by Jordan Roth

Created on: December 10, 2009

This article is to aid those who desire to be promoted to E5 ahead of their peers, who wish to gain the responsibilities and privileges of a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) sooner rather than later, who want nothing more than to advance their Army career as expeditiously as possible.  To achieve this you must be prepared to work hard and steadily throughout the early years of your career, and to follow the road map I am about to lay out before you.

If you are reading this article you have the first step taken care of already:  desire.  A surprising amount of young soldiers live for the now, not caring for what lies ahead in their life or career.  You, however, wish to advance yourself, and kudos to you.  Now, let’s get to work.

The first stop on our map is Attitude.  That’s right.  Your leaders have work to accomplish, and by necessity that work trickles down to you.  Whether you’re raking leaves stateside, or maintaining your vehicle in theater, there is tedious, menial labor that must be accomplished.  You are a soldier, you have no choice but to take orders.  How you take them is your choice.  You can sulk and whine and complain, or you can hitch yourself up by your bootstraps, put on a show of motivation (remember, false motivation is better than no motivation), and complete your task in a timely manner.  There is no reason you must be sunshine and roses all the time, but a good work ethic, a willing heart, and a few “yes, sergeants” will go a long way toward raising you up in their eyes, and before you know it you may have a mental “Good Soldier” badge pinned to your chest by your team or squad leader.

This will gain you a beneficial addendum to your E5 promotion packet when the time comes, namely, a letter of two of recommendation.  Remember, the Sergeant Majors and First Sergeants on the E5 promotion board don’t know you from Adam, and so they rely on the opinions of your first and second line leaders to determine if you are ready for promotion.

The second stop is Education.  Is that a groan?  This is one of those steps that take time, which is why you should get started now.  For Active Duty soldiers college can be particularly hard to attend, which is a shame because out of all the educational options, college gives you the best return in promotion points at 1 ½ points per credit hour.  It doesn’t matter if

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