Navy Officer Programs:?
There are a few areas that Naval Officers can Go into. one of them is Surface Warfare officer (SWO). what are the other areas?
reason why i ask, a recruiter says I qualify for the SWO program. I asked him what it was, he says its a position most sea men would kill for. he didnt mention any of the other positions. what are the other options?
Comments
Insure the recruiter is for Officer programs only. Naval Officer Recruiters are officers themselves in most cases. Traditionally you will go to a Naval Recruitment Center
specifically for Officer programs. If you are uncertain ask the recruiter if he recruits enlisted also. If yes this is not the recruiter you want so you need to find a Naval Officer Recruiter for Officer programs only. NOTE: Recently a dear friend who is one of the top recruiters in the Navy was assigned as a Naval Officer Recruiter. He is a Senior Chief and is now recruiting officers only and one of the few enlisted in this treasured position.
Many programs are available to officer candidates. All military branches have specific needs to "fill" immediately and recruiters are in a position to solicit these needs. Recruiters will "push" to fill with personnel areas military branches are currently requiring. It is possible, as well, you acquire interest in a program that maybe "filled" and no longer accepting candidates.
A recruiters job is to get you "EXCITED". He/She reviews your application, test scores, interviews, GPA, etc. and from their "OPINION", and only their opinion, you appear qualified for a position. Recruiters want YOUR signature on a contract obligating your time in service, this is their job, to sign qualified bodies. If you truly have a program they say you qualify make absolutely sure you can actually "enter" the program before signing anything. Recruiter's number one goal, MEET THE NEEDS OF THE NAVY.
Make certain you can "pass" required PT (Physical Training) for the program you are entering and through Officer Candidate School. Remember, you are a "candidate" in OCS and must pass some of the "hardest" obstacles you have ever faced to become a Naval officer. The recruiter can provide you with this information because your initial Physical Training "weeds out" a LOT of candidates. Pilots swim 1 mile, that is a long way, and I believe this holds true for the SWO program. There are also timed runs, pushups, situps, etc. and this can be tough if you are not ready.
Officer programs in the military, in general, is a rewarding career. Civilian employers will also accept you over non-military and your income will begin at a higher level than most..
Good Luck and pursue your dreams as I did. GODS SPEED!
You will not be on the front lines. That is not the Navy's deal. As a pilot you would most likely see Iraq every other year or so for a few months from the air. If you fail out of training, they will make you another type of officer, but you would then just be assigned to a ship and not on the front lines. The Navy will not sign you up as a pilot then change you to something else unless you do something wrong. the only way to end up in combat in the Navy is to volunteer and even then, it is less than a 1% chance. Even IA is not on the front lines. They are usually doing detainee duty or working in a supply warehouse somewhere. I have no idea what naval officers would be on the front lines that they lady below is talking about. Maybe running a det in Kuwait or something, but I have never met a Naval officer that was in combat.
There are two types of officers in the Navy: unrestricted line and restricted line. Let's call them URL and RL for convenience. URLs can hold command positions (i.e. captain of a ship). Unrestricted line billets include SWO, Naval Aviator, Naval Flight Officer, SEALs, submarines, etc. RLs include supply officers, doctors, dentists, etc. - positions you wouldn't expect to lead to command.
I have to disagree with the statement that most seamen would kill to be SWOs. Not to disparage SWOs, but if you fail out of flight school, nuke school, SEAL training, etc., you end up as a SWO. Some look at SWO as the field you go into if you can't qualify for anything else.
SWO can be a good field - you'll work your way through the various departments on the ship (deck, engineering, weapons, operations, etc), and possibly end up in command of a ship. It's the traditional seaman field that Horatio Nelson would recognize.
It can be a great career field, but you'll have to work hard to stand out. I've read in the Naval Institute's Proceedings that ships get loaded up with new ensign SWOs and it's up to them to do what they can to get noticed. I've also read of morale and retention problems.
I'd be skeptical of this recruiter. He should be telling you the benefits and strengths of this career field and not that it's "the field to kill for." Make sure you read everything before you sign anything. You don't want to think you're going to OCS and end up in enlisted boot camp!
other communities include IWO, INTEL, IP, METOC, SPECWARFARE, Aviation, Supply, JAG, Submarines and Medical.
Robert is not entirely correct between the difference between URL and RL. RL may not command a seagoing vessel, but they CAN command shore commands.
URL: SWO, Aviation, SPECWAR, Subs
RL: Supply, METOC, Intel. IP, IWO, JAG, Medical
But I do agree that not everyone would kill for a SWO billet. there's a saying: SWO's eat their young. It's an extremely intense/competitive( and dare I say, backstabbing) community.
Actually there is a fair amount of choices. Check the second link-
Good Luck!