Joining the military?

A

anthony

New member
I'm going into my senior year of high school and i've been seriously considering joining the army. i guess that's something of an understatement seeing as how im pretty far along in the process.

My recruiter thought that 35W Electronic Warfare Signal Intelligence would be most favorable for me considering i want to do something related to languages and...yeah.

I received a 96 on my ASVAB and plan on taking my DLAB on tuesday.

Alot of people are telling me to just go to college first but...i'm somewhat of an underachiever and part of my reasoning for joining the army is that i want to...get whipped into shape in a way.
I guess what im looking for is unbiased opinions and advice (from complete strangers lol) about the possibilities and benefits, and even the downsides of joining the army right out of high school...and whatever else might help?
 
You sound like my brother- He was all for it and in a way thought it would give him some sence of direction...after all, when you get out it looks great on a reseme and they will help pay for college so you don't have to worry about not being able to afford it.

However, once he got in, he became isolated and lonely. Lets face it, unless you are a social guy now, it will be a hard adjustment to deal with lots of moving, interacting with others, and last the time away from friends and family. He really struggled with the time issue- He joined because he wanted somethng better out of life, but he didn't understand the process. You dont go in and immediatly get on top, that's why most branches have you sign for 3 or more years.

If you want to get "whipped into shape" you can join a boot camp workout in your area. As far as being an "underachiever," you can go to a community college and take classes at your own pace. a few here, a few there and complete it within a few years. If you want to push yourself, go to a university instead. The prices are enough to make anyone affraid to fail and have to repay for the course.

Downsides also include not being able to adjust to civilian life immmediatly which will hurt your chances of getting a job. also, you will have to worry about things that the army took care of for you and it may seem overwhelming to have it all thrown on you when youre discharged.

Benifits include getting to serve your country, having an oppertunity to travel the world, having school paid for, meeting new people and sharing several common intersts with them, getting to train in a specific field of work with top "teachers."

Good Luck
 
Of course, you're very probably going to be deployed. My hubby is in the army, my step dad, my real dad was, my brother is, and my uncle is in the marines. So I know what I'm talking about;)
You get free medical, you can take courses for free and still have your GI Bill to fall back on if you want when you get out.
You also get free dental, although your dependants have to pay a certain percentage.
They do whip you into shape. you can go so far if you are determined. My step dad is a first sergeant, and my husbands 2nd cousin is up for general. My step dad is only 37.
The military is NOT for you if you are stubborn and hate people telling you what to do on a constant basis. It is not for you if you cannot follow orders or talk back incessantly.
You can see different places, and make some friends, and the military is ALL about making sure you and your family is taken care of. you always have a roof over your head, and a constand paycheck. You get leave every so often a year.
As I said, you probably will get deplyed. If you can't handle that, don't join. a lot of people try ot get out of it.
A soldier is your first job. Whatever your MOS is is your second. Bear that in mind, please.
Good luck, and make sure you read absolutely everything you sign. Tehy give you bonuses for joining, depending on what you sign for. My hubby is a medic and he ogt a 10,000 dollar bonus for joining as a medic.
Good luck and make sure you remember, the recruiters will make everything sound good. it's their job. dont take everything at face value.
 
Army Intelligence sounds pretty sick. I would prefer to do Special Ops like the Rangers or SF (Green Berets), and I would jizz in my pants if I got into SFOD-D (Delta Force), but that's just me.

You should go to college... you make a lot more money, and if you do ROTC, you get into the Officer's club and go to boring-ass formal parties!
 
Do you have a shot of college? If you're already accepted into college, I would really recommend doing the ROTC programs. You get you're tuition paid for, monthly stipend, and you get to be a commissioned officer (more respect,responsibility and higher pay grade). I'm doing the Naval ROTC program to try and be a pilot in the Marine Corp, and I love it. I know a couple guys in Army ROTC and they go on pretty sweet field training exercises (helo rides, paintball, weapons training..etc).

In ROTC, there are a good number of cadets and midshipmen who enlisted first (they usually spent a few years as an enlisted), then the govt. saw that they had potential and decided to send them to college to get commissioned. They say its better to go to college, do crazy stuff, mature, meet new people/connections, and find yourself. And then go out into the field or fleet as a leader, leading America's sons and daughters. Being a commissioned officer is an honorable job, it looks good on your resume when you try and find other jobs, cause they know you're smart, good leader, and you have a college degree. Whatever you decide, enlist or go to college and get commissioned, I wish you the best of luck!
 
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