CG pros/cons

CGHopeful@

CGHopeful@

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May 8, 2023
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Just wanted to ask some of the Coast Guard pros and cons from some of you who have actually done it, whether it be the academy or enlisted.
I'm not totally sure which route I want to take because there is an enlisted route for medical, and I've heard that it is super hard to do that at the academy.
Anyway, just to see what it's like from those of you who have been there, done that.
 
My daughter chose USNA, but our family loved CGA and the CG. I will give my thoughts on a huge pro. I teach near the local CG station. We get CG kids all the time. I have met several of their parents. I have never met a member of the CG who did not love their job and life in the CG. We also spent a day at the local station. One CG member was in the army prior to the CG. I asked him which he liked better. He almost burst out laughing when I asked the question. CG 100% he said.

A con that they mentioned was they felt that funding was lacking and they were in desperate need of modernization of tools and supplies which would make their job more efficient.
 
Is your goal to definitely work in the medical field? I do not believe there is any direct route to medical from the Coast Guard Academy. Every year several cadets get their EMT certification through an outside course (not part of the regular class schedule), but nobody would be slated to a medical billet.
 
There looks to be two separate enlisted to medical school programs. You need to be at least an E-4 to be considered.

I would assume the competition is very strong for those spots. If you enlist as a hospital corpsman with the idea of going to medical school in the CG its best if staying enlisted would not be the worst thing if that is what ends up happening.
 
Oh I was talking about the health services technician rating for enlisted, not med school. (Of course, med school would be awesome if I could get in) Yeah, I have heard that too-how hard it is to go to med school other than going in college and getting recruited by the US Public Health Services- even then, there is no guarantee that you will end up in the CG.

One of my cousins-his paternal grandfather was in the Navy and he told me the Coasties he met always loved their jobs.

Thanks to all those who have replied so far!
 
CGHopeful@ said:
Oh I was talking about the health services technician rating for enlisted, not med school. (Of course, med school would be awesome if I could get in) Yeah, I have heard that too-how hard it is to go to med school other than going in college and getting recruited by the US Public Health Services- even then, there is no guarantee that you will end up in the CG.

One of my cousins-his paternal grandfather was in the Navy and he told me the Coasties he met always loved their jobs.

Thanks to all those who have replied so far!
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If my main desire was health service tech, as opposed to strictly a health services tech in the USCG, I’d strongly consider Navy Corpsman or Army or AF medic.

Medics and Corpsman by in large love being Medics and Corpsman.
 
CGHopeful@ said:
Oh I was talking about the health services technician rating for enlisted, not med school. (Of course, med school would be awesome if I could get in) Yeah, I have heard that too-how hard it is to go to med school other than going in college and getting recruited by the US Public Health Services- even then, there is no guarantee that you will end up in the CG.

One of my cousins-his paternal grandfather was in the Navy and he told me the Coasties he met always loved their jobs.

Thanks to all those who have replied so far!
Click to expand...
When it comes to medicine and CGA, there are a couple options now. If you want to get your feet wet, the EMS club is a great way to get started. I’m one of the cadets who got their EMT certification through the club, and now I can ride along with our local ambulance association responding to calls.
Still in the EMS club, but getting deeper into the field, if you get your EMT certification, you can volunteer as an ER tech at the local hospital. I know of at least one cadet who pursued this opportunity. It gives you a lot of valuable experience in a hospital setting.
Finally, in our MES major, we now have a focus for Pre-med after we successfully sent one of our graduates to med school in 2021. It is a highly demanded program and I hope it continues to grow in the near future.
 
That's awesome that the academy is growing in the medical aspects!

Do you have any pros and cons of the academy?
 
One of my DD’s takeaways from AIM was that she she was shocked at the difference in facilities between USCGA and West Point. It makes sense, given the difference in funding. Said she loved the people.
 
jbm2m said:
One of my DD’s takeaways from AIM was that she she was shocked at the difference in facilities between USCGA and West Point. It makes sense, given the difference in funding. Said she loved the people.
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I bet that is true. However, I heard first hand that people moved from Navy->Army->CG.
 
Lots of military move to the Coast Guard for quality of life considerations.

CG Junior officers have more responsibility than their counterparts in other services = job satisfaction and officer retention.

DS is 27 year old LT and in command of an FRC (fast response cutter). Lots of responsibilities.
 
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dberkeley said:
I bet that is true. However, I heard first hand that people moved from Navy->Army->CG.
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I’m not disparaging them at all. If USCGA was even double the size, my DD would probably lean more toward them. Loves CG and its mission, but concerned about finding her community - specifically in terms of people who look like her.
 
The CGA does a good job of reflecting the US population demographics. Check the enrollment stats!. Unless your daughter has two heads she will find many people like her as well as many different types of people.
 
CGA has the highest percentage of female cadets actually approaching 40%. None of the other Service Academies come close to that which definitely makes it a more inviting place for females. During the Swab summer cruise this year it was amazing to see close to half of the cadets 9n the Eagle were female. Compare that to last year at NAPS where it was like 20% female it's a very noticible difference. If had a DD who was looking at Academies the fact that CGA is almost half female is a big bonus.
 
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