I’ll provide a slightly different perspective. As a cadet, I served in reserve units for three years prior to commissioning and entering active duty. While I can’t speak specifically on the transition like brock.j.young did, I can say some things are different.  Unfortunately, there is somewhat of a perception of reserve units. However, like most things, the perception originates from a lack of understanding. At the end of the day, you have 8 years of service, and with that many experiences you can draw from that can help your active duty organization.

I don’t think reserves is easier or harder, but more importantly each has their own set of challenges and opportunities. As an active duty officer, like Brock mentioned, you are expected to devote time into the Army profession because it is “full time.”  In active duty, you can negotiate what type of units you can serve and are not necessarily tethered down to a location. Some units provide more opportunities to deploy than others based on their mission.

At the end of the day, leaders and peers won’t worry or hold your reserve experience against you if you use it to help the organization. It comes down to your performance and ability to work with others.