Become a Navy Officer or seek a career in Supply Chain Management?

In My Humble Opinion
21

Btw (slight hijack) did you see what I did there? From guest to member. In this very thread.

Sigma, good luck to you with whatever path you choose. In my experience, not all navy officers are idiots. Choosing that option cold be a wise investment in your future.

22

My education is in Human Factors Engineering with a concentration in Industrial; I had intended to work in Supply Chain Management, and managed to graduate into the beginning of the recession. The past six years have been a weird route that’s ended up with me somewhere in middle management in a call center. I’ve applied for a LOT of jobs in supply chain in between, and have only been in for one or two interviews. Now, in their defense, I have less than a year experience in actual supply chain (although quite a bit of management at this point), so my experiences might be too far off for you, but…

Supply chain seems to be a lot about who you know, and if you can say you do X theory that Y person likes (Six Sigma goes a LONG way in that one - there’s quite a few folks I’ve worked with who love it, even if it is a completely inappropriate model for what they’re doing). Both interviews I did, I ended up told they went with an internal candidate, even when I was fairly certain I was much better qualified. What I’m trying to say is… don’t pass up the Navy thing unless you’re pretty sure you’ve got something else lined up.

Also, who’s to say it’s necessarily as boring as you thought? I took the call center job because my unemployment was running out… turns out I love fixing computers, and I really love teaching people how to fix computers. Most of my friends’ eyes glaze over when I tell them about my work day, but I really enjoy my job, and it pays me enough to do the things I enjoy, so I’m pretty gosh darn happy.

23

You can quit a Supply Chain Management job.

24

You can quit the Navy. Officers don’t enlist. If the military didn’t pay for your education you don’t have a commitment to pay back. It may be easier to quit a civilian job but its very possible to resign your commission.

25

I did 5 years in the Navy as a nuclear trained Submarine officer. I’m very glad I did it, and very glad I’m done with it.

Pros:

  • awesome career experience for a resume and finding another job
  • I actually did some cool stuff sometimes
  • most people in the Navy are decent, hardworking people
  • if your direct supervisor is a good guy, then in general your life is pretty good
  • decent pay and great benefits
  • some cool travel

Cons:

  • if your direct supervisor (Department head, in my case) is a jerk, your life sucks in general
  • long, long hours- both at sea and in port
  • if you sign a contract (most officers do), you can’t leave the Navy until the contract is up (except in unusual circumstances)
  • if you frequently go to sea for long periods of time, then a higher than normal probability of divorce, if you are married
  • if staying in shape is a struggle for you, then you might have some tough times

I was 22-27 while I was in the Navy. It would probably be a bit tougher getting through parts of it now (I’m in my 30s).

26

You can have these problems in the civilian workplace, too, you know.

Do you mean 18-21 year old enlistees, or folks who have been in the service for 18+ years?

If it’s the former, you may have to work with young folks in the civilian side, too.

If you mean senior NCO’s are a problem for you… then why is that?

An exam given by who? A University? This provides what?

A certificate (like your A+), or a degree?

I don’t know how big a deal a Lean Six Sigma is, but the MBA is nice. Good job.

If you don’t think you’ll like a military career or lifestyle, then don’t go. If you sign up, you’re stuck, obligated for a certain minimum time. (4-6 years, I think. I’m not sure.) You also may not get assigned to a part of the world you find to your liking.

At least with a civilian job, you can quit if it turns out that the company (or boss, or location, or whatever) really really sucks.

27

From 18-22 I served as an enlisted man in the Navy. Think it was the best thing I could have done with myself, prepared me much better than my peers for college and my eventual career. I liked most of, and respected almost every Officer I served under.

With this quote alone:

I think you have a really poor or misguided attitude about the military and are a snob. This isn’t the pit so I won’t say more. Stay a civilian. Please.

28

Just curious – why is the Navy the only option here? There’s certainly loggies in each service.

The other thing you may want to think about isn’t exactly the career you’re describing, but there is some overlap with acquisition management. Although, again, I’m pretty sure the Navy requires you to start off in another career field before coming to acquisition. I’m pretty sure the Air Force, and I think the Army, allow officers to go direct into acquisitions. But you would certainly want to double check to make sure I have that straight!

29

mlees,

More information about the Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) exam can be found here:

http://www.apics.org/careers-education-professional-development/certification/cscp

Mr. Goob,

I did not suggest ALL 18-21 years olds who enlist in the Navy chose it as a last resort. And many go on to become great NCOs or use their new founded discipline and military experience to launch fulfilling careers just like when it comes to the other branches.

Ravenman,

The Air Force is monumentally competitive when it comes to applying to become a Commissioned Officer at the moment and I’m not so sure about trying our the Army since it seems to serve a less technological purpose than the Navy and the Air Force.

30

Ah. Thanks! It looks like yet another professional career certification thingy, like the CompTia A+/Network+ stuff. Fair 'nuff.