I am going to college or university,what major 's so demened in the force?

[SeanNewman]

...then the points for community college will end up be the deciding factor...

Absolutely agreed in the case of "All other factors being equal...".

As a general trend though, on the NCM side it would be hard to state that those 2-3 years in a post-secondary system outside of the Army would have helped a soldier more progression-wise than being in the Army for those 2 years and getting more Army qualifications.

If two 18-year-olds have a choice and one joins and the other goes to community college for two years, when they turn 21 one of them will be trade qualified and have two years in a unit getting Army courses and experience, and the other will have a diploma and be getting out of battleschool.

If those two soldiers are equally motivated, I can not ever see the second one catching the first one as an NCM.

The officer world of course is completely different, even with a four-year degree.  Those two at 18 take their different paths, and the first will be trade qualified with two years platoon command experience before the first even graduates, but it is almost guaranteed that the second one will get promoted to Major first (or if not they will be very close), and then every promotion after that will see the one with a degree go up higher and higher. 

This isn't even mentioning that the one with the degree will make tens of thousands more money as an OCdt, 2Lt, and Lt, which is not the case with NCMs.

 

[gcclarke]

Ahhh but it's not "all factors being equal". It's points to be earned. Assuming that the answer to my previous question is yes, this could be very important, depending upon the trade. Looking at the CM brief for the NETs, as an example, the "Professional Development" component on the selection board is worth 7% for a LS, 5% for MS - PO1, and 4% for a CPO2.
By comparison, both fluency in a second official language and physical fitness can each only earn you maximum of 2% each. Getting an "immediate" recommendation from your CO on your PER is worth 3% (For all ranks).
Yes, all things being equal, post-secondary education will certainly be the deciding factor. However, it certainly seems to me that it can also be the deciding factor when all other things are not equal.

Unfortunately, the INFMN CM brief didn't go into any more detail about how they break down the 38 points allocated to the "Potential" section. However, I certainly suspect that it can make a large difference.

Anyways, the question isn't always coming from a 17 year old trying to figure out the best way to get promoted quickly. Often it's coming from someone who already has some post-secondary education, and is trying to figure out if that will help them at all. Or perhaps it's from someone who's already in, isn't getting promoted as quickly as they would like, and is attempting to figure out whether or not taking some night classes would help them.

 

[SeanNewman]

Understood on all accounts and I am not trying to talk anyone out of getting a formal education.

The trend seems to be though that good performance/experience at work is what will get your name moved up the magnet board more than educational points (in the big picture).  Yes you can quote CM "scores", but at the end of the day the CoC and the Regiment is going to select those they want for certain ranks/positions and what I am saying is that education more often than not will not be a factor (as seen by the percentage of WOs/MWOs who have a degree).  They are where they are (for the most part) due to excellent work performance and being chosen.