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A question for all the ex military out there…
 

glm1510's picture
O
 
Points)
 on 5/22/11 at 9:09am

Hello all,
To give you some background I am currently in OCS(officer candidate school) for the Army and our branching ceremony is right around the corner, on Thurs the 26th to be exact, and my question to all of the ex military, and anyone else willing to give me there two cents, is which branches will play out best if I choose to make a switch to the civilian world in the somewhat near future? My UG is in finance and I would really like to have a career in finance, what I am envisioning is the “typical” route of 3yr officer stint then getting my MBA and most likely something in ibanking or PE/hedge fund if I am lucky. So my specific question is, which branches will be most respected and give me the best chance of getting my foot in the door? Both for MBA programs and future employers.Right now I am really torn between MI and infantry. I think both would look good on a resume but I was unsure if either one would speak greater volumes in terms of leadership or as an indicator of success to future employers.

All that being said I also understand that my decision will affect me for the next 3yrs of my life and I need to do what is ultimately going to make me happiest, not make a decision based on what will be more advantageous to my professional career. Right now I would say I am leaning more towards infantry but I am all ears and would love any advice from the former military out there on the pros and cons of the two. Does one have a significant advantage over the other in quality of life?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and for any advice given.

Tags:
Antsman's picture

As far as I know, selecting a

IB
(Orangutan, 270
 
Points)
 on 5/22/11 at 9:40am

As far as I know, selecting a branch as your top choice does not guarantee that you will be starting in that branch. Normally if you choose MI as your top choice, you will have to do two years in a battle branch such as the infantry, and then your last year in MI. I was enlisted so I'm not entirely sure if the Army still does this. Anyway, in terms of what branch is most attractive to employers and MBA programs, I would say it doesn't matter. As long as you were in a leadership position in the military, that alone will be attractive to any employer and MBA program upon separation. If I were you, and I wasn't interested in becoming a Ranger or Green Beret, I would choose MI. It's a better quality of life like you said, and it's well respected by every employer in the civilian world.

bankergirl11's picture

^Yes, that program called the

IB
 
Points)
 on 5/22/11 at 10:03am

^Yes, that program called the "MI branch detail infantry" definitely still exists, where you'll go through a year of training, then 2 years of infantry, and then your last year you'll be in MI--with the potential to stay longer in MI. I do think you can go directly into MI (no infantry) but's it's extremelyyy hard/selective.

And I agree with Antsman... it shouldn't matter for an employer or MBA program. Both MI and infantry are very well respected branches.

cplpayne's picture

You will most likely have the

IB
(Gorilla, 518
 
Points)
 on 5/22/11 at 11:23am

You will most likely have the largest amount of soldiers reporting to you in the infantry though. What sounds better for an MBA app or on your resume.......having 5 soldiers under command or having 20-50 soldiers under your command. Hell, if you make Co. commander you could have ~120 under your command. Not sure that is do able in 3 years though.......and again, you have to like where you are for 3 years.

"One should recognize reality even when one doesn't like it, indeed, especially when one doesn't like it." - Charlie Munger

glm1510's picture

Thanks for all of the

O
 
Points)
 on 5/22/11 at 12:03pm

Thanks for all of the responses. In OCS the selection process works on an order of merit list(oml) basis so if you are at the top of the class you choose your branch and on the flip side if you are at the bottom of the class your branch basically picks you. Fortunately I have excelled in the course so I will have the opportunity to pick a pure MI spot without any branch detail if i choose to. But thanks again for all of the input it is all very much appreciated.

ekimlacks's picture

glm1510 wrote: my question to

IB
 
Points)
 on 5/22/11 at 3:39pm
glm1510:

my question to all of the ex military, and anyone else willing to give me there two cents, is which branches will play out best if I choose to make a switch to the civilian world in the somewhat near future?

So my specific question is, which branches will be most respected and give me the best chance of getting my foot in the door?

Does one have a significant advantage over the other in quality of life?

I'm a former US Marine in the infantry for five years, so let me try and shed a bit of light on your situation.

1. It's hard to determine which branches will "play out best" for you in your future. I've gotten lucky to network with other prior Marines, but I've also met a lot of people that were in the Army. It could have "played out" better if I was in the Army. Do you see what I'm trying to say?

However, there are certain specialties that you can go into that would "play out" better than others for certain jobs. Obviously General Electric would probably like someone from the Air Force in an Engineering field working on jets. However, this is all relative as well...

2. I would never tell anyone, civilian or military, that my branch is more respected than others or theirs. I believe all of them show a certain level of character and willingness to protect their country. That being said, there are certain jobs that would get a few more turned heads or "Thank you" 's (In my experience). If you're a Navy Seal compared to someone that's a paper pusher in an office. You're going to be treated or viewed a bit different.

Infantry is always highly respected, because people realize that you were on the front lines and willing to give your life to stand up for what you believe in. People know they're hard working and that they can get the job done.

3. As an officer I can't really comment on the quality of life, due to the fact that I was enlisted. However, I can say that if you join the army you may be subject to 12 month long deployments compared to the Marines where I was subject to 7 months at a time.

Hope this helps. Best of luck to you and thanks for serving our country (if you decide to join).

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glm1510's picture

ekimlacks wrote: glm1510

O
 
Points)
 on 5/22/11 at 9:00pm
ekimlacks:
glm1510:

my question to all of the ex military, and anyone else willing to give me there two cents, is which branches will play out best if I choose to make a switch to the civilian world in the somewhat near future?

So my specific question is, which branches will be most respected and give me the best chance of getting my foot in the door?

Does one have a significant advantage over the other in quality of life?

I'm a former US Marine in the infantry for five years, so let me try and shed a bit of light on your situation.

1. It's hard to determine which branches will "play out best" for you in your future. I've gotten lucky to network with other prior Marines, but I've also met a lot of people that were in the Army. It could have "played out" better if I was in the Army. Do you see what I'm trying to say?

However, there are certain specialties that you can go into that would "play out" better than others for certain jobs. Obviously General Electric would probably like someone from the Air Force in an Engineering field working on jets. However, this is all relative as well...

2. I would never tell anyone, civilian or military, that my branch is more respected than others or theirs. I believe all of them show a certain level of character and willingness to protect their country. That being said, there are certain jobs that would get a few more turned heads or "Thank you" 's (In my experience). If you're a Navy Seal compared to someone that's a paper pusher in an office. You're going to be treated or viewed a bit different.

Infantry is always highly respected, because people realize that you were on the front lines and willing to give your life to stand up for what you believe in. People know they're hard working and that they can get the job done.

3. As an officer I can't really comment on the quality of life, due to the fact that I was enlisted. However, I can say that if you join the army you may be subject to 12 month long deployments compared to the Marines where I was subject to 7 months at a time.

Hope this helps. Best of luck to you and thanks for serving our country (if you decide to join).

Thanks for the advice and I can definitely see how each situation is going to be subjective and really come down to being in the right place at the right time like most everything in life. Also on a completely different note I am officially in the Army, There's no option for me to decide or opt out still. I believe the marines OCS works different in that you go straight there, no bootcamp, and are able to withdraw at any time penalty free. I have been in since last Aug and have already attended Basic and now roughly half way through with OCS.

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