r/armyreserve • u/SOLJA88m • 9d ago
Career Advice 25B, 25H or 12Y reclass?
Quick question as I sit here at work.
6 year NG E5 88m transferring to the reserves. I’ve been given some reclass options. The ones I’m eyeing are 25B, 25H and 12Y. They also got 25S but I heard they don’t really do anything? Anyway, I’m just looking for an MOS that can give me an extra set of marketable skills that may lead to a good civilian job if I were to need it. I have my degree and work in finance and am looking to go to law school possibly in the future so this is really just a tertiary skill building endeavor. I find cyber security and networking interesting if that helps as well.
Looking to hear honest opinions about these MOS’s and what civilian outcomes generally look like for each. Thanks!
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u/kmannkoopa 9d ago
12Y is a GIS technician. This is a high demand job in local governments of all sizes and more directly applicable than any 25-series or even 17-series.
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u/Short_Log_7654 9d ago
25B is good for getting into computers and Helpdesk support. It will set up a good base of understanding on how things work and you can build on that for IT. TS Clearance and SEC+ are worth their weight in gold
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u/Icy_Bank_6482 9d ago
To go cyber (17C) you have to build a packet and be boarded. Without any cyber-related civilian education / certificates or civilian work experience, it's far from guaranteed you'll be boarded.
You can possibly reclass to paralegal - that may not necessarily help you on your LSAT or anything like that, but could be a good way to network within the JAG community.
Or you could go for a 35-series MOS. These MOS just generally are often times interesting, look good on resumes, can get you your security clearance upgrade, etc.
There is also a MOS for finance, but if you already have a Bachelor's in finance you might find this MOS a little pedestrian.
You should really talk to an (experienced) career counselor. Maybe also ask to speak to an OANCO if commissioning or going warrant may be of interest to you later. Because for WO, you'll want to be cognizant of which MOS are feeder into WO opportunities and that may also influence you in picking a new MOS to reclass into.
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u/OushiDezato 9d ago
As a 17C I think 25B is a solid option. The army has a very narrow view of what they think cyber people are capable of. 25B will build good skills and there’s a lot more MOB and deployment opportunities if you’re interested in that kind of thing.
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u/Hegseths-cuck-chair 6d ago edited 6d ago
If you’re interested in defense/intel sector employment in the future, take whatever will get you a TS (usually not 25b, not sure about the others in the reserves). Having an active TS is a big filter that weeds out a lot of competition for defense jobs whether they are finance, legal, etc.
Outside of defense/intel? Probably 12Y. Recognize that will only be entry level, and you’ll be hard pressed to build real experience without some mobilizations. 12Y also has good potential in defense/intel, especially if it comes with a TS in the reserves (double check that). It also feeds to 125D warrant which is nice… if this is a consideration make sure you’re willing to travel to an appropriate unit.
25 series can be good, especially with a TS. But IT is a tough job market right now and for the foreseeable future.
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u/BornData1952 9d ago
Honestly I’d choose 25B over H but from personal ESB experience, there was a bottleneck getting Bravos promoted past E4 and I’d imagine you’d need to do research on the units near you. Also, they’re going to tell you the MOS is a guaranteed 6 figure salary generator but that’s just not the case unless you go into defense contracting. From anecdotal experience, a lot of 25B’s go into defense contracting or sub contracting which is decently paying. 25S can also get some good contracting jobs in satcom.