If you become a Navy officer, then your primary focus is expected to be to lead men, not to worry about what next big test you need to take to advance.

Fair enough- I'm pretty much only looking at it from a cost/benefit standpoint.

If you had to take mood stabilizers to deal with work related stress, do you think you're going to handle the Navy? The Navy can be incredibly high stress.

I don't really have a problem with stress. My doctor just noticed I was unhappy with my working conditions (and at the time I didn't have the means to leave my job) and said 'These'll help.' If I'd known it was an automatic disqual I would have said no.

Add on to that that you are responsible for the safety and well-being of the men and women under you, are you absolutely certain you could be trusted with that responsibility?

Absolutely.

In short, it doesn't really sound like you want to be a leader, it sounds more like you want to go back to school/be challenged academically.

I definitely don't want to go back to school- degrees are expensive, easy, and ultimately a worthless exercise in politicking. I want to make real money, and be acknowledged and rewarded for my abilities, not spending my time doing repetitive tasks until I've got enough years to move to the next repetitive rung in the hopes that I'll make it to the top and get to do something challenging and rewarding before I die.

I want to lead, but only so that I can list it as 'management experience' later, not out of any real sense of duty or anything like that. If I got in, I'd do my job and do it well (as I always do), but probably only because it's my job. I don't really have any passions at all- I'm looking for a field that will give me work (and a salary) commensurate with my abilities.

Basically, right now, I'm able to perform high-level business functions (consulting, management, oversight, presentation, C-level interaction), but I don't have all that much experience doing them (I've done them all, but not for the 3-5 years everyone lusts after). No company in the civilian world will take me on my word and give me a job like that, and I'm sure as hell not going to be happy with anything less, so I was hoping (based on what I'd heard) that I could just walk in the door, prove myself to be the best according to their established standards, and then reap the rewards.

From what you're saying, this probably isn't the route I'm looking for, unfortunately.