A question for you military types.

[loudog9999]

OK, heres my situation. Im 22, will be 23 in August and up to my neck in Student Loan payments. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 4k to pay and am starting a second job in a week to try to catch up a little. I was thinking the other day that maybe joining the military would be a good thing for me now. This is for a number of reasons.

1. Like everyone else Im on this patriotic high due to 9/11 and think that this would be a good way to serve my country.
2. See the student loans, this would be a way to pay them back.
3. My life has been sort of out of focus to date and this would get my on track.

The question I have is this, do you think that this is just a bonehead move by a desperate person or would it be a good idea. I know that boot camp will be hell and all but Im not worried about that too much. Another question is what branch should I look into, Im leaning toward Army or Air Force.

 

[bugsysiegel]

Military is a great way to start your adult life. I would recommend the Navy, but I'm biased having spent 10 years there. Also, in the Navy, you get to do a *lot* more travelling than you would in any other branch. One cruise and you might hit 8-10 countries (more likely 6 or so though.)

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: loudog9999
OK, heres my situation. Im 22, will be 23 in August and up to my neck in Student Loan payments. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 4k to pay and am starting a second job in a week to try to catch up a little. I was thinking the other day that maybe joining the military would be a good thing for me now. This is for a number of reasons.

1. Like everyone else Im on this patriotic high due to 9/11 and think that this would be a good way to serve my country.
2. See the student loans, this would be a way to pay them back.
3. My life has been sort of out of focus to date and this would get my on track.

The question I have is this, do you think that this is just a bonehead move by a desperate person or would it be a good idea. I know that boot camp will be hell and all but Im not worried about that too much. Another question is what branch should I look into, Im leaning toward Army or Air Force.

Do you have a bachelor's degree? What in? If not, what were you studying? What are you interested in?

 

[Viper GTS]

$4,000 really isn't all that much debt, I wouldn't use that as too much of a deciding factor.

Viper GTS

 

[loudog9999]

Do you have a bachelor's degree? What in? If not, what were you studying? What are you interested in?

No degree, started out as a computer science major but switched schools and major my sophomore year to history Ed. I work in PC tech support so Im kinda interested in computers but don?t see a future in it (hence the changing major). I don?t know like I said I really haven?t thought about the future and what I want to do and feel like Im falling behind here.

 

[wnied]

If you do decide on a Service....which I highly recommend you do. Take a good look at the Air Force. Heres why...

In the Army..you run in mud and sleep in tents, pulling guard duty regularly.
In the Marines its pretty much the same as the Army only you get to ride ships to and from action and your the FIRST to go in.
In the Navy your stationed on a ship out at sea for 6-8 months

In the Air Force, you sleep in barracks, guarded by army or other personnel, your inside a base, and far away from the front line action.

In short your just about as safe as you can be while serving your time in the service and learning a skill.
Thats just my .02 cents.
~wnied~

 

[ThePresence]

In the Air Force, you sleep in barracks, guarded by army or other personnel, your inside a base, and far away from the front line action.

If thats the motivation to join the AF, you may as well stay home.

 

[Swanny]

Originally posted by: wnied
If you do decide on a Service....which I highly recommend you do. Take a good look at the Air Force. Heres why...

In the Army..you run in mud and sleep in tents, pulling guard duty regularly.
In the Marines its pretty much the same as the Army only you get to ride ships to and from action and your the FIRST to go in.
In the Navy your stationed on a ship out at sea for 6-8 months

In the Air Force, you sleep in barracks, guarded by army or other personnel, your inside a base, and far away from the front line action.

In short your just about as safe as you can be while serving your time in the service and learning a skill.
Thats just my .02 cents.
~wnied~

Nah, Navy's safer. Think about it. It's a lot harder to crash a ship

 

[dude]

I'd say the Navy or Marines. Those are the places where you'll be proud that you're there.

As for wnied's post, ignore it. That was a lame attempt a joke or somehting.

 

[Pixelated]

Originally posted by: loudog9999
OK, heres my situation. Im 22, will be 23 in August and up to my neck in Student Loan payments. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 4k to pay and am starting a second job in a week to try to catch up a little. I was thinking the other day that maybe joining the military would be a good thing for me now. This is for a number of reasons.

1. Like everyone else Im on this patriotic high due to 9/11 and think that this would be a good way to serve my country.
2. See the student loans, this would be a way to pay them back.
3. My life has been sort of out of focus to date and this would get my on track.

The question I have is this, do you think that this is just a bonehead move by a desperate person or would it be a good idea. I know that boot camp will be hell and all but Im not worried about that too much. Another question is what branch should I look into, Im leaning toward Army or Air Force.

Boot camp won't be hell if you join the Army, Air Force, or Navy. If you want to do it like real men, join the Marines. Otherswise, you can take the easy way out and join the other services.

Semper Fidelis

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: loudog9999

Do you have a bachelor's degree? What in? If not, what were you studying? What are you interested in?

No degree, started out as a computer science major but switched schools and major my sophomore year to history Ed. I work in PC tech support so Im kinda interested in computers but don?t see a future in it (hence the changing major). I don?t know like I said I really haven?t thought about the future and what I want to do and feel like Im falling behind here.

Well before you commit to the service you need a better plan. You really do need to decide what it is that you want to do. Going into the service without some guaranteed training is not a good idea. There are plenty of people here who can give you some help/info but you really need to make some decisions first.

 

[rudder]

I think the Army has the best tuition reimbursment of all the services. Plus you can pick out your exact job. Unlike the other services where your job is based on test scores as well, but if that particular position doesn't any more people, they put you where ever they need you.

If your worried about a 2 year commitment, which I don't think would affect any type of career you want, you could also go for the reserves.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: Pixelated

Originally posted by: loudog9999
OK, heres my situation. Im 22, will be 23 in August and up to my neck in Student Loan payments. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 4k to pay and am starting a second job in a week to try to catch up a little. I was thinking the other day that maybe joining the military would be a good thing for me now. This is for a number of reasons.

1. Like everyone else Im on this patriotic high due to 9/11 and think that this would be a good way to serve my country.
2. See the student loans, this would be a way to pay them back.
3. My life has been sort of out of focus to date and this would get my on track.

The question I have is this, do you think that this is just a bonehead move by a desperate person or would it be a good idea. I know that boot camp will be hell and all but Im not worried about that too much. Another question is what branch should I look into, Im leaning toward Army or Air Force.

Boot camp won't be hell if you join the Army, Air Force, or Navy. If you want to do it like real men, join the Marines. Otherswise, you can take the easy way out and join the other services.

Semper Fidelis

Yes by all means do that because we all know that the most important part of military service is how hard your boot camp is. I congratulate you if you have gone through Marine boot. It is however a microcosm of what the military is about.

 

[propellerhead]

If, after serving 20 years in the military, you plan to move to a Third World country where your $1 goes a long way, then be all you can be or whatever and go with the Army, Navy or Marines.

If you plan to get a decent job after a 4 or 20 year term in the military, go with the Air Force. They have the most civilian-like jobs and you'll have the most time off to finish college. Stay away from jobs like Jet Engine Mechanic or Crew Chief. Take an admin job. Or a hospital job. Contracting is in high demand right now. That's where you scrounge for the best deals with suppliers for the USAF and set up contracts for stuff like office supplies, tires, nuts, bolts, etc.

USAF pays 100% tuition.

On a lighter note... The Army, Navy and Marines send the enlisted men out to war. The USAF sends the officers.

Added: Not all jobs in the military involve running around in mud holding a gun, or going to some exotic land far far away. I was a Computer Programmer in the USAF evaluating software written by Boeing.

 

[schmedy]

I am biased and say join the Marines it is much more then "running in the mud and sleeping in tents, then ride ships" If you want any info on the Marines PM me, if not I would lean to the Navy. I work with quite a few ET's from the Navy and they are some damn good techs, the AF ones I have met seem pretty good too. All branches have equally technical type MOS's, it is just the mission of each branch varies. Whatever you do good luck, there are quite a few good resources on this board, just ignore the idiot comments like in all threads.

 

[burnedout]

louddog9999: I must be real quick here as I have a meeting to attend.

22 years ago, I was in nearly the same situation as you. But I attended college on scholarship - and promptly lost the scholarship after the first year because of my own ignorance.

So I joined the Army and stayed for 20. Everybody here on ATOT can expand upon the "sham status" of the USAF (Army has sham jobs also that don't go to the field) and the safety involved in this service or that service. Which service is best and which isn't. yada yada. The fact of the matter is that they are all good and have their own virtues as well as shortcomings.

The Loan Repayment Plan is excellent if you have a large debt. By large, I mean larger than you have now. I knew of people who enlisted to get $40,000 repaid. As far as I know, the LRP cannot be combined with other incentives. If you do indeed enlist, consider taking advantage of the other incentives and just paying the debt off from your monthly pay.

 

[glenn1]

If you want to do it like real men, join the Marines. Otherswise, you can take the easy way out and join the other services.

You misspoke... real men earn and proudly wear jump wings. Unless you're Marine Force Recon, even though you're a Marine, that still makes you a dirty, stinkin', rotten leg soldier.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: propellerhead
If, after serving 20 years in the military, you plan to move to a Third World country where your $1 goes a long way, then be all you can be or whatever and go with the Army, Navy or Marines.

If you plan to get a decent job after a 4 or 20 year term in the military, go with the Air Force. They have the most civilian-like jobs and you'll have the most time off to finish college. Stay away from jobs like Jet Engine Mechanic or Crew Chief. Take an admin job. Or a hospital job. Contracting is in high demand right now. That's where you scrounge for the best deals with suppliers for the USAF and set up contracts for stuff like office supplies, tires, nuts, bolts, etc.

USAF pays 100% tuition.

On a lighter note... The Army, Navy and Marines send the enlisted men out to war. The USAF sends the officers.

Added: Not all jobs in the military involve running around in mud holding a gun, or going to some exotic land far far away. I was a Computer Programmer in the USAF evaluating software written by Boeing.

There are a lot of very good jobs in the Navy. I would venture to say that our technical schools are superior to any of the services. You must remember we are training people to go onboard ship's/submarines. Space is at a premium so you are getting trained to do a job that two, three maybe more guys are being trained to do in the other services. Your comment about third world countries is flat out asinine. Yes the AF is more "corporate" in nature and probably has a better quality of life but to say you would have to go live in a third world country is just flat out ignorant.

The Navy will start paying 100% of tuition on October 1st.

All branches of the service offer you the same thing. You will get out of it only what you put into it.

 

[loudog9999]

Thanks for all of the info so far guys, one last question?well maybe two. For those of you who have a military background did you ever regret it? If you look at your life before and after how big of a change do you see and is it a positive one? I guess a good next step would be to get ahold of a recruiter huh, I just hope that they are not trying to sell it to me so hard that they come off as a salesman.

 

[Viper GTS]

I just hope that they are not trying to sell it to me so hard that they come off as a salesman.

Haha, good luck.

I had a marine recruiter after me for quite a while. Kept calling me mid-day and waking me up (I was throwing freight at night, so I slept during the day), pushing & pushing me until I agreed to let him come to my house. He called & cancelled, much to my relief, but then he started calling to reschedule. Then he got my dad once & my dad told him I was flat-footed, and allergic to virtually everything (completely true). Strangely enough he never called again.

I'm just a little too nice to tell them to go copulate with a cattle prod.

Viper GTS

 

[Kung Lau]

I joined the Air Force out of high school, even though I graduated in the top 3% of my class (460).
I was an Army brat prior to that and my old man made no attempts to steer me into the military.
I guess each person should do what they want to do ultimately. I came in because I felt like college
immediately after high school wouldn't be beneficial to me. I'd just get by and not gain any really
insightful education from it. I never considered making the service my career, but my reenlistments
have just flew by. I sometimes think back and wonder if I'd do this again if I was given the chance,
and I'd have to say yes. Of course, I'd change a few minor details before I did, but I would indeed do
it again. For example, I would have not gotten into aircraft maintenance (electronics) because I prefer
the computer related fields more. As far as which service, all I can say is go with what level of
"hardcore" military life you're willing to live with. Most people will agree that the differences from
civilian life goes from Air Force, Navy, Army, and Marines, in that order.
With 16 years accomplished, I have but one more enlistment to go before I can retire at the age of 40
and have a pension for life and some benefits. Although diminishing, the retirement benefits are still
the best seller the military has. Finally, having a Republican president in office has given the military a
nice boost in the arm as far as pay and benefits go. Do not mistake this to mean you'll be getting rich in the
military, this just will never happen.

Feel free to ask with any questions regarding the Airf Force.

And no, I'm not a recruiter and I've told one of my subordinates to get out when he was at 10 years to take
an air traffic controller job making MUCH more than he was.

 

[propellerhead]

Your comment about third world countries is flat out asinine.

[Clue] It was sarcasm for "You can't really retire with enlisted retirement pay". You still have to work, hence the importance of a marketable skill. [/Clue]


loudog999: Go see a recruiter. Go see all four of them. Listen to all of their sales pitches. Then go to IRC. Join #airforce channel and ask away.

 

[UltraQuiet]

Clue] It was sarcasm for "You can't really retire with enlisted retirement pay". You still have to work, hence the importance of a marketable skill. [/Clue]

My mistake. Since you didn't mention the AF in that sentence I just assumed that it was a post based on your ignorance of what the other services have to offer. After re-reading it I can clearly see where it references the enlisted retirement pay of all the services. (CLUE- the last sentence was sarcasm).

loudog- if you have any questions about the Navy feel free to ask.


Chief

 

[loudog9999]

Wow, just sent out an email to the local recruiter here and within about an hour he had unloaded a page and a half response to me. He has a phone number listed so I think I may go ahead and schedule an appointment to come in to talk to him (Air Force by the way still haven?t heard back from the other. That was good advice about contacting all four). Im glad I didn?t send my number because I am sure he would be calling non-stop. Why do they have to treat this like they are selling a used car? Also, a really dumb question that I would probably not ask the recruiter, I cant swim for crap, should I get better at it if and when I decide to join up? I know that with the Army, Marines, and Navy I probably should but how about the Air Force is that a big part of basic training?

 

[UltraQuiet]

Originally posted by: loudog9999
Wow, just sent out an email to the local recruiter here and within about an hour he had unloaded a page and a half response to me. He has a phone number listed so I think I may go ahead and schedule an appointment to come in to talk to him (Air Force by the way still haven?t heard back from the other. That was good advice about contacting all four). Im glad I didn?t send my number because I am sure he would be calling non-stop. Why do they have to treat this like they are selling a used car? Also, a really dumb question that I would probably not ask the recruiter, I cant swim for crap, should I get better at it if and when I decide to join up? I know that with the Army, Marines, and Navy I probably should but how about the Air Force is that a big part of basic training?

Recruiters are trained as salesman. Quite honestly the swim test in the Navy boot camp is not hard and you'll never have to do it again.