Lydia,

Welcome to the Chemical Corps.  As you are a testament to, this branch has had a long history of detailing officers in.  Do you already know your unit of assignment?

I would answer your first question in two ways – first about how to get ahead in the chemical corps itself, and, second, about how to get ahead as a detailed officer, which will dovetail with your second question about preparing for Signal CCC.

First, how do you get ahead in the Chemical Corps?

The answer to this is, generally, the same as it would be for any branch with differences only in the details.  Your job as a new lieutenant is to study, learn, lead, make mistakes, and learn again.  While in Chem, you may find yourself as a Chemical staff officer (CHEMO), a PL, an XO, or even a Team Leader for Technical Escort.  Regardless of your current assignment, your job is to know it as thoroughly as possible, which means reading applicable regulations and manuals, working with your peers to discover and develop good TTPs or SOPs for your office or organization, and doing the best you can with what you have.  As I mentioned, all lieutenants, regardless of branch, face nearly the same challenge with differences in day-to-day tasks or equipment that you use to do your job.

Beyond understanding your current job, your second task as a lieutenant is to prepare for the next position, even if you don’t know exactly what that may be.  This should not be a primary effort, of course – never prepare for what comes next at the expense of doing your current job to the best of your ability.  Take every opportunity you have in a spare moment or in downtime to figure out what others around you do so that, if you ever have to fill their position, you can have a walking or running start rather than crawling in the dark.

As for your second question, how the detail system works and how you can prepare for Signal CCC, the answer to this is inherently built into the first question’s answer.  Talk to people who know the things you want to know.  Your organization will have a Signal officer who, hopefully, has been to their career course. They will be your best opportunity to learn what is coming in the future.  Naturally, as you get closer to that point, you will want to spend more and more of your free time with this person to ensure you’re ready.  They can provide not only insight, but training and education opportunities while you’re serving in Chem (that you will likely have to commit personal time to) that will help you advance.

As for the detail process, most of my peers that were detailed faced a choice at their 3 year mark whether to continue with their originally intended branch or to stay Chem.  The branch assignment officers will notify you at the appropriate time and provide guidance on what to do.  If you ever feel that you may be coming close to that transition point and do not have the information you need, you can contact the Chemical branch and ensure that they give you what you need, but rest assured they’re tracking your detail status.

So… in short, for your current job, be attentive, learn, ask questions, do your best, make mistakes, and learn more.  During all of that learning, learn about what could come next.  If you’re a PL, spend time learning the CHEMO’s or XO’s job.  Talk to battalion staff occasionally to learn how being a staff officer differs from being a line officer.  Read books and keep reading books.  When you’re done, read more.

Please don’t hesitate to ask anything that pops into your head!  I’ll be happy to help you out as you progress.
Shep