Another thread was about someone’s son possibly joining the military. I and others opined that certain branches might better prepare a person for life in the real world. Which branches of the military do you think best prepare a person for civilian jobs? I’m asking about the enlisted ranks, and not officers.
I have never been in the military, so I’m just guessing and basing opinions on what I have observed.
Navy: My father was an officer, so I don’t have direct knowledge of enlisted life. (He got his commission before I was born.) I’ve noticed that many of the Navy enlisted personnel I’ve met in my life tend to gravitate toward the trades; plumbing, welding, electrical, and so forth.
Air Force: The Air Force enlisted people I’ve met and worked with seem to have headed toward technical fields such as computer programming/IT and engineering.
Marine Corps: I can only think of three people I worked with who were Marines; all at the same company, and all in Security (not security guards, but in control of classified data). One is now a production director at a large paper/packaging company in Seattle. My general impression is that having been a Marine affords come cachet that employers like. Maybe it’s their ‘can-do’ attitude.
Army: One of my friends got out of the Army and opened a video studio. He was called back during Bush’s War, was injured in training, and is now going to film school. He was also a tattoo artist, and makes his living as a gunsmith. My SO was a Warrant Officer. Is that enlisted, or officer? She had several jobs before settling on becoming an RN. (Her father was an Army pilot in WWII, and he became an engineer.) She said the other day that the only thing the Army teaches you is how to be a soldier. I seem to notice a lot of truckers and construction workers who were in the Army.
There are so many different jobs one can do in any of the military branches, that I think that makes a much larger difference than whether you pick Army/Air Force/Navy/Marines. The only slight difference I can think of is that (IMHO) Air Force is maybe seen as a slightly higher quality or more elite branch, for whatever that’s worth to future employers. Second would probably be Navy. Certain types of employers would probably be more impressed by a former Marine.
Really, though, I think people should choose based on their interests. Some people really respond to the “hoorah” of the Marine Corps. Some can’t wait to join the infantry.
If it were me, I’d go Navy. The Navy and Air Force are widely regarded as having the nicest facilities, but the Navy has more cool bases around the world.
Well it kind of depends not so much on branch as speciality. A medical corps person can get a good civilian job based directly on skills learnt and probably an engineer as well. A simple infantryman less so.
Also the answer would differ according to various countries. The US has a fairly short service requirement (3-4 years) while in Commonwealth countries service of decade or more are commonplace. Which leads to the next question; when is the person leaving the service? A yoiung 22 year old who leaves after 4 years can easily retrain from scratch, while a guy who leaves at 38 after 20 years is far less able. Mid level to high level offciers might haver made contacts in industry which they can use to gain emploment, a person who left as an E-3 rather less so.
A WO starts life as an enlisted service member, then applies for the WO program/commission (E-5 for Army and Marines, E-7 for Navy). They’re not officers in the better known sense of the word ( they’ll never be a general, f’rinstance), but they’re pretty darn special. ( says the SO of a CWO4… )
I’d vote for Air Force, because they seem less “traumatized” by their time in.. that is, they are more able to adapt to the idiosyncrasies of civilian life. But don’t tell the USMC boyfriend!!
On average, I would think the navy and air force offer better oportunities for a post service career, if only because neither branch has infantry which focuses on many skills that are not necessarily useful in civilian life.
I spent 24 years in the US Air Force as an aircraft mechanic. For about half that time I trained mechanics or ran FTD schools. Therefore I went to night school and earned a BS in Education. Later on (1992) I worked in a Headquarters and had to use computers. I liked it and went back to school for a degree in Computers. I retired as the internet boom and Y2K scare was happening so getting a job in computers was easy. I used my degree in Education to teach college classes at night. I could still turn wrenches on aircraft, if I wanted, however I’m getting a little too old for that.
Oh! I still had a lot of GI Bill left after I retired, so I could have changed careers again.
So in a nutshell what I went into the military to do isn’t what I came out doing. With things like Tuition Assistance while in the service and GI Bill (or whatever they are calling it now) there’s plenty of opportunity (when not deployed) to learn different skills.
As far as which branch is better, I’m biased towards the USAF. However I know of people from all the services who do well. My boss is a retired Navy guy and you can tell he loved it.
A friend in high school went into the AF as a WO chopper pilot. In general, WOs are technical specialists and not commanders like commissioned officers. They can come from the enlisted or direct to service.
As for the OP, I would agree with the sentiment that the job matters more than the service. That said, quality of life and chance for extra service education is much better in the Airforce in general. Less chance of deployment and better bases. I served 4 years at Pearl Harbor. I loved Hawaii, but you could see the difference in facilities and happiness when you crossed the shrub border into Hickam AFB. The downside was the slow advancement. I was an E6 in less than 6 years, which while on the fast side, is not that unusual. You could retire after 20 years in the AF as an E4. In 1999, the Navy forced you out after 8 years if you didn’t make at least E5.
Both during service time, and afterwards in civilian life, I have found that the Air Force folks are by far the happiest. I don’t know whether their training leads to better jobs, but I know they seem to enjoy their lives more.
I’m a retired enlisted Marine, so there’s my bias.
There’s MOS training, and then there’s general training.
MOS (Military Occupational Specialty, or your “job”): if you’re looking for specialized training, like nuclear ships or like servicing KC-130s or being a SEAL or Force Recon, that pretty much decides your service branch for you. However, there are MOSs that are equivalent across all branches, such as cook, office clerk, vehicle mechanic and such. It depends on if you’re looking for a particular MOS.
General training: I was pleasantly surprised when I was transitioning into a civilian job that the Marines’ small-unit leadership skills translate very effectively into the civilian world. Marines learn leadership early on, and while the other branches also groom NCOs, there’s a USMC saying, “NCOs are the backbone of the Corps.” NCOs (Corporals and Sergeants, E-4s and E-5s) lead small teams and these skills translate directly into good management traits.
Also, Marines are mission-oriented. We accomplish the mission, no matter what. Everything else is an excuse, and is failure. I’ve met vets from other branches who don’t get that basic concept.
My brother was in the Air Force and his approach to life and civilian occupation is much different from mine.
As for who is happiest, we Marines aren’t happy unless we’re bitchin’ about something.
Anyway I told you my bias so take this with a grain of saltpeter in your MREs, but I’m partial towards Marines.
Anyway, I submit that the Branch is less important than the specific MOS or Rate. There are lots of IT and medical jobs in the Army that translate very easily into the civilian world. You can also check out the flight careers… I don’t understand how anybody seeking rotor-wing training on their own dime at a civilian flight school can be competitive with someone who has military flight training and flight hours.
If I had to do it over again, I would have asked to be a medical specialist like a radiologist or dental assistant.
And just from experience, young soldiers who show up for job training and don’t care about investing in a career or accomplishing their mission usually end up dissatisfied and stressed.
Last time I checked, the Air Force had the highest rate of junior enlisted folks earning bachelor’s degrees. The reasons for this, I believe, are twofold. One, predictable shifts. I always worked standard 8-hour days, 0730-1630. This meant I could take classes at night. Two, locations. Air Force bases are very rarely what I would describe as “The middle of nowhere,” and you’re never stuck on a boat for 6 months. I’ve always had a major community college and/or university within 25 minutes of my duty station.
As someone said upthread, though, it often comes down to your career field. USAF Security Forces troops work 12 hour shifts, 3 days on 3 days off, and get deployed constantly. Not many of them earn bachelor’s degrees while serving, and they have a low retention rate. Meanwhile, everyone I know who worked in comm and wanted to get a BS during their 6 year enlistment was able to do so.
I was a Navy submarine officer in my past life. From keeping up with several of my former shipmates in their post-navy life, the ones with the best careers (among the enlisted) are by far the nuclear-trained enlisted, which include Machinist’s Mates, Electrician’s Mates, and Electronics Technicians. They work (of course) at nuclear power plants, but also across conventional engineering fields of all types, including oil, transportation, computers, and similar fields.
Nuclear-trained enlisted is probably, academically speaking, the most difficult part of the enlisted Navy (and possibly entire enlisted Armed Services) to qualify for. Also, being enlisted in the Navy can really suck, especially for the first few years.
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