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8 November, 2016 l Working World l WorkingWorld.com All branches of the Armed Services offer a delayed-entry program allowing candidates to postpone entry to active duty for up to 14 months after enlisting. High school students can enlist during their senior year and enter service after graduation. Others may delay entry be- cause their desired job training is not im- mediately available or because they need time to arrange their personal affairs. BECOME AN OFFICER To become an officer, candidates typically need to have at least a bachelor's degree, be a U.S. citizen, pass a background check, and meet physical and age requirements. Candidates for officer positions do not need to take the ASVAB. Some achieve officer candidacy by completing a degree and training through the federal service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine) or through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs offered at many colleges and universities. EDUCATION All branches of the Armed Forces require their members to be high school graduates or have equivalent credentials. Officers usually need a bachelor's degree. Some officers entering the service may need to have education beyond a bachelor's degree. For example, officers entering as military lawyers need a law degree. Those who want to become an officer have several options to meet the education requirements, including the federal service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine), the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs, Officer Candidate School (OCS), and other programs. IMPORTANT QUALITIES Mental preparedness. Members of the Armed Forces must be mentally fit and able to handle stressful situations that can occur during military operations. Physical fitness. Members of the Armed Forces must be physically fit to participate in, or support, combat missions that may be difficult or dangerous. Readiness. Members of the Armed Forces must be ready and able to report for military assignments on short notice. TRAINING Training for enlisted personnel. Newly enlisted members of the Armed Forces undergo initial-entry training, better known as basic training or boot camp. Basic training includes courses in military skills and protocols and lasts 7 to 13 weeks, including a week of orientation and introduction to military life. Basic training also includes weapons training, team building, and rigorous physical exercise designed to improve strength and endurance. Following basic training, enlisted members attend technical schools for additional training that prepares them for a particular military occupational specialty. This formal training period generally lasts from 10 to 20 weeks. Training for certain occupations— nuclear power plant operator, for example—may take as long as a year. In addition to getting classroom instruction, military members receive on-the-job training at their first duty assignment. Training for warrant officers. All services except the U.S. Air Force have warrant officer programs. Selection to attend Warrant Officer Candidate School is highly competitive and is restricted to those who meet rank and length-of-service requirements. The only exception is the selection process for Army aviator warrant officers, a process that has no requirement of previous military service. Training may last several weeks. Training for officers. Officer training in the Armed Forces is provided through the federal service academies (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine), the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, Officer Candidate School (OCS) or Officer Training School (OTS), the National Guard (State Officer Candidate School programs), and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Training for officers in the federal service academies. The federal service academies provide a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree. Midshipmen and cadets receive free room and board, free tuition, free medical and dental care, and a monthly allowance. Graduates receive regular or reserve commissions and typically have a 5-year active-duty obligation, which may be longer for some specialties, such as medicine or aviation. Service academy cadet or CAREER PATH continued from page 7