Thinking about joining the military..

[Royal Hijinx]

Also the retirement for the military has changed. You no longer start receiving your retirement pay as soon as you retire. You still get all of the other benefits but your pay wont start until you turn 62.

That is news to me. There has been discussion of it, but nothing near that has passed. Retirement right now is the average of your last 3 years base pay, starting a 50% for 20yrs and up to 75% for 30. Payment starting immediately upon retirement. Also, from the SecDef himself, any possible future changes to that will not affect those of us currently serving. So, let us avoid unsubstantiated rumors.

As far as learning about the military, you need to do A LOT of homework. I am a Mustang (I was enlisted, now I am an officer), and the Navy has done very well by me. They paid for my Bachelors and Masters degrees. I have deployed a lot, and will very likely deploy again soon, but I would not trade the experience.

I FULLY agree with the folks that are bothered by your initial statement that you are looking at the military as a "back up", to be honest, we do not really want folks using it as a back up. We want folks who are invested 100%. Gone are the days of joining up, getting some education and moving on without deploying. When forward deployed, we need folks that are there for the right reasons, as not to get others killed from any lack of dedication or focus.

Joining any service, and especially the Army or USMC, may well mean you come home in a casket. That is just the honest truth, I have personally seen it time and time again. YOU have to be able to reconcile that, and really look at your motivation for enlisting. As a NCO or officer you may well be responsible for the lives of the men and women under you. Losing them is something that will NEVER leave you. You carry that burden for life.

Another thing to VERY closely analyze is: How do you feel about authority? You will be ordered to do things, not asked. It is not a democracy. You do not complain, you find solutions and get the job done. I have seen countless young folks who join and have a horrible tour because they have authority figure problems.

Also, it is becoming harder to get in. The forces are drawing down as the wars do. In 4-5 years, it may be even more so difficult to get in, especially in the officer corps.

As far as jobs, there are about as many types as there are civilian jobs. If there is something you like to do, and can score high enough on the entrance exams to get it, then there is likely a good job for you.