Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

I'm meeting with a recruiter for the Marines tomorrow and would like expert opinions on which branch I should join. I'm 23 years old no job,kids,or wife. The only thing I have is my car,family,and friends. I would like to go to school as well as make some good money so those are two reasons I wanna join but I also want to challenge myself,travel,have my future intact,and also do something that is bigger than me. I'm tired of working dead end jobs. I want to do something meaningful with my life. With that said help me choose one or if I should go at all. Thanks.

Awake455

Making good money and being in the military don't necessarily belong in the same sentence...at least not until after several promotions. Just thought I would warn you. Nobody joins the military to get rich.

As long as you understand you will not have all that much time to take college classes while in. You will get time for a class or two here and there, but the mission comes first. A lot of people who say they want to join for college classes and college money are rather frustrated on that front as the time for classes is quite limited. There are, after all, 2 "wars" going on.

Having your future intact, doing something bigger than yourself, and doing something meaningful with your life...well...if you choose your job wisely the military can be a way towards those ideals. Make damn sure you pick something you will enjoy cuz chances are very good you will be doing it in places you would rather not be.

It takes a special (in a good way, not a window licking way) person to become a marine. I think I read a comment once that, if you aren't sure if you can be or want to be a marine, then you should not go to the marines. About the only thing as tough or tougher than being a marine would be a navy seal, army ranger, or army sf.

J2Pharren1

iTrader: (1)

That must be why the Marine Corps trains 38,000 new enlisted a year. Christ you guys like to blow smoke up your own asses

OP- What jobs are you interested in doing? Personally I think it's a much better choice to figure out what job you want to do first, not what branch you want to join. Probably 90% of the jobs the military offers can be done in any branch.

98TAjwh

iTrader: (4)

yes i am bias in my vote for navy because i am navy. imo i wouldn't set a goal to get out in 4 years, the military isn't an auto laon. you are giving up four years (more if you're reactivated or stay in longer) of your life in service to your country, a very noble idea indeed. i say "giving up" for lack of a better phrase. i signed on for six and i'm coming up on my seventh year now. i reenlisted in 2004. you can make decent money if you stay in long enough, but the experiences and friends you make far outweigh any paycheck. if you are set on getting out in four years, select a service that will give you training in a field you enjoy so you can get that "experience" check in the block for your resume. gl with whatever you decide to do.

C5 Bandit

hes right there is a lot to sacrifice, 4 years is a long time, even longer if youre not happy, so be very sure of what youre getting into before you start signing papers. you sound pretty serious about this so as previously said, pick your specific field carefully and make sure youre ready to do it atleast the next 4 years, it will be under various conditions and circumstances. the experiences are indeed irreplaceable, as long as you join for something other than college money and other benefits. its all about service and being there with the man or woman next to you

Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

Is there anyway I check or get a list of fields offered? Should I just ask the recruiter? I am serious about it but i'm also scared and don't want to make a wrong decision. Once I set out to do something i'm commited to it so thats not a problem I just need to decide if this is right for me. I understand that there isn't a lot of time for taking classes. I don't want to be on the front line at all, i'm more interested in having the experience of being in the service and training for a career after its over. Hell if I really like it i'll make a career out of it.

Be honest with me are the benefits worth it? From what I hear you don't get a lot of money but you also don't pay for much.

J2Pharren1

iTrader: (1)

each branch has a website with all the jobs they offer, chances are pretty good that if you can think of a job you would like to do you will find it. What are you interested in doing?

98TAjwh

iTrader: (4)

what is it you're interested in doing. the job you pick can have a huge affect on how fast you advance through paygrades and get better pay. i'll put it this way: i am an E6, been in for almost seven years and make about $4000 a month after taxes which is more than enough to support myself, my wife, and baby daughter. could i use more? always. we get free health care and dental. the reason some people say that you don't get paid a lot is because they are not factoring in the benefits that you don't have to pay for (ie; health, dental, mental health, legal assistance, and do i need to mention the air forces hobby shops that kick the holy **** out of the navy's?). so what career fields are you interested in, post up and we'll through some ideas at you, i can only comment from a navy perspective, but if you want good training for a marketable career after the military without being on the front line, the navy is prolly more up your ally than the marines.

Awake455

LOL, I'm in the army, and was too damned old when I joined to consider the full throttle routes like ranger, sf, or marines.


OP...sit down and browse the websites from all branches. I can guarantee you there are military jobs you had no idea even existed. Joining the military means you are training to fight...and to do your job. In this day and age the front line could be your base when it comes under attack from a suicide bomber deep in a "secure" zone. Be ready at all times, the front line could be anywhere. Not trying to scare you, but we are in the business of killing people and breaking things.

The benefits range from good to workable. Sure you get free medical care but just like any socialized medicine system on the planet it is often the cause of more pain than it cures.

You will, without a doubt, be certain that you are a part of something bigger than yourself.

Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

I'm very interested in the Navy as well. I have been looking on their site and like how the info is right at my finger tips. Some fields that interest me are engineering,music,law enforcement,information technology,and world language. I got those all from the Navy's site.

From experience what is the training like? I will admit that I am scared of heights and I know how to swim but don't consider myself a fish and want to be in the water all the time. I just really need help.

danhr

iTrader: (18)

believe only half of the stuff you read/hear. ESPECIALLY from recruiters/people currently in the military

A few quick things
"You don't make much money"
False. I was 19 years old, making 40K+/year (that was stateside, not overseas), single, with only a high school diploma. That is damn good money imho for someone that age, with minimal experience, and not much education.

I'd say first figure out what you want to do in the long run.

You say you want to further your education. The decisions you make now GREATLY affect your career.

If u want to get an education, i wouuld look into rotc

Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

I've been browsing the sites for the past week and then decided that I would be a police officer but then thinking about the opportunities and experiences the military could offer me got me thinking really hard so hard I have a headache . The Army and Navy sites give a lot of info but the Marines site is lacking with info about jobs.

Will I be deployed if I don't choose to be on the front line?

98TAjwh

iTrader: (4)

training as far as what? boot camp, school? i think the only boot camp that has any credibility any more would be the marines, all the other one's in my opinion/experience are a bunch of jokes nowadays. if you're worried about that, stop right there, it's no sweat. it's hard to explain the navy schools to someone who hasn't experienced the military. but they are more or less an extension of boot camp, only more toned down. from what you have stated in this thread, i would definitely say the marines and the army are out of the question. very good services in themselves but they are very "front line" oriented. from the fields you are interested in the air force would probably be your best bet with the navy/coast guard running a tight second. yes i consider the CG to be military, i've workde side by side with those boys and they are very much military. but the bottom line is we can't make up your mind for you. do your research, speak with the recruiter who is a member on this site, and don't hesitate to ask us any questions because we are more than willing to help out someone interested in joining, especially if that person is a member here!

farmdawg

I'm in the Air Forcwe and have been for almost 13 years, I work construction buidling roads and runways and such. I love my job, but I'm seeing more and more going the way on contractors due to downsizing and deployments. I joined the Air Force after talking to lots of people and asking what service they would recommend, or would they join, and some what would they join if they had it to do all over again; pretty much every one of them said without a doubt Air Force. Most everybody told me that it's easier to find a job in the Air Force that will transfer over to the civilian world after your enlistment is up; I don't completely agree with that, there are lots of jobs done in the AF that are the same in every other service too. I have seen the quality of life of other services and yes the Air Force lives better for the most part, but we are a smaller service too, in citites where other services are based as well, sometimes it's better to use the other services exchanges, hobby shops, facilities etc for more selection. I like the idea that in the AF I would stand on the flightline salute the pilot as he left for combat and be relatively safe back at base, but times have changed and just like posted above the frontline could your base because some suicide bomber tried to attack your base.

It's been said earlier too and I cannot stress how important this is....what do want to do in any branch of service???!!!!!!!! Have an idea of what field you would like to work in before you talk to any recruiter and definitely before you sign any paperwork for enlistment. Pretty much every job in the civilian sector is done in the military, we may just call it something else. The military is not self-sufficient, but each base, post or whatever can be looked at as a small city, it takes all kinds of jobs to make it function, doctors, lawyers, dentists, mechanics (for planes, cars, trucks, equipment), engineers, you name it, the military uses it. Think long and hard about what you want to do, expect out of it, plan to do while you are in, where you hope to set yourself up to be when you decide that you are done; get a plan together, then use the military to work it out cause they are gonna use you.

Right now public opinion of the military is high and we have it pretty good but that can change pretty quickly. I was coming home from Iraq last year just after Christmas, my CO decided that we would all travel home in our uniforms, so I was delayed somewhere in the Mid-West, and as I was on my cell checking all of my messages that had accumulated, I was stopped by at least 30 people that wanted to say thank you, and wish me well on my way home. That kind of stuff happens, but it was a few years ago that you wouldn't be seen off base in your uniform.

Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

Boot camp

Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

I'm gonna do as much research as I can before I make a decision. I definitely wanna do something that will translate to the civilian world cause i'm not to sure I want to be in the military for 20+ years but then again I might like it. Thanks for all of the help.

Detoxx03

iTrader: (14)

I was on the Air Force's website for a good 40 minutes reading about what they offer. They definitely have my attention. I also read where you have to do a flight drill. Is everyone required to fly or is it only people that choose that type of job? Some of this stuff is a little confusing.

Well i'm gonna call it a night and start over tomorrow. Thanks everyone.

98TAjwh

iTrader: (4)

navy boot camp was cake. the key to boot camp is to just keep your mouth shut. if you have a problem with running your mouth you will have problems in boot camp. it's mostly just a bunch of marching, some classroom stuff teaching you core values a naval history/basic seamanship type stuff. it gets easier every couple years from what i'm told so if it was cake for me you'll have no problems. like i said before, marine boot camp is probably the only one that's worth a **** these days.

EW1

iTrader: (10)

if you do decide to go in and want to have a good outlook into the future, pick a job that would apply outside of the military. I am in the Navy and do electronic warfare and there are a lot of government jobs that apply to my field. I have seen guys spend 4 - 6 years in the military only to get out and do those jobs. Whichever you chose learn the job well and make contacts while you are in to help land a job if you decide not to stay in.

farmdawg

No not everyone in the AF flies. The flight drill is probably drill movements with your Basic Military Training (BMT) class. The AF basic training course is probably the easiest one out there, i'm sure that most everyone will agree with that. If you keep your mouth shut and blend in you'll have no problems. Lots of yelling, but it's only to intimidate and break you down, to get you molded into "the ideal Airman".