While many military cadets may look forward to graduation and moving on to the “real” military (getting out of the fishbowl), a small group gets the pleasure of pinning on their Lieutenant bars and heading right back to school.  For example, after graduating from the US Air Force Academy, 87 cadets will have the opportunity to continue their education through a variety of advanced degree programs as varied as MIT and Oxford.  Not only will their attendance be paid by scholarship or stipend, but the young officers will also continue to receive their Lieutenant paychecks.

Advanced education is considered desirable in the military, particularly for officers in specialized fields and those who will go on to strategic ranks.  Obtaining a graduate degree this early gives the young officers an advantage because they will be full-time students, while their peers will have to use distance learning and other methods to get a degree while still doing their full-time, active duty job.

On the other hand, they will be one to two years behind their peers by the time they finish their degree, which can be significant for pilots.  For example, a cadet may graduate from the Air Force Academy with both a pilot training slot and an invitation to graduate school.  The Air Force will hold the pilot slot for him while he attends school, and he will start pilot training upon his graduation.  However, when he finishes pilot training he will be a year or two behind his contemporaries who share the same rank but have far more flying and military experience.  While this is not insurmountable, it is also not insignificant.

Should a new Lieutenant be eligible, there are many factors of timing, ability, and career desires that come into play when deciding whether or not to pursue a full-time advanced degree immediately after commissioning.  A military Christian should prayerfully seek God’s will.