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    Staying competitive in today’s Army

    Staying competitive in today’s Army

    Photo By Capt. Brigitte Brantley | College degrees can help Soldiers stay competitive when they enter the civilian work...... read more read more

    CAMP CASEY, 41, SOUTH KOREA

    02.20.2015

    Story by Sgt. Samuel Northrup 

    1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division

    CAMP CASEY, South Korea - The U.S. has routinely drawn down forces upon the completion of major conflicts. During the current draw down, the Department of Defense plans to use an Army that is agile and rapidly deployable, while reducing number personnel from 570,000 to 490,000 by the end of 2017, according to a Congressional Research Paper dated Feb. 28, 2014.

    As part of the proposal, two armored brigade combat teams in Europe are to be eliminated out of a total of eight BCTs that would be cut from Active Army force structure. In short, things will begin to become more competitive for Soldiers planning for an Army career.

    Promotions have become more challenging in many aspects for Soldiers, said Sgt. 1st Class Keisha Green, the noncommissioned officer in charge of human resources for 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. Promotion boards are no longer worth promotion points and there are no more exception to policy letters for system errors such as enlisted record brief updates not being added to promotion point worksheets.

    “Some things such as structured self development and the warrior leader course were not required to get promoted, but are now requirements,” said Green. “Other things you need to be aware of is ensuring your weapons qualification and Army physical fitness score card are up to date; if those documents are over 12 months old, as according to your electronic records, you will come off the promotion standing list and you have to be re-boarded.”

    One of the avenues for acquiring promotion points is civilian education, according to Green. Many Soldiers will not make the Army a career, so it is especially important for them to pursue civilian education, so they can remain competitive in a civilian work force when they leave the Army.

    There are many resources to help Soldiers get a degree, said Green. Along with tuition assistance, many schools accept different types of military experience and the College Level Examination Program for college credit.

    In 2013, people who attained a bachelor’s degree have an average weekly wage that was about 41 percent higher than those who only had a high school diploma, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment rates for those who have Bachelor’s degrees are 4 percent versus 7.5 percent for high school graduates.

    A lot of employers are looking for experience and along with experience people need some type of technical expertise, Green said. So whether Soldiers are staying in or getting out, it will benefit them to visit their local education center to figure out a self development plan that matches their future goals.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 02.20.2015
    Date Posted: 03.02.2015 01:22
    Story ID: 155669
    Location: CAMP CASEY, 41, KR

    Web Views: 85
    Downloads: 1

    PUBLIC DOMAIN