I don’t smoke anyway, but thanks for your helpful contribution. :rolleyes:
NinjaChick:
In a rather unexpected - and by that I mean completely unexpected - series of events I’ve started to consider possibly joining the Coast Guard. Why? They have some jobs I’m interested in, and it’ll provide (paid!) training for me to learn one of those jobs, and I’ll definitely have a decent salary for the next 4-6 years, which is a lot better than what I’ve found otherwise. And I really do like the humanitarian and just utilitarian mission of the CG - they save people and keep drugs off the streets and keep boats from crashing into the land and such, which are all things I support.
On the other hand, I have some concerns, mostly having to do with the fact that I am so not a military type of person, have absolutely no meaningful experience in any sort of boat, am not sure how I’d feel if I needed to go chance a fruit basket full of emaciated Haitians back to Haiti, and…well, I’m 23 and a college grad, and while I’m not interested in becoming an officer, I’m not sure how ridiculous I’d feel A) enlisting with a bunch of 18-year-old drop-outs, and B) committing to one job until I’m nearly thirty. Four years is a long time, and by the time I’d be done I’d be ridiculously old to start a civilian career.
According to the recruiter I talked to, of course, the Coast Guard is the best thing ever, but he was really annoyingly professional and didn’t at all give me a hard sell*. My sister is Air Force officer who went through the Academy and did a semester at the Coast Guard Academy; she surprised the hell out of me by saying that she thought it might be a good option for me. So on the one hand, it’s definitely an appealing option. On the other hand…I don’t know that I can even imagine myself doing it, because it’s so far from how I’ve always thought of myself.
I’m interested in any and all opinions on the Coast Guard in general. I’m particularly interested in if anyone’s had bad experiences (eg, “I enlisted two years ago and it’s HELL”), because I’ve been looking around, and everything about them is eerily positive.
Every coastie I have ever had the privilege of meeting has been a wonderful person and they do an exciting and meaningful job. A warning though, the CG is a small organization with a large task, they work very very hard. Lots of duty time, not much off time.