is being an “Eagle scout” a big deal?

38 comments

1. As someone that got Eagle, no. I did get a small college scholarship because of it, but that’s about the extent of the benefits.

   Let me clarify a little bit. It’s a big thing for kids and adults who are in or involved with scouts, but the general public doesn’t care. Even the kids generally stop caring about it by time they get to high school. It kind of becomes embarrassing to mention to other friends that you are still in scouts. I got mine somewhere around 7th grade, and was pretty much out of scouts by time I got to high school.

2. To people who give a shit about boyscouts it sure is. Ultimately though people who achieve eaglescout tend to be people who achieve in other realms too so it’s a big deal in the sense that it can be an indicator of how much of an achiever the individual is.

3. Knowing a few people that are Eagle Scouts, it kind of depends on the person.

   It doesn’t really set you on a career path or anything like that. It can be a nice looking line on a resume when you are young but after you have worked a while no one cares about that specifically too much. I would include it at the end of a resume because it is an accomplishment and if someone hiring was a scout it can start a little conversation. I always list I was a community radio DJ at the end of my resume. I don’t think I have been to an interview where someone didn’t mention it or ask about it.

   It isn’t the kind of thing that will get you the job but it might tip things in your favor if you are close with any other applicant.

   What it is great for is college applications. It shows you are dedicated to something and can follow through on a big project. I do alumni interviews for my college and that is definitely something I would note and ask about.

4. No. It is just a good thing to put on a young persons college or job application as it shows a degree of dedication, hard work, and an ability to lead a project. It’s analogous to showing reaching the highest levels of any other extra curricular activity.

5. All the Eagle Scouts I’ve known have been smart and driven, and are to this point (age 24-25) pretty successful. I can’t say whether the Eagle Scout aspect is causal, though. It could just be another symptom of high intelligence and good upbringing.

6. Eagle scouts are teenagers. It doesn’t set up any career, and most people who aren’t in scouts dont really care. Actually, if you’re bragging about scouts after like elementary school you’re probably going to get made fun of by other kids.

7. it’s pretty noteworthy to be an eagle scout. I have family who did it, and there’s a ton of work involved. you have to do a big service project.

   it definitely doesn’t guarantee success in life, but people see it as an impressive achievement and evidence you’re motivated and hard working. but there are other ways to communicate that to schools and potential employers that are just as effective (good grades, other extracurriculars, etc)

8. Eagle Scout isn’t a “big deal” except for those who are in scouting. Sort of like a black belt in karate or something?

   The kids that were Eagle Scout in my kids’ troop?

   I feel like the parents got a crew of their adult friends together to complete any project they were supposed to and then the kid gets his name on the project.

   Scouting here is looked on as a bit nerdy here. Little kids are into it but usually once organized sports come into play in school, kids quit scouting, except for the kids that need a bit of help socially.

9. It’s helpful for college applications and I believe if you enlist in the military as an Eagle Scout you start off one or two ranks higher. After that the title is really just a point of pride.

   While the title itself doesn’t have a lot of practical implications career wise, it does indicate to employers and people in general that you are/were a fairly responsible and dedicated teenager who has likely learned valuable life and practical skills through the program.

   It’s also a rite of passage for some families, especially if their dad was an Eagle Scout as well. Some treat it almost like a mini high school graduation.

   In the grand scheme of things it’s more of a stepping stone. Being an Eagle Scout won’t guarantee success, and not being one won’t keep you from going on to be successful either. It’s still a big accomplishment for a teenager regardless.

10. It’s a cool thing if that’s what the kid wants to do. But, quite frankly, it can also be a pain in the ass.

    Both my boys were in the Boy Scouts. They did it to be with their friends and go camping. But our troop had a reputation as an Eagle Scout factory. As in that’s all the dads talked about morning, noon, and night. Literally every weekly meeting ended with some blowhard talking about how, if you didn’t become an Eagle Scout, you’d be living in a dumpster behind Captain Ds or something. Maybe not literally, but it felt like that sometimes.

    Literally the first day each of them joined the troop, they were handed a binder so that they could keep up with their Eagle Scout paperwork. They would hound my sons that they weren’t making sufficient progress towards being Eagle Scouts. I would literally have a couple of fathers call me to express their concern. Mind you, I have two great sons. Smart, funny, and with lots of interests. But becoming Eagle Scout simply wasn’t one of them.

    Finally, the scoutmaster, in front of a couple of the other fathers said, “I really worry that you’re not pushing your kids to be Eagle Scouts.” To which I replied, “I am not pushing them to be Eagle Scouts because they don’t give a fuck about being Eagle Scouts. If one of my sons actually cared, I’d be with him every step of the way. But they’re in this for camping. That’s it. Any questions?” Then I changed the subject.

    Well, not my finest moment. But good grief. It’s not about building a resume. Both my sons eventually dropped out because they got tired of being nagged about it. The entire Eagle Scout thing took something fun in their lives and just turned it into another source of stress.

    It boils down to this. If there’s anything fun and enjoyable for kids to do, you can pretty much count on the bureaucrats coming in and turning it into work.

    Thanks for letting me vent.

11. Generally only to Boy Scout alumni. An increasingly amount of Americans don’t know what it is or what it entails. Growing up “Eagle scout” was something like a degree or certificate where it showed a person’s character and work ethic; you could make an assumption based on it.

12. It is a big deal. Achieving the level of eagle scout takes a lot of work. I didn’t realize how much of a big deal it was until I started working in town government- I see these kids working with the planning department, the schools, the conservation commission, and doing these huge, beautiful projects that is the feather in their cap, the “Eagle Scout Project”, and getting local officials to come to the party to celebrate the fact that they are an eagle scout now.

    As far as career, I don’t think it sets you up for a career PATH, but it is a major accomplishment and speaks to your character, especially to those who are in the know. It puts you in a small, elite club, in a way, and it’s certainly a leg up with some people.

13. When I was forced to be Mormon, yes. Now, absolutely not. Thankfully I get to be atheist now.

14. I am an eagle scout. Its alot of work and totally somrthing that went on my resume when i was younger. It shows commitment, work ethic and ability to learn which is what most companies are looking for in a person.

    Butnif i were to just tell a random person on the street they would probably not care.

15. It’s a big deal to Eagle Scouts who teenagers. Once they’re adults it’s more of a fond memory.

16. Yes.

    Lots of work to get there. And lots of work to achieve the title.

17. To some people it is. My parents wouldn’t let me get my driver’s license until I made Eagle, which didn’t happen until a few weeks after I turned 18. My two youngest brothers no longer have that expectation because my parents have decided that scouting isn’t important in the grand scheme of things. While I am annoyed that I had to work my ass off to make Eagle so I could drive myself to work, it did give me a jump start to my career in the military.

18. I’m not a scout person (mainly bc of their politics), but I do say, “hey good for you” when I hear someone made eaglescout

19. After getting my eagle I went on to become a licensed engineer. It’s the one thing i keep on my resume from high school, and I always get positive comments on it. If my interviewer is an eagle and I’m remotely qualified for the position it’s pretty much a guarantee I’m going to get a job offer.

20. As an Eagle Scout myself I can tell you nobody cares outside of Scouts and a few limited benefits. My car insurance was a little cheaper when I was under 21 for an Eagle Scout discount. I understand if you join the military you start at 1 pay rank higher? That’s about it.

21. Got me an internship with a US Senator, so that’s cool

22. It just shows you were a good kid.

    I used to do medical school admissions. Some would put it on their application. I didn’t really care because, to me, it’s mostly a childhood thing.

    That said, I do have my son (soon to be 6) signed up for Scouts and for hockey this year. He’s gonna have to pick just one for next year and going forward, because I don’t want him overloaded with extracurriculars. I don’t have much preference personally.

23. To eagle scouts, boy scouts, and those who respect all that, yes. To the rest of us, they might be considered dorks. Isn’t Gareth on the office (uk) something like an eagle scout?

24. I’m an Eagle Scout and coincidentally I had a conversation about this last week with one of my old bosses, who is also an Eagle, but obviously much older than me.

    It’s still on my resume, and it is a big achievement, but it definitely means less than it used to. There’s a combination of reasons for that. They’ve made it easier to get the award, so some (but most definitely not all) older Eagles think younger guys like myself (and now girls as well) are “cheating”. This is definitely a small minority though. The main reason is the declining enrollment in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) since the 70s. People just aren’t as familiar with the program, and what is involved to become an Eagle. This brings me to my third point, which is that the BSA’s public perception right now is spotty at best. The National Council hasn’t done itself any favors of the decade, or more, in terms of accepting members and volunteers from diverse backgrounds. To make things worse, both sides of the political spectrum have called out the BSA for being what they think is too far to the other side. Most don’t understand how the organization works, and how decentralized it is. Some parts are run amazingly well, like the summer camps in Northern New England. Other parts like the National Committee revising rank requirement to increase retention, leave a lot of be desired.

    In my personal professional experience, I have not had an interview yet where it was not talked about. But I also work in an industry that has had close relations with the BSA over the last 112 years. On the other end of the spectrum most colleges don’t care. It’s common enough, that smaller elite colleges will see plenty of them in their applications every year, and larger state schools, like the one I went to, won’t give the slightest shit.

    It’s a definitely an important award for myself because of the experiences I had, but it’s not a “golden ticket” like some older guys, or occasionally the BSA themselves like to go on about. But I wouldn’t say it is *completely* worthless either. Every Eagle I know under age 35 has pretty similar opinions to me. We’re all proud we did it, but it’s nowhere as big of a deal as some people make it out to be.

25. I mean people aren’t going to kiss your feet for it, but I think it’s a good certificate to have as a young adult.

26. Achieving Eagle is not nearly as big a deal as the parents of teenagers would have you believe when their son expresses a desire to drop out of scouting prior to achieving Eagle. I’m sure it can open some doors, but most people don’t give a shit.

    I participate in hiring in a professional setting. If someone were to tell me they were an Eagle scout in a job interview (or worse, list it on their resume) I would think the person is likely achievement oriented and able to finish what they start, but I would also think they are silly or immature for mentioning a teenage achievement in a job interview for a position that takes an advanced degree to even apply for. I care much more about college GPA, relevant education, and achievements within the last couple of years.

    I’m an Eagle scout btw

27. Yes it is. Meanwhile, the counter part achievement for Girl Scouts, the Gold Award, is largely unknown despite having similar standards of achievement.

28. It takes a lot of work to obtain and does grant some rewards. There are scholarships available to you when you go to college (at some schools full ride), and if you enter the military you will start one rank higher than normal when exiting boot camp.

29. Mom of two eagles here.. ..it gave them a good experience of setting goals and working towards them over a long haul. Plus, good life skills sadly missing in many youth. One has continued to excel in life, one has stalled a bit.

30. In boot camp, you graduate as an E3 while everyone else leaves as an E2 if you have a bachelor’s OR you were an Eagle Scout.

    Most people make E3 pretty fast so it doesn’t matter anyway, but my $160,000 degree was on the same level as being an Eagle Scout lmao.

    I’m a woman and at the time, we couldn’t be in scouts… so I guess that perk was just for the men.

    So yes? I guess

31. I’m an Eagle Scout and frankly I think it depends who you ask lol. Most of my friends (early 20s) are like “wow cool” where the older generation seems to be more impressed I guess. End of the day I see it as a title. What was important was what you took from the experience

32. I’m an Eagle Scout. I enjoyed the process when I was younger but thought being in scouts was pretty nerdy by the time I was in high school. I’m a lifelong camper and outdoor enthusiast from my experiences in scouts but I wouldn’t put it on my resume or anything like that.

33. I was sitting in my local dive bar several years ago when the subject came up. Turns out we had five Eagle Scouts there, including both bartenders.

    Attaining the rank of Eagle Scout generally means that you can take on a project and see it through to completion, including organizing and directing the work of others, and securing funding and support from adults (which can be scary for a 16 year old kid). That can be very helpful on a young person’s resume.

34. My father was an Eagle Scout. He was extremely poor and the son of immigrants so it was a huge achievement. He went on to become very successful.

35. It’s good for a young person to put on a resume or a college app to show your drive and determination. Makes you more competitive while you’re young and lack experience in other areas. My cousins were eagle scouts and I’m pretty sure it helped with scholarships.

36. I think it’s less of a deal than it used to be.

    Because you must get it before 18, I think it is primarily sought after to include on a resume for college/scholarship applications. At least that’s why I think guys I know got it. That and/or their father was an eagles scout.

    IMO it bears little weight after high school.

37. Not really. Being an Eagle scout is a big deal to Eagle scouts; other than themselves, no one really cares.

38. Honestly in my experience it’s mostly old people who care about it and the younger generations don’t seem to care that much.

    My dad is impressed by that status but neither my brother or I care at all or even know what it takes to get it.