Becoming an Army Professional, Essay Example

The United States Army has many departments within its group. Although many citizens are familiar with the soldier sector that requires individuals to defend the country in battle, the Army also has a professional department that does not call for such activity. While anyone may enlist in the Army to become a soldier, only experts may solicit to be members of the profession field. According to its list of criteria, a member of the Army profession must demonstrate excellent communication skills and have extensive experience in their field of study. While some may complain about profession criteria, all of the requirements posed are necessary to successfully serve within the capacity of Army expert.

Contrary to the typical army job, a professional is not in training. As a professional, individuals are expected to produce uniquely expert work, not routine or repetitive work. ¹ An expert in the medical field is expected to create new methods of treatment and new procedures for hospital staff to follow. Such person is not expected to simply follow and regurgitate established rules without making suggestions for improvement. The idea of the Army profession is to enhance the organization so a medical field expert should be capable of conducting research that eventually leads to new inventions. An individual who is not motivated or has no desire to create new avenues for operation is not useful to the Army profession.

In an effort to eliminate candidates who would not be helpful to the organization, the Army holds to a strict criteria when selecting professionals. An individual must be an expert in his or her field. This essentially means that a person must be formally educated and have years of experience in the field before being considered for a professional position. When evaluating education, analysts expect to see degrees that exhibit mastery of the subject. While an Associates or Bachelors degree gives implication of knowledge, Masters and Doctorate degrees exhibit mastery of the subject. Whereas an individual who has earned a Bachelors degree in Theology is knowledgeable about various components of the field, someone who has received extensive education at the Doctorate level has enough knowledge to teach another person about the field. As an elite organization, the Army is searching for individuals who can teach others the essentials of their trade.

Although education encompasses a large portion of the criteria, experience is also a crucial component of the Army profession. As a professional, individuals are required to engage in ethical practices. Contrary to the average science laboratory or educational journal, the Army is given an immense amount of trust by the American people just because of their title. Whereas a private organization that discovers a cure for cancer would need to provide extensive proof of research before being credited, the Army can publish such claim without revealing all of its sources. The Army is essentially granted significant autonomy to create expert knowledge and to police the application of that knowledge by individual professionals. ¹ Such liberality requires every professional to operate according to ethical standards of their field and those established by the Army. Although educated individuals may be aware of ethical standards associated with their field of study, only experienced professionals know how to effectively implement such standards in daily practice. The average graduate will regurgitate the rules, but a seasoned professional will put them into practice.

While many factors affect the process of selecting individuals to be members of the profession of arms department, communication is key. A person can have ten years of experience and a doctorate degree but lack communication skills. Effective Army writing transmits a clear message in a single, rapid reading and is generally free of errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage. Good Army writing is concise, organized, and right to the point. ² An individual unable to communicate effectively is not useful to the Army because they may convey the wrong idea. Such idea can have detrimental effects if not corrected in good timing. In order to be considered for a position in the profession of arms, an individual must an expert in their field of study and posses good communication skills.

Bibliography

Martin E. Dempsey, “The Profession of Arms,” United States Army (2010): 2

Writing and Speaking Skills for Army Leaders, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College            (2009): 1-1