Is the military for me?

Enlisted 4 years in the AF right out of high school. I would never do it again
I respect being a civilian more now and have the GI bill/VA healthcare but my back and knees also hurt so idk if it was really worth it...

But I guess if you got a medical, vehicle maintenance, or hvac/contracting gig it wouldn’t be too bad. Every other job is trash. I basically spent 4 years learning a trade that would only land me a $15 an hour at FedEx or UPS(air transportation).

the military life is not that much different from college tho. Everybody drinks or plays videos games on their time off. Most of them are Eskimo brothers. Some days I kinda wished I just went to college instead.

 

I was a stupid 19 year old community college drop out from the middle class. I screwed every opportunity I was ever offered because I didn't care to work for it. The only thing I though would be cool was being my own man and serving to set my life up. It was a gamble I took on myself. Total independence and nobody can say they did it for me.

I did a 3 year stint in the infantry during the 2009 surge. I wanted to be as proud as my 'Nam vet great uncle. I knew going in that infantry wasn't a profession I would take with me when I got out (If I made it back whole). So, I made a plan to use my GI Bill to get an education in the IT field. It's worked out well for me.

I have friends in the same unit who look back on their time in service as meaningless and never took advantage of the education opportunities after. A lot of them shit on those of us who went to college after. To me, use the fuckin benefits to learn to weld or fly or whatever. Don't piss them away because nobody really gives a shit if you're a vet unless it's another vet. A college degree or a certification makes you "qualified" for most things by default these days.

It seems to be what you make of it. It sucks ass while you're doing it, you should do a lot of growing up, and you can take that hardship you overcame as fuel for future success. You also take a some bad shit with you too sometimes.

I'm no recruiter. I don't care if you serve. But if you're even asking about the military, it's probably the right place. Take my story for what it's worth, not much.

 

Same could be said of people who spend 4+ years at college, rack up $100,000 in debt, and end up working at starbucks.

Moral of the story: Have a plan, see it through.

 

Were you a Portdog extraordinaire?

 

I always told guys there were two things they should do while in the military:

(1) take advantage of every opportunity to do college or professional certifications. Those will help if they decided to stay in the military for a career, or leave for the private sector. Supervisors bent over backward to make attending college classes available during deployment. As for certifications, if you are a Air Traffic Controller, get the FAA ATC certifications! If you are a aircraft electrician or mechanic, get the civilian certifications! Once again, it won't hurt while you're in the military, and will put you ahead of the pack (of applicants) if you decide to get out.

(2) no matter where you are, take advantage of the available recreational, cultural, etc. things while you are are there. I had one assignment at NAS Key West, and there were guys who absolutely hated being there. I asked if they fished, went snorkeling, etc, and they said no. Odds are you'll never have another opportunity to be paid to live in an area like there, so enjoy it while you're there.

One last tip: do not do drugs while you're in the military! If you want to do them, wait until your enlistment is over, leave with your honorable discharge, then enjoy them! You really do not want to leave with a OTH, especially if you want to get a high paying job in your field after the military.

 

Yes. As they say “port dawgs”. Pushing loads sucks but having to clean up someone else’s piss is a new low. The only day I enjoyed was the day I walked out of the shop knowing my enlistment was over.

 

would I pay 100k for a bachelors degree only to graduate during a pandemic? F no. But knowing what I know now I would’ve rather done a trade. Have a few friends who did trade school out of HS and started off 16/hr 4 years later making 25/he plus 1.5x overtime. I was taking home maybe 2/3 of what they got when I was in the dorms. I didn’t make decent money until I got BAH/BAS at 3 years TIS.

OP needs to lay his options out before choosing the military. I messed up and used it as a stepping stone to figure myself out. Hated the job and the location made it worse. Could’ve cross trained but that required re-enlistment. One thing leads to another and then you’re 20 years deep cashing out on a pension. I just had to get out for the sake of my mental health.

 

It's incredible how much negativity there is especially from those that haven't had any experience in any facet of the DoD.

It's good to get different perspectives on things but just learn from those to make your journey better, don't take them as gospel. I sure as hell wouldn't listen to the people that haven't been in. Join the Air Force or Coast Guard and have a decent career. Or, join and give yourself decent marketabilty with a worthy job experience after 4 years in a desirable field.

Your life is what you make it man, it just comes down to what choices you make when you sign the dotted line. If you want to have a conversation shoot me a PM. I'm an Air Force E6, just finished up my Bachelors and attempting to cross over to the officer side. I'll probably get my Airframe and Powerplant license next year, followed by enrolling in a Masters program regardless of outcome. I've seen more than I ever would have as a civilian, met my spouse, the list goes on.

The only negative I have is the change in retirement plan for you new prospective recruits.

There are countless STEM programs if you're interested in engineering. Reddit has a wealth of information. Check out r/airforce and climb down the rabit hole.

 

I’ll be hitting 20 years in January. I can say it has its ups and downs just like the civilian world. If you have the means (financials) go to college, dental, pharmaceuticals. If you do not have the means start with a single tour to get the college benefits and roll out with an honorable discharge. Just don’t go into debt for an education that you are statistically not even going to use. I’m happy with my career choice and loved my time in. Pension and medical will be utilized for the rest of my life. I now have options available I otherwise wouldn’t of if I was on a fixed income, fixed to a civilian job.
The end of the day when your young, you got time on your side and nothing but benefits to reap. Stick your toe in, you got nothing to lose.

 

It's a rough life in the Air Force 5 star barracks. You were taking home 2/3 of their pay but had zero housing costs and zero food costs if you were dedicated enough to eat at the chow hall or whatever you guys call those fancy restaurants on base.

 

Talk to all the branches and see what fits you the best. If you don't want to necessarily go active duty, but still want to serve, you can join either the reserves (all branches have the reserve component) or the guard (Army or Air...with the guard you not only do federal missions, but also state missions).

I joined the Air National Guard day after I graduated high school. I have been in 22.5 years and 12 of those years were active duty.

Think about the options. Weigh them out. You can sign up for 4 years and if it's not for you, get out. Ultimately the decision is yours whether or not the military is for you. And sometimes you won't know if it's for you until you have at least tried it.

 

This is good advice. I joined long ago because I didn't know what I wanted to do when I graduated, but I knew I didn't want to continue doing construction (summer job). Glad I did it, got a lot of experience and took advantage of many benefits. No matter what you do, do the best you can. "Bloom where you're planted" as they say, and you'll be fine. If you want more personal advice on it, message me.

 

^^^agree with this. I'm available also I'm messaging.

 

Well said! The military is a microcosm of society! Some of the most impressive people I have ever met were in the military. Full of under achievers as well unfortunately! Some of the jobs involve the unfortunate loss of life and limb, but there are many job skill offerings that are not directly combat related. Much like the original poster, I was 20 with one year of mediocre grades at a junior college and working in construction. Not floundering, but lacked direction like many young men at that age. Joined the Army for three years and thoroughly enjoyed it. I worked with highly dedicated people, I loved the physical rigors and daily competition within the ranks, and had exhilarating military experiences that one could never replicate in the civilian world. I was fortunate that it was all peace time fun and games during my enlistment. I joined the Army to get away from home and secure money for college. Wanted to return as a officer via ROTC, but that did not happen. I enlisted for four more years in the Army National Guard while in college. The military ultimately paid for my college education, provided a VA loan for our first house and most importantly made me the man that I am today. No regrets and cherished my time in service. One of my sons is enlisting to be a Army Ranger after graduating from HS this year. Be fully aware of what you are getting into and what job skill you want!

 

I think he failed the Psyche Evaluation!

 

I want to thank all of you for this thread. If I have any influence on my boys decision it would be Navy or Coast Guard. No offense to any other branch. It will totally be his decision, if it were up to me he would just come work with me as a firefighter.

 

IMO.... All O's should serve as E's before pinning on. I have met and worked for very few O's worth anything who came straight in as an O. The ones who were E's first were the best O's to worth for.

 

E-I-E-I-O!

 

They’re all good branches, but I’d recommend Air Force. They have a community college dedicated to the branch and it’s easy to obtain an associates through it. He can also join as a firefighter so he’s trained and qualified when he gets out.

 

Not every job is enjoyable, and certainly not for every person. I didn't have to do much fleet service, that was a crap job, pun intended. But I got around cargo, ramp, atoc, and lp over 15 years in the port and I enjoyed most of what I did. I suppose retraining into Aerial port from Trans was an advantage that probably got me out of fleet, but I also spent plenty of time DVing sedans, vans, and buses for brass that couldn't be bothered to notice at trans. I look at it, as you do what you gotta do to complete whatever mission you're assigned. For me, the benefits have been well worth the time invested. I've only got 5 more classes to finish my master's program, and the GI bill is going to pay for 4 of them before it's been exhausted. I'll have my associates, bachelors, and master's degrees and only one class paid for out of my pocket. I think that was a good deal. If you use the benefits you've earned they are worth a lot!