Cadets do you understand the time commitment?

That may be a more accurate statement.

Here's my reasoning...


Straight out of the Coast Guard Academy, newly minted ensigns will go to three general areas. First, most will be aboard a ship for their first tour. That tour will generally last two years. Some will go to a sector. Those tours generally last 3 years. Some will go to flight school. That will last over a year and then they will learn about their aircraft and will be stationed at an air station.

So, let's say a majority of the class transfers after two years, some of those will go to a staff tour. Some will go to a NAG cutter, serve there for a year and return for XO of a 110', CO of an 87' or go to a staff tour. Those staff tours will generally be 3-4 years long, with some officers "short touring". Some officers will go to grad school after their first tour.

Now we get to Year Five from graduation. You will have a small amount, maybe 7% who are separated from service. Another 8% will "Five and Dive" or get out after their five year commitment. This will leave about 85% who will serve past their five year commitment.

The Coast Guard officer corps is 45% Coast Guard Academy graduates.

About 29% of the Coast Guardsmen who applied for the Coast Guard funded graduate programs were selected, meaning 71% of the applicants weren't selected.

It may be fair to assume that not all of that 71% were CGA grads.

On top of that, you also have to factor in the people who reapply for grad school each year, if they were not selected the year before.

Do I think a large number of Coast Guard Academy graduates have masters? Yes. Do I think 80% of Coast Guard Academy graduates have masters degrees that were fully funded by the U.S. Coast Guard? No. There just aren't the numbers for that.

Does this make sense?
 
Sam,

One thing to realize is that for promotion purposes officers will need to get a masters degree. In the AF, currently, for O-5 it is the 1st time that the board would see if you have a Masters. If you don't you have a slim to none chance for promotion. O4 and below it is "masked" in other words you may have gone the military's dime, but nobody is evaluated or awarded points if they do or don't have one.

You should also realize that the branch you serve in can change this at any given notice. They will give fair warning, but in essence if they change the rule, you will need to immediately enroll so you will be competitive.

For example, back in 92-93 the AF did not mask Masters for O4. AF members tried to have their Masters by 2 BPZ boards. The AF changed the rule to masking Masters for O4 and members delayed their Masters until they were coming up for O5.

To tie this into the AF doing a RIF, they could decide to "un-mask" for the O4 board and the military members who waited can be passed over.

The military changes and you must be flexible too. 1991 you were in for 10-12 yrs before meeting an O4 board, 2000 board and it was 8 yrs. Yrs ago you could be promoted BPZ for O4, now you can't (maybe it is back again, I don't keep up). Yrs ago you got an "X" by your name on the promotion list which meant you were eligible for In Residence School (PME), now they don't do that.

My true point is if you try to map out your career at this point you better use a pencil and not a pen because it will change more than you ever thought.

Finally, it really is best to get your Masters as early as possible for multiple reasons. The first three are:
1. Younger rank, less responsibility for your duty job. The FCC has to write the OPR or OER, the young lt doesn't. The young lts primary job is to learn the job.
Old joke, but it is true...butter bars crap falls off...railroad bars and it sticks. Lt is seen as young and new. Captain, is seen as you should know better.
2. Earlier on, less life issues...babies/kids/spouse take up a lot of personal time.
3. Commitment issues...the longer you wait, the more time you will be required to stay. You will be required to payback time for taking TA from the military for your Masters.

This is far down the road, and the road will twist, just keep it in your sights because I have seen many AF and Army officers wake up one morning and say OH SH*T, I am coming up for BPZ and I don't have a Masters. They then find themselves trying to be an officer, father, husband and student in a very short time span.
 
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LITS - fair enough.
Is Tuition Assistance available for Coast Guardmen? Perhaps *they* are counting those who earned a grad degree with tuition assistance and adding that number to the fully-funded number?
 
Tuition assistance if available, yes. Maybe that number was added, but the tuition assistance would not cover 100% of the costs.

It may also be a case of just "passing a number down", whatever the reason, they're checking it out.
 
Final determination, the numbers were incorrect. The 4 out of 5 was not "fully covered" but instead included ANY kind of tuition assistance.
 
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