Thinking about joining the military..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gomojoe

I am not saying one branch is better than another. What I am saying is that the branches ARE different than one another. I am positive that you could find someone who graduated from Phoenix online who is more successful than someone who graduated from MIT, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend that someone go to MIT versus Phoenix should they have the option. And I'm not saying other branches are Phoenix online. I am just saying stating a few possibilities doesn't change the reality of the situation. As far as a technical position vs a infantry position, I 100% agree that the infantry position probably has more leadership skills than the technical, but I don't know any employer who is going to hire someone with only infantry experience into a higher paid position(not that it couldn't happen). Because the Air Force specializes in Air it requires minimal people to run their equipment compared to the amount of people required to run, say a ship. They also don't provide significant ground forces like the army and the marines, so the bulk of what jobs the air force does have are either support positions or technical positions which translate to civilian life pretty well. Now my exception to the technical side is that if you are going to try and get an engineering position I think the navy has some really top notch stuff. Some of the best EEs I have worked with are out of the Navy. Having seen the way their training differs than the Air Forces in this field I can see why. Navy goes way more in depth. Anyway, just throwing out other things to consider. Another thing that is different between the branches is discipline. The Air Force is undeniably less disciplined. Enlisted can often be seen referring to officers on a first name basis and the chain of command, while outlined the same on paper as the other branches, is much more ethereal and relaxed. From my experience the navy is probably the most strict and therefore the Marines are very close as well.

---

The Army and the Marines are not made up of only infantry/grunt MOS's. To say so is ignorant. There are just as many "technical" jobs in both branches as there are in the Air Force. I am willing to bet that there are actually more. And for the record there are plenty of non technical grunts that get out and do very well in the civilian sector. Some going on to being CEO's and making 6+ figure paychecks. It's not all about what you did in the military necessarily, but what you take out of it and how you apply it.

http://www.kellyperdew.com/


William J. Sandbrook


A.G. Lafley and Bob McDonald


Just a few and none of them were AF.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by TessadasExotics

The Army and the Marines are not made up of only infantry/grunt MOS's. To say so is ignorant. There are just as many "technical" jobs in both branches as there are in the Air Force. I am willing to bet that there are actually more. And for the record there are plenty of non technical grunts that get out and do very well in the civilian sector. Some going on to being CEO's and making 6+ figure paychecks. It's not all about what you did in the military necessarily, but what you take out of it and how you apply it.

---

Where exactly did I say that the Army and Marines are made up of only grunts and infantry MOS's? To infer so from what I wrote is verifiable ignorance. Anyway, I'll drop any further discussion on this issue as apparently some people's panties are a little tight and they are trying to angrily over compensate for something.

- - - Updated - - -

And just in case anyone was wondering I appreciate all of our service men and women especially the grunts and infantrymen!

Stumbled across this post, read through it and decided to weigh in. First of all you need to take a long hard look at what you want to do. You say you want to go to college first then the military, what do you want to do while serving and what do you want to do after you serve? I have been a Marine for the past 10+ years. I decided when I was 8 I wanted to fight wars, and ever since 2002 that's just what I've done. I've fought in Iraq three times and Afghanistan once. I have seen and done a lot of cool things during this time but I have also paid for them. I couldn't begin to put a number on the number of times I should have been killed, I've walked away from ambushes, mortar and rocket attacks, snipers, and IEDs. In a three month span I took two IED's to the face that almost ended my career. On top of someone trying to kill you, you are trying to take care of your men, which at least in my case means that I take all the risks. What that also means for me is that there is a chance my family could lose me. Then there is the aspect of having to leave your family behind to go to some God forsaken country that fights like cowards. Some of the best and worse times I have ever had, have been during those times. So there is a little bit of silver lining. I have had men under my charge that are pretty much family, I have taken lives, and I have saved lives. But most importantly I have brought back every single man under me as well as myself. So my advice to you is to think long and hard about this, in my eyes why would you join the military if not to be in the infantry?

Army vet here. I joined back in 2002 mainly inspired by 9/11. When I joined afghanastan had calmed down so I didn't think I would go. I figured at least I'll get college money out of it. Then all of the sudden the Iraq war broke out and I was off to the desert with the 101st. For me I wanted to server my country but didn't think I'd get the chance to fight. Turned out I did quite a bit and now I'm on disability. I'm very proud of my service, and I'll be a soldier till the day I die even though I got out in 2005. The military is 100% what you make of it. You can join and have the time of your life, or you can be miserable want to get out every day (many do). It all depends on where your head is. Don't join for the money... military pay isn't great. If your family is against it that's tough, but they'll come around once your in. My parents hated the idea when I told them, but now they have bumperstickers proudly displayed on their cars. The college money is a big help when you get out, but it's not a good reason to do it just for that. There are easier ways such as grants and loans.

If I was in long enough to be a drill sergeant I would have tried to weed out the ones who joined just for the money. There's nothing worse than being deployed and having a guy who's supposed to watch your back not wanting to do his job saying he didn't sign up for this sh*t... REMEMBER even if there is no war going on, it could happen in the blink of an eye. There was no Iraq war when I joined. If you do want to, you need to realize it's a long term commitment. It's not like a summer camp that ends in a few months. There are friends, and there are aquaintances in civilian and the military world. You will hate some of the people you work with, and what's worse is they will often be the ones telling you what to do. Unlike the civilian world, you will not have a choice. On the other hand, you will most likely meet lifelong friends as well. I met some of the bravest men to walk the face of the earth.

Think about what job you would want to do. There is just about every type of job in the military as there is in the civilian world. Tell your recruiter what job you want and study hard so you score high enough on the asvab to get it. The recruiters will most likey tell you that the job you want is unavailable, which will most likely be untrue... They have a quota... don't let them bully you before you even join... That's all I'll say for now, if you have any questions feel free to PM me. GL

Air Assault

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but, I just received my results from the ASVAB I signed up to take in school. I got a 90 on it overall out of 99, so would that help me out a great deal? After talking to many recruiters and military people face to face, I've narrowed it down to the Navy or Air Force. Will my score be able to help out anyway? Thanks!

Joining isn't something that should be done on a whim. Do a lot of home work and know recruiters are not your friends and will lie to you, it's literarily their job. The military can be a great option for some, just make sure it's for you. Just a little FYI, daily life is nothing like the movies.

It's not on a whim, I've been looking up information on it for quite a while now and I'm most likely going to go into the military haha. I've talked to my parents about it and they seem fine, and I just need some help with some things about it because I've been getting different information everywhere I go, so I'm a bit confused.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by theReptileGuy

It's not on a whim, I've been looking up information on it for quite a while now and I'm most likely going to go into the military haha. I've talked to my parents about it and they seem fine, and I just need some help with some things about it because I've been getting different information everywhere I go, so I'm a bit confused.

---

That's cool once you have the idea in your head there is really no talking someone out of it, believe me I know. Just do yourself a favor and do not sign a long term contract, and don't let the recruiter tell you other wise. Get in see how you like it and if you love it re up. If its not for you, at least your time was short.

I'm not actually talking to a recruiter right now haha. I'm planning to take AFROTC while in college then when I get out I'll do 5 years, then more from there if I enjoy it. I know it sounds kind of weird, but I'm looking forward to traveling around. I'm also looking forward to be able to stay in shape, I'm already practicing for the PT things I'll have in the future haha.


And I know this isn't a realistic thing, but after talking to my friend's grandfather who was in the army, he said that after he served for a long amount of time (Forgot the exact amount) he traveled around South East Asia for a while. Do you think that's plausible right now?