Final answer:
Enlisted OCS applicants who are E-5 or above are designated as officer candidates while retaining their current paygrades. In civil service, GS grades dictate pay and promotion, with higher grades such as GS-13 to GS-15 requiring specialized experience and education. Military officer training, like ROTC, also provides pathways to a commission paralleling civil service promotion standards.
Step-by-step explanation:
Enlisted Officer Candidate School (OCS) applicants in the U.S. military who hold the paygrade of E-5 (or above) are designated as officer candidates and retain their current enlisted paygrades. In the General Schedule (GS) of U.S. civil service, the paygrades and requirements vary across positions. For instance, GS-3 through GS-7 require ascending levels of education, with GS-5 calling for a bachelor's degree, while grades GS-13 through GS-15 necessitate specialized experience and education. When individuals are hired at a specific grade in the GS system, they start at step one, the lowest pay for that grade, and can advance in steps assuming satisfactory performance. Military education programs such as ROTC may lead to a commission as an officer, similar to how achieving specific standards can lead to promotion within the civil service.