I’ll be honest, The only reason why I am considering the military is simply for financial reasons. I personally cant stand some people I’ve known that have gone to the military, like my brother who gets shitfaced drunk everytime I play with him, my parent’s tenants who will literally yell “fuck” at their kids, and some other memorable characters. The thing that got me was that every one of them had something positive to say about their experience. It’s no cruise but it has to better than the somewhat dull life I have right?
I just started community college and really hope to transfer over to a respectable university, but I feel like I could be doing something more meaningful. I suppose CC will always be there for me. I work a normal job, slowly budgeting and saving (not bad for cashier pay), and occasionally heading out. However, I just took a quick look at the benefits of joining and wondered if I should just go.
So the three questions I have
-Should I really join for the financial benefits? I will have to go DEP for the technical positions and the way the news says things are going, Im not too sure if the benefits would hold in 1 year. On top of that the retirement plan sounds awesome and like crap at the same time. Worth it?
-Experience wise? I am supremely comfortable with my life of doing nothing, but that’s exactly why I want out. Just hopefully I wont experience the horror stories that comes with the military.
-Jobs? Would I be better off gaining civilian work or getting training from the military?
The General Questions forum is for questions with factual answers. Questions seeking advice and opinions belong in our In My Humble Opinion forum. I will move this thread for you.
Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion.
Join the military for money? AHHAHAHAHAHAHA! You will get free room and board but the money will not be life altering. Comparing money after paying bills as a cashier and take home in the military you may be better off financially in the military but hardly enough to enlist for this reason alone. Medical and dental are nice in the military and retirement is nice if you make it. As conflicts lessen the need for a military force lessens and in this case many people are unable to re-enlist and probably won’t get retirement.
If you want a life doing nothing, then don’t enlist. You might not be accomplishing much at all times in the military but somebody will find something to do while accomplishing that nothing. Uncle Sam doesn’t have magic sauce to cure somebody from being lazy. Either you are willing to work to make a change or you are not. Uncle Sam can be a great motivator.
This all depends on you. If you can get guaranteed into a trade-style MOS it would be cheaper to have Uncle Sam pay for your training rather than you. However Uncle Sam gets to tell you where he wants you and he doesn’t care what you think.
That being said, don’t judge the entire military based on a few hard cases that you know, well other than the swearing, I think that comes with the territory. There are good and bad people everywhere which includes the military.
Being in the military isn’t winning the lottery but you probably won’t have to worry about starving. The US military is made up of mostly support services and these can cross over into good trades in the civilian world. Or you can look into trade schools if you have an idea of what you think you’d like.
Better than a dull life? There are times in the military that everyone would wish for those dull times.
For lots of fun go out and talk to recruiters. Listen carefully to what the recruiters say and then come back here to The Dope and ask Veterans what they think about what you’re told.
As a retired Marine I’ll second what Boogly says. To thst I’ll add: about finances, do the math. Military pay scales are public info, based on time in service and time in grade. See if the money adds up for you and your situation.
Also, if you do decide to join, check out all branches of service. Compare and contrast what each branch offers. It’s all about fit, for you, and what works for you and what you want out of a military experience. Do you want to challenge yourself? Do you want a cushy experience when you deploy? Are you looking for creature comforts? Do you want to learn how to lead people? – Just some questions to ask of yourself, and some questions to ask of the recruiters.
Another thing: if you decide to enlist, think about the technical training you’ll get. Your MOS. Do you want to choose the field of work, or are you open to letting the military choose for you?
Do your homework and research, and double-check that contract before you sign it.
Doing a hitch in the military will buy you some time to figure out what you want to do in life. Maybe you want to shoot for a military career. Maybe you just want to serve your first term and get out to pursue something else. As long as you keep your nose clean, you’ll have a job, room, board, healthcare, and the chance to save up some money while you’re in. You should also participate in the GI Bill, in whatever form it exists now, and any other “money for college” type deals that are available.
If you do decide to leave and go to college, you’ll have a leg up on your competition–being older, more mature, with some work experience will help you buckle down and hit the books rather than majoring in bong hits and keg stands.
The military will not change who you are. It won’t. Maybe you’ll change who you are if given the properly-applied swift kick in the ass, but the military won’t change you. You need to do some serious thinking about what you want to change, why, and what else you could try.
The military will find things to do with you. You will be “on call” 24/7 for your entire enlistment. You’re single? You’ll be living in the barracks. Whoever’s on staff duty didn’t mop the floors properly, and First Sergeant just did a walkthrough, so now it’s 11 PM and they’re banging on your door and you’re all scrubbing the floors. This is not basic training; this is the ‘real Army’. You had plans to go out this weekend? Tough shit, your’e on flag detail and need to be in uniform at 0600 and again at 1700. You’re doing the right thing, taking a college class or two, and you have a big exam coming up? Whoops, you’re going to the field for a couple weeks, maybe you’ll make it to your exam but not have time to study, maybe you’ll miss it entirely. Hopefully the school lets you do a military withdrawal if you can send them orders.
The military owns you when you are in, one hundred percent. I think a lot of people - myself included, for sure - don’t understand this when they enlist.
Maybe you’ll spend your entire enlistment kicking back at Ft. Carson or Schofield Barracks or some other primo post. Maybe you’ll get sent to Ft. Drum, then something’ll heat up somewhere, and next thing you know you’re living in a tent in the desert or in a boat somewhere or whatever. There is absolutely no guarantee whatsoever.
Now, if you are thinking about joining, here’s what I would recommend doing:
Starting tomorrow, get up an extra 90 minutes early and work out. Depending on how active you are it doesn’t need to be crazy - walk/run if you need to, go to the gym, ride a bicycle. It’s cold? It’s raining? You’re tired? Doesn’t matter, do it anyway. Can you live with that? I spent many winter mornings shivering in snow and rain in Germany.
Go talk to recruiters. All of them. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and don’t forget about the Coast Guard. Talk to them about what you want and what you don’t want. Take notes about what they promise you. Then, go home, and look up everything. They will promise you lots of things and some of those may be kinda sorta true. Some of them may be flat-out false. If they lie to you, do not talk to that recruiter again. I’m not saying rule out that service, but rule out that individual. Talk to the National Guard as well. Ask about the reserves, and ask about ROTC.
Think about it, seriously, and talk to people. A lot of people close to me, friends and family alike, were at best confused when I said I was thinking about enlisting. They didn’t think it was a good idea for me, and it turned out they were probably right.
I’m not saying don’t enlist; I don’t know you. Maybe it’s a great idea for you. Maybe it’s a rotten idea for you. No matter what, it’s not something to be done lightly.
I will also echo what you’ve heard from Veterans, my life is better for my time served. It isn’t a rose garden but it is funny how a few life threatening instances can change your outlook on life.
Civilian: My bed has lumps.
Post Military: This lumpy bed is better than sleeping in a slit trench.
Civ: This steak is medium rare and I ORDERED FUCKIN MEDIUM!!!
Mil: My MRE has FUCKIN TABASSCO SAUCE!!! FUCK YEA!!!
Maybe you should ask other Vets on the Dope what positive effects the military had along with the bad.
I went to college for a year and knew almost immediately it wasn’t for me. On a whim, I spoke to a Navy recruiter, and 3 months later, I was in boot camp. I stayed on active duty a bit over 11 years, and while some experiences were great and others not-so-much, I got a lot out of my service and I’m pretty sure I contributed a lot as well.
Apart from learning electronics and eventually getting an engineering degree, I really and truly grew up a ton. I was forced to make my own decisions and live with them - no more asking Mommy and Daddy what I should do. I met all kinds of people and lived a number of different places, and sometimes it was really eye-opening. And while I didn’t make a butt-ton of money, since I was single and fairly frugal, I was still able to afford flying lessons, my first new car, and I owned (OK, was paying mortgage on) two houses before I got out.
And within a year of returning to the civilian world, I got a job working for the Navy as an engineer, and I did that for 26 years till I retired. So for me, it was an excellent choice. I know others who hated it and never adapted, but I wouldn’t trade my life for the world.
I did a few years of college before I realized how much I hated it. Although I do wish I had finished many times later. I do not regret joining the Army. I’ve done things I never would have done otherwise. I got to fly hundreds of hours in a helicopter. I got to live in Europe for two years. I was in Germany when the Wall fell. Spent a year in Cuba. Spent some time in the desert. I’ve been enlisted, NCO and Officer. I got to play around in tanks. I got to blow shit up with high explosives. I have never laughed as hard as I have with my fellow soldiers. I have also never felt worse than I have while in uniform. I’ve met people I love and people I hate. I did not go in to learn a trade. I went in to be a soldier. It changed me, I think for the better.
I spent about 6 years total on active duty. In February I will hit 27 years in the Army between active and the National Guard. I will second what Bullitt said. Be informed. Don't sign anything before you do research into what the job is. Weigh your options.
Just be aware that right now the military is being very selective. Enlistment requirements constantly change due to the needs of the military. When they need more people they relax the standards. Right now with OIF over and OEF shrinking all branches of the military are getting smaller. They will always need new troops but they can afford to be more selective and offer fewer incentives. Especially when there is a poor economy in the civilian world.
It depends on which financial reasons you mean. The salary isn’t bad once you get up to E-6 or E-7 pay with other allowances. But too many dumb privates get into trouble with their shitty E-3 pay.
However, the post 9-11 GI Bill is really quite good. As long as you walk into it with your eyes open, going in to get your college benefits is not a bad motivation.
No matter what else the military may do, their primary job is killing people and destroying things. Once you enlist, you are part of that, either directly or indirectly. The thing is, you don’t get to decide whether any given war is just or necessary. Depending on your branch and what you do, there is also a greater or lesser non-zero chance of you, personally, getting killed or maimed. These are rather weighty matters, and if you agree to these things for what the military pays, then you have sold yourself very cheaply, indeed.
FTR, when I joined the army, money had nothing to do with it.
A lot of good advice here. I’d like to add that part of your preparation before signing an enlistment contract is to take the ASVABs (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery [of tests]). Your scores will serve as a useful indicator for the degree to which you will be able to “write your own ticket” as far as vocational training is concerned.
But yes, if you do “write your own ticket,” make extra sure that what you write is reflected in the contract that you are asked to sign.
My daughter looked into the Navy when she was contemplating going into nursing. She actually was close to enlisting when she told me and I was shocked (in a bad way). Then she sat down and we talked for hours about her plans and it made sense. She was interested in working with amputees, toured some VA hospitals, spent a weekend with a mentor, and was excited about her future.
Her migraine meds ended up ruining her plans. She tried weaning off of her meds, with her doctor’s help, but was unable. She graduated two years ago and is doing pediatric nursing, so it all worked out. But I was amazed by how well a Navy ROTC stint would have suited her plans.
Yes like I said you should go in with your eyes open as to what military life is. The college benefits are not inconsequential. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.
If your only reason for joining if for financial reasons, do yourself and the military a favor and don’t join. Period.
You can’t stand some people who joined the military? Seems to me that you are painting with a broad brush based on a sample size of just two. I’ve met people that I can’t stand in every walk of life.
Right now is a rough time to be in the military. Those of us who went through the ‘hollow force’ years after Vietnam know why.
Also consider that if you don’t go to work in your civilian job, you can get fired. In the military you can wind up in jail.