3in9th Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My son is interested in going into the military, but only after completing a computer science degree and becoming a commissioned officer upon graduation. The military career paths are dizzying for me and I was wondering if anyone had experience/knowledge to help me out. He's interesting in computers, mainly coding and has been teaching himself for a number of years (he's only in 8th grade right now.) From what I can tell, the Navy and Air Force seem to offer much more opportunities than the Army. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My DH has a degree in computer science and retired a few years ago as a Navel officer. As best I can tell, his degree didn't determine his career path, his assignment on his first ship had more bearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3in9th Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 He wants to go to a military academy or corps of cadets and also do anti-hacking work. Would this change anything? I'm also asking because I just don't see much in the way of Army-based computer careers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I know a West Point grad who had a stint at the NSA (maybe a summer thing). Computer stuff is big at the NSA. I know a Navy ROTC grad who, after "retiring" from F14s, and having no significant prior experience, ended up doing much computer-related work at Centcom. After leaving the military, this person worked in the areas of programming and business systems (I don't know the right term) and now works for Oracle. Eta, West Point has a CS major http://www.usma.edu/eecs/sitepages/computer%20science.aspx, http://www.usma.edu/eecs/SitePages/Computer%20Science%20Objectives%20and%20Outcomes.aspx I think you'd need to speak with someone at each academy to discuss what possible paths there may be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 There's just no telling what the military will do with a specific college degree. Yes, a good friend of ours is a retired Air Force colonel and a professor at one of the war colleges. His PhD is metrology. Other than a year early on, everything he did in his career both before and after retirement was in entirely different areas. It depends on what they need you to do after school as well. No guarantees these days. We know several who were in ROTC who ended up in the reserves because there was no slots for them when they graduated. A lot could change of course, but it's always good to think about several paths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 My son is interested in going into the military, but only after completing a computer science degree and becoming a commissioned officer upon graduation. Why? If he wants to be a military officer, with a computer science degree, wouldn't he prefer them to pay for it? . The Army has a recently (2010) formed the US Army Cyber Command. After my time, so I really couldn't tell you what they do. Contacting the Academies Computer Science departments is a great idea. They would be able to tell him what the opportunities in CS are for officers. DS graduated last May from USAFA with a CS major but he decided to fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 The military puts you where they want you, regardless of your degree. If your DS is offered anything specific by a service academy, be sure and get it in writing or don't count on getting it. He wants to go to a military academy or corps of cadets and also do anti-hacking work. Would this change anything? I'm also asking because I just don't see much in the way of Army-based computer careers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 If your DS is offered anything specific by a service academy, be sure and get it in writing or don't count on getting it. The service academies don't offer any post graduate guarantees. Jobs and assignments after graduation are based on rank in class, with a few that require specific majors (ie. pre-med) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosch Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 (edited) DH says that you do get tested into the different areas but if he majors in Computer Science then he can easily go Signal. Most of the Cyber Command also falls under Signal Corps. Edited November 8, 2017 by Frosch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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