Random Question

[Idontwannasail]

This may seem like a very dumb question, but, having a brother in law who is currently a Navy Seal, he has told me that if I want to do that as a career, going in enlisted and then later on becoming an officer is the way to go. Currently being at KP, I was wondering if it was possible to enlist yourself after graduating. Having a brother who graduated in 2016, I personally know how valuable the engineering degree can be is so I don't want to just say screw it to the school. Everyone I have talked to has given me a puzzled look and asked why the hell I would want to do that (which may be something I am missing).

 

[kpmom2013]

If you want to be a Navy SEAL after USMMA, why wouldn't you just go for it as an officer? There are nine Mids from KP Class of 2021 who have received an invitation to SOAS this summer. That would seem to be the logical route to get where you want to go.

 

[Idontwannasail]

If you want to be a Navy SEAL after USMMA, why wouldn't you just go for it as an officer? There are nine Mids from KP Class of 2021 who have received an invitation to SOAS this summer. That would seem to be the logical route to get where you want to go.

Well thats the thing, I wouldn't want to be an officer as a SEAL, I was going enlisted before I came to KP but was convinced to come by others. I may have made a mistake coming here if my goal was to do that.

 

[KPEngineer]

Pretty sure there is no means to enlist vs commission after graduation.

Some people are of the mindset that you should always want to be an Officer vs Enlisted. The two can be very different and some people who would make very capable Officers are better suited to being Enlisted just because of their own personal mindsets and desire to be more hands on vs an administrator. This was a large part of the reason I got out when I did. I was an O4 but realized I would personally much rather be an E7 than an O7. I much preferred dealing with the Enlisted sailors than the wardroom. Since there was no path forward to what I really wanted, I resigned my commission.

My understanding of the SEAL world is that O vs E are very much aligned at first (more so than any other community) but that as both advance Os spend less and less time on missions vs planning/coordinating, etc. If being an enlisted SEAL is what you want then do that, don't let someone talk you into another path that isn't interesting to you. You can always commission later, either into a regular commission or into CWO. CWO would keep you more operational vs a regular commission.

You can get a marine engineering degree at any age. KP has an age limit but KP is not the only path, just the cheapest one.

 

[Idontwannasail]

Pretty sure there is no means to enlist vs commission after graduation.

Some people are of the mindset that you should always want to be an Officer vs Enlisted. The two can be very different and some people who would make very capable Officers are better suited to being Enlisted just because of their own personal mindsets and desire to be more hands on vs an administrator. This was a large part of the reason I got out when I did. I was an O4 but realized I would personally much rather be an E7 than an O7. I much preferred dealing with the Enlisted sailors than the wardroom. Since there was no path forward to what I really wanted, I resigned my commission.

My understanding of the SEAL world is that O vs E are very much aligned at first (more so than any other community) but that as both advance Os spend less and less time on missions vs planning/coordinating, etc. If being an enlisted SEAL is what you want then do that, don't let someone talk you into another path that isn't interesting to you. You can always commission later, either into a regular commission or into CWO. CWO would keep you more operational vs a regular commission.

You can get a marine engineering degree at any age. KP has an age limit but KP is not the only path, just the cheapest one.

Thank you very much.

 

[azmilmom]

This may seem like a very dumb question, but, having a brother in law who is currently a Navy Seal, he has told me that if I want to do that as a career, going in enlisted and then later on becoming an officer is the way to go. Currently being at KP, I was wondering if it was possible to enlist yourself after graduating. Having a brother who graduated in 2016, I personally know how valuable the engineering degree can be is so I don't want to just say screw it to the school. Everyone I have talked to has given me a puzzled look and asked why the hell I would want to do that (which may be something I am missing).

Curious as to why you wouldn't leave KP at this point and just enlist? As @KPEngineer says, "pretty sure there is no means to enlist vs commission after graduation". If you really don't want to be an officer and given that you say you were convinced by others to go to KP, and no matter how much you logically understand that it just might be a 'smarter' way to proceed with your life, I would recommend you give serious thought to what YOU want to do with your life. Sounds like, you'd be better served resigning and doing what you really want to do.

Just a thought but I hate to hear about someone who clearly doesn't want to be at KP because their heart is elsewhere. I'm assuming you are a 4th or 3rd class midshipman, of course. Let us know what you decide.

 

[JoeNavy89]

If you want to be a Navy SEAL after USMMA, why wouldn't you just go for it as an officer? There are nine Mids from KP Class of 2021 who have received an invitation to SOAS this summer. That would seem to be the logical route to get where you want to go.

Nine - that’s a big number! I was wondering if KP has a group of mids that workout together as they strive for that spec-ops (seal/edo) slot after graduation? I’ve heard there’s about 50 ensign billets for seals every year navy wide.

 

[1842]

Our son is one of those selected for Navy Seal Officer Selection. He has maxed out the SEAL PT test several times and works out daily getting ready.

 

[kpmom2013]

Lots of potential this year. To answer your question, no formal group, but several of these guys get together, especially for long runs. There is also a group of aspiring Marines who work out together regularly. SOAS has been modified this summer from 3 weeks to only 1 week. I hope KP gets several BUDS invitations out of it.