Military

[Jax]

Just got done talking to the Military Recruiter.She gets here at like 12:10 so we started talking about what i wanna do and i said well college is what i really wanna do. We kept talking for about and Hour and a half then she was like your best choice would be going Active Duty. Thats pretty much I wake up and have to go to work (in the field i pick) and I can still go to college but i have to work it around my work hours.

Iam going next Wednesday to take my ASFAB test this everyone has to take and pass in order to enlist. This will tell them what jobs best suit you and stuff. I took a practice one with her here I did terrible on the Math and Word stuff but she said i did good so iam going Wednesday to take another practice one and if i do good on it i will take the real one the real ASFAB test is 3 hours long. So if i pass that ASFAB text i will be enlisting that day and signing my contract .

Best part of the whole thing I will find out when i leave for boot camp and stuff and She said they have a Senior program for Seniors in high school and i will signing up for that and they will send me $500 every month while iam in high school and as long as i keep my grades up!

Anyone have anytips?

[M2daRizzle]

my only advice would be to not blow that 500 they send you every month. I had a really good paying job in highschool and all I have to show for it are video games, shoes and a bunch of other crap that has no value.

[Jax]

my only advice would be to not blow that 500 they send you every month. I had a really good paying job in highschool and all I have to show for it are video games, shoes and a bunch of other crap that has no value.

nah i wont iam going to put at list $150 in my savings

[BigTazz53]

Jax my advise would be to make sure you explore ALL of your options.
Taking the ASVAB test shouldn't stress you, heres a site for you.
http://www.military.com/ASVAB theirs no passing or failing, it only is a guide to show them whether you'll be a good cook or janitor
Again make sure you explore all of your options and talk to other people that are in the military and why they joined to help you decide if this is the route for you.
If you go in, keep an open mind and your mouth shut and you'll do fine.

Good luck bud,

[Marinemike]

I've been in the Marine Corps for 9 years; since before 9/11. It's a great living.

The first thing I have to ask you is: Do you want to be a Marine? It will promise to be the hardest thing in your entire life for the first year and will never fully be easy. Do a lot of research and be diligent.

Now my two cents:


Don't let the recruiter shove anything down your throat. I guarantee she's good at her job, and can probably sell a plate of BBQ ribs to a woman with white gloves on. Score high on the asvab. Scoring high won't give you an occupational specialty that you want, but it will make more occupations available.

Look at the list of MOS's and choose one that you want. Tell her that you want that MOS or a program with that MOS in it. If she or her NCOIC can't give it to you, then hold out for it. I guarantee they'll find a spot for you in that MOS. It's not a scam, it's just how the system works.

[zeg]

My advice is to look very hard at what you are really signing up for. Look beyond what the recruiter is telling you. Her job is to convince you that enlisting is the right thing for you. Make sure that you really agree. The military can be a good thing for some people, but I know many whom it made miserable. It's a very big decision.

[Jax]

I've been in the Marine Corps for 9 years; since before 9/11. It's a great living.

Nah Army hoping to be an MP :)

[Marinemike]

Yeah, I misread your post. Join the Marine Corps instead. It's harder, but it is much more rewarding.

[wedgewizard]

My advice (I'm just an old soldier and Gulf War vet)....

1) Don't choose a job that you can do outside the military .
Yeah, I know that this sounds backwards from the advice you usually hear, but allow me to explain....

You're only young once, and since you're young, you probably don't have enough life experience to really know what you want to do for the rest of your life.
I sure as heck didn't when I was a teenager.
So this is your chance to really have fun and really embrace doing some wild and crazy stuff.
And the military offers you the chance to do things that no civilian is ever going to do.

Why drive a truck when you can drive a tank?
Why be a cook when you can blow things to kingdom come?
And no offense meant, but why be a cop when you can be an infantryman or artillery gunner or a tanker or a combat engineer?

Think about it, you can always get out and use the GI Bill money to go back to school and learn a civilian trade.
But there are jobs in the military that just don't exist in the civilian world.
Nobody looks back upon their time in the military and remembers the boring jobs, like filling out reports, performing maintenance, etc....

Good luck and my God watch over you.

[Jax]

My advice (I'm just an old soldier and Gulf War vet)....

Now that you mention that your right!!

I have no clue what i wanna do in life! I know when i go to college i wanna major on Graphic Design probl but i have no clue really! and if i want i can always change my job after my enlistment she said

[SubPar]

I am former Army. I have two sons who are Marines and niece who is an MP in the Navy. If you are not sure what to do with yourself, the military is a good place to get some valuable experience and good benefits.

Recruiters will try to nudge you into an MOS they need to fill at the moment. There are some jobs better than others. If you have the test scores, consider your range of MOS options. Communications, intel, or logistics are good areas to get into.

If you happen to good with languages, Arabic or Pashto skills broaden your options and help you make more money.

SubPar

[Jax]

Thanks for all the advice!
I have tell Wednesday to really make up my mind. Thats when I take another practice ASVAB and if i do good on that she said i will take the real one and if i pass i will end of signing up then. Anymore advice would help!

One questions after the 10 weeks of training then the 10 days i have home do i go straight to my job school?

[Blades4me]

It was different back in my era. We had 3 choices after graduating from high school. 1) join or get drafted, 2) go to college and get a 2s deferment or 3) go to Canada. I went to college for a year and had no idea of what I wanted to do. I didn't agree with Vietnam, but felt I owed my country something so I ended up joining the Coast Gurad for 4 years.

I was given many wonderful opportunities that I passed up b/c I was a spoiled little twit with a bad attitude, which I have come to regret. I also think that it is very important for young men to get out into to world and be placed in life or death situations under supervision; it tempers the spirit, gives one a good idea where the "rubber meets the road", shows you pretty much what you can and more importantly can't do. It also teaches you responsiblity, accountability and integrity, (some things severely lacking in the civilian ranks, IMO, but thats a whole other topic).

After I got out of the CG (9/21/71) I roamed around for a couple of years and went back to college. I was much more focused, had a good idea of what I wanted and more importantly b/c I was able to sew many of my wild oats in the service I didn't have much need of that in college, which made me a much better student. Not to mention the good old GI bill that helped get me through college.

So IMO you have made a very good life choice. It won't be easy; there will be a lot times that I will flat piss you off, it will be scary, fun, boring and a host of other emotions, many times all at once. It will give you a good idea of some of the stuff it takes to be a man, or women for that fact and its a good introduction to the world and how it works. Yes there can be horrors that will stay with you, and you either over time learn how to deal with them or you don't, but just like in the service, it all comes down to you and what you want and what you will do to achieve it.

Good luck and if you do join, may God be with you and make us (and more importantly) you PROUD.

[Jax]

It was different back in my era. We had 3 choices after graduating from high school. 1) join or get drafted, 2) go to college and get a 2s deferment or 3) go to Canada. I went to college for a year and had no idea of what I wanted to do. I didn't agree with Vietnam, but felt I owed my country something so I ended up joining the Coast Gurad for 4 years.

thanks alot man thats what iam thinking about doing is 3 years then college on the GI bill thats 88k i think

[Blades4me]

Your welcome. One thing I did forget--do your best, cuz when you do it is amazing how many ppl will help you out.

[SubPar]

It was different back in my era. We had 3 choices after graduating from high school. 1) join or get drafted, 2) go to college and get a 2s deferment or 3) go to Canada. I went to college for a year and had no idea of what I wanted to do. I didn't agree with Vietnam, but felt I owed my country something so I ended up joining the Coast Gurad for 4 years.

I joined the Army National Guard. Once the war was virtually over I went active because I enjoyed the work I was doing and I wanted the GI Bill.

SubPar

[WilsonWedgeMan]

all have given excellent advice, except this: do whatever you have to do to become an Officer. the pays' better, the chance for advancement is harder, but worth the effort, the odss of getting a better paying GOVERNMENT job after discharge is 10 fold compared to enlisted ranks. I am a vet, I work for the Dept of Veteran Affairs, and can guarantee you that officers do better in and out of service.

[srjorion]

I've served 13 years so far in the Navy as an Officer. It's a great job with lots of good benefits. If you don't mind being away from home for long periods of time the military is a great way of life and an awesome way to serve your country.

and if i want i can always change my job after my enlistment she said

Don't trust that statement in a million years! You need to get that in writing if you are banking on it. Like has already been said before, the recruiters are going to try to get you into whatever job they need filled the most and will say whatever they need to in order to complete that mission. Expect to keep whatever job you are given without any chance to change.

I have tell Wednesday to really make up my mind. Thats when I take another practice ASVAB and if i do good on that she said i will take the real one and if i pass i will end of signing up then.

Don't think you "have" to sign on Wednesday. If you don't sign they are not going to close the door and say goodbye. They are not going to fill all of the good jobs on Wednesday and only have the bad ones left on Thursday. Trust me, they want and need you. Take your time, do your research, and know exactly what you are getting into when you sign the dotted line. If you can find someone who is doing whatever job you are signing up to do and talk to them that would be the best thing you could do. Unfortunately if you ask the recruiter if they know anyone to talk to in that job they are going to point you either to another recruiter or one of their friends that will probably help them out.

If you can't state exactly where you will go for training after signing up, how long training is, what you will be doing, bases you could be going to for your first tour, etc., then you need to wait a day or longer and find out the answers to those questions and any others you have. Don't sign until you have all of your questions answered! The military is a great way to make a living and even a career if you want, but it is not for everyone. If you do join you have my sincere thanks for serving our country.