How To Become A US Army Officer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a us army officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

The US army officer is accountable for the protection of life and property. They can either be commissioned, noncommissioned, or warrant officers with varying duties. A commissioned army officer serves as the commanding officer in a military unit. Their responsibilities are commanding troops during wars, leading platoons, and teaching cadets at military academies. However, noncommissioned officers act as supervisors within their area of specialty. Warrant officers may command units performing technical duties. They can be helicopter pilots, IT specialists, or tactical experts who serve as trainers or advisors.

For this role, you must be a US army reserve officer or have completed the Armed Forces Training Academy (AFTA) in military service. Similarly, you must possess an active-duty officer certificate. You must possess a minimum of two years of experience on active duty. Also, you must pass pre-employment drug screening and background checks. This personnel earns an average salary of $50,665, equivalent to $21.71 per hour.

ScoreUS Army OfficerUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $50,934

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62%

Asian 4.35%

Black or African American 6.38%

Hispanic or Latino 11.35%

Unknown 6.07%

White 71.23%

Gender

female 16.66%

male 83.34%

Age - 34

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 34

Key steps to become a us army officer

Explore us army officer education requirements

Most common us army officer degrees

Bachelor's

37.0 %

High School Diploma

29.9 %

Associate

15.7 %

Start to develop specific us army officer skills

Skills	Percentages
Combat	15.47%
US Army	12.08%
Logistical Support	8.23%
Security Clearance	4.92%
Weapon Systems	4.79%

Research us army officer duties and responsibilities

Handle and manage hazardous material (HAZMAT) routinely with minimal mishaps.
Manage, supervise and perform force protection duties, including use of deadly force to protect USAF personnel and resources.
Utilize leadership skills to accomplish a wide variety of missions from warehouse/inventory management operations to long term combat operations.
Graduate from BCT & AIT.

Prepare your us army officer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your us army officer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a us army officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable US Army Officer Resume templates

Build a professional US Army Officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your US Army Officer resume.

Apply for us army officer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a us army officer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do us army officers rate their job?

5/5

Out of 1 US Army Officer reviews, 100% were positive.

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Based On 1 Ratings

Pay / Salary

1.0

Overall Rating

5.0

Work/Life Balance

5.0

Career Growth

5.0

US Army Officer reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2023

Pros

Leadership training and a chance to become more

Cons

This sight is garbage and is 100% wrong the total percent of US Army Officer with a Bachelor’s is 100% because you have to have a degree to become an officer

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019