Hello, I have two questions.

1. I am 31 with 4 years prior Navy service. Does that make me 27 in Coast Guard years for purposes of trying to get into a program like PPEP where the max age is 30?

2. If my only option for going officer is DCE because of my age, can someone explain to me the "temporary commission"?

My goals are to go to retire as an officer with a degree in engineering. Does the DCE's temporary commission last or should I just go for CWO when I make E-6?

There are three different types of commission; Reserve, Temporary and Regular.

A temporary commission is like a safety net. If you wish to resign your commission then you would go back to your enlisted rate. Around the time that you are in zone for LT, you would integrate into the regular CG.

As for planning for DCE or CWO, I say plan for both.

So it sounds like if I were to go DCE, I would get a temporary commission and after my 3 years I could stay an officer and move up the ranks? I have hears that if you are too qualified as an enlisted, you have less chance of being accepted as an officer. If I were to go to MK92 school and re-enlist with an SRB of 4.0, do you think I would get denied a request for the DCE program? Should I just make E-5 and work on my schooling without becoming too critical for the ET rate?

quote:

I have heard that if you are too qualified as an enlisted, you have less chance of being accepted as an officer.

I have never heard anything like that. I have never served on the selection board in DC but I have been on 5 interview panels. One of them was for a DCE candidate. Our feeling was the more school and technical expertise the better.

Don't put your career in clutch in the hopes that it will increase your chances of becoming an officer. I think you'll find the opposite is true.

You can shoot me an email if you like. I'm in the global.

Thanks for the advice John. Does the selection boards account for anything done in the civilian world related to the rate? Do they take a "resume" of sorts? I have about 8 years of related experience from the time I got out of the navy to the time I joined the coast guard.

SN Horsley,
One big thing that the interview panels looks at is military bearing.

The selection board looks at everything in your packet. I suggest going to the CG Recruiting website and looking at the application.

or to be more blunt, don't assume a level of familiarity with a Commisioned Officer. You shouldn't even be refering to an E-4 by first name, much less an Officer. The forum is irrelevant.

Kids, nowadays!

Hey Master Chief weren't you in Humboldt bay in 97 - 2000? I was one of the GM's....

Sure was. I remember you and Mike. Talked to Mike a couple of weeks ago. Nice to see that star on you!