Is becoming a special forces officer right for me?
The first step to choosing a career is to make sure you are actually willing to commit to pursuing the career. You don’t want to waste your time doing something you don’t want to do. If you’re new here, you should read about:
Still unsure if becoming a special forces officer is the right career path? Take the free CareerExplorer career test to find out if this career is right for you. Perhaps you are well-suited to become a special forces officer or another similar career!
Described by our users as being “shockingly accurate”, you might discover careers you haven’t thought of before.
How to become a Special Forces Officer
Training to become a special forces officer is long, tough, and intense and so drop out rates are high. Special forces officers must perform physically and mentally in dangerous and highly stressful situations. They have to bear numerous responsibilities. They require intelligence, self-discipline and confidence, and they often have to make rapid decisions.
Officers in the special forces need to be trained as survival experts, parachutists and swimmers, and must be skilled in the handling of explosives. They normally lead from the front and must be focused on completing the missions assigned to them. Special forces officers must outperform, outthink, and outlast the enemy.
Women are not currently able to work in special forces. There are also other limits such as age. In the United States, personnel wishing to become special forces officers must be no more than 25 years old. The officer will be the youngest person in a special forces detachment: generally between 25 and 27 years old, while the other soldiers are in their early to mid-thirties.
Special forces officers tend not to mix with regular soldiers and they are known for their integrity. An eye for detail is necessary. Grooming standards are relaxed; for example, special forces soldiers in Afghanistan go so far as to grow long beards. U.S. special forces operate in teams of twelve, while British special forces operate in four-man "saber teams."