U.S. Navy Command Career Counselors (CCC) help sailors make the right career decisions for their Navy careers and aid with the transitioning and retiring processes. The experts at MyNavy HR write that these counselors provide a critical link between sailors, their commands and Navy supporting agencies. In essence, a Navy career counselor is a human resources specialist. This role is a position of great trust and responsibility and reports to superior officers such as a Command Master Chief or a Senior Enlisted Leader.
A Navy command career counselor is the primary resource for sailors to take advantage of when they need answers to questions about their careers and personal and professional development opportunities, operating similarly to a human resources employee at a corporation. The writers at Operation Military Kids explain that the general responsibilities of a Navy command career counselor circle around education, career development, retention, advancement, financial preparedness, transition assistance and deployability. They provide these resources at various levels of the chain of command.
A command career counselor must use a variety of online systems to manage their Command Development Program. Some include My Navy Portal, the Career Information Management System, the Defense Manpower Data Center, and the Navy Enlisted Advancement System. It can be a challenging job because a single command career counselor can be responsible for hundreds or even thousands of sailors; there's often only one or two of these professionals on a craft.
Advertisement Article continues below this adMost of the time, earning a Navy career counselor badge is more involved than becoming a human resources counselor. Applicants must have Navy experience and pass specific tests and exams. To start, they need six or more years of Navy experience (two in the present rating) and a paygrade of E-5 or E-6. Those who receive approval to become CCCs attend a Navy Career schoolhouse in San Diego, California, or Norfolk, Virginia. This schooling takes two weeks, and upon completion, students need a combined ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) and AR (Arithmetic Reasoning) score of at least 105, with an individual AR score of 50 or more.
Candidates must also pass a PFA (Physical Fitness Assessment) with a minimum score of Good Low for all the categories and provide a full-body picture wearing their PTU (Navy Physical Training Uniform). This picture must be taken when the applicant stands at attention from the front, side, and at a 45-degree angle. Finally, the sailor needs an endorsement provided by an active Navy counselor and no non-judicial punishments levied against them for the past 36 months.
U.S. Navy Command Career Counselors have to be at specific pay grades before they can qualify for these positions, so the starting salary is at the E-5 rate. However, they receive a 100 percent salary advancement when they get to E-6. The annual salary ranges from $36,018 to $89,698. The lowest numbers are for E-5s with six years of service; the highest is for E-9s with 30 years of Navy service.
Advertisement Article continues below this adCCCs do not receive bonus pay, but they receive other compensation. This compensation can be for basic allowance for housing, flight pay, sea pay, basic allowance for sustenance, and other kinds of extra pay. Another good thing about being a CCC is the opportunity to use these skills in civilian careers. Options include being a human resource specialist for a private or public company, a career coach or an admissions advisor. Others may choose to become managers and recruiters.