Sapper School (like Ranger School) is officially designated the “Sapper Leader Course” and it is open for all branches. However, attending these schools costs money and it can occasionally be a challenge to get authorized to go by your unit (who will need to pay). Units will often refer to their TOE (table of organization and equipment) to tell them how many XYZ qualified Soldiers they need and prioritize schools accordingly. As an example, a Tank Company would have zero allocations for Airborne qualified Soldiers (because you cannot air drop a tank). So, they would not place a high priority on having Airborne qualified Soldiers. In the same way, Sapper School might be an excellent leader development course, but your unit might have little need for Sapper qualified lieutenants… Ranger School tends to be more broadly accepted (regardless of MTOE allocations for Rangers) because it is generally accepted that the type of mission planning and tactics and leadership challenges in Ranger School are universally applicable to all military branches. Ranger School directly states that they are NOT attempting to teach tactics, they are a leader development institution. period. hard stop. Sapper School cadre (I don’t know from personal experience here) would probably claim to teach “leadership, too” because they also have as a primary mission to qualify Soldiers on a very specific set of skills… skills that you can use to make bombs… skills that can make Sappers very dangerous with a paper clip and a bubble gum wrapper…

Other schools? Go to any schools. All schools are valuable as a Junior Officer. Don’t get aggressive about finding/making your own opportunities, but take every opportunity you are offered. Open slot for Master Fitness Trainer? Send me! Open slot for Defense Training Management System? Send me! Open slot for Underwater Knife Fighting? Send me! This aligns with the general principle of “broadening” for junior officers to develop experience valuable in their future careers and it aligns with the philosophy of doing the mission you’re given, not the mission you want.

Nobody talks about SF in the same way as Ranger School because it is a selection course, not a training course. You do not go to SFAS with an intention to return to your unit a better Leader. You go to SFAS with an intention to leave your unit for a different career path. Nobody talks about Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) in the same way as Ranger School either. These are not “leader development” or “training” courses. They are selection courses. The motivation and the end states are different.

Some Reserve officers I know have gone to way MORE schools because they’re schedules are more open. Active Duty need to work schools around year-round training cycles AND funding. Reserve Officers can adjust their training cycles to match when school dates are available (but still need to find funding, too). So, who knows? I think it depends on your motivation, and you seem motivated.

Good luck!

~Jeff