Serving in the armed forces is a noble career path, pursued by people from all walks of life. Most of us only know what it’s like from video games and movies, but what’s the day to day work in the U.S. Army actually like? In short, preparation, training, and more prep.
To learn more about what a potential career in the U.S. Army is like, we spoke with an mid-level army officer who proudly leads a troop of 88 soldiers.
Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
My name is Chris Morrow; I am a Captain in the U.S. Army. I’m 29, from Austin, Texas and I’ve been in the Army for seven years.
What drove you to choose your career path?
I became an Officer for two reasons; to test myself and because I enjoy the challenge of leadership. I wanted to see if I could handle tough experiences, lead soldiers, and prevail despite adversity.
How did you go about getting your job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
To become an officer, you have three choices: ROTC, West Point, or Officer Candidate School. I chose ROTC, which is four years of Army classes as part of your college curriculum, plus a two week training exercise near Tacoma, Washington (now located south of Louisville, KY). I had to be physically fit, pass a physical screening, be academically competitive, and I had to sign a four year Active Duty contract after school. In return, ROTC paid for the entirety of my tuition.
What kinds of things do you do beyond what most people see? What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
Most people see or understand the field training (like camping on steroids), the live fire training, and of course, know about the deployments. What they don’t see is the countless hours of paperwork, training, inspections, and other things we do that people wouldn’t expect. The day to day activities are surprisingly mundane. The Army is a people business, and keeping those people prepared takes a significant amount of time. Maintaining our equipment also takes a significant amount of time. In my job, we spend at least two days a week keeping our Hum-Vees ready for action. In addition, among other things: we volunteer in our communities, we participate in parades, we cut our own grass, and we do non-field training on a variety of subjects.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
I think the two most common is the belief that most soldiers joined because they didn’t have any other options and that every day is right out of Call of Duty.
Army Soldiers are some of the most inspiring people you will ever work with. I have the privilege to lead 88 of them. Many overcame significant life challenges to join the Army, while others left promising careers and opportunities because they felt the need to serve. I’ve served with NCAA Division I athletes, former Wall Street investors, and soldiers with Masters or multiple Bachelor’s degrees. Some soldiers traveled half-way around the world to join; I’ve served with soldiers from Ghana, the Philippines, and India. The Army takes many types of people to be the professional volunteer force it is, and it’s important for Americans to understand the character and ability of the soldier.
Many days in the Army spent conducting office work. I spend a good portion of my week in meetings, and another significant portion preparing for training. It takes almost twice as long to prepare for training as it does to execute the actual training. Like construction firms or other companies that utilize heavy machinery, safety is of the utmost importance in the Army. So we spend hours rehearsing, making sure everyone understands the plan before we fire any live rounds, drive our vehicles somewhere, or do any risky training. Every once in awhile we do some Call of Duty type training, but it’s the exception, rather than the rule.
What are your average work hours?
Most weeks I work 60 hours, some weeks closer to 80. In my position, I am in charge of a Troop (think corporate mid-size business); 88 people work for me, so my hours can be egregious. Every eight weeks or so we go to the field (camping?), where you work generally 18-20 hour days the entire length of the time you are training.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
Always placing people first, and taking time to build relationships. People are the cornerstone of my job, when I invest in people, I make my organization better and it performs better. Getting to know people, finding out what drives them, learning about their families, and helping them solve their problems builds the cohesion of my team. As the cohesion of the unit builds through my investment, we accomplish the mission faster and can accomplish more, with less direction, making my job easier.
Relationships are the secret to success. I quickly learned that no individual can be successful all the time. I build relationships with as many people as I can, that way when I need help, I know who to go to. Knowing who can solve a challenging problem set has saved me significant amounts of time and made my job much easier.
What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession? What do they do instead?
I take notes, I follow my instincts, and I take risks.
It seems simple, but taking notes and periodically reviewing those notes is how I keep track of the large number of things I have to do each day. Being disciplined about both the note taking and the follow-up is what has helped me succeed. It’s surprising how quickly you forget about something, when you don’t write it down.
Secondly, I follow my instincts. I trust myself. I know instinctively how to build a team and I just do it. I know instinctively what my organization needs. I let those instincts guide me. Sometimes I don’t have any data to back those instincts, which is when I take risks. My instincts aren’t always right, but I take risks to follow them. Sometimes I get it wrong and those circumstances turn into a learning point. Being willing to dare and take calculated risk has helped me several times in my career.
What’s the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
Similar to many jobs in corporate America, my job requires frequent travel, late nights, and an often unpredictable schedule. This can make attempts at personal life-work balance tricky at best. Its cliché, but love of the job is what gets you through those tough times. It also takes a certain learned level of resiliency to “hunt the good stuff” during particularly challenging assignments.
What’s the most enjoyable part of the job?
I lead 88 of the finest soldiers in the United States Army. Each is unique, many have inspiring stories. Leading this team is by far the most enjoyable part of my career. I also really enjoy working with our allies overseas. I’ve had the chance to train with the Iraqi Army, the Canadian Army, and the Philippine Army. Each of those opportunities offered life changing shifts in perspective. There are also a few training experiences that are absolutely exhilarating; firing the main gun of a tank, an Air Assault operation, and artillery are thrills you can’t replicate anywhere else.
What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?
The compensation package is actually readily available online. A brand-new Army officer will generally make $35k-$40k a year in salary plus a housing allowance, comprehensive medical coverage, and life insurance. In my position, I make $65k-$70k a year plus the same benefits mentioned above, plus the opportunity to utilize a retirement pension, provided I serve at least 20 years.
How do you move up in your field?
A combination of time in the service and your ability and proficiency. There is a minimum amount of time that an individual must serve in each rank before they are eligible for promotion. Once eligible, a central promotion system examines your file (a combination of all the performance evaluations you’ve received, plus awards and anything else pertinent) and determines whether or not you will be promoted. Each rank becomes more competitive, with fewer people getting promoted to the most competitive jobs.
What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?
Learn as much about the Army as you can before you join. The best thing about the Army is that there are many different avenues to each goal. If you are interested in applying for an Officers Commission through ROTC or West Point, work to be a good student, a good athlete, and a well-rounded person. West Point and ROTC are looking to award scholarships to individuals who are balanced and motivated.
Career Spotlight is an interview series on Lifehacker that focuses on regular people and the jobs you might not hear much about—from doctors to plumbers to aerospace engineers and everything in between. If you’d like to share your career, email us at submissions+career@lifehacker.com. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Pablo N. Piedra (Flickr).
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