There is a certain legitimacy associated with getting a degree, and/or becoming an officer. It certainly is an officer's military, after all, which doesn't help matters. I'm just thinking of thing's like UNMO (United Nations Military Observer) positions, which are given to primarily officers, and I can think of only a few Sr NCO's that have gotten positions on them, mostly guys with 20+ years, whereas young Captains get them pretty easily. I understand that many countries don't hold Sr NCO's in high esteem, due to the fact that to get to become a Sgt in some countries can be measured in months, rather than years, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating for MCpl's and Sgt's (and WO's) who can't get an UNMO (or similar) position with oodles of tours and experience, and a Captain with neither is good to go.
I think that a good route to go (as suggested by others) is to join as an NCM, see if you like the life, get experience, work towards getting an education, and if it suits you, go through the UTPNCM program. I think that we have it ass-backwards, assuming that just because someone did well in high school, that they are born to be an officer. The experience you gain as a soldier does wonders to seeing if you "got it" before becoming an officer. I think it is too hit or miss, hoping that somebody who had good grades can be "formed" into an officer. And don't even go there with the "rigors" of CAP and BOTC (to see if someone "has it"). I have known enough guys who were NCM's that went officer to know that those are a joke in comparison to the NCM equivalents (leadership-wise).
If you go the NCM way, be prepared to have to explain to friends, family, etc that not every soldier is a grade 6 dropout with an IQ hovering in the lower 60's. It surprises people that there are soldier's with degrees (one of the guys I work with is just finishing his MBA, and people are surprised that he is "only" a Sgt). I was reading "War & Peace" out in the field (once upon a time), and an officer couldn't believe it when he was told that a Cpl was reading it. I guess skin-mags and comic books are more our style. I have met some pretty thick officers, and some very smart NCM's. You aren't neccesarily defined by what is hanging on your wall (i.e a diploma), but what is in your head. Education comes in many shapes, and the University of Life has a steep tuition, so whether you're sitting in a university classroom taking Basket-Weaving 101, or learning about the facts of life (people hate each other and find new and unusual ways of killing each other) in a trench/OP/vehicle turret in a foreign land, it's all knowledge.
Anyway, enough philosophizin'. Do what YOU want, not what other people want you to do. Life is short, but if you make a mistake, you can always start afresh.
Al
