joining the service

[Mark]

i got a question. i see commericials for joining the army, marines, and they tell you how you can get a great career, get skills for the real world and this and that, but ussally the people that i know that get out ussally end up getting out of it get nowhere job. like my coworker who is 31, he got out when he was 24 and ended up getting a temp job working as a file clerk. the funny thing is there was another guy is same exact age that also got out of the army and had the same job. he says he went from "black hawk helicopters to the file room" and so did the other guy. so whats the story with this? what kind of career can you get if you stay in the service?

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: Mark
i got a question. i see commericials for joining the army, marines, and they tell you how you can get a great career, get skills for the real world and this and that, but ussally the people that i know that get out ussally end up getting out of it get nowhere job. like my coworker who is 31, he got out when he was 24 and ended up getting a temp job working as a file clerk. the funny thing is there was another guy is same exact age that also got out of the army and had the same job. he says he went from "black hawk helicopters to the file room" and so did the other guy. so whats the story with this? what kind of career can you get if you stay in the service?

It really depends. You can't go in and expect a good job simply for having been in.Yes, some jobs will teach you very valuable skills, but many do not (being a tank crew member for example). It does help you in a couple of ways. First, those that are ex-military generally give preference to those that are the same when doing hiring. Also, you have the ability to go to school while in the military. It is what YOU make of it.

 

[FoBoT]

if you get some technical training , such as electronics or something that translates to a civilian job, it is easier

Go Navy and get some skills

 

[imported_Imp]

Hate to tell you this, but usually it doesn't. Remember reading an article somewhere saying ex-military get fewer jobs. You'd think having served will look great on your resume, but some employers specifically single it out as a negative. Something about post-traumatic stress and being somewhat unstable. It's allll bs, but that's what they do. Try to google the article up...

 

[xSauronx]

Originally posted by: SarcasticDwarf

Originally posted by: Mark
i got a question. i see commericials for joining the army, marines, and they tell you how you can get a great career, get skills for the real world and this and that, but ussally the people that i know that get out ussally end up getting out of it get nowhere job. like my coworker who is 31, he got out when he was 24 and ended up getting a temp job working as a file clerk. the funny thing is there was another guy is same exact age that also got out of the army and had the same job. he says he went from "black hawk helicopters to the file room" and so did the other guy. so whats the story with this? what kind of career can you get if you stay in the service?

It is what YOU make of it.

QFT. My brother in law joined the guard, became an apache mechanic, got a degree at NC State as well as basic law-enforcement training, and now is a warrant officer with his civilians helicopter license and training to fly the apache. He'll have to re-up with the guard for 6 years once his training is complete, at which point he'll be 12 years in and figures he'll just take it to 20.

Hes happy, and plans to move back around Raleigh to fulfil his guard obligations. I dont think hes worried about his prospects at all.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Imp
Hate to tell you this, but usually it doesn't. Remember reading an article somewhere saying ex-military get fewer jobs. You'd think having served will look great on your resume, but some employers specifically single it out as a negative.

that was not my experience, it helped me get jobs after getting out

 

[jpeyton]

Ask the file clerks if they preferred this job instead.

 

[FoBoT]

wtf? jpeyton

BAN, you don't need to bring that crap into this type of thread

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Ask the file clerks if they preferred this job instead.

WTF

 

[FoBoT]

jpeyton take your troll flame bait to P&N , that has nothing to do with the OP's question

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Ask the file clerks if they preferred this job instead.

:roll:

 

[slsmnaz]

My company actively recruits ex-military. Many have leadership skills and a work ethic you do not find in recent college grads.

 

[RedCOMET]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Ask the file clerks if they preferred this job instead.

Landscaping or engraving the tombstones?

 

[awolkoff]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
My company actively recruits ex-military. Many have leadership skills and a work ethic you do not find in recent college grads.

+1

 

[keird]

I'm in the Army, now. Aside from training me, the Army has even paid for some of my technical/medical cerifications. NREMT PHTLS ACLS PALS CRT-NPS, CPFT. All my civilian college courses were paid by the Army, too. That isn't even mentioning the military specific training I've received.

There's plenty of educational opportunities. Like life, it's what you make out of those opportunities. I'm looking at Six Sigma training, but it just looks like a lot of work, right now.

 

[MichaelD]

You're thinking of joining our nation's armed forces; good for you! :thumbsup:

To ensure you have a transferable skill, just use your head.

Not crapping on the Army or Marines, but there IS NO civilian equivalent for Tank Gunner, Lead Mortar Commander, Infantry Technician, etc.

If you are in some sort of technical field, equipment repair, vehicle maintenance, etc, you'll be good to go.

 

[marvdmartian]

There's pretty much 2 reasons why a person gets out after a hitch in the military, with no good prospects. The first one has been discussed here, and that's the fact that an infantryman might be skilled so long as he's in the army, but there's not much use for those skills in the outside world, unless he wants to go into the police force.

The second reason, as I see it, is this.....people go into the military quite often to get out of an area where there's just not much choice for jobs, and possibly even where the job market is depressed. The join the military, do pretty well, but decide after a hitch that it's just not for them........

......and end up moving right back to that same area, with the same crappy job choices that they left 4 to 6 years earlier! Hello????? Okay, it's great if you can live around your family, but all the technical training in the world won't help you land a great job if the best position you can find is the assistant manager at Joe-Bob's DVD Emporium, ya know?? :roll:

Definitely, if you're thinking of the military, and have the good scores to get some technical training while you're in, and are willing to move to where the jobs are when you get out, then you'll do well. If you're doing it to get out of a depressed area, and are just going to move right back there when you get out, then expect that the only thing you'll get out of your enlistment is the chance to see somewhere outside of your local neighborhood.

Oh yeah, and it's never a bad idea to take advantage of the education benefits you have in the military (last I checked, 100% tuition assistance), and get your bachelor's degree before you get out. That way, you're far more likely to land a decent position if you do end up going right back home.