If I see an enlisted kid I look at his enlisted record. I'd be more inclined to ask a JO why he didn't stay in and try to make admiral.
I'm a fairly diggitty sub officer but my career aspirations end with command at sea, if I am lucky enough to get that far.
Unless something drastically changes, sitting at a desk and coming up with a plans (more accuratey; making my staff come up with plans for me to brief SECNAV/SECDEF/whatever politician) to fight the Navy's sexual assault epidemic, integrate women into submarines, or the next diversity initiative does not interest me. Neither does wading through DoD acquisition programs (even if the retirement and possibility of being rehired as a consultant for 2-3x flag pay is enticing), nor does flagellating COs about RC div maintenance in a 20-page exposition that compares operating a warship to playing football and likens submarining to the five pillars of faith because Admirals can.
There is an operational planning side of the flag positions -- how many subs to put in which theater, what data collection we want, how to fix the sub training program so we stop hitting things, etc., but those jobs are in the minority and not worth all the dues you have to pay to get there post-command (pentagon tour, flag staff tour). They don't just hand you a star for being a good CO at sea.
IMHO, All the fun stuff in the sub force -- the stuff that drew me to seeking a commission in it -- ends with command at sea.
If I were not diggity, then I would be 5 or 7-and-out, depending on if I wanted to roll the dice with shore duty, like the rest of them. In fact, one of the only reasons I went nuke was that the technical training provided a good backup had I not been diggity, whereas I didn't think the skills of an armor officer or conventional SWO were as easily applied to the outside world after everything was said and done. There is nothing wrong with doing only one contract. Their service is appreciated and I hope they go on to be successful in their new careers. The Navy needs 1 tour and out Sailors and JOs to function as designed.
The TESC degree is ABET acredited now though. I am not sure how one would distinguish between "ABET acredited" and "legitimate ABET accredited"...
My bad, either I was thinking of the wrong degree or did not think it was considered to be ABET accredited.