In my final year of R.O.T.C. I chose the “Quartermaster Corps” as my first choice. Looking back, I only picked that branch because one of my instructors was a Quartermaster Officer and I really admired and respected him. As it turns out, I made a very wise choice to select the Quartermaster Branch. I learned a lot of valuable skills that benefited me inside and outside the Army. And I truly enjoyed my time in the Army doing logistics.
What I’d like to do now is share three reasons to become an Army Quartermaster Officer. Please keep in mind this is simply my personal opinion, based upon my own experience.
1. Learn In Demand, Valuable and Highly Marketable Skills
Of all the branches in the Army, I truly believe that the Quartermaster is at the top, or close to it, for developing skills that transition well into the civilian world. There are literally millions of opportunities in the logistics field in the private sector and with government jobs. Many of these jobs are high paying and offer long-term security. Spending a few years as a Quartermaster Officer will give you sound logistical experience that you can continue to use in the Army or on the outside world.
Three reasons to become an Army Quartermaster Officer
2. Have a Vitally Important Job
I’ll be the first to admit that logistics experts don’t get the credit or the glory, but they have a very important job in peacetime and in the battlefield. While the combat arms folks might actually be the ones “fighting” the battle, they couldn’t do so without food, fuel and ammunition. You might not hear “thank you” much from the war-fighters, but you can sleep well at night knowing that your job is just as important as theirs.
3. Get a Wide Variety of Experiences
Another thing I really enjoyed about being a Quartermaster officer was that I got to do a wide variety of jobs. A few of the jobs I had was Platoon Leader, Accountable Officer for a Supply Support Activity, Fuels Officer, Battalion S4, etc. All of these jobs covered a wide variety of tasks such as supply, transportation, movement and maintenance. These experiences made me a well rounded officer with a lot to offer the Army and civilian marketplace.
In summary, these are my top three reasons to become an Army Quartermaster Officer. Choosing the Quartermaster Branch is a smart choice that has many short-term and long-term benefits. If you have ever personally served as a Quartermaster Officer I would love to hear from you. Just leave a comment to this post to share your thoughts. If you have any questions, you can post those here too.
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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I’m in OCS and I’m National Guard. Will I be able to get good experience in my BOLC that will enable me to get a job in logistics without having much experience?
Hello, I am currently a Registered Nurse, and even though I love my job as a nurse, I miss my job as a 92A logistics specialist in the army. I have been thinking about joining the army again as an officer, but the only bachelors degree I have is in nursing. Will that be sufficient to apply for logistics officer school? I am also already 36 years old, so signing up as an enlisted is not an option for me. I hope to get good feeback :)
All you need is a Bachelor’s Degree for education purposes. I don’t see what would keep you from doing it. I don’t know the current age cutoff score. I would contact a local officer recruiter and sit down with them. Make a list of questions ahead of time, and who knows what you will find out. Good luck!
Thanks for posting this article about being an Army Quartermaster Officer. The importance of logistics is absolute and the skills learned can be used to land awesome careers. You’ve listed three great reasons to join the Quartermaster Corps. but in your opinion what are the three worst things about it?
I am currently a Finance Officer (ARNG), and this article, although short and sweet, is helping me cement my reasons for wanting to transition to QM. I enjoy working in Finance, but the opportunities thin out very quickly as you gain rank especially in the Guard. I noticed that my peers in the logistic side of the house (Transpo and OD too) have a lot more training, full-time and deployment opportunities than I do. I hear I can virtually deal in finance on the log side too. Looking forward to see what its like. Thanks for the article.
As a QM Officer you often deal with the budget. You could do this as an S3 or S4 Officer. I also believe that the logistics fields offer ample opportunities to do a huge variety of different things, much more so than other branches.
I think that the logistics field, though not ‘sexy’, offers the most opportunities for people after they are out of the military. I didn’t choose QM on purpose, but given my background, I think I ended up in the right place. Ideally I can end up doing some public affairs work, but I know that going forward with being a logistician will be a smart move overall – especially in Oregon, where we are infantry-heavy and there are a lot of logistics involved with keeping them going.
Hi, I am currently a MSII and I would like to branch out to Finance, and its been said that Finance is the smallest branch, meaning it’s rare that you see a Finance Officer. I was wondering if I could get in contact with you to talk about your Finance job in the Army, whether you changed your MOS or not.