How did you (in general) select the job you wanted in the coast guard?

did you base it on what you like to do most? or on just what you qualified for? or maybe just because you think it will be a good trait to learn so after your enlistment, you can use your skills for a future job?





i know that you can find a job with all three qualities, but lets face it, some of us dont have all the choices that we want. So im just just wondering, how did you choose your job field?|||For me, this changes as time goes by.





Initially, it was all about what I liked the most, in the coolest place I could find.





Time goes by, it becomes more about what I'm qualified for and what I've proven good at.





Starting to near the end of my time in the Coast Guard...........jobs with transferrable skills that look attractive on a resume start to become more appealing........but by definition they involve some combination of what I like (because I started purely there) and what I'm qualified for (because I'm now experienced in jobs I like).





For starters anyway, go for what you like the most. You joined or are joining the Coast Guard for a reason - pursue that. The rest will take care of itself in due time.|||First I looked at the jobs for which I was qualified and made a list.





I knew that some day I would be out (after four years or retirement), and I looked at the ratings that gave me skills that I thought I would like to use on the outside.





Then I looked at my wife and beautiful baby... and then went back to the list.





In many cases, you won't know what you like to do the most - because you have never done it full time. Do you like to drive boats past pretty beaches and beautiful bikini-clad babes? How about driving that same boat in 26 degree temperatures, with driving sleet and seas that can destroy your boat in seconds if you lose concentration? Boatswain's Mates do both!!





Do you like slinging wires and doing electrical work? Can you see yourself doing it FOREVER?





How about manning the radio and coordinating a huge search and rescue effort with multiple assets and agencies all working together to save poor Timmy? How about sitting in front of that radio for 12 hours a day for the next four years?





Every job has its up sides and its down sides. Look at what is available at the Recruiting website http://www.gocoastguard.com under the "FIND YOUR FIT" tab, then the "ENLISTED CAREER OPPORTUNITIES." Then you can come up with a better idea for what fits YOU.





I do have to say that what appealed to me may leave you bored to tears... or amazed that any idiot would want to do it. Likewise, I may be appalled at what you consider to be interesting. It truly does take all kinds!!|||For me, I was a little bit sure what I wanted to do when I joined, but there was some wavering immediately after graduating boot camp. There was a very appealing bonus being offered to become an OS, but I decided money up front doesn't speak much for job satisfaction down the line. Then I thought about Boatswain Mate because of the opportunity for command and the involvement in search and rescue. But driving boats isn't really that fun to me. I also considered becoming a DC as I like firefighting, but they also deal with plumbing, and I like that less. Ultimately, it came down to weighing the pros and cons of each job. Every single rate in the Coast Guard has a good aspect and a bad one. The ASTs may be jumping out of helicopters one day, then sewing harnesses the next. The PAs may be in the thick of it documenting major happenings, or stuck in the office working on a website. BMs, could be acting as Surfman, or landscaping. I chose my rate, MST, because the negatives seemed less negative to me. It also seemed more of a mental challenge, right or wrong.