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Worth pursuing WOFT?


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Hey guys, I'm very interested in pursuing WOFT. I've been reading a lot about it for the past year or so and have finally made the decision to go for it. I'm currently 24 years old with a private instrument fixed wing license. At the moment I'm working on my private helicopter rating and have 20 hours so far. I have about 250 hours tt.

 

Yesterday I walked into a local recruiting office and told them what I wanted to do and they basically all laughed at me and told me how I couldn't do, even before they knew anything about me. The "expert" on the warrant officer program told me that it's almost impossible to get in as a civilian and that it's not worth pursuing. From what I've read I know this is not true at all. I knew more about it then him and even politely proved him wrong quite a few times. I know I have to do most of the work myself and I'm ready to do that.

 

My question to everyone is if this is true. I do not have a college degree which could be my only downfall. He basically said I absolutely need to have it or else I have no chance at all. I would be able to get some good LOR from current aviators, cfi and congressman. Is it worth trying or will not having a degree make my chances of being selected slim. Thanks!

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Thanks for the replies guys! This is a great website for information and everyone is very helpful. I did see the official website and I know that a degree is not required. I just wanted to make sure that I had a chance without it. The recruiters made it seem like the board won't even give someone a look unless they had a degree.

 

I do plan to get my private within the next few months so hopefully that will help. I will hopefully have some more college credits by the end of the spring semester as well. I'll do everything I can to make sure my scores are in the higher range.

 

For the civilians, what is the best way to get in contact with some higher up aviators for recommendation letters? Does my packet have more weight to it if I have a few letters from CW5's?

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Pretty much every recruiter says that because they don't want to do WOFT packets. It takes a lot of time on their part and is much easier and faster to enlist a new recruit and be done with them. If it is worth it or not is up to you. If you have to ask, the answer is probably no.

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No college necessary. I had 77 credits when I got accepted. I'd say my class was 10 % no college, 60 % some college and 30 % BA degrees. The Navy/Marines used to have a pilot program that required 60 credits or an AA degree but we don't. Definitely helps to have college and enlisted experience but not a deal breaker. We probably had only 25 % of the class that had no military experience. Your pilot ticket looks good but they don't care as far as training. There are enough hours built into the syllabus to train someone who has absolutely no aviation background whatsoever. You'll make it easier on your primary instructors though.

 

You have to realize the recruiters aren't going to do squat for you. I was a pain in their ass. They care about getting enlisted in, not people wanting to better their lives by becoming a warrant officer. The Guard used to fly helicopters to my high school every year when I was a kid. Recruiters always told me I had to go enlisted first. "The Army's not going to take some kid out of high school to fly a multi-million dollar aircraft." I did ATC in the Marines and I think the experience as a controller and a Marine better prepared me for life in the Army. Being prior enlisted you relate better to the crew chiefs and they kinda look up to the former enlisted guys more. Still, no requirement to be prior enlisted, it just gives you a jump start on things.

 

Get some good LORs, get high scores on all your tests and you should be competitive. I will say you guys have it way harder than I did when I applied. Accession rate when I got picked up was 90 %. All my buds are telling me the boards are slimming down. Obviously when wars end the requirement in the number of forces drops. When I went through they were putting 700 students through the program a year. After 9/11 and when I went back as an IP we were putting through 1,500 students. You can bet they're going back to pre 9/11 numbers now. Every little thing counts for being competitive these days. Good luck with your packet.

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It is definitely worth it to me. I will do everything it takes to try and reach my goal. I'm just making sure that what I was told is wrong. It's good to hear that I do have a chance at the very least. I will be finding another recruiter who is at least willing to help a little bit. Luckily I have all of the forms now so I will start filling them out ASAP. Thanks again everyone! I'm excited to get started.

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I was told by someone on here once, the hardest part of the entire process from civilian to graduation is finding a recruiter thatll work with you.

 

Also, the forms online are mostly for enlisted folks to use. As a civilian, your recruiter should be filling out almost all the forms that are needed as far as i know

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Is it worth trying or will not having a degree make my chances of being selected slim. Thanks!

 

Not having a degree will make your chances slim. WOFTApp posted some stats from this month's board in the November selection thread:

 

SELECTED!

 

A few quick stats he mention:

3 high school

10 with bachelors

1 with graduate

Avg gpa 3.0

Avg apft 275

Avg gt 127

 

Didn't jot the rest down.

 

So that's 3 out of 28 applicants who were selected a few weeks ago without a degree. But there's still a chance, and it may be a good chance if the rest of your application is strong. Whether it's worth it us up to you to decide. You might also want to consider whether it would be worth it to get a degree if you apply but don't make it. WOFT is accessible to anyone in their 20s with average intelligence and no medical disqualifications, It's just some may have to put in more work than others, and everyone has to decide how much it's worth to them.

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Those numbers add up to 3 out of 14 and don't factor in how many people weren't selected or what their qualifications were. I had 50 college credits when I applied. Don't focus on the selection statistics.

 

The packet is about who is going to make a good warrant officer aviator. It's not always the guy with the degree.

Edited by SBuzzkill
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It doesn't matter if you have a degree or not. Hell, I was one of the 3 selected last board that did not have a college degree. And anyway, who cares if the people who get selected have degrees or not, it is NOT a requirement. You could be the ONE person selected without a degree. I knew looking at stats that my chances were slim without a degree (only 1 selected on the September board w/o), but I figured "why the hell can't I be the ONE?"

 

Remember, there are people WITH degrees that DON'T get selected. It really is the "whole person" concept. I'm sure you've met many people with degrees that you would NOT trust $5 with, much less your life! You've probably also met some intelligent and talented people without a degree. It is only 1 part of your very large packet that you will be putting together. Does college help? Yes. Will it make you more competative? Yes. Will not having a degree make you uncompetative? NO. Is a degree a requirement? NO.

 

I do believe that if you are lacking in one area (i.e. education), you need to make up for it in other areas. You need to score extremely well on the ASVAB, AFAST/SIFT, and APFT. Do you have any other unique skills (i.e. high level leadership experience, etc)?

 

Find a recruiter that is willing to work with you, and be prepared to work for it. It took me about 5 months from starting my packet to being selected.

 

FYI - I didn't have a single LOR from an aviation Warrant Officer, but I did have one from an O-5 non-aviation.

 

Good Luck!

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I'm like a broken record on this issue, but I think looking at the board statistics is pointless. If you want to apply, apply. The requirements are a high school diploma. You're eligible The only way you'll know if you're truly competitive is if you apply. The only way to guarantee you won't be selected is to not apply.

 

If it is something you want to do, continue to live your life and improve your resume. But also drop a packet.

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Thanks a lot guys for all of the encouraging replies. I will of course apply while trying my hardest and doing whatever it takes to be selected. It's nice to hear that the recruiters I spoke with had absolutely no idea about the process or that civilians do in fact get selected. I'm going to start calling other recruiting offices to find someone who is at least willing to try and work with me.

 

This is why I love this forum. Everyone has been very helpful so far and I will keep you all updated throughout the process.

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That would be great if someone knew a good one in the area. I'm in Southeastern PA which is about 40 minutes from Philly. I'm very close to Delaware and northern Maryland as well. I spoke with a great recruiter out in York, PA today who was very helpful and said he'd be happy to do everything he could to help me. It would be worth the hour and a half drive for someone like that.

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Sounds like you may have found one to work with. FYI, each recruiting battalion has a Officer / Warrant Officer accessions manager. If you have found a good recruiter that will work with you but may be lacking in WOFT package knowledge you can (gently) remind him of this fact.

 

Be as proactive as you can. I thought I was annoying mine by calling, texting or emailing nearly every day until my package was complete. However, afterward they said they appreciated it because it showed I wanted it and they worked harder for me because of that.

 

Show up with as much completed as you can, especially the SF-86. This form will help them out immensely in the beginning while getting you setup in the system and then later on while processing you for a clearance.

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