are retired SF and the opportunity of taking distant learning classes and online classes was not available to you, but now with all the different types of ways to take classes one would think it would be a realistic goal to finish a degree while serving in SF or Rangers. ?

Thanks for any feedback.

[Doc]

After searching for a while I can't seem to find any answers about continuing education while in SF. I know taking classes while in the pipeline would be out of the question because of everything should be focused on completing the process. But have any of you guys that have enlisted went on to earn your degree or an advanced degree while in SF?

Seems like with frequent deployment, and the different cycles when not deployed (green, amber, red) you would only have a small window of time to commit to anything else but SF.

I know many of the gentlemen on here are retired SF and the opportunity of taking distant learning classes and online classes was not available to you, but now with all the different types of ways to take classes one would think it would be a realistic goal to finish a degree while serving in SF or Rangers. ?

Thanks for any feedback.

TN FISH,

It took me 19 years but I got a B.S.

Good luck.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

But have any of you guys that have enlisted went on to earn your degree or an advanced degree while in SF?

I know you directed this question to any of the folks that have enlisted and attempted to pursue a degree and I am not talking for them because I cannot. However I have some observations and a question. If you are interested in degree completion why are you not doing that before entering the military?

I know of many folks that have completed degrees and or started them while serving but they were exceptional folks that knew how to manage both their time and their priorities. Education never stops in SF both for professional development and in order to maintain and improve on skills to which you have already been trained. This is a dynamic business and as the situation changes for you and your team you will always be "educating" yourself on something be it emerging technology, intelligence updates, new skill requirements, and the list goes on. The bottom line is that there is just not a lot of "downtime" for anything else but for the commitment that is expected and required of you towards SF. While there are programs and policies that can help you in your quest for continuing civilian education the military requirements may often overshadow your goals if they are not compatible with those of your unit's requirements. Let me give you a personal example. When I was eligible I elected to complete the Army Command and General Staff College program by corresondence because I did not want to take a year off from being with troops to do so. One month into the program, despite the fact that the Army and my unit approved what I was doing, I was sent off on a classified mission that lasted almost the lenght of time that I was given to complete the program. Despite the fact that the ambassador, the entire chain of command, and the school's attempt to give me constructive credit for the course because I had essentially accomplished what the course goals were through practical application I was passed over for promotion for failing to complete the course in the alloted time and required to complete the program anyway. Now if the military is going to do that to someone for whom they granted permission to complete a program required by them for advancement to the next higher grade how accommodating do you think they might be in seeing that you get to complete a non-related civilian degree program?

Now as to my final point, while I applaud your goal to continue and complete degrees I think you really need to look at your priorities. Unless you are an exceptional individual, and you might be so do not take this as a criticism just an observation, you need to focus your effort on the commitment SF is expecting or look towards another less challenging assignment. You do not want to be in a position that will result in you not being able to provide the proper level of effort to either as the outcome will not meet either or your goals.

May I offer this final oberservation, and some folks are going to come back hard on this, but this my observation from folks with whom I have served. Civilian degrees and their application to the military in general are over-rated with the exception of some very specialized areas in medicine, technology, and some of the softer skills. If you obtain a degree with the idea that you are going to be marketable when you get out of the military then SF is not for you because we don't want someone who is going to dabble in this as a job we want someone who is looking at SF as a profession and not an experiment. By the time I left the service I had both a BS and a MS and the VA looked at my courses and told me I was not marketable because most of what I had for course work was superceeded by time and technology and sent me back to school for another master's degree. If you are looking towards just bettering yourself in areas for which you have some special interest and it leads to degree completion and you can do both go for it. As DOC said, it took him 19 years.

[NousDefionsDoc]

I agree with the Colonel, finish your degree, then go apply it.

If I had to change anything about my life, that would be it. I don't have one and every now and then I wish I did. It doesn't come up often, but when it does it's a tough breach.




Besides, if I had one, I could go to Harvard and rip the guts out of it from the inside instead of shooting sniper rounds at the outer wall to chip the brick away a bit at a time. This is taking too long...;)

[Warrior-Mentor]

What I've seen is that guys have a very hard time completing a degree while on a team.

Guys at SWCS, especially DOTD seem to have the best opportunity to complete degrees while there. Why? Because DOTD and some of the other SWCS assignments don't require as much TDY, and offer a more regular schedule.

[jamel]

So from my understanding, would it be wiser to earn my commission as an officer before becoming a special forces soldier? given the time you have to put into this job?

[The Reaper]

So from my understanding, would it be wiser to earn my commission as an officer before becoming a special forces soldier? given the time you have to put into this job?

jamel:

That depends on whether you want to be an officer, or an enlisted man.

Have you spoken with a recruiter?

TR

[jamel]

jamel:

That depends on whether you want to be an officer, or an enlisted man.

Have you spoken with a recruiter?

TR

Well, I'm not old enough to join yet(I'll be 17 this month) but I will talk to a recruiter soon. My plan is to work in the infantry field for about an year before trying out for this than become an officer after I become a special forces soldier.

[The Reaper]

Well, I'm not old enough to join yet(I'll be 17 this month) but I will talk to a recruiter soon. My plan is to work in the infantry field for about an year before trying out for this than become an officer after I become a special forces soldier.

I think that for someone who has not even graduated from HS yet, you are looking way too far down the road. There is less than a 10% chance that you will ever be an SF soldier, much less complete a Bachelor's degree and become an SF officer.

Focus on the 25m. target. Graduation. More reading, less PMing and posting. This has been discussed repeatedly here before. Till you graduate, this is largely a waste of our time.

TR

[jamel]

alright, i'll do that first. by the way, I thought i saw a link that lead to a book which can give you tips to prepare for this, i've looked but couldn't find it again. could someone give me the link?

[Doc]

alright, i'll do that first. by the way, I thought i saw a link that lead to a book which can give you tips to prepare for this, i've looked but couldn't find it again. could someone give me the link?

Here ya go jamel. Good luck.

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7239&highlight=sfas+book

[x SF med]

jamel-
I had 97.5 hrs of college before I enlisted - I dropped all chances of becoming an officer and am much happier for it - I could not find an ARNG unit to early commission me (I had fully completed ROTC, Airborne, and Cadet Troop Leadership Training) and ran out of college money - After I got out, I finished my degrees (BA, MBA) and realized I learned more in SF than I ever learned in college - civilians just never realized it. Education is ongoing - if you worry about the paper it's worth nothing, if you worry about the substance, it is golden.