
It is best for most recruits to at least attempt to be given a guaranteed job before shipping out to basic training. In years past, a small number of basic training graduates go directly to their first assignment and receive on-the-job training or have a very short technical training school with a greater emphasis on that OJT. That means that Security Forces will attend specific training for that MOS, military IT specialists and linguists will go to their special training schools, etc. You won’t graduate basic training without a job assignment because the next steps for a majority of new recruits and BMT graduates involve a “tech school” or advanced training specifically in the MOS assigned. You may be offered a chance to select a military job by the recruiter, but some recruits don’t enter boot camp with a “guaranteed job” and must select their MOS or AFSC, etc.

#31b mos history software#
Preventative maintenance on both software and hardware systems is also required across a variety of analog and digital systems.” Who Gets An MOS?Īll recruits will be assigned a job at some point, but when and how depends greatly on circumstances. “Marines in the communications field are frequently called upon to design, install, connect, and operate communication networks. Consider how the Marine Corps describes the Communications MOS (not listed above): These jobs are not placed in a rank order such as “From one-to-ten best jobs” but rather as a way to organize and classify the career fields.Īnd how does the Marine Corps describe the career fields above? Again, keep in mind that these are generalized descriptions, not a list of day-to-day tasks you might be required to accomplish. Those numbers to the left? They indicate the MOS’s place on the list from #1 to 80 in the number of general MOS options offered by that branch of military service.


Thompson got his start as an Air Force enlisted member writing for a base newspaper) or assisting other departments on base in handling requests for tours, base access, etc. Public Affairs can involve writing for base newspapers or magazines (famed Gonzo journalist Hunter S. What does this mean? The Air Force has a Public Affairs specialty code, but Public Affairs can mean many, many things from being a military reporter or photographer to conducting base tours and doing public relations work with civilian agencies who need access to the base. Nuances Of The MOSĪn MOS is not necessarily a job description for a single type of work. The MOS is an organizing principle that helps inform how the entire process is managed. But all of them have to have some form of classification code, a standard of training and performance, etc. Not all military jobs have to do with combat, search and rescue, munitions, parachute operations, etc.

The Navy calls its version of this system “ratings” (hence the Navy phrase, “Choose your rate, choose your fate”) but the official term is the Navy Enlisted Classification System for those who enter the Navy in the enlisted grades.įor the purposes of this article, we’ll describe ALL such systems as an MOS, but know that each branch of service has a unique method of classifying military jobs, and assigning them. The United States Army uses MOS, but the Air Force describes its own occupational specialty list as an “ Air Force Specialty Code” or AFSC. The first thing most new recruits learn is that most branches of military service have their own jargon to describe an MOS.
#31b mos history code#
Basics of the Military Occupational Specialty Code You can be assigned an MOS prior to basic training, you can “cross-train” out of your MOS under the right circumstances and train for a new military occupational specialty, and you can do a variety of jobs that may be tangential to your specialty while keeping your current MOS. What is an MOS or Military Occupational Specialty? The short answer is this is the term used by certain military branches to describe the kinds of jobs you could qualify to do if you join the military.
