Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 12/12/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello Colonel,
I plan to join the U.S. Army after I graduate from my college and receive a bachelor's degree in Health Information Management so that I may qualify for the officer candidate school. I was wondering, after OCS, what type of career paths could be open to me as a 2nd Lieutenant with a BS degree in Health information management?

ANSWER: Dear Frank --

As a newly minted second Lieutenant out of OCS, you are eligible for all Army officer career fields.  You meet the minimum educational requirement with your bachelors degree from any accredited college or university.

However, you might be more interested in the field that uses your education which would be the Medical Service Corps.  If that is the case, you should contact a medical service corps recruiter to discuss enlistment rather than a regular Army recruiter.

If instead your focus is actually on information management, you could join the Signal Corps.  After serving as a Signal officer for a few years, you could join the Acquisition Corps as an information technology careerist.

There are many other opportunities open to you.  Please write back if your interests lie outside of health services or information management.

Best regards.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much, that really enlightenment my mindset on what career opportunities I might find myself faced with in the future. My second question is, that I am in a long-term relationship with my girlfriend, and I was wondering if I wanted to marry her after college, should that best be done before training and OCS or after? and how would I go about securing a home on base for us even though she wouldn't be military personnel?

Answer
Dear Frank --

To ensure your soon-to-be-wife can join you at your first duty station, you should be married before you enlist.  If you are married, then your permanent change of station orders will authorize you to take your family with you to your first assignment.

However, you will not be authorized to take your family with you during your basic training or officer candidate school.  You will have to be able to face separation early in your marriage.

You could choose to wait until all your training is done, and get married while on leave between your training and your first duty station.  In this case you would have to pay your new wife's transportation costs and the expense of moving her furnishings.  The government will only pay travel and moving expenses for family members (spouse and children) that already exist prior to the publication of your movement orders.  They will often verify dates by asking for copies of marriage and birth certificates.

To get on-base housing you must be married, and on orders that allow your family to accompany you.  Then, you report to the installation housing office.  Based on your rank and family size, you will be assigned a place to live, or given permission to find a place to live off-post.  

If you must live off-post, you will get a housing allowance which will help defray some of the rent and utility expenses you will incur.  At some installations, you will receive this housing allowance in your pay even when you are living in on-post housing.  That housing allowance is then deducted, via payroll deduction, and paid to the business that runs and maintains the on-post housing.

On-post housing is for military members and their families.  Spouses are not required to be military.  Girlfriends, boyfriends and fiances do not count as family members.

Let me know, if you have any other questions.  Good luck to you.