Military

[zeg]

  srjorion said:

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.

This is worth quoting just to repeat it. The recruiter wants you to sign up. Putting a "deadline" on a particular date is a way to create a sense of urgency and sell the opportunity by putting in your head that it's a limited time deal. Visit the thread about Billy Mays and think about the sorts of things he said in his sales pitches. It's always "call now, don't wait."

  srjorion said:

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!

Agree 100%. I'm one of those for whom the military was not a good option. I deeply appreciate the hard work and sacrifices of those who do. Just be sure you really know what you're getting in to -- sometimes the recruiters don't do a fully honest job of portraying what they're selling. It's a lot more than just a job. Maybe that's good, maybe that's bad; only you can decide.

[Jax]

  srjorion said:

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.

i don't think i can sign Wednesday anyway. Dont you have to be 17 and i wont be 17 tell August 17th. I defiantly wanna know the answers to thos questions before i sign and i have a cousin in the Marines as a MP i think so i will ask him a few questions for sure.

[McGolf-Doggie]

  WilsonWedgeMan; said:

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.

I work relatively closely with the military and many former officers, and, if you are going to join, I would heed the above advice. BTW, contrary to my avatar, I was pretty good at marching very much in step. :)

[SubPar]

  zeg said:

This is worth quoting just to repeat it. The recruiter wants you to sign up. Putting a "deadline" on a particular date is a way to create a sense of urgency and sell the opportunity by putting in your head that it's a limited time deal.

It's like selling a car or a TV, they want the sale and they will try to give you incentives to decide in their favor and do so quickly. They are just salesmen (or women).

One of the most common "misleads" in recruiting is telling you you can change your job after you sign up. This is possible only under very specific circumstances. Circumstances you will most probably not encounter. SubPar

[Acropo]

I have a lot of respect for the Military (father was a paratrooper in WW2 and uncle drove a light tank into France on D-Day)

BUT:

The Scottish actor, Billy Conolly, said in one of his comedy routines about the military recruitment stores in 'aye, but there were nae deed bodies in the windy' (Trans: there were no dead bodies in the window).

And another uncle (now in his 50s), said - 'Join the Army. travel to all sorts of different parts of the world. Meet lots of interesting, exotic people. And kill them.'

Take your time before you sign up. Could you not get a sports scholarship? The army will still be waiting once you've finished your degree.

[Jax]

  Acropo said:

I have a lot of respect for the Military (father was a paratrooper in WW2 and uncle drove a light tank into France on D-Day)

i may be able to get a scholarship for golf thats why i may wait i aint sure yet

[Acropo]

  Jax said:

i may be able to get a scholarship for golf thats why i may wait i aint sure yet

Good luck with your golf scholarship. What's your handicap?

[Jax]

  Acropo said:

Good luck with your golf scholarship. What's your handicap?

Good Question have not played since i was like 10. Will be my first year on the school golf team but coach says i have potential and maybe a scholarship chance

[srjorion]

I've thought about this post some more and I can't help but throw this out to you. If I were in your shoes I would research all of the military jobs out there in all services and find the one you think you would enjoy the most. Then, study like mad for the ASVAB. Don't rush to take that test. Get the highest grade you can. Then, tell the recruiter what job you want and have them give it to you in writing before signing up.

I just have a feeling you are going to get rushed into a job you do not want if you keep going down the road you are travelling on right now. It will all be predicated on false promises. If you want a degree, don't count on getting it while working your first couple of years in the military. It's possible, but you are going to be very, very busy and a degree will take any free time you have. If you deploy it will be even more difficult.

I hope this helps. It's a tough decision at this stage of your life. Good luck.

[Jax]

Well ever since i was like 8 i wanted to be an MP in the military so this is something i really wanna do and hope i get the chance to do it and since Las Vegas is were MP training is for the army i think she said somthing like that i have a higher chance of getting it

[wedgewizard]

  Jax said:

Well ever since i was like 8 i wanted to be an MP in the military so this is something i really wanna do and hope i get the chance to do it and since Las Vegas is were MP training is for the army i think she said somthing like that i have a higher chance of getting it

I'm not trying to bash your choice or your hopes, but just so you know and are going in to this with your eyes open, the Military Police are despised by about everyone in and out of the military. Nobody likes them much except other MP's.

It's just the nature of things.

[Jax]

  wedgewizard said:

I'm not trying to bash your choice or your hopes, but just so you know and are going in to this with your eyes open, the Military Police are despised by about everyone in and out of the military. Nobody likes them much except other MP's.

yah everyone is telling me that lol it cant be much different then regular cops tho

[Phil]

  Jax said:

Well ever since i was like 8 i wanted to be an MP in the military so this is something i really wanna do and hope i get the chance to do it and since Las Vegas is were MP training is for the army i think she said somthing like that i have a higher chance of getting it

Well I can tell you that MP training is not done in vegas, its done in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. About the worst place in the united states if you ask me. I had a friend who was an MP in the air force and she ended up in vegas for her duty station. Anyway if you do become an MP you will be running convoy security if you go to iraq, if you end up going to afghanistan you will be doing foot patrols and all that fun stuff, I know I have been to both places. I saw someone in here telling you to become a officer, I wouldn't reccommend it, I would say stay enlisted, work to make E-5 and then go to warrant officer school. Still get the respect of an officer, a lot of times you get more respect and not as much trash talk behind your back. Just my opinion from eight years of service in the army. Good luck on whatever you do.

[senorchipotle]

  Jax said:

Good Question have not played since i was like 10. Will be my first year on the school golf team but coach says i have potential and maybe a scholarship chance

if i were you... i'd get into a reserve unit, and go directly to college. you can do your degree while you're in the military and by the time you're finished with college, you'll be a first lieu when the others will be second lieu. this is the best option if you want to go to college and join the military. do both at once! i had lots of friends who did this as i was in ROTC at my university. the only thing they did differently from the rest of us was go to drill once or twice a month.

[Norm3333]

  wedgewizard said:

I'm not trying to bash your choice or your hopes, but just so you know and are going in to this with your eyes open, the Military Police are despised by about everyone in and out of the military. Nobody likes them much except other MP's.

How's about talking about something you know instead of disguising your opinion as a well known sentiment.

[wedgewizard]

  Jax said:

yah everyone is telling me that lol it cant be much different then regular cops tho

Actually it is a bit different.

A lot of civilians look upon cops as protectors and the ones to call when you're in danger. But soldiers don't look at MP's that way at all, and neither do civilians. Again, I'm not trying to bash your choice, but life is better when you have a job that others respect. And life is better when others like you for what you do. For example... Everybody likes a firefighter or a paramedic, just like everybody likes an infantryman, or an artilleryman, or an engineer, or a combat medic. But nobody likes a tax-collector or a repo-man or a telemarketer, just like nobody likes the military police.

[Marinemike]

  wedgewizard said:

Actually it is a bit different.

You're way off.

A lot has changed in the past 10 years. Sure, people don't like the MPs because they jack you up when you do irresponsible things, but freaking good. They don't need to be doing dirt anyway. However, everybody is grateful to the MPs when they are focused outboard on force protection and external threats which allows everyone else to focus inboard on training and equipping. So basically, you're out of your lane. Sorry.

[wedgewizard]

  Marinemike said:

You're way off.

That might be how

you see it, but trust me on this, you're very much in the minority.