There are many practical reasons to consider joining ROTC. If you apply for scholarships, being an ROTC cadet can help you pay for college. It can ensure that you have placement after college, and it’s a great extracurricular to list on your resume while you’re in college, too. Regardless of the reason you’re considering ROTC, it’s good to know what kind of things you’ll be taught through the program. Add these key ROTC teaching outcomes to your list of reasons why ROTC could be a practical option for you.
- How to be a Leader and a Manager
Whether you want to have a military career or not, most future employers want to hire leaders with great managerial skills. The ROTC’s curriculum is primarily centered on building leaders for the future. In the ROTC program, cadets must go through training exercises and may sometimes be required to lead team members. Building leadership skills is not just applicable for the military. It makes you a stronger person and will help you with any military or civilian future job prospects. - Military Skills
ROTC is a military training program, so it only makes sense that you’d be learning military skills throughout the program. While the first two years in ROTC are focused on leadership training and an introduction to military structure, the last two years are the point at which most cadets make a military commitment. This is when the advanced training kicks up a notch. Many ROTC cadets must go through summer military training courses after they’ve made a commitment. Military skills are vital for the time you are serving, but they are also great life skills, too. Determination and discipline are quality life skills that the ROTC will help you hone. - How to Gain the Respect of Your Peers and Future Employers
In ROTC, you learn how to work as a leader and with a team. Being in the military requires group commitment and teamwork, and the ROTC mimics this aspect. As you grow as a leader and as an individual, you will gain the respect of your peers. Your common experiences will unite you. These types of team skills and leadership skills are crucial, and working toward these idealized skills will help you gain respect from those around you, and it’ll look great to future employers. - How to Train Yourself Mentally and Physically
While you can, in fact, be in the ROTC and be like any other college student, it does require time management skills and a solid commitment to your involvement. Through ROTC, you have physical requirements as well as academic course requirements. Being in the military is difficult both mentally and physically, so the ROTC program tries to imitate this in order to prepare young cadets for their future.
