Military?

Its a good thing to get into because in the end you will have a job, My cousin is making six number figures and he is in the AF.

 

You basically just said he's making six numbers numbers. All you need to say is figures.

 

Are you into politics?

Check out the politics section of this forum...

It may seem like your options are limited... keep looking for opportunities. Learn to like learning shit.

Please don't join the military. If we were defending on our soil, I'd fully support you. But we're bombing Pakistan now, man, we're all up in the middle east... it isn't about terrorists.

And life isn't about making six figure figure figures.

 

ERRR god why do we have to be so correct in these forums these days...I mean seriously come on everyone got what i meant.. He is making a figure that contains six numbers. a figure could be anything from 00.1 to 10000000000000000 so i had to put six numbers.

 

The military won't give you anything you can't give yourself.

Take a look at the possible legalization of marijuana coming up in california...

Research some botany and shit... find people that are planning on making a business out of it and offer your labor.

Whatever you decide on, good luck to you.

 

For sure. And, to be honest, It's a lot easier to give advice than to follow advice.

I am pretty much following the path of least resistance in life. Everyday I get down on the fact that I'm settling. I want to do some shit with my life - I mean it's my life.

When you get back from the military, will you really be more disciplined? You're going to be forced to do whatever they want of you. You'll be dependent on something to force you the rest of your life.

You aren't motivated, get motivated. If you want to change yourself, CHANGE yourself, man. I'm struggling with the same shit... in different and similar ways.... damn, man. Now you have me reflecting on my life. Infinite possibilities, man, don't settle in life.

 

I'd say it sucks unless you are reasonably intelligent and can take advantage of the system as well as getting a cushier position. If your a grunt you will be treated as such. But if you go combat and your able, go for special forces/Marines; get down like James Earl Jones did living with a snake for like 3 weeks or some shit in the jungle.

 

You might become a fucked up man if you get the wrong type of assignment over in Iraq/Afghanistan. Real talk. THe best way to become a man is to be responsible. Have a job, take care of your shit. You can do that with other jobs as well as the Army. Not saying to not do it if it feels right, but it's not your only option. My friend did it and regretted it. His friend liked it. His other friend committed suicide. There are all different paths for different people. Good luck

 

I agree. Discipline is like a light switch. You can turn it on or off, just like that. If you simply start the day with a list of things to do, then, damn it, do them. If you have a long-term goal you'd like to accomplish, then, damn it, work toward that goal. Discipline is simply being responsible. Hell, everyone would love life if we could just sit around chilling all the time. But that's not how it goes.

At first, in basic training, the Army will instill "discipline" in you and you'll do all those things they want you to do because of the deterrent factor: you'll do them because you won't want to have a drill sergeant screaming in your face, ordering you to exercise until you're exhausted and then exercise more, playing head games with you that simply makes you confused and frustrated, and all that nonsense. That's not discipline, that's obedience. Only until your own mind comes in line with doing the right thing the right way the first time will you be disciplined. When you change your thinking, you change.

If anything, the Army makes you more of what you already are. Much if not most of the daily work that soldiers do (admittedly it depends on where you are and what you do, but the difference isn't too great) consists of fool's errands, wasting time, playing mind games, impressing brass, and the like, which is all to say not much actual work but instead a lot of pretending. This makes irresponsible people less disciplined, more dependent on others, and lazier. It makes the responsible people take on greater workloads and babysit others who aren't so up to speed. Because everything is handed to you in the Army (eg, food, shelter, etc.), you don't get the experience that is essential for living in the real world, which consequently keeps many soldiers right where they are, in the Army.

Indeed, there are benefits to joining the military, but attaining discipline is not one of them. The first step in acquiring discipline is simply to stand up.

 

If you want real advice about the military listen to someone who has been in the military. I'm not talking about recruiters or higher level guys, but talk to some of the lower ranked guys and you'll get an honest opinion. Then again it depends on who it is. I go to school on a military base and had classes with soldiers who just got back from Iraq. Some of them are trying to become lifers and some of them fucking hate it. So it depends on what you are looking for. Join the Reserves or the National Guard. Hell join the Air Force if you are worried about going into combat. Each experience is different, and you won't be an exception.

 

My wife is in the AF and makes good money, we also have good health insurance for free and use of all base facilities. She gets paid to get an education that would COST thousands in a civilian college! If it is the kind of thing for you they will really take care of you.

However, you will have to be very disciplined. No drugs, no slacking off at work, quitting because you don't like it any more. Remember being kicked out of the military is VERY frowned upon. You will have to be very clean and orderly too.

If you do decide to join, please try to get into the AF or Navy. The army and marines are much more likely to be deployed and do not get as good of treatment as say the AF. Also, consider the career path when you sign up. Be sure to get a job that will transfer to a good civilian job. Talk to a recruiter and remember that you don't have to sign anything. Just find out what you want to know, even go to a few recruiters until you find one that you feel comfortable with.

Congratulations on trying to do something with your life! The military is just not for me, but I applaud anyone who serves

 

'05 - '08 with the Army Infantry (11B), served in Iraq for 18 months of it.

If you are planing on making a career out of the Army, go combat. You'll rank up quicker and you'll get the most respect. Sucks though because when you are in Iraq you get shit on a lot by the commos and whoever is in charge of the MREs that day.

You'll make some of the closest friends you'll ever have and you will get to see the world in a whole different way, not to mention a lot of chicks go crazy when they see the uniform

 

i don't think you're using the word "anticipation" the right way

 

Join the Marines if you want to get discipline and character. One of my best buds is in it and it's intense but if you go on to do something after then the Marines look amazing on your record.

The military really does shape up your life, don't listen to some of these people on this forum. My Father, both Grandfathers, and Uncle were/are in the military. It helped boost my dad and grandpa into their lives (and payed for their college) and my Uncle has made a career out of it.

And remember:




(no disrespect to Army guys. I know a few Army people and they're great guys. I'm just messin around)

 

I have much respect for Marines. It's a tough job from the looks of it, but I'll be honest: I never met a Marine that wasn't an idiot, a lunatic, and/or a dick. That's just my experience. Just sayin.

I disagree. I say, listen to some of the people on this forum. It's called hearing all sides of an issue. It comes in handy.

True, the military can give you all sorts of neat-o benefits, like free health care, food, shelter, clothing (well, camoflauge anyways), an opportunity to travel the globe, etc. But, there are cons as well that are very much worth mentioning to someone who is thinking about joining (the Army at least, the one I can fairly comment on). There's the unproductive nature of work that I mentioned earlier, plus the obvious death/wounding factor, and there's the incompetence of the leadership, the backwards way of thinking, the possibility that the wars you fight aren't ones you agree with, the endless red tape and run-arounds when trying to handle your personal business, the lying recruiters and re-enlistment NCO's, the collective (group) punishments, the possibility of being recalled after you have already been honorably discharged (I experienced that one), the ostracisism and derision that accompanies being injured (saw that all the time), the discouragement of individualism, the total power weilded by superiors, and much more I'm sure.

And that's not mention the seriously bad shit that goes down during or after a deployment, like subsequent mental problems, possible suicides, very prevalent rapes (just read somewhere that a female soldier downrange is more likely to be raped by a comrade than killed by the enemy), etc.

But I don't want to end this on a bad note. That pic you had was quite funny and true. Army strong? Yeah, ok.

 

You dropped out of school? Don't bother joining the military. The only branch that takes those with GEDs is the Army--which sucks--and your job choices are really limited. Sorry, you've fucked yourself out of that possibility. It's not a big deal though. You sound like a person that really isn't that "in" to the military to begin with. If you are expecting the military to give you discipline and maturity, you are sadly mistaken as it will give you neither. The only thing the military is really good for is giving you a living for 4-6 years while--if you picked your job right--teaching you a trade that will make you killer bank in the civilian sector. (Hint: infantry isn't one of the good job choices. If you're unlucky, you come back as a corpse. Or worse, with missing limbs, vision, hearing, burns, disfigurement, etc.)

By the way, my advice is all based upon the assumption that you don't want to just scrape by, you want to really make something of yourself one day. The military can be a helpful stepping stone for that, but is useless as a career. I am speaking as a prior military member who DID take the right path and is now overseas making six figures as a contractor. (And as soon as pot is legalized, I'm gonna be on the first flight to California to start a business growing it!)