Military

What was going for a promotion like in the military?

Insider shares the process of military promotions

What was going for promotion like in the military? So obviously I can only speak for what it's like for the United States Army on active duty. So from my experiences, well first of all for E1 through E4, that's automatic. If you're in the United States Army and you're not getting into trouble, you're automatically you go from private to specialist automatically in a certain time frame. But to go to the next higher up, to get to sergeant, to get to E5, that does take a little bit of work. That requires your leadership to nominate you, to go to the board, and then actually try to, you know, kind of present yourself and answer a bunch of questions. So from my experience, I, you know, was sent to the Soldier of the Month board to get a little bit of practice. A lot of people still do that today even. And then a practice for the board, then I went to the actual promotion board, give my answers to all the questions, ran confident is usually the key thing, and then hopefully you pass. And then you have to make points, you have to go to a leadership school, and then you get promoted. And that kind of continues for both E5 and E6, and then after E7 it's all about what you've done in the military to be looked at to see if you qualify to get promoted. So there you go. That's how you get promoted.

Promotion in the US Army requires your leadership to nominate you and then you must pass a promotion board, demonstrate your knowledge and remain confident. You also have to make points and go to leadership school for higher up promotions.

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Going for a promotion in the military, specifically in the United States Army on active duty, is a process that varies depending on the rank. For ranks E1 to E4, promotion is automatic as long as one remains out of trouble within a certain timeframe. However, advancing to the next rank, such as sergeant (E5), requires additional effort. Leadership nomination and participation in a promotion board are necessary steps. Many soldiers, including myself, were sent to the Soldier of the Month board for practice before facing the actual promotion board. The key is to present oneself confidently and answer questions effectively. Passing the board is crucial. Accumulating points and attending leadership schools are often required for promotions at E5 and E6 ranks. Beyond E7, promotions are based on one's achievements and qualifications in the military. This process continues to determine eligibility for further advancement.

How much free time will I have in the military?

Discover Your Free Time Options in the Military

How much free time will I have in the military? So speaking from the army standpoint on active duty, it depends on kind of what's going on. So let's say a typical MOS that maybe doesn't have crazy schedules like MPs and cooks and those kind of individuals. If it's like Monday through Friday, you're not in the field, you're not on deployment, then you're typically doing 630 PT until 730, so doing physical fitness during those time frames. Between 730 and nine, you have an opportunity to go get breakfast and shower and everything. And then you're working from like nine o'clock until 435, somewhere around there on average. And then when you're off at five o'clock or 430, then you have your free time to do whatever you need to do in the evenings, whether that's, you know, going and hang out with friends, watching movies, whatever, until you have to be back for physical fitness the next day. You have the weekends off, you have holidays off, so you have that time to be free, right? And then if you're in the field, well, there's probably not a whole lot of free time. Maybe a little bit of time in the evenings, kind of sort of in like your field environment, but nothing crazy where you can go like catch a movie or anything like that, so it's a little bit restricted there. Also on deployments, if it's a combat deployment, very little free time in most environments. In some environments, you might have like some hours here and there, you can do some different things, and then it kind of depends. But if it's maybe a training deployment, then you might still have a kind of similar situation as if you're stateside in your regular unit, you might have some free time in the evenings to maybe check out local sites, to do some things with your friends on base and everything, because it's a little bit more relaxed. So those are kind of some examples of when you might be able to get some free time, at least for active duty army anyways.

Free time in the military depends on what kind of mission you're on or if you're stationed stateside. Typically Monday-Friday, you'll have PT 6:30-7:30, work 9:00 - 4:30/5:00, and then free time in the evenings. On deployment or in the field, there is generally less free time.

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Speaking from the army standpoint on active duty, the amount of free time you have in the military varies depending on circumstances. For a typical MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) that doesn't have demanding schedules like MPs and cooks, here is a general breakdown. On a Monday through Friday schedule, when you're not in the field or on deployment, your day typically starts with PT (physical fitness) from 6:30 AM to 7:30 AM. Between 7:30 AM and 9:00 AM, you have time for breakfast and showering. Then, you work from around 9:00 AM until approximately 4:35 PM. After work, usually by 5:00 PM or 4:30 PM, you have your evenings free to do whatever you need or want to do until it's time for PT the next day. You also have weekends and holidays off for additional free time.

However, if you're in the field for training exercises or on combat deployments, your free time will be limited. In the field, there may be some time in the evenings within the field environment but not enough to go out and watch a movie or engage in similar activities. During combat deployments, there is generally very little free time available, especially in high-intensity environments. Some deployments may offer limited hours here and there for personal activities, but it varies depending on the situation.

On training deployments that are not combat-focused, your free time might be similar to being stateside in your regular unit. You might have evenings to explore local sites or spend time with friends on base because the environment is more relaxed.

These examples provide an overview of when you could expect to have some free time while serving in the active duty army.

From NASCAR dreams to unexpected military experience

So I originally joined the military, in this case, the United States Army, because I wanted the experience. My original plan was to join the army, become a mechanic, spend four years in the army, get out and go to a trade school for automotive, and then hopefully become a NASCAR mechanic. Not working in the pit crew, but working in like the garage, rebuilding engines. Well, turned out I had a red green color blind, so I was eliminated from it. It'll be a mechanic. So didn't get to do that. So I became an ADA Mike instead. So nonetheless, I was still going to try to do four years, get the military experience, and then get out and go to a trade school or go to college. Four years, kind of one thing led to another, to another, and then eventually became almost 11 years, mostly because of the Iraq war going on and a lot of other kind of challenges that kind of just led it to be much longer than it originally anticipated to be. But originally, it was always meant to be a stepping stone. It was never my intent to spend 20 plus years and retire. It was supposed to be to get the experience, go to college afterwards, and have that military background.

I joined the army to get experience and go to college afterwards, ended up staying for 11 years due to war and other challenges.

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I enlisted in the military, specifically the United States Army, because I wanted to gain experience. My initial plan was to join as a mechanic, spend four years in the army, and then attend trade school for automotive studies. My goal was to become a NASCAR mechanic, working behind the scenes in engine rebuilding rather than on the pit crew. However, my plans changed when I discovered that I was red-green color blind, which disqualified me from becoming a mechanic. Instead, I became an ADA Mike. Despite this setback, I still intended to serve for four years, gain military experience, and then pursue trade school or college. However, due to various factors such as the Iraq war and other challenges, my military service ended up lasting nearly 11 years. Originally, it was always meant to be a stepping stone for me. My intention was never to serve for over 20 years and retire; it was always about gaining valuable experience and using that military background as a foundation for my future endeavors in college.

Double deployment: Iraq's Tal Afar and Baghdad.

Where were you deployed? I was actually deployed to Iraq twice. The first time was the northern part of Iraq which is an area called Tal Afar which was kind of I guess southwest of Mosul. I was there for 12 months and then my second deployment was to Baghdad. I was on Camp Liberty at Bayop, the Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, deep in it, and that deployment was actually a 15-month deployment. So those are the two locations I was at was Tal Afar and Baghdad, Iraq.

I was deployed to Tal Afer and Baghdad, Iraq.

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I was deployed to Iraq twice. My first deployment was to Tal Afar, which is in the northern part of Iraq, southwest of Mosul. I spent 12 months there. My second deployment was to Baghdad, specifically Camp Liberty at Bayop, the Baghdad International Airport. It was a 15-month deployment. So, the two locations I was deployed to were Tal Afar and Baghdad in Iraq.

Can I take college classes while in the Army?

Balancing College Classes with Army Service: What to Expect

Can I take college classes while in the Army? Maybe. Some of that kind of depends on certain factors. Like if you are going to Reserves or National Guard, then obviously the chances are much more greater because you will only be doing drill on the weekends, twice two weeks of the year type of thing. So in between you can easily do a lot of college courses. Now if you're doing active duty, that's where it gets a little bit complicated because then that depends on the unit. There are some units that have a very high tempo where you may or may not be able to get in any kind of like online classes type of thing. You probably won't be able to do any in-person classes, but it depends. And then there are some units that maybe have a lower tempo and you might have opportunities to be able to get some like night classes in, maybe some online classes. Trying to do classes in person on active duty can be very difficult. It's not impossible. There are some units that might allow you to do so, but don't count on it because it's tricky and it really depends on the tempo of the unit and what's going on at that unit whether or not you're going to be able to do even in-person classes to take away from work to do that kind of a thing.

It depends on which branch of the Army you are in. If you are in the Reserves or National Guard, you probably have more opportunities to take college classes as you will only be doing drills and weekends. However, if you are active duty, it might be more difficult depending on the tempo of your unit and whether they would allow you to take classes in person or online.

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Taking college classes while in the Army is possible, but it depends on various factors. If you are in the Reserves or National Guard, there is a greater chance of being able to take college courses since you typically have drill obligations only on weekends and for a couple of weeks each year. This leaves more time in between to pursue college education. However, if you are on active duty, it becomes more complicated and depends on your unit's tempo. Some units have a high tempo that may make it challenging to participate in online or in-person classes. In-person classes can be particularly difficult to manage while on active duty, although there may be some units that allow it depending on the circumstances. It is important to note that the feasibility of taking college classes while in the Army varies based on the specific unit's tempo and availability for educational pursuits.

What tips do you have for someone looking to rise through the ranks in the Army?

Mastering Your Role and Going Above: Tips for Army Advancement

What tips do you have for someone looking to rise through the ranks in the Army? I would definitely say for one, make sure you know your job really well, but also know the job above yours. So if you are, let's say, a specialist in the United States Army, right? You've been in the Army for a while and now you're looking to get promoted to a sergeant, you're looking to get sent to the board, make sure you know how to be a team leader, know how to do your NCOs jobs, and whatever level you're at, make sure you know how to do your job really well, as well as above your job. That way they rely on you, they know that, hey, this individual is pretty well skilled at the job and they easily could do my job or whatever, they would probably be a good candidate to recommend for promotion, to move them up because they're ready for that kind of a thing. Make sure you're volunteering, make sure you take the initiative, all that kind of stuff. But mainly, know your job really well, take the initiative to learn, so you know that stuff, and just put yourself out there. Because the people that put themselves out there to get the attention of the higher-ups, they're the ones that are going to get recommended for promotion, maybe ahead of others.

Make sure you do your job really well and know it inside and out, but also learn the jobs of those above you. Take initiative and volunteer for opportunities to show your skills and abilities. Put yourself out there to get the attention of the higher-ups so you can be recommended for promotion.

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If you're looking to rise through the ranks in the Army, here are some tips. Firstly, make sure you have a strong understanding of your current job and also familiarize yourself with the responsibilities of the position above yours. For example, if you're a specialist aiming for promotion to sergeant, demonstrate your ability to be a team leader and understand the tasks of NCOs. Excelling at your current level and showing potential for higher roles increases your chances of being recommended for promotion. Additionally, actively volunteer and take initiative whenever possible. Being proactive and seeking opportunities to contribute will help you stand out. Remember to continuously learn and expand your knowledge in order to excel in your role. Finally, put yourself out there and seek visibility among higher-ranking individuals. Those who make themselves known and catch the attention of superiors are more likely to be considered for promotion ahead of others.

Christopher Chaos answers your Military questions. See all the advice Christopher Chaos has and get answers to your own Military questions.

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I served almost 11 years on active duty in the US Army. I deployed twice to Iraq. During the day I am a military instructor on Fort Carson where I teach US Army soldiers and have done that for 10+ years. I also create Army related content on my YouTube channel with over 100K subscribers and more than 20 million views. 