Thank you! How is FA? What do you do? Where do they send you?
I'm in BOLC right now so I sit in class all day and study at night. Anything below an 80% is an F in this course, so our only job is to be a student here. For young FA LT's, the primary jobs you will rotate between are being a FDO (Fire Direction Officer), a FSO (Fire Support Officer), and a PL (Platoon Leader). The benefit for FA LT's is that all 3 of those roles are direct leadership roles whereas other branches get a year or so as a PL then off to XO or staff. An FDO is the guy/gal that is checking the computations needed to send accurate indirect fires, an FSO is attached to a maneuver unit and is the one that develops the commanders fire support plan (let's the commander know what assets are available and how they can/will be used). Because of that, the BOLC is intensive because the Gunnery portion (what you use as an FDO) requires a mixture of math, physics, and a combination of around 13 different factors (altitude, curve of the earth, etc.) to make sure the big guns hit the right targets. Fire Support is another big chunk learning to create fire support plans and making map overlays and also the role of a FO (forward observer) calling for fire. There's a lot more to it, but that's a basic overview.
Also, about half of each BOLC class will follow on to the JFO (Joint Fires Observer) course, where we learn to coordinate joint fires (air assets, naval gunfire, etc.). It's nice because that course awards an additional skill identifier. There are not many branches where you will get immediate joint experience or control as many assets as an FA officer.
As far as where they send you? FA goes everywhere the maneuver units go. There are instructors here that have been with just about every maneuver unit in the army, from BCTs to one that was the FSO for a special missions unit. The artillery school is also joint, so all Marines come here to learn too as well as a number of foreign officers.
It wasn't my first choice, but I'm not complaining one bit about it.