Quote Originally Posted by Duke Malcolm
I'm getting a bit confused with this American system...
Do you have to join as a regular soldier before becoming an officer? Or can you just join as an officer?
You can do both.

If you have a college degree and enlist - one can apply for OCS

If you have an associates degree and enlist - one can apply for OCS, and once commissioned the officer will be given 2 years leave to finish his degree. I believe this program has been done away with though.

One can enlist, leave the military, go to college, get a degree, (while in school take ROTC) take a commission and return as an officer if selected for Active Duty. If not the individual has a Reserve Commission for the National Guard and Reserve System.

One can go to a military academy and get a commission.

One can go to college, join ROTC, recieve a commission upon graduation, and go into the military as an officer without ever having serve in the military prior to the commission.

THere are even other ways to become an officer. Direct commissions are sometimes offered to speciality skills when the military is criticaly short of the requirements in those areas. Usually these are medical officers.