Due to financial circumstances, and the fact that jobs are hard to come by, more and more the military is looking like my best option for being able to remain financially comfortable, support my fiance and myself, and to be able to go to school. However i really really dislike the armed forces, and definitely dislike the idea of having to enlist. So I've come to you guys for thoughts, advice, and opinions. Any fellow blades in my situation? or better yet, any of you in the military or who were once in the military?
once in, your in. its a huge decision and you really shouldnt sign up from feeling its a neccessity or a last option.
I havent looked into fafsa...and no the military would definitely not make me happy, but being able to pay the bills, support myself and my lady, and being able to go to school would be nice. My family is strongly pushing for me to join the air force.
I'm enlisting in the Navy soon for the same reason: financial stability, school, supporting a future family, etc. Only do it if it's your last option AND your confident in joining. Don't do it just because. It's a commitment and once your in, your in. I didn't like the idea of joining either, but realized it has its benefits, and it's not forever. Only you can decide what's best for you!
Man I'm joining the army soon. (uk) Not actually enlisted but I was cadet which was a full time piss up and shit. Obviously the military isn't the same but hey you get paid to learn and exersise. Don't listen to people saying don't do it. But think about it, no one in this forum can say whether you should join or not. Some are bred for it some aren't
unless you just want to learn about weaponry and how to fuck shit up (which would be cool) and become a stone cold killer in great shape, you shuoldnt go. i for one think itd be a great experience for me especially with the financial help but the problem is you have to give yourslef to them and as has been said once its done its done, you cant just leave and even if you cold its gonna follow you around on every job app bc they always want to know if youve served. so id say dont do it bc your dad did or your grandpa wants you to or you want to have money for college. only do it if you want to fuck shit up for the next few years and have no life of your own. im thinking marines though, you said airforce so you might enjoy jumping out of planes and flying helicopters and shit. just remember, no weed.
There are a million ways to get out of the military. Once you get to tech school you can basically fail your block tests twice in a row and you will get a administrative discharge because the airforce is no longer reclassifying airmen who fail. Or fail your PT evals 4 times in a row. Yeah you will be on RMTD for a month but you will go home with a general discharge which is about as good as you can get besides dishonorable. A general discharge is pretty much like saying hey you tried and we appreciate the effore but you suck, so we are going to have to let you go.
with the general discharge what, if any, benefits do i get with it?..like would they still pay for my college or anything like that?
This. You should join the military only if you really want to, not because of the free college. How could you possibly be happy?
Don't. You don't want to. What more is there to it? You've basically just said you don't want to join the military and if you do you'll be doing it for the money. The people you end up killing will probably have a different opinion on whether or not it was worth going to college or looking for a job a little longer. Plus being poor is largely preferable to being dead, right?
but aside from the killing, consider the fact that youre gonna be OWNED by the military. youre not gonna be in charge of your life anymore. you'll be government property. but i mean you could be out in like 2 years and it'll all be over. so i dunno.
Guys, you do realize that not every MOS in the military carries guns and shoots people, right? It takes a fair number of support personnel to keep 1 person in the field, or 1 tank rumbling around, or 1 plane in the sky. Not every person ends up in a combat zone? That being said ... from the wife's point of view. The income is dependable. Unless you seriously fuck up, you can not be fired until your enlistment is up, and in general you can keep re-enlisting as long as your fitness reports are good up to 20 years. You never have to figure out what to wear to work, they will always tell you what to wear. You can save money towards education *and* take classes for dirt cheap while you are still in. Frequently what your job is will test out to college credits as well. Frequently your MOS will give you real world job skills like marine diesel mechanic, truck mechanic, heavy equipment operations [you know, construction equipment like bulldozers and such] airframe mechanic, avionics .. it isn't all killing so all you can do is be a cop. There are investment counselors, education counselors ... you and your dependents get medical, eye care and dental. If you can stop being a smart ass, and actually control yourself, follow rules and be sensible about getting drunk [they do random piss tests so no weed] you can have a steady job for the next 20 years and end up with an education for a new career, some money saved up to move you somewhere, and access to an educational fund [and if you retire at 20, you can keep the medical, if that is how your enlistment contract is written.] And occasionally if you are excellent, they have programs to go from enlisted to officer. Officers make killer money at higher ranks.