Good evening. I am planning on going into the Navy as a CTI (I'm in the navy now in the AE/CF program, my recruiter and I are putting in the paperwork for a change of rating.), and had a few questions about it.

I've read about the often tedious, boring, cubicle hours that CTIs often spend, and that's fine and not a problem with me, I think I'll enjoy it.

What I was wondering is how easily I would be able to get other billets while in the Navy. Let me explain.

For a while, before I found out I would be too short anyways, I was considering doing all I could to try to be picked up for the Navy Ceremonial Honor Guard out of Boot Camp for the 2-year tour. However, before I found out I was too short, I read that only certain ratings (based on the type of "A" School) can even enter into the NCHG.

I was wondering if similar restrictions existed for things like being an RDC or a recruiter. I know that the Navy would probably want people in more overmanned ratings to do things like recruiting or RDC, but my recruiter was an MM1 in the Nuclear Power Program (And will be returning to the fleet in a very short amount of time), which seems both a high rank and an undermanned billet, which would give me hope.

I'm fine if the answer's no, after all, the Navy will still be meeting and exceeding my earliest expectations with just what I've seen so far, but I'd really love the chance to be an RDC or recruiter, or have similar "non-CTI" assignments, subject to the needs of the Navy, of course.

I poked my nose around in these forums and a few others online looking for an answer, so I don't think the answer's lying right beneath my nose or anything. Thanks in advance to everyone for their time.

Good question! Historically, I know of a couple CTIs that have been RDCs or have worked at Great Lakes...a couple of Korean Linguists, as a matter of fact. When I was in Hawaii, in fact, our command PT coordinator was also a Korean Linguist.

Up until a couple of years ago, it was relatively common to find CTIs in non-language jobs, especially what I'd call 'surplus' linguists...folks who had languages that the Navy / NSA didn't really need as much or at all (Tagalog, Korean, etc).

There was a conscious decision a few years back however to get away from placing linguists in what the detailer called "taxes"...ie, recruiters, RDCs that other ratings had to contribute personnel to.

I haven't had any direct ties to the CTI community now since mid-2006, but as of mid-2006 there was a deliberate policy in place to prevent CTIs from taking non-CTI jobs. I don't know if the policy is still in place.