After College Degree, Will I Start At E3 If Choosing To Enlist In Navy Reserve?
Dec.23, 2009 in
College Selection
I know that’s the case for the active route. Recruiter mentioned some people can start higher than O1 on the officer side depending on professional work experience as civilian and if it’s relevant enough to the Navy work. I’m just wondering if same can go for enlisted side? I’m also wondering what it takes to start at E5 or higher in USNR for someone like me with a college degree? I already did my homework on officer side. Just trying to understand enlisted side.
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
If you were to join the Navy Reserve as enlisted, the highest rank who can enter as is E-3. There are many people enlisted personnel in the Navy Reserve that have a college degree.
Recruit for officers is separate than for enlisted and a college degree does not automatically confer a commission. Only certain degrees and fields of study will lead to an officer’s commission. While law and medical degree do, people with engineering degrees may also apply for a commission.
If you do enlist in the Navy Reserve, you may be eligible for a commissioning program later on; two members of my unit will be applying for commissions once they complete their degrees.
>A first time enlistee can enter the Navy Reserve at the rank of E-3, but no higher. All Navy enlisted personnel E-4 and above have rating; you need to have completed either A school or rate courses before you can earn one.
December 24th, 2009 at 1:42 am
Yes, more than likely, you will be starting with an E-3. I remember that I saw a girl who started out as an E-5, but I was told that she’s MU (musician). She probably had a degree & plays *hit load of instruments.
Just like the guy above me mentioned, doctors, lawyers, professors (Naval Acmy),and may be other profesionals, with experience get to start with higher than the rank of an O-1. Good Luck.
Truwarier97: I am sorry to hear that your 8 years experience in the Navy had been terrible. I understand where you are coming from. However, not everybody will have the same experience as you did. How long did you enlist for? Did you re-enlist at all? If you did, why??? And haven’t you heard, “pick your rate, pick you fate.” Good luck with the rest of your life.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:27 am
Those who start higher than O-1 are not line officer, they only do within their professional like lawyer, nurse, doctor etc.. in enlisted you can’t start up higher than E-3, even if you had a college degree you still get E-3 if you choose not to go for commision, however had a degree in enlisted will gave you extra points for advacement, but you should look at officer program first.
December 24th, 2009 at 7:41 am
i was inlisted in the army. the way it should work if you want to join, they should give you the opisoin to join as a navy officer. Any person that is joining the army with a college degree, has the choose to come in as a 2LT. There is a school that is called O.C.S school, its a leadership school that will help them understand the army and show them how to be a leader. The navy should give you the same opoinson to come in as a officer. Now if the a recruiter tells you that i would be able to start with a higher pay grade, you need to becareful in what they say. It really doesn’t matter what you do as a civilian when you join, you really need to just tell him that you want to join has a officer. If i was in your shoes i would really talk to a different recruiter and never take the first offer that they tell you. If you need anymore help, get back to me
December 24th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Actually the Coast Guard has special programs that are called direct petty officer for experienced and educated people where you can go in at E-4.
Also the Air guard has programs where you can be an officer at a higher pay grade as long as you have a technical degree. I was going to join the Air guard and my degree is in engineering and I would have been a O-2.
And of course the Army will let you join as a E-4.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I am trying to remember, the difference in my E-1 and E-4 pay under two years, and i am here to tell you it is not much, the difference is hardly worth thinking about, and if you start as an E-3 you will have E-4 by the time that you go over 2 yrs, ( probably) and even if you start as an E-2 you have a shot at getting E-4 before or around 2 yrs, You have to look at the pay charts, and know that the difference in these grades, with under two years of service, is just not even hardly worth mentioning, So You need to figure out what you really want from some other perspective, The money factor is just not there,
GOOD LUCK
December 24th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Stacey is right. You can get E3 for a degree, but no higher.
By the way- Navy E5’s are experienced. A degree is nice, but it doesn’t count for a whole lot once you are in the service as an enlisted person. You will be able to get points for the educational experience towards your E4 and E5, but that’s about it.
December 24th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
A E-5 petty officer has got most of the sand out of his boots. He understands navy life, protocol, his own job, what his superiors expect from him, and he generally doesn’t have an attitude because of higher education.
Having said all that, you have a way to go before you’re qualified to wear the chevrons of a third or second class petty officer !
December 24th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Only the Army will start a college grad as an E4.
Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard will start you off as an E3.
The Marines will only start you as an E2.
Father, uncle, and brother (ex officer) all served.
Bro says that doctors and lawyers are the ones who start off higher than O1.
December 25th, 2009 at 4:30 am
You can start at an E-5 in the enlisted side but get with a recruiter who handles that side of things. I have had two friends do that and one was an engineer the other a electrical engineer. Try your hardest to go officer. Enlisted navy sucks (did 3 years).
December 25th, 2009 at 6:21 am
If you already have an undergrad degree, you already meet most of the officer entry requirements, so why would you consider enlisting?
I’m not knocking the enlisted service members in this post, and I’m very sure that they would ask the same question.
December 25th, 2009 at 7:15 am
E-4, possible, E-5 only if you have a license or certification in the civilian world and the Navy can use that skill, as in Dental Hygienist, Medical laboratory technician, etc…
Rich : PERSONNEL SPECIALIST! not Personal!
December 25th, 2009 at 7:30 am
You cannot start higher than a E-3.
Only prior service members can go into the reserves with higher rank.
If the reserve unit has an opening for an Officer, you can apply to go to OCS.
December 25th, 2009 at 9:12 am
If you have a degree, why not choose to be an office in the Navy Reserve? That would make the most of your education.
December 25th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
WHY!
if your in college go rotc and have them pay for it then go full time.
December 25th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
no
E-1
December 25th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
If you are planning to join the Navy then PLEASE don’t. I have just separated from the military after 8 year’s. The Navy most people don’t know…
1. E-6 above honor the uniform more than the person.
2. E-6’s care more about trying to make Chief (E-7) that they stab junior people in the back to get there.
3. The Navy is ran by an Eval system. The higher your Eval the better your chances of making the next rank..This is why E-6’s worry about themselves. Because majorityhave been in for years and they can’t make it. So why worry about other people is their motto.
4. There is no Honor, Courage, Comittment, in the Navy.
5. When you are sent to Mast, you face a panel of Chiefs that say thier spill to the Commanding Officer on your performance and other stuff. They will over look all the good and take you to hell.
6. To make the next pay grade you take an exam. It doesn’t mean that you pass you get advanced. Its all based on a quota.
However, getting out of the Navy was the BEST decision I have ever made in life. Also, when you are sent to a ship. You spend more time on-board then in port plus you have duty days so deploying ain’t all that great. Go to a different branch that has commraderie and cares for their people. If you do that then you will have a great career and you will thank me later for going another branch.
December 25th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
If you have a degree, and if you enlist, you will enter as an E-3. As far as I know, it’s been that way for about 50 years. That’s how I entered (but I went in active duty — I see no reason why the reserves would be any more restrictive).
If you have a degree, you can also consider an officer program. You then go to OCS (rather than boot camp), and graduate as an officer — an Ensign (O-1).
In my case I found a specialty I liked. I moved up as quickly as possible in that rating (specialty).When I was due to extend for my E-6 chevron and somebody dusted of my degree and recommended me for OCS. I took the opportunity and spent another 20 years in.
To start as an E-5, you will probably need recent prior service. In the Navy, moving up the ladder (officer on enlisted) is neither easy nor guaranteed — but it’s required — at least it used to be.
Enlisted advancement is based on three factors.
First, there are your performance evaluations. You get one every six months and whenever you are about to be transferred to another duty station.
Second, you are tested in your rating (specialty). The test is Navy-wide. If there are 100 openings in the Navy for an BT2, only about 100 can be promoted. You are also tested for you knowledge of leadership and leadership skills.
Third, there are the needs of the Navy. You might have to transfer to another duty station to get your advancement. The Navy has positions scattered about its stations and ships. If your current duty station isn’t allotted an HM1 billet (position), and if you’re testing for HM1, you’ll likely have to transfer. Based on that, I’d hazard a guess that promotions in the reserves are rather infrequent.
That’s enlisted advancement in a nutshell.
Officer advancement is a little tougher. Everything you do is evaluated by your superiors. Their evaluations and any awards, honors, or citations you’ve received for excellence of service are taken into consideration by a board of senior officers who make up a review board. Again, if you fail advance, i.e., get a few years behind your class, you can look forward to a shortened career.