I don't know which to do. What advances better? Also i would plan on trying to get into OCS before im 34 and be an officer in one of these jobs, which one?
Storekeeper is logistics quartermaster, and there is always room for growth and promotion in logistics, especially for an officer. I would move fast, however, if you're approaching the age cap, because no age waivers are being given. Also, your MOS will depend heavily on your ASVAB.
Winechan has zero experience or understanding of how the Coast Guard works - or the military in general. Speaking PURELY of numbers, there are many more MK's in the Coast Guard than there are SK's - so by the NUMBERS, more MK's will be advanced each year than SK's. The PERCENTAGE of people being advanced remain pretty close to the same for all ratings in the Coast Guard, so there really isn't a difference in advancement rates. Don't forget that to go to OCS, you will have to either have a four-year college degree, which is hard to get in the Coast Guard within your first couple of enlistments - OR - you'll have to be at least an E-5, with five years of Time in Service (and be on your second enlistment or later), with at least two years of college. Neither of these programs (regular OCS applications or TEMP commission OCS applications) are forgiving about age and age-related waivers, so make sure you can get the college and be able to apply at LEAST three or more times before you stand any realistic chance of being accepted. I've known folks that applied five and more times (the record I saw was EIGHT times!!) before being accepted to OCS. There is about a 10% chance of being accepted each time you apply... so it isn't easy. The FS officer (Finance and Supply) field is very small - a LOT of the officer-type functions are done by Warrant Officers. Engineering Officers (EO's) are more numerous, but they don't turn wrenches or actually work on machinery. Look at it this way: which field interests you more? Would you rather sit in a warehouse and count beans or be in oily bilges, turning wrenches? Some people LOVE one or the other, and rarely love the idea of BOTH career fields. Brian Raini
