Army Reserves

[imported_nerve]

Is anyone here in the army reserves? I have been thinking about joining....

I have a fulltime job and want to continue it... but was thinking the reserves could benefit me in my persuit of a government job...

 

[Balt]

Errr... if you want to keep your full-time job the Reserves may not be a good option for you. We are at war and odds are decent you're going to be putting your boots in the sand.

 

[chusteczka]

There is a high probability that you would be activated and sent off to Iraq before you even get the opportunity to wash your new uniforms.

I assume your current fulltime job does not require a college degree and will not provide sufficient future earnings. That is the only way I can understand someone considering such action. If you are looking to leave your current job and find a better one, maybe you could go to school and earn a certified trade or a degree.

Yes, military service does provide a person with preference when applying for a government position.

 

[imported_nerve]

My fulltime job required a college degree, I dont have one..but somehow i got the job anyway.
I start monday

I was just looking to the future and weighing reserves as an option.

 

[shortylickens]

Buddy, right now its not the reserves.
Its full time army.

There is a DAMN good chance you will be out in the sand for a long time.
I'm not saying dont. I'm saying ignore the reserve recruiter. You wont be putting in one weekend a month and two weeks a year. You will be full time.
Plan your future around that.

 

[Wapp]

I recently joined the Navy Reserves after doing four years Active Duty in the Air Force. Are you considering only the Army? The Navy has been pretty good to me so far and they are offering some sweet bonuses($20k for the job I picked). Let me know if you want anymore info.

Originally posted by: Balt
Errr... if you want to keep your full-time job the Reserves may not be a good option for you. We are at war and odds are decent you're going to be putting your boots in the sand.

Even if he gets called up there is a this little thing called USERRA. Please educate yourself about it before you start spreading misinformation.

 

[chusteczka]

Originally posted by: nerve
My fulltime job required a college degree, I dont have one..but somehow i got the job anyway.
I start monday

I was just looking to the future and weighing reserves as an option.

You are doing well by considering by your options and congratulations on your new position. I would prefer for you to go to school or obtain certifications in an area that interests you. An education also provides preference when applying for government jobs.

 

[TallBill]

Well, its an easy way to get a security clearance if you pick the right job. You might manage to finagle a short contract and maybe only deploy once. My year in the reserves was horrible. Horrible leaders, bad soldiers, lazy attitudes. I'm so glad that I didn't deploy with them. Some units are ok, but a lot or missing a lot of discipline.

 

[aldamon]

You'd have about as much chance of staying in the reserves right now as a Falcon backup QB.

 

[Triumph]

You will be deployed, unless you are EXTREMELY lucky. And you'll be deployed for 15 months. If you want to take an easier position, join the Air Force reserves. They only deploy for 6 months, and you'll spend all of your time behind the wire in relative safety and comfort.

 

[nick1985]

Originally posted by: Triumph
You will be deployed, unless you are EXTREMELY lucky. And you'll be deployed for 15 months. If you want to take an easier position, join the Air Force reserves. They only deploy for 6 months, and you'll spend all of your time behind the wire in relative safety and comfort.

Yeah dont worry you can be behind the wires in safety, I'll be out fightin' for ya.

 

[halik]

You'll get shipped off to Iraq before you can say chiken shawarma...

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: aldamon
You'd have about as much chance of staying in the reserves right now as a Falcon backup QB.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA bonus pts for Vick reference!

 

[rodneyxiii]

Originally posted by: Wapp
I recently joined the Navy Reserves after doing four years Active Duty in the Air Force. Are you considering only the Army? The Navy has been pretty good to me so far and they are offering some sweet bonuses($20k for the job I picked). Let me know if you want anymore info.

Originally posted by: Balt
Errr... if you want to keep your full-time job the Reserves may not be a good option for you. We are at war and odds are decent you're going to be putting your boots in the sand.

Even if he gets called up there is a this little thing called USERRA. Please educate yourself about it before you start spreading misinformation.

Wapp is right, federal law requires a company to keep your position for you if you are called to active duty. If you are interested in joining the military, there are a few things I would reccommend:

1. Take your time making the decision
2. Do you research to see where you would best fit in
3. Get every thing in writing (ask anyone who was promised one thing and got a handful of "promise")

 

[Wapp]

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: Triumph
You will be deployed, unless you are EXTREMELY lucky. And you'll be deployed for 15 months. If you want to take an easier position, join the Air Force reserves. They only deploy for 6 months, and you'll spend all of your time behind the wire in relative safety and comfort.

Yeah dont worry you can be behind the wires in safety, I'll be out fightin' for ya.

Yeah, cause the Air Force doesn't run convoys or man checkpoints or have mortars fired at them or have helicopters crash...

http://www.icasualties.org/oif/Service.aspx

 

[bmacd]

I enlisted into the Army National Guard back in January of 2004 and we'll be deploying in early 2008. I'm now an Active Duty-Guardsman (full time Unit support staff) and I don't regret a single day of it. Joining the N.G. was the best thing to ever happen to me.

 

[Sinsear]

I joined the National Guard last year after 7yrs of active Army. My unit is not deploying until somewhere around 2010-2012 timeframe. It's not as bad as the naysayers here will lead you to believe. And you will not lose your job if you are called up.

 

[piasabird]

If you are hell-bent on joining the military make sure it is in some specialty where you actually learn some usable skill. Not much call in civilian life for Door Gunner or an infrantryman. There are a lot of people who have made a lot of money in Iraq doing things like Carpentry. I had a friend that went over there for a year.

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: Triumph
You will be deployed, unless you are EXTREMELY lucky. And you'll be deployed for 15 months. If you want to take an easier position, join the Air Force reserves. They only deploy for 6 months, and you'll spend all of your time behind the wire in relative safety and comfort.

Yeah dont worry you can be behind the wires in safety, I'll be out fightin' for ya.

Yeah, cause the Air Force doesn't run convoys or man checkpoints or have mortars fired at them or have helicopters crash...

http://www.icasualties.org/oif/Service.aspx

Thanks for the link, 39 total air force casualties versus 2500 for the army and 1000 for the Marines. Even the Navy has lost more people! Sounds pretty safe for me.

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: Wapp

Originally posted by: nick1985

Originally posted by: Triumph
You will be deployed, unless you are EXTREMELY lucky. And you'll be deployed for 15 months. If you want to take an easier position, join the Air Force reserves. They only deploy for 6 months, and you'll spend all of your time behind the wire in relative safety and comfort.

Yeah dont worry you can be behind the wires in safety, I'll be out fightin' for ya.

Yeah, cause the Air Force doesn't run convoys or man checkpoints or have mortars fired at them or have helicopters crash...

http://www.icasualties.org/oif/Service.aspx

Thanks for the link, 39 total air force casualties versus 2500 for the army and 1000 for the Marines. Even the Navy has lost more people! Sounds pretty safe for me.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: Balt
Errr... if you want to keep your full-time job the Reserves may not be a good option for you. We are at war and odds are decent you're going to be putting your boots in the sand.

What do you mean "if you want to keep your full-time job"? Last I remembered it was illegal to be fired because of conflicts with military service.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: TallBill
Well, its an easy way to get a security clearance if you pick the right job. You might manage to finagle a short contract and maybe only deploy once. My year in the reserves was horrible. Horrible leaders, bad soldiers, lazy attitudes. I'm so glad that I didn't deploy with them. Some units are ok, but a lot or missing a lot of discipline.

When were you in the reserves? I wonder if that's all changed now with all the battle experience they've aquired.

 

[bmacd]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: Balt
Errr... if you want to keep your full-time job the Reserves may not be a good option for you. We are at war and odds are decent you're going to be putting your boots in the sand.

What do you mean "if you want to keep your full-time job"? Last I remembered it was illegal to be fired because of conflicts with military service.

It's illegal to fire an employee due to military obligations, but there are always ways of getting around that. Do you honestly expect an employer to support an employee who's going to be gone at least once every weekend, two to three weeks for their annual training, and then at least a year for their deployment? Lots of people forget we are a Nation at war, and employers have businesses to run.

 

[bmacd]

Originally posted by: Gooberlx2

Originally posted by: Balt
Errr... if you want to keep your full-time job the Reserves may not be a good option for you. We are at war and odds are decent you're going to be putting your boots in the sand.

What do you mean "if you want to keep your full-time job"? Last I remembered it was illegal to be fired because of conflicts with military service.

It's illegal to fire an employee due to military obligations, but there are always ways of getting around that. Do you honestly expect an employer to support an employee who's going to be gone at least once every weekend, two to three weeks for their annual training, and then at least a year for their deployment? Lots of people forget we are a Nation at war, and employers have businesses to run.

 

[palehorse]

What MOS interests you the MOST?

I have served on each: Active Duty, the National Guard, and the US Army Reserves for 11+ years, and counting. I have deployed several times to the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Seven of those years were spent in the infantry, and the last four have been in Intelligence. At the same time, I've built a decent civilian career (9 years) in Information security and intelligence consulting, and I've gone to school for a few degrees!

All told, my military experiences and lessons have been the best in my life; and I'm a HUGE advocate of service to your nation in the Reserves or Active Duty!

Like I initially asked, the first step is determining what field you want to work in (This is what YOU want, not what some recruiter says to you). You should also take the ASVAB aptitude exam, as soon as humanly possible, to figure out what you're qualified to do.

If your scores are high enough, I would highly suggest picking something that requires at least a SECRET clearance - the higher the clearance, the better the job! The clearance will also be worth a lot of money in the civilian job market. Keep in mind, there are also very nice bonuses for intel folks at the moment! (all types! HUMINT, ELINT, SIGINT, MASINT, etc)

If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask them, and I'll do my best to answer them. You can ask here or in PM, whatever you prefer.