What branch should i join?

You're welcome. Best of luck to you.

 

I served 22 years USN as an engine room engineer. 24 days after retiring got a job at a utility plant for a university ( Fashion Institute of technology) .T he 4 th year at the job promoted to shift supervisor. God bless the Navy, best thing i ever did.

 

Former Navy here (Engineman-diesel mechanic and basically jack of all trades working on machines). I did 4.5 yrs at the end of the "Liberation of Kuwait" and learned quite a bit, grew up even more and met thousands of interesting people (and a bunch of dip-shits as well).

If anyone was asking me directly what service to join, if they were serious about staying in as a career, I would point them towards Air Force for the better living conditions.

 

airforce, i was army and if i went airforce instead i might have stayed

 

The answer is Air Force, Navy by a close second.

 

Army can be described as: "The best and worst times of your life" but you don't know that until you get out.

 

Here's some good perspective for you:

I've been in 18 years; 2 more until I retire. I'm employed by the Navy but haven't been in "The Real Navy". I have spent a lot of time in Joint commands pounding sand with my Army, Air Force, and Marine brothers.

- Air Force trains their personnel really well. Some of the most technically sound people I've ever served with.
- Marines are a good group of guys. In all honesty there's a bunch of intelligent Marines. They tend to get the Navy's hand me down when it comes to technology based equipment.
- Army is very specialized in their career fields. ie; A 25L builds a cable but doesn't plug it in. Within they're specialties they know their jobs well.
- Navy is more of a jacks of all trades and a master of none. We're the least specialized. At least in my career field.

I don't know a whole lot about doing circles in the middle of the ocean. Only served on one ship and it was a flag ship. So, it was more or less a big party traveling from Port to port.

What I do know is that there's a much better brotherhood that I experienced while pounding sand.
I'm currently back in a "normal" Navy command on shore duty and it's lame.
If I were to do it over again I'd have joined the AF or Army.

 

Best piece of advice I can give you is to wisely choose your career field. Ask questions at the recruiting station and MEPS.
Look into the technical career fields that have promising careers outside of the military.

Something that will provide you with hands on experience that the world will always need.

 

I guess I'll chime in as well. I spent 8 years in the Marines and while it was great and I am proud of my service and the heritage of the Marine Corps I'm not sure that the Marines is the best choice if you are looking for career specific training when you go back to civilian life. My opinion is related to my infantry service and my experience after getting out and the experience of other infantry Marines.

If you are looking seriously at the Marine Corps and do want to transfer your military experience over to the civilian world I would look close and hard at the MOS's offered that have good crossover ability.

 

FYI, the people who have claimed that Coasties don't deploy into hazardous locations are misguided.
When I was in Iraq in 2007 there were a few of them out there.

Every branch, depending on your Rating (Navy and Coast Guard), AFSC (Air Force), or MOS (Marine Corps and Army) and your duty assignment can put you into some sketchy situations.

 

OP, I would say you should look into other options... Looking at your desire for school and engineering, you would be best suited and probably happier outside of the military. If you want to run and gun, do special ops, fly, or other jobs that are only available in the services, then I get it. But if you want to be an engineer, and be on the cutting edge of engineering, then the civilian sector has the best opportunities. Look into defense contractors like Sandia National Labs, they do a lot of weird fuels and research stuff (owned by Lockheed Martin). Though most civilian companies require a masters degree to be competitive. I have a few friends that are engineers and have their masters, it is a worthy pursuit and most loved it!

If you are heart set on joining, as an engineer, the Air Force is the place to be. I work with many engineers and the Air Force hires a lot of them. Look into AFRL, Air Force Research Laboratories. They hire most of the engineers in the service. You can do things like fuels research for jet engines and rockets. There are also some flying opportunities for engineers if you go the flight test route. I worked with a couple at Edwards that were Air Force Test Pilot school graduates. It is very competitive, but the opportunities are there and the Air Force will pay you to get your Masters Degree if you qualify.

It is important to think about what you want your daily life to be like. The military has some cool toys, but it is also very restrictive and there isn't a lot of room for free thinking and exploring, both personally and professionally. The civilian sector is a lot more open and allows you to work your way, but you have to get the education on your own and make yourself qualified. Both paths will require a tremendous amount of work and dedication. I have served for 9 years and this is just one guys opinion. I have been lucky enough to work in some cool places, but there have been some draw backs and it isn't an easy life. I am trying to be honest and not favor one way or another.

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/AFRL/

Good luck and if you want to be an engineer, stick with it! No mater which way you go, keep on going and don't let people dissuade you.

 

Don't be a pussy.

Be a man, join the Marines. Drink beer, bang bitches, party, and shoot... and shoot some more.

 

okay, so it has been a minute y'all. I have been busy just trying to finish high school strong. I wanna know what some of you guys think of trying to become a Marine Combat Engineer. Does this sound like a good gig to you guys? any input is better than no input. Thank you.

 

Well not to be biased but the Marines are the best! If you have a good idea what a combat engineer does and think it sounds great, and you like the idea of being a Marine and understand all the pain and suffering that goes along with that then I say go for it.

 

My buddy is a USM and god damn he loves it .. big ass jar head but ill tell you this much he isint the same guy he was before he did 4 tours in iraq. My little sister us 15 years in the USN and she has been all over the world. You have alot of money if you on a boat since you cant do shit. If you smart enough AF is the way to go .. just my 2 cents

 

Im in the army at the moment, but getting discharged as we speak. I hate it every since I got in, wish I would've went airforce. I have only made it through basic and mostly my job training. I couldn't take it, i talked with some physiatrists and they recommended i be separated. It sucks knowing you've told your family and friends your joining the army and be out within a year. One thing is for sure, you will never find a better brotherhood than the guys along side you. I made it through training with some guys and i feel like they are more of a friend than the guys i spent 8 years of school with.

So, think about it. Look at your options, think way into it cause its a pain to get out from your contract. Don't listen to recruiters and actually talk to people that have been there and done it, not some guy getting paid to tell you all the good things.

 

I chose the Air Force because I wanted to be a jet mechanic so that branch made sense to me when I was young. But, I was young and didn't explore all my options because if I had then I could have joined the corp and also been a jet mechanic. However, looking back on when I joined over 10 years ago until now, I have no regrets. I mean yeah, I've worked many 12's weeks in a row, weekends, holidays, but in the end I still love being a jet mechanic. My advice, talk to a few different recruiters but don't buy into the shit they sell when you first go in. Talk with them for a bit to see about career options and what not. If you have any questions about certain things just ask us. We'll all be real with you and tell you the truth, won't hold back. A recruiter may only tell you what they want in order to sell you on whatever job they can.

 

Oooh Rah !!

US Marine here 1981-84 and was a #2111

 

thanks guys. I am just looking for any advice so I can best weigh my options. Thanks again