Anyone else considering military after you are done your undergrad?

[imported_Imp]

Originally posted by: sash1
do it. not like canukistan ever fights any wars. just remember to txt me pics of yer GUNZZ

Umm dude (ya, I know you're kidding, but just want to say it anyways). Canuckistans are there in Afghanistan on 6-month deployments, and have been since 2003 or 2004 (or something). Our army is 70k-ish strong, including about 25k reserves. Around 2.5k are there at a time in Afghanistan, so some people have been on their 5th tour.

Doesn't look like they're leaving in 2011 either, so if you join now and don't go for an MOS that takes 3 years training, you can almost guarantee that you're going to be deployed. I guess if you want to avoid going there, joining the Navy is the best bet. Nice pirate patrols...

 

[Mo0o]

I have a friend that contracted w/ the Navy after starting med school. I think he's getting all his shit paid for as well a stipend on top of that. The only catch is that you have to do your residency at one of the military hospitals followed by a certain amount of time as an attending. It's not a big deal if your goal wasn't to get into a top ranked residency and really just want an MD. Probably wont get deployed into a combat zone, even if you do, most likely gonna be far from the action since its probably pretty expensive to put MD's out into the field when medics would do.

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Why would an educated person like yourself even consider joining the military..? Feel like throwing puppies off cliffs or something?

Troll. Plenty of educated people join the military. I met a lot more intelligent people in the service then out of it.

Anyways, 2 years of ROTC and I'll be a 2nd lieutenant.

I was inches away from parlaying an ivy league degree into a tank commander's seat. While I ultimately did not go, I honestly wish to this day that the idea had occured to me a couple of years earlier and that I had gone down the PJ route. That was a job tailor made for me.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: amdhunter
Why would an educated person like yourself even consider joining the military..? Feel like throwing puppies off cliffs or something?

Troll. Plenty of educated people join the military. I met a lot more intelligent people in the service then out of it.

Anyways, 2 years of ROTC and I'll be a 2nd lieutenant.

Butter bar!!

 

[looker001]

No, i rather be in debt than dead.

 

[boredhokie]

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: boredhokie
And you believed the recruiter? Be sure to get everything in writing before you sell yourself to the military - it's more likely you'll be cannon fodder in Iraq than whatever job you were promised.

Why the outright hate with recruiters? A few bad seeds don't spoil the bunch. Almost no recruiter will outright lie... some are terrible with only selling certain aspects but even then, the majority are upfront about things as long as you are equally upfront.

Everything RichardE stated in the OP is truth, at least for Enlisted. Going Commissioned Officer, I'm not sure if you can get future schooling paid for, and I know Loan Repayment is not an option, nor are signing bonuses.
Then again, I am also not sure how it works if you sign Enlisted with the intention of going OCS. I know you can sign Enlisted with basically a statement that places you into OCS very quickly, but if you go Enlisted and just happen to be a good Soldier for your first few years and seek OCS, then at that point you'll already have earned all the Enlistment bonuses since you basically just fulfilled the Enlisted contract and then went OCS.

The Army doesn't post blatant lies in any of their documents, and everything he listed is easily found on the US Army's website. The only clarification is the signing bonuses, which is always listed as "Up to $xxxxx", because not every MOS (profession) will earn the max, as it is based on demand... hell, some basically get almost nothing because there is no need to entice recruits into signing up for those professions.

I don't hate anyone in the military. I know what the truth is and my opinion is based on numerous cases where kids were mislead by recruiters - you said yourself that recruiters mislead people.

Logical deduction reasons that they mislead them to reach some sort of quota or recognition from the army - the existence of a quota or incentive to get as many kids as possible to recruit would lead one to believe that there's more than "just a few bad apples" that will say anything to get people to join. "Up to" is a classic fine print bait and switch, they must have taken a page from credit card companies.

I do agree that if you are going to go military you should at least try to become an officer where you aren't as expendable.

 

[jjzelinski]

Originally posted by: boredhokie

Originally posted by: destrekor

Originally posted by: boredhokie
And you believed the recruiter? Be sure to get everything in writing before you sell yourself to the military - it's more likely you'll be cannon fodder in Iraq than whatever job you were promised.

Why the outright hate with recruiters? A few bad seeds don't spoil the bunch. Almost no recruiter will outright lie... some are terrible with only selling certain aspects but even then, the majority are upfront about things as long as you are equally upfront.

Everything RichardE stated in the OP is truth, at least for Enlisted. Going Commissioned Officer, I'm not sure if you can get future schooling paid for, and I know Loan Repayment is not an option, nor are signing bonuses.
Then again, I am also not sure how it works if you sign Enlisted with the intention of going OCS. I know you can sign Enlisted with basically a statement that places you into OCS very quickly, but if you go Enlisted and just happen to be a good Soldier for your first few years and seek OCS, then at that point you'll already have earned all the Enlistment bonuses since you basically just fulfilled the Enlisted contract and then went OCS.

The Army doesn't post blatant lies in any of their documents, and everything he listed is easily found on the US Army's website. The only clarification is the signing bonuses, which is always listed as "Up to $xxxxx", because not every MOS (profession) will earn the max, as it is based on demand... hell, some basically get almost nothing because there is no need to entice recruits into signing up for those professions.

I don't hate anyone in the military. I know what the truth is and my opinion is based on numerous cases where kids were mislead by recruiters - you said yourself that recruiters mislead people.

Logical deduction reasons that they mislead them to reach some sort of quota or recognition from the army - the existence of a quota or incentive to get as many kids as possible to recruit would lead one to believe that there's more than "just a few bad apples" that will say anything to get people to join. "Up to" is a classic fine print bait and switch, they must have taken a page from credit card companies.

I do agree that if you are going to go military you should at least try to become an officer where you aren't as expendable.

You think you know the truth but I seriously doubt you do. What you're talking about is something along the lines a of kid fresh out of high school being tempted by a $25k signing bonus w;/ the Army Infantry; that is obviously not the case here.

It's COMPETITIVE to earn a commission, especially so in the Air Force and Navy. No one's suckering anyone in, in fact most people should prepare to wait an obscenely long time get in if at all.

For example, to get into the AF with a commission going through Officer Training School (one of several routes, but it can be considered the default) you need to put together a shit hot "package" detailing why the AF would want to even waste it's time with you. Then, you send that package off to one of MAYBE two "boards" per year where a group of guys decide who goes and who stays. This is the process for what's called non-rated commissions.

On the other hand, if you meet the minimum physical requirements, you can pursue a rated commission; this is the route that's going to pup you behind a flight stick. Provided you get past the physicals, it's actually much easier to get a commission going this route. As opposed to the 3.6 GPA you'd need for a non-rated commission, you would only need something around a 2.5 GPA for a rated one. It may be easier, but it's still highly competitive. In fact, the air frame you qualify to fly is based on your results in "flight school." Or maybe you'll be a navigator instead, who knows.

The fact is, this guy has been presumably talking about getting a commission so much of your concern is unfounded at best.

Then again, if this guy was thinking of coming in with his degree as an enlistee then that's just plain stupid. You will be treated as an inferior person by virtue of your rank and your degree is probably just going to make your "superiors" resentful.