I think both of you are under the impression it is much harder to commission as an enlisted member than it actually is. Perhaps it used to be that way, but it certainly is not now.
There are many commissioning programs open to enlisted members that are not open to civilians. In my career, I cannot think of a single enlisted member I have known that (a) wanted to be an officer, (b) was eligible to commission, and (c) was denied the commission. I have met several people that tried to come in via civilian OTS and wound up quitting due to how long the process took (or were ultimately denied). I have also met many young enlisted all throughout my career that specifically enlisted in order to commission through OTS, AFA, or ROTC. They enlisted to ease that route and be able to build a stronger package. Many already had their 4-year degrees. Most, if not all, were successful.
Either way, it looks like OP is gone, so for whoever else swings by this thread, enlisting is not "risky"
, it is a way to go ahead and start your service while working on an OCS/OTS package and waiting on selection. Unless you enlist into a career field with a long service commitment (of which I am not aware of many at all), you will not lose any time other than the time spent in Basic and technical training-- both of which typically take no longer than 6-8 months total at the absolute most.
Most importantly, just because you enlist for 3/4/5/6 years, you do not have to serve that full enlistment prior to commissioning. Once you are out of technical training (with very few restrictions), you can apply for and receive commissioning at any time. The only "risk" is having to pay back an enlistment bonus that you might have received.
