Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 2/21/2009

Question
Mark, my nephew is interested in joining the Air Force. He is one class short of an associates degree in business/management. Should he join as an enlisted man and finish college while in? If he does, would he be able to become a candidate for officer training? He is interested in management. Thanks for your time....Rick

Answer
Rick,
By all means, he should finish his degree first.  He'll need a Bachelor's degree to become an officer, not an Associates degree.  Enlisted folks are encouraged to obtain an Associates degree sometime in their career, but officers need a Bachelor's.  It's possible for enlisted people to go to Officer's Training School (OTS) after they've obtained a Bachelor's degree but the odds are slim.  My roommate at OTS, Gus, was a Master Sergeant who had tried unsuccessfully for many, many years and never got selected for OTS.  His saving grace was, as a nurse assistant in the hospital, he cared for, and befriended a 4-star general who was recuperating from surgery.  One phone call from the general and Gus was suddenly accepted into OTS.  Trying to get a B.A. degree while being enlisted in the military is very hard…trying to juggle work and school.  If at all possible, he should get school out of the way, and then go to OTS.  Then he can relax and cruise through the Air Force with no worries (and a much bigger paycheck.)
A management degree is great, but actually any degree will get him in.
Congratulations on considering the AF as a career.
Colonel H