How the hell did Misato get her job?

[SAWgunner]

So, Misato survives the Second Impact at Ground Zero, comes out of her catastrophic fugue state to go to college, and becomes... Nerv's Operation's Officer? Misato is essentially a military officer charged with planning and supervision of Eva combat operations, but she has no military background to speak of. There is no indication of what her degree is in either, so we can't use a major in Military Science as a reason. I just wonder why, in a post-apocalyptic world full of post-2I conflict veterans with ample combat experience, would Nerv choose for its most critical military position a woman lacking any relevant skill sets whatsoever.
Which isn't to say she doesn't do a good job, it's just that there was no indication from her background that she could have. It makes no sense to hire her in that capacity.
I know there's probably no real reason at all, it's just that this has always bothered me.

[KnightmareX13]

So, Misato survives the Second Impact at Ground Zero, comes out of her catastrophic fugue state to go to college, and becomes... Nerv's Operation's Officer? Misato is essentially a military officer charged with planning and supervision of Eva combat operations, but she has no military background to speak of. There is no indication of what her degree is in either, so we can't use a major in Military Science as a reason. I just wonder why, in a post-apocalyptic world full of post-2I conflict veterans with ample combat experience, would Nerv choose for its most critical military position a woman lacking any relevant skill sets whatsoever.
Which isn't to say she doesn't do a good job, it's just that there was no indication from her background that she could have. It makes no sense to hire her in that capacity.
I know there's probably no real reason at all, it's just that this has always bothered me.

Her degree is never given which is curious. And how see joined or learned about NERV is not revealed. Gendo may have sought her out, knowing she has some resentment against the angels for her father's death. Another possibility is that see learned of NERV, which at the time would have been Gehirn, from Ritusuko when in college and joined because she wanted payback for what happened to her father. Another thing to consider is that Misato may have two degrees, having went back to school or done night courses to get a degree relevant to her position at NERV.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

I just wonder why, in a post-apocalyptic world full of post-2I conflict veterans with ample combat experience, would Nerv choose for its most critical military position a woman lacking any relevant skill sets whatsoever.

The series never said she was without the relevant skills, it just doesn't include any exposition as to how she got them. There's a difference, you know.

The bottom line for Evangelion is that "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". We're explicitly shown that Misato went to college, we're just never told for what. And I guess if that's enough for a 13-year-old German girl having ambitions to pilot the Evangelion who had a mother in the company, then it's also good enough for a 29-year-old Japanese woman having ambitions to exact her revenge on the Angels who also had a father in the company.

[Mr. Tines]

It's the same way that at the ripe old age of 19, the Lovely Angels have a galaxy-spanning history of being involved in disasters that were totally not their fault.

[Sachi]

She had been a part of Nerv for many years between college and her first appearance in the show. She very likely just moved up the ranks in this time and made it to Operations Director by the time of the show. Nerv is fairly young, and it's not like there's going to be much of an uphill battle when it comes to promotions (ie, no need to wait for the position above you to open up; it's likely not filled anyways). It's obvious in EoE that she has combat training, and knows what she's doing.

That, and she already had an intimate relationship with all the shenanigans from surviving Second Impact, spending years in recovery with what was likely a Gehirn-related team, going to college among peers with similar futures (in fact, I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to suggest that her college was somehow Nerv-related), and then enlisting in Nerv after college.

[The Abhorrent]

There's a few possible reasons, but here's my guess.

- Due to being the only survivor of Second Impact, NERV/SEELE/MIB/whoever wanted to keep a close eye on her. The phrase "she knows too much" is usually used in the context of someone needing to be eliminated, but her young age at the time of the event might have given them reason to keep her as an ally (by eventually hiring her); not to mention they (presumably) could easily see her motives for fighting the Angels. Fuyutsuki got a fairly similar treatment, though far less courteous.

- NERV/SEELE/MIB/whoever could've been taking care of since the events of Second Impact. The series never mentions her mother, so whether or not she's alive or dead is never touched upon. If she's dead, someone had to care for Misato; if she is (or was) alive, NERV could still be helpful to Misato and her mother by funding her treatment (which seems to be the case)... and perhaps even her education. A lot of favours and pulled strings could be at play here.

- Despite her disorganized lifestyle and silly demeanour at home, Misato can be quite competent (when needed) and is probably smarter than she's given credit for. Not a technical expert like the majority of NERV's staff (presumably), but still quite sharp. Even with the help alluded to in the last point, Misato almost certainly contributed to her own success.


As for what her degree is in.... well, I've always had a hunch it was in education. The AU sequence from episode 26 being the most obvious implication, but there's another matter which could be a factor:

Asuka's post-secondary degree

Asuka may be a child prodigy due to her obtaining this degree at all, but no thirteen-year-old (if not younger) is going to get a degree from post-secondary without some assistance; she needed a tutor, and you can probably guess where this is going.

Misato is said to have taken care of Asuka before the series, though the details are scarce; when and for how long aren't specified. Assuming Misato graduated in the same year as Ritsuko, which would soon be followed with the elder Akagi's death... that's a good eight years (I think, I'm trying to track down a date on the wiki for this) for Misato to help Asuka through an accelerated education.

This leaves the question of how Misato managed to do that, gain the necessary combat training, and learned how to be a tactician.... well, that's not my realm of expertise.

And that's probably enough from this tangent.

[SAWgunner]

So we can make an educated guess as to how Misato got into Nerv, but on the issue of how she got her, job, we can only speculate. Then again, Gendo does have a way of assigning people to jobs based on their inner demons and motivations rather than their skills (Shinji). Could be the same for Misato. The world may never know.

[Alaska Slim]

but she has no military background to speak of.

I don't know what makes you say this, she states in 15 that she joined NERV right after leaving Kaji, which is likely the same as when she graduated from college.

This means she had between 6-8 years in the military (NERV). In the U.S., this is a reasonable amount of time to become Captain, and if the forces are being mobilized, even Major is not unheard of.

Depending on how much of her father's experiments she paid attention to as a teenager/how much of said work she looked into as an adult for her own ends, her background would leave her perfect for the job she leads.

Her background incidentally, gave her mid-tier clearance, which means no one had to bother to "read her in", as they would have for someone who lacked that.

On paper, no one comes to mind as to who would have been more qualified. New weapons, a new realm of tactics, a new organization, a non-human foe, etc. I could even draw a few parallels to historical figures whom were the first in their own fields, even her own eccentricities aren't really beyond them.

[SAWgunner]

Alaska Slim, for some reason, I never considered Nerv to be "military" but when you put it in those terms, it makes perfect sense for Misato to have the position she does. She has enough time in service and, even if she didn't have any apparent tactical abilities going into it, those could have been nurtured over time. Or she had latent abilities that came to the fore only later. It would be interesting to see how her career developed.

So, most plausible theory: Misato entered Nerv at some entry-level position, and gradually attained her rank after showing talent in the military arts. Thanks Slim, most appreciated.

EDIT: Not to mention, recruiting someone with prior service in a national or UN armed force means recruiting someone who may have residual loyalties to his prior organization, different world view at odds with Nerv's organizational culture, too set in his ways to develop Eva tactics, etc. Yeah, Misato makes perfect sense now.

[Someone]

I think there weren't an awful lot of applicants.

[bobbyfischer's ghost]

She drank the other applicants under the table,no but seriously she probably moved up the ranks like any other military officer. The fact that she survived second impact may have also helped her acquire the position.

[SAWgunner]

I don't think that could have helped too much. Just because a man survives a bombing raid doesn't qualify him to command bombers, or anti-aircraft guns. The only way it would help is, as was said before, Gendo finding a way to use her vendetta to his advantage.

[bobbyfischer's ghost]

yeah that's what I was trying to refer to, sorry I didn't make myself clear. Because of the events of second impact she is more likely to be cooperative with whatever Gendo orders, for the sake of revenge against the angels .

[NemZ]

Nerv is very much a 'family' sort of organization with a noted preference for young minds, so it isn't at all surprising she'd be working for them in some capacity. She was probably specifically groomed for the role much like Asuka, and her eccentricities were ignored so long as her other qualifications were top-notch. Specifically she needs an expertize in squad-level infantry tactics, a highly adaptable mind to deal with unpredictable threats, and the moral flexibility to knowingly send children to their likely deaths if that's what the job demands.

[Trajan]

SI killed about half the human population; this, coupled with her college experience and time served in the military, may very well make her the most qualified person for the position. It's not like there there are any experts whose field is 'commanding giant bio-mechanical monstrosities piloted by children' anyways.

[arkiel]

Probably because Second Impact shocked Japan into a spontaneous cultural revolution where women are allowed roles with authority.

Figurehead value has to be a part of it. It isn't coincidence that the only survivor of the Angels' first strike is now commanding the principle anti-Angel fighting force. Even if Misato resolved to be the best damn Angel-fighter the moment she snapped out of her coma (and presumably stuck her tongue down her female nurse's throat), there's no way she'd be able to prepare herself for Eva command without someone at Gehirin/NERV taking an interest and steps to groom her for the role.

Or we could just be lazy and assume she slept her way into the position.

[Warren Peace]

There's a lot of talk about Misato being driven by revenge that could have motivated her ascension. I say "talk" because we never really see that -- she's always pragmatic during operations, taking risks only when needed. Even so, maybe she got that rank because she wanted it the most.

[ReiAyanami25]

There's a lot of talk about Misato being driven by revenge that could have motivated her ascension. I say "talk" because we never really see that -- she's always pragmatic during operations, taking risks only when needed. Even so, maybe she got that rank because she wanted it the most.

Yes, perhaps her desire to avenge her fathers death was so great that managed to prove herself. I doubt that anyone at Nerv besides Kaji, Ritsuko or Shinji and Asuka know how sloppy and disorganised when she is at home, so maybe she seemed professional and capable enough for her to receive her occupation as Captain/Major. Also, but this as only an idea, perhaps she was given her job due to the fact that she witnessed second impact, perhaps somebody at Nerv thought this would be useful at some point.

[driftking18594]

Or we could just be lazy and assume she slept her way into the position.

Gendodammit, I was going to say that! The Uber-Pimp has had sex with Ritsuko, so what's going to stop him from sleeping with everyone's favourite purple-haired drunkard?

[Chuckman]

Gendodammit, I was going to say that! The Uber-Pimp has had sex with Ritsuko, so what's going to stop him from sleeping with everyone's favourite purple-haired drunkard?

The thought of this is so repulsive it made me make an "eughhhh" noise out loud.