Can I become an officer with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, two certificates, and some volunteering, but NO work exp? (Army, reserves)
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I graduated in Miami, Florida on December of 2013 with my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (3.34 GPA) and a Professional Certificate in Aerospace Engineering (which means I received education and training in aerospace in addition to my mechanical engineering curriculum). Then I started grad school for a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, but after taking all the required courses and not being able to land nor find a single part-time job/internship, I decided to withdraw. I also did not have enough programming skills that were necessary to do a master thesis for the majority of professors I had spoken with and the lack of funding and being unemployed made everything much more frustrating. I withdrew with a GPA of 3.79 cumulative from eight 3-credit graduate courses leading to a Masters.
From August 2010 to May 2012 and then from June 2014 until now, I have been an active member of a youth group from my local Catholic church where we volunteer in many church events, religious holidays, and community activities. Our group also meets every Saturday night. I actually have no way of proving this involvement to an employer. I was not involved in college clubs/fraternities/honor societies during my studies for economic reasons. I couldn’t get any internships during my undergrad years, either.
From June to August this year, had I dedicated myself to studying for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam and passed it in late August. I have submitted all the documentation necessary to obtain my Engineer Intern (EI) certificate and am currently awaiting the endorsement to receive my certificate in 8 to 10 weeks from the Florida Board of Professional Engineers.
I was just wondering if the military would be interested in me if I apply for Officer Training/Candidate School. Usually, they would be interested in applicants with work experience and a history of leadership positions.
If I have no job experience and no references, but I have my bachelors, some grad school, one certificate (I'm expecting a second one in November/December if the application is processed successfully), and some volunteering, should I even bother considering it? I want to know if I can have this as an option, if I stand a chance at all in the hiring process.
If so, which branch is the best for mechanical engineering? I highly appreciate your answers.
P.S.: I know I will be putting my life at risk and in the service, personnel work strictly to suit the needs of the military, not themselves.
Would they be interested in you?
Maybe.
IMO, you would be best served by going to the local officer recruiter and asking your questions. He or She will have the current answers. Things do change as time goes by, and most of us on these forums do not keep up to date on what is happening.
As for which service, I am prejudiced. I say Navy. With your Mechanical Engineering degree, the Seabees might be interested in you. There are other branches of the Navy that could use a Mechanical Engineer, as well.
Find a recruiter and check it out!
As suggested go and talk to a recruiter. I spent 20+ years in the Navy, as an officer. My original degree was in business, became an engineer, went to postgraduate school in CA, thanks to the US NAVY. Retired as a captain and have a nice pension plus healthcare benefits.
This makes three in a row: speak to a recruiter. It's free to ask. I had no degree and my leadership experience was commensurate with most 17-year-olds' when I signed up, received an ROTC scholarship, and was commissioned 4 years later with an engineering degree. You've already got that.
The Air Force is always looking for engineers, since it's arguably the most technical of the services (along with the Navy).
I think a lot would depend on their current budget, hiring needs and the quality of the competition pool.
I know someone who graduated with an aerospace engineering degree in the mid-80's with a lower gpa, from a standard flagship state school, who was accepted into Navy OCS with no work or leadership experience. He went on to have a very fruitful career, rising in the ranks, and later parlayed his Naval career experience into a lucrative one in private industry.
But then, I know someone who graduated with honors (greater than 3.8 gpa) in civil/structural engineering in '94 from a good state university program, who was not selected for the same Navy OCS program. Apparently competition was fierce that year for a few selected spots.
My son joined the army as 2nd LT with a master's degree. Received two more MS degrees in the Army, along with a lot of training. Is in intelligence and now in Reserves as Major. Nothing wrong with the Army.
My son joined the army as 2nd LT with a master's degree. Received two more MS degrees in the Army, along with a lot of training. Is in intelligence and now in Reserves as Major. Nothing wrong with the Army.
Thanks everyone, I'll chat with a recruiter to get the information I need. If I ever decide to join the military, the Air Force is in my mind.
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