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Thread: Military folk

  1. #11
    BPnet Lifer sho220's Avatar
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    Re: Military folk

    Quote Originally Posted by pinkeye714 View Post
    Thank you!
    I might be biased to air force since my older sister is in it. I have heard coast guard was a good place to go. just something new is scary ahah! plus i never been on a boat...ever......
    but congratulations on retirement!
    The best times I ever had were on the boat...and that was when I was chipping paint and peeling potatoes! And scary??? I was fresh out of boot camp and on the ship for maybe 2 or 3 months before we got a call to get underway for a SAR case. We left Boston harbor at around 1am. Seas were pretty rough...this was back in October/November of '91...it was a pretty nasty storm...someone actually wrote a book about it and later they made a movie about it...starred some guy named Clooney and Wahlberg, I think...
    You'll meet people who will become the best friends you've ever had...you'll put your life in their hands without a second thought, and they'll do the same...shipmates stick together through everything. Unless you've been there, it's really hard to explain...but don't forget...the Coast Guard isn't all boats...there are tons of shore stations...all over the country. Just depends on what you want to do.
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  2. #12
    Registered User SilverDemon's Avatar
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    I can't tell you much about the Air Force, being as I was Navy, but really, don't worry about the ASVAB. The worst you can do is stress out about it, most of it is multiple choice and most of the answers are super obvious. And you only have to score like a 35 to pass.

    If you aren't set on the Air Force, the Navy DOES have two points to recommend it.

    1. You get to pick where you want to go. You're given a list of openings for your rate and paygrade, and you give back your top five.

    2. PORT. VISITS. I've been to over a dozen countries, including Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Russia, Guam, and quite a few others. You'll see more of the world when with the Navy than with anything else.

    At MEPS, regardless of the branch, don't let them bully you into a job you don't want. If they try, threaten to walk. You'd be surprised how quick they'll give in.
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  3. #13
    BPnet Veteran pinkeye714's Avatar
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    Re: Military folk

    Quote Originally Posted by SilverDemon View Post
    I can't tell you much about the Air Force, being as I was Navy, but really, don't worry about the ASVAB. The worst you can do is stress out about it, most of it is multiple choice and most of the answers are super obvious. And you only have to score like a 35 to pass.

    If you aren't set on the Air Force, the Navy DOES have two points to recommend it.

    1. You get to pick where you want to go. You're given a list of openings for your rate and paygrade, and you give back your top five.

    2. PORT. VISITS. I've been to over a dozen countries, including Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Russia, Guam, and quite a few others. You'll see more of the world when with the Navy than with anything else.

    At MEPS, regardless of the branch, don't let them bully you into a job you don't want. If they try, threaten to walk. You'd be surprised how quick they'll give in.
    Thank you.
    but, cant they threaten me back? saying i signed up already and cant walk out now anyways type thing?
    I have looked into a couple jobs i might wanna do, but would like to see where i score before making a set decision.
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  4. #14
    Registered User MissMowgli's Avatar
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    Re: Military folk

    Quote Originally Posted by pinkeye714 View Post
    Thank you.
    but, cant they threaten me back? saying i signed up already and cant walk out now anyways type thing?
    I have looked into a couple jobs i might wanna do, but would like to see where i score before making a set decision.
    First, you can walk away pretty much anytime you want in the beginning. Even after you do the enlistment oath and "sign the dotted line" (you'll hear that phrase a LOT), you can still walk away. There's a special type of discharge you can get. Do NOT let them bully you into a job that you're not interested in.

    I spent 4 years in the Air Force, and I wasn't thrilled to be there when I signed up, but it really was one of the best decisions I've made. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, (and I was getting awfully grown up in the meantime ), but I actually enjoyed my AF job so much that it gave me direction for what I wanted to do with my life AND it's paying for all of my college now. (ALL tuition, PLUS textbook stipend PLUS tutoring stipend PLUS housing allowance. You just don't get any better than that.)

    Jobs: it depends on your aptitudes. The ASVAB is not tough, but your score does determine what type of jobs you're qualified for. If you really want a particular job that requires a high ASVAB, you may want to study. Of course, if you have to study to qualify for a job, it's going to be really tough for you in tech school and you may end up "washing out" (failing) into another, less desirable career field, so I would almost say you shouldn't study and then you'll actually get a job that fits your skill levels. Also, keep in mind that when you do promotion testing, you're competing against other people in your career field, so if you're smarter than most of the people in your job, you're going to get promoted faster.

    When you go talk to the recruiter, you can either request to join "open general", or you can pick a list of up to 5 jobs. If you go OG, you will get a date for basic faster and will be getting paid more quickly, but you have no control over which job you get--they'll just stick you where they have the most openings. If you pick the 5 jobs, you're saying, "I will not enlist unless you can guarantee me one of these jobs." Sometimes, if you pick a job with very few openings (like Public Relations, or AF Band), you could be waiting years for one to open up. I picked moderately in-demand jobs, signed the MEPS paperwork in September and started basic training the following January, so it wasn't too bad.

    I was a Bioenvironmental Engineering Tech (4B0X1), and I LOVED it. It's a tough job, and you have to be smart and have good professional judgement, but every day was different, and it's usually a M-F, 0730-1630 type of job, though there were definitely exceptions. Also, because we had to work so closely with our officers, a lot of the "military" stuff was more background noise than an everyday thing (instead of standing at attention and knocking on my Captain's door to talk to him, I leaned out of my cubicle and said "Hey, Captain..."). I'm pretty anti-authority, so that was nice.

    Try to stay away from flightline jobs--they tend to deploy a lot, work very long hours in nasty conditions, and are pissy to all the "non-ers" (people who don't work on the flightline). Medical jobs are good, and transfer well to the civilian world if you decide you don't want to make the military a career. Civil Engineering jobs can be kind of a mixed bag, but don't pick a "Red Horse" squadron unless you want to be deployed ALLLLL the time. Some jobs, like Cryptolinguist and Weather have really long tech schools. Security Forces (cops) and Services (chow hall, gym, etc.) have the lowest required ASVAB scores, and are where you usually get sent if you "wash out" of another job's tech school. This is a great link: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joini...joining_up.htm Read everything you can on there, and if you click on "enlisted jobs", you can read the job description for every possible career field.

    Overall, good luck with your choice. I don't have the right temperament to be career military (I like making my own choices about the big things in life, like where to live, what I can do, etc.), but it was a really good experience that taught me a lot of self control. The pay's about the best you're going to find without a college education, the benefits are awesome, and you never have to worry about which outfit to wear to work each day. (Unless you're Navy...those guys have about a million different types of uniforms, and none of them are flattering except the super-duper dress uniforms )

    Hope that helps!
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  5. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to MissMowgli For This Useful Post:

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    BPnet Veteran Virus's Avatar
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    I'm an Army reservist, and I just got back from Afghanistan earlier this year. Honestly it was one of the Navy guys I worked with that convinced me to jump into snakes (already had lizards and a turtle).

    The Asvab is silly. I didn't study, or really sleep, or eat before taking it, and still got like an 89 or something. So really, as others have said, don't worry too much.

    I joined after high school merely because it seemed like a good idea, which it was. Though I almost have a regret or two. I didn't think of threatening them of walking if I didn't get what I wanted. So I suckered into looking at the list there, and even beyond that, I should have chosen MI (military intel) when it was offered.

    Though if there is any other branch that I would join, it would be the Navy. Really only because they get to see so much more of the world.

    Also, I've been in a long term relationship now, I think it's somewhere around 4-5 years. The beginning of it was questionable to me, but whatever. However, whenever I've been gone, my girlfriend has taken care of all of my pets. It was fun making her get used to the idea of caring for a snapping turtle (she wanted me to get rid of him, but I couldn't)

    Anywho, Just make sure you do your research, but regardless, you will love the military. Sometimes it really does suck when you're in the moment, but as soon as the moment has passed all you can do is remember it and laugh for some strange reason.

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  8. #16
    BPnet Veteran pinkeye714's Avatar
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    haha thank you everyone. Last question...>.>
    How well were you guys prepared for the basic training....
    I cant do more then 3 push ups! I think i need a gym membership.
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    BPnet Veteran Virus's Avatar
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    I'm a male, and I couldn't do one push up to their standard at first.

    Don't worry, they'll take care of you.

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  11. #18
    BPnet Veteran Shadera's Avatar
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    Re: Military folk

    I couldn't do one when I went in. Not many of the ladies could. No worries, you will leave there able to do many once they're done with you. There's no lacking in the physical fitness department.

    My dad was a drill instructor at one point when I was growing up, so I was definitely mentally prepared for things. That was the big thing, that a lot of it is mental.
    Last edited by Shadera; 09-03-2011 at 11:59 PM.
    `*`

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    BPnet Veteran Virus's Avatar
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    True, one of the biggest keys to the training is -----Don't take it personal----------

    Seriously, they are doing their job, and you are training to do yours. The people who had the worst time were those who took it personal, or made it personal.
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    Registered User K2exotics's Avatar
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    Re: Military folk

    Quote Originally Posted by pinkeye714 View Post
    Just getting on the nervous side. I am planning on joining the US airforce and have been reading Asvab. the more i read the more nervous i become. I have not really talked to a recruiter. Just would like some stories on how you joined the military and if you studied for the test. (which turns out most didn't)
    Were you married?
    shipped over seas?
    just like an idea.
    sadly i do not know what i even want to do when i join. what MOS i would even want...
    The asvab is easier than you think, kinda like taking the written test fro a drivers license. If you want to know what questions you should ask a recruiter, pm me and I will have my husband give me a list for you (he is an army recruiter).

    My advise is talk to more than one recruiter, and if they cant offer you a job you really think you will enjoy dont take it, it is at least 4 years of your life so you will want to enjoy it
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