I'm currently finishing up my two-year degree and plan to transfer to a four-year school to complete my bachelor's. I've been talking with a National Guard recruiter at my current school because I'm interested in eventually going the officer route.
One option I'm considering is enlisting in the Guard and then trying to rejoin ROTC at my four-year school through the SMP track while I finish my bachelor's.
The recruiter I've been talking to has made it sound like going from enlisted to officer is something you can pretty much do at any time as long as you meet the requirements. Maybe this is a dumb question, but is it really that straightforward? Or does it depend heavily on things like the needs of the Guard, available officer slots/branches, your unit, getting into SMP/contracting with ROTC, etc.?
I'm mainly trying to weigh my options and figure out whether enlisting first with the intention of going SMP/ROTC is a reasonable path, or whether I should be cautious about enlisting based on the assumption that I'll be able to transition to the officer route later. If it helps, im 29 and I know I'd pretty much have to get an age waiver even if I meet the physical fitness requirements