View Full Version : Thinking about the Armed Services
I guess I'll start with a little background of myself. Currently I'm 19, just finished my freshman year of college. All through high school all I ever wanted to do was to go to college, but after finally going and taking a year of generals, I realized I still have NO FUCKING IDEA what I want to do with my life. I have interests, but can't think of anything to apply these to an actual career goal. My grades were bad my first year, mainly because they were just generals and I had no motivation in doing/learning the material besides to pass the class. I passed my classes, but my GPA fell below a C average and now I'm being kicked out of school for a semester. It's only a semester, but now more then ever I've realized I need to step it up and figure out my priorities in life.
Because of my grades, I also believe my financial aid will be cut off until I pay for an entire semester of school on my own to show that I'm dedicated enough to stay in school and not just barely pass by.
A coworker at my summer job is joining the Army National Guard, so it is he I heard about the $20,000 enlistment bonus and the 100% tuition bonus. That is what immediatly attracted me to the Guard (or the Armed services in general). I did a little research, but just really wanted to ask you people already enlisted a few things.
Basically I want to join because I want to get my life on track and also have time to figure out where my life is going and what I want to do for the rest of my life. The 100% tuition is also a huge factor considering I wouldn't have to worry about financial aid and having to pay off loans for the next 20 years. The $20,000 enlistment bonus is, well, just as it is.
What kind of service would you recommend for a person like me? Keep in mind that for being 19, I'm only 5'7" and 120 lbs. You could say I'm underweight, but I just like to say that I'm not physically in shape (not fat by any means, I just dont work out EVER and am not the strongest guy in the world). I don't want to do anything like Infantry, I'd be 100% happy sitting on a computer, but people always tell me that Basic Training would destroy me.
If I'm going to be confused about what major I'd like to pursue in college, would the regular service or National Guard be best for me? I know I could finish college if I did the National Guard, but entering duty AFTER college isn't really what I'm looking for. But going to Active Duty for 2 years also doesnt seem what I'm looking for.
Guess I have some things I need to sort out I suppose.
soul flayer
2008-07-01, 06:16
Basically I want to join because I want to get my life on track and also have time to figure out where my life is going and what I want to do for the rest of my life. The 100% tuition is also a huge factor considering I wouldn't have to worry about financial aid and having to pay off loans for the next 20 years. The $20,000 enlistment bonus is, well, just as it is.
Well, the military has helped many people get their life back on track. A lot of members take full advantage of educational benefits, which really are good deals. A new GI Bill was recently signed, adding to education benefits. You will also receive more benefits if/when you deploy.
What kind of service would you recommend for a person like me? Keep in mind that for being 19, I'm only 5'7" and 120 lbs. You could say I'm underweight, but I just like to say that I'm not physically in shape (not fat by any means, I just dont work out EVER and am not the strongest guy in the world). I don't want to do anything like Infantry, I'd be 100% happy sitting on a computer, but people always tell me that Basic Training would destroy me.
I was in similar shape as you, when I first joined; I'm quite taller than you, but I weighed only 10lb more than you, when I went through basic. I didn't get physical fitness excellence, but passing everything wasn't too challenging for me. I highly suggest that you start running and doing pushups, if you do decide to join. It will make your life a lot easier, and less stressful. If you smoke now, quitting will likely help you out a lot, because the military will make you quit, during basic.
The main thing is your motivation. I've seen many people join and get washed out, simply because they aren't motivated enough, nor have the desire to do what's required of them. If this is you, you'll likely wash out in basic or tech school, or get in a lot of trouble, if you make it into the real military. You will also likely hate life even more than you may or may not now.
With that being said, there are many opportunities open for you in the military. If you go with the Army, you'll always be a rifleman first, and whatever specialty you are second. Before talking to a recruiter, I recommend reading up on career fields, over at usmilitary.about.com, and finding an area that interests you. Ask here if you have any questions. I'm an Air Force national guardsman, in a very technical IT career field. My military career has greatly jump-started my civilian career.
If I'm going to be confused about what major I'd like to pursue in college, would the regular service or National Guard be best for me? I know I could finish college if I did the National Guard, but entering duty AFTER college isn't really what I'm looking for. But going to Active Duty for 2 years also doesnt seem what I'm looking for.
Guess I have some things I need to sort out I suppose.
One thing to know about the national guard is that you're only employed by them sometimes. It can be quite difficult if you live on your own, go to school full time, and don't have civilian employment. However, it won't be all that difficult to get a civilian contractor job, with a military contractor, because you will most likely receive a security clearance. There's a job market, that pays very well, that's open only to individuals with clearances. If you play your cards right, and get lucky, you could end up going to school full time, and have a civilian job, that pays more than being active duty military. You will also get to choose where you want to live.
Don't think going active duty means you can't go to school. Many people get their degree while on active duty status. You can even take classes while deployed. The main downside, that I see in being active duty, is that you can't really choose where you want to live (you can request, but it's definitely not guaranteed). Other than that, everything is pretty much set for you.
The only other thing I can suggest is, if you can, go with the Air Force. You'll most likely be taken care of better than in the Army, and the lifestyle is a lot nicer.
MP Nesto
2008-07-01, 07:37
I'm going to echo EVERYTHING that soul flayer said. Very good advice. And I'm also going to give you one more piece of advice. I had a friend a few years back in the same position as you. Hates school, wants to get his life back on track, wants to earn some money (a priority for nearly everyone) so what does he do...he joined the Army National Guard. At the time he was a sophmore pursing a criminal justice degree, he's since been forced to drop out of college TWICE due to deployments and humanitarin missions (mostly summoned on by the govenor).
My honest suggestion, if you area thinking military but you still want to actively pursue school full time (or nearly full time) Look at joining the Air Force Reserves as well as the Navy Reserves. I've got expirience with both if you've got any more specific questions.
If you really want to make the minimum service possible, I suggest you go with Navy Reserve or Air Force. Army NG gets deployed to the sandbox alot these days.
JustAnotherAsshole
2008-07-07, 02:00
Why don't you finish college, get a few degrees and everything, THEN join the military. That way, when you're done with the armed forces, you can come out and get a decent job.
Why don't you finish college, get a few degrees and everything, THEN join the military. That way, when you're done with the armed forces, you can come out and get a decent job.
Because the problem was I didnt know what I wanted to do in college and I also wanted money to pay for college.
3PushesBullet
2008-07-14, 02:23
Foreword: I'm biased towards the Navy, because that's what I signed up for.
I'm going to start this by saying that any of the following advice should only be taken into consideration once you've decided that you definitely want to join the military. The last thing you want to do is get there and realize that it's not for you. Took me about three years of toying with the idea of joining before I signed my name on the dotted line. Not saying that it'll take you that long, but just think some on it. Deciding that you want to be in at all is the hard part, what branch and for how long is easy.
The G.I. Bill will deff. help you pay for college, as well as tuition assistance and other programs. The thing with the G.I. Bill is what you get depends alot on what you put into it. If you sign up for 2 yrs., you don't get as much as you would if you signed up for four years, but you also don't have to pay $1200 into it. However, for that $1,200 you put into the MGB, you get something like $48,000 (actually, I think it's more than that) towards college, that you can use for up to ten years after you're out of the military. The Tuition assistance is available while you're in the military, and is actually better to use while you're still enlisted (Don't use the G.I. Bill, in case you get shipped out). The Navy (I'm not sure about the other branches, as I didn't look at them) offers general college courses, at an accelerated rate (one of the recruiters at my station has 3 years worth of credits in 1.5 years). You still have to pay for your books and such, but that's where tuition assistance comes in. Plus, as I understand it, the credits you earn in the military will carry over to any school in North America.
If you want to avoid infantry work, stay out of the Army or Marines, as they're fighters first, workers second. This might be why the enlistment bonuses are that high. Join the Army reserves, and you'll almost definitely be heading someplace unpleasant. The Air force is good for staying out of trouble (at least in that respect) and they have plenty of jobs dealing with computers. But if you're really unsure what you want to do, and would like to see a variety of things, the Navy is tops. There's something on the Navy website (has some fruity name like, "Life Accelerator" or some shit) that's basically an aptitude test that shows you what you might like to do, and I'm sure the other branches have something akin to that. The big thing, though, is what you get on your A.S.V.A.B. (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the military lovers acronyms) test. It basically tells you what you're qualified to do in the military. The better you do on that, the better your chances are of getting to do what you want in the military.
As for enlistment bonuses, that really all depends on what you sign up for. It's decided on what they need the most at the time, although a good rule of thumb is the more money you get, the less likable the job will be. I.E., I joined as a CM (Construction Mechanic) Working on big engines for earth movers and also doing some gas engine and auto body stuff. Sounds pretty good, right? E. bonus was $4,000. Compare that to a Se.A.L. (top secret dead killey frog men) with an E.Bonus of $40k. I wouldn't count on that for an ass load of college money, and instead look at the other college incentive programs the military offers, none of us (that I know of anyway) are recruiters, so those are the guys that you need to talk to.
Your best bet is to find a recruitment station, and talk to some of the guys there. Don't sign anything, just ask for some information. Trust me, they get paid no matter how many people sign up on a given day, so you're not wasting their time, ask questions, they should be more than happy to answer any you have.