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Man, 23 years and counting since I picked up my DD214 and re-joined the sloppy civilian world and there are still people who think joining the Army is a good idea because they can't think of any other options. I even made the nice flowchart in the OP for you all, come on  Guys I knew who enlisted because of that (a lot of them) were universally miserable fucks - all of them - just as true then as I am sure it is now. If you want to be a soldier, be a soldier. Don't be a soldier because you think it'll help you not be something else, like a debt-ridden civilian. Don't get me wrong, over two decades later I still think my 4 year enlistment was the smartest thing I ever did. Changed my whole life. The benefits I received and continue to receive are great, but they are just that: Benefits. Not Reasons, if you get my drift.
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Jan 5, 2013 01:41
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Ixian posted:Man, 23 years and counting since I picked up my DD214 and re-joined the sloppy civilian world and there are still people who think joining the Army is a good idea because they can't think of any other options. I even made the nice flowchart in the OP for you all, come on I don't know, in today's world the GI Bill is probably worth it to most people. Let's look at your options if you aren't rich. Go to college, take out massive loans that will NEVER go away, be forced to work lovely meaningless jobs where you aren't respected, are treated like dirt, don't have health insurance, probably pay out the rear end just to get to work, and your boss would pay you less but the law wont let him. Or join the military, work a lovely meaningless job for three or so years, that pays better than you'd get otherwise, has health insurance, and may give you valuable experience/a clearance for bigger and better jobs when you get out. Then get out, get unemployment, go to FREE college, get a check every month for more than minimum wage, and have no student loan debt. The military isn't perfect, even with the ending of Iraq and soon Afghanistan there is a very real chance of serious trauma and possibly death, but poo poo, the benefits are loving amazing. I'd take three years of decently paying misery over 4 years of living off ramen for like a 25% at best shot at a decent job, with a life time of debt.
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Jan 6, 2013 21:57
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HATE CURES TRANNYS posted:I don't know, in today's world the GI Bill is probably worth it to most people. Let's look at your options if you aren't rich. Go to college, take out massive loans that will NEVER go away, be forced to work lovely meaningless jobs where you aren't respected, are treated like dirt, don't have health insurance, probably pay out the rear end just to get to work, and your boss would pay you less but the law wont let him. I signed for 5 and man do I EVER regret it. But all in all the military isn't a bad deal if you sign a minimalist contract with a job that is interesting. For the benefits I am about to receive, I am pretty stoked. I may just be super positive because I can see the light in this dick filled tunnel.
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Jan 6, 2013 22:20
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I was professionally recommended for Naval Flight Officer during the December selection boards. I am current 26.5 years of age. In order for one to become a Naval Flight Officer, one must commission before 27 years of age. I talked with my Officer Recuiter last Thursday reminding him that I am an age critical applicant. He told me that he has notified his operations officer and that he will be talking with his processor. However, I have not received a Final Select letter. I turn 27 on June 1st and basically need an OCS date either Jan 26 or Feb 17 in order to commission before 27 years of age. I sent a text message to my OR today asking what the status was or my FS letter and he has not responded. What should I do? I understand that harassing an OR is not the best way to get results, but at the same time...he basically forgot to inform his operations officer that I was age critical until I reminded him last week. Should I call the Naval Recruiting District and request to speak with the operations officer? Any help with this matter would be appreciated.
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Jan 8, 2013 05:38
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Secret Spoon posted:I signed for 5 and man do I EVER regret it. But all in all the military isn't a bad deal if you sign a minimalist contract with a job that is interesting. For the benefits I am about to receive, I am pretty stoked. I may just be super positive because I can see the light in this dick filled tunnel. Everyone loves it after they get out You will, too - the new college benefits are nice as hell, much better than I had. Enjoy them.I just never saw the Army as a simple escape from "real life", and I knew so many people who did see it that way who were miserable. That's just my experience; maybe for others it'll be better. it won't
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Jan 8, 2013 13:46
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A while back I posted in one of these threads while trying to get in shape to join the Navy, but had all of those plans go to Hell thanks to getting ball cancer and turning into a lazy turd while recovering from the chemo. I'm in remission and I'm wondering if any enlisted goons know anyone that joined post-cancer and were able to keep up with everyone else, and how much of a bitch it would be to get the appropriate waivers if I manage to get back into shape in time to try and enlist again. I've asked at my local recruiting offices (Douglasville and Carrollton, GA), but the people there just aren't interested in even talking about the waivers I'll have to get until I come walking in when I'm back in enlistment shape again. Also, how old is too old to bother enlisting? I know the Navy has the cutoff at 34, but how often does that happen (I'm 31 now)? My mortgage is paid off, my medical bills are almost caught up and I'm at the point in my civilian career where I'd basically have to quit my current job and do poo poo work while going to college pursuing a degree in order to change things on that front. I figure, since I'm looking at poo poo work anyway, why not enlist and at least have some benefits to take advantage of once my enlistment was up (and maybe actually end up with a job assignment I could find a way to enjoy while taking classes on the side)? Some Pinko Commie fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Jan 9, 2013 |
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Jan 9, 2013 21:00
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Wade Wilson posted:A while back I posted in one of these threads while trying to get in shape to join the Navy, but had all of those plans go to Hell thanks to getting ball cancer and turning into a lazy turd while recovering from the chemo. I know there are more knowledgeable people in this thread but I would guess joining post cancer would be very difficult. I heard stories of people needing waivers for dry skin and too much earwax when I was going through MEPS the other day. Best of luck however.
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Jan 10, 2013 01:29
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I was active duty Air Force for 3.5 years. 3n052, Broadcaster. "Good Morning, Vietnam" and all that. I've been wondering if it would be possible to get back in to the Air Force or Army guard or Reserve (not in that particular AFSC/MOS). The particulars: I'm 33 years old. No major medical issues or criminal history. Honorably discharged, E-3. Here's the hurdle: Weight control failure. Re-enlistment code: 4B I could come up with any number of excuses about my misspent youth and how I failed to stave off becoming a disgusting fatbody, but I'm interested in the implications for the here and now. Google has failed me on the actual meaning/implication of mister four bravo. Assuming I'm otherwise now in shape and qualified, is that going to be a deal breaker/unwaiverable?
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Jan 10, 2013 05:48
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ASVAB trip report. After speaking with my recruiter last week I had an appointment today at 11:00am at the recruiter's office. I was to fill out a bit of leftover paperwork and head out to the testing center. It was to be a quick and routine ordeal. Of course I show up today at 10:45 and my test was for whatever reason pushed back to 2:30. I filled out some extra paperwork and pretty much had to entertain myself in the area for a few hours. Luckily I had a book in the car and there was a coffee shop up the street. I finally get in and get shuttled off to the testing center by 3:30 or so, and when I report to the Navy Liaison's office they greet me by saying "oh he's the one with the problem". Not what I wanted to hear... Apparently someone set me up in some damned system with two different SSNs. Not sure how that happened. The incorrect one was clearly completely different... Probably someone looking at the wrong forms while filling my poo poo out. Regardless, after about an hour I was all good and got to take the test. The whole thing wasn't bad. Definitely study up on electrical components and high school level physics... I forgot completely how to do things like calculating work. I ate up quite a bit of time working backwards with the multiple choice answers trying to get things right on the later sections. My buddy who's a Marine got a 96, so I was shooting for a 97 for bragging rights... We tied. That fucker. Since it was late when I finished the shuttles back were already gone, and I had to wait for my recruiter to come get me. Here's where things started feeling like a high pressure sales environment. I told him about my scores and all of the sudden he won't shut up about the Nuclear Power job. http://www.navycs.com/blogs/2008/11/14/navy-nuclear-program He's rattling off all these high dollar enlistment bonuses and education benefits, but when pressed he can't actually tell me what the job is. I told him from the start that I felt like CTN was a great fit for me, but he's rather dismissive about it. I'm not necessarily opposed to this job, in fact I'm a bit of a physics nerd, and the thought of learning about thermodynamics while getting paid sounds pretty cool, but I just want to be educated... the dollar signs may work on the kids in his office, but I've got other concerns. So now I'm back with a couple questions... First - Is he getting some sort of bonus or other incentive to get me into certain jobs (such as nuclear power)? Second - He was telling me the job selection goes as follows: I sit down before signing my contract and I'm given a stack of jobs. I am to choose right then and there what jobs I want, and I really have no say in what's offered. Also if I walk I'm closing the door on the navy. Is this bullshit? I'm not soured by this experience, in fact I expected quite a bit of hurry up and wait (I was warned). The recruiter does seem to be feeding me some BS though. If anyone has experience or insight on the MM, EM, or ET jobs, please let me know, as I am genuinely interested.
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Jan 10, 2013 06:13
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Otisburg posted:I was active duty Air Force for 3.5 years. 3n052, Broadcaster. "Good Morning, Vietnam" and all that. I've been wondering if it would be possible to get back in to the Air Force or Army guard or Reserve (not in that particular AFSC/MOS). Absolutely no one will take you with that RE code. Maybe five or so years ago, but not now.
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Jan 10, 2013 15:48
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Is it possible to get your RE upgraded? The Guard at least might waiver a RE-3. Even if you do get back in though, you're probably going to have to do Army BCT since you haven't gone through USMC or Army basic. Have fun.
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Jan 10, 2013 18:55
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drat, 4B for weight control?
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Jan 10, 2013 18:59
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JesusDoesVegas posted:he won't shut up about the Nuclear Power job. No! No, no, no, no, no, no, NO. Do not not settle on this -- do not fall for this. CTN is 10 billion times better than being a nuke. Job Experience: If you are a nuke you can get a job doing some nuke stuff when you get out. Maybe work at a plant. Honestly I don't really know. Being a civilian nuke guy pays pretty well but being a CTN will pay just as good. Plus as a CTN you'll be able to live anywhere because everyone everywhere will want to hire you. Working Hours: Nukes work. Nukes work 12 hours a day, every day for months. Nukes stand watches and do mundane tasks for 12 hours a day and they never have fun doing it. CTNs work whenever the gently caress they want to. CTNs get weekends and holidays, and sometimes the command will invent extra holidays for no reason, and sometimes Christmas a new years will fall on a Wednesday so they won't have to work Monday or Tuesday, and gently caress it, make the rest of the week half days while we're at it. CTNs will go home at 2 if there's gently caress all to do. Work Pressure: A nuke has to have everything right or else things blow up. But not so much "solve this physic equation" right as it is "make sure you read this gauge for the next 18 hours and if it changes record it using this procedure and don't gently caress this up you'll go to mast" kind of right (I don't actually know exactly what they do, but I know it's lovely and stressful). CTNs look poo poo up on the internet or run something in a VM and if it explodes they just reset the box and go take a smoke break. Suicide: Suicide appears to be a highly sought after alternative to being a nuke. I'm not joking about this. Especially if you used to be on anti-depressants. This poo poo even happens as soon as nuke A school. The Navy wants smart people to be nukes, but they won't treat you like a valuable asset; they'll work you because they think you can take it. As a CTN if I ever have a lovely day I just think about how I'm not a nuke and have no right to complain about anything. It's honestly unfair but to the Navy it's more important to have those nuke jobs filled and if every so often that breaks someone they don't care. Bottom Line: You need to be 26 (or 24 is it?) years or younger to be a nuke so tell your recruiter you're too old. That's how I avoided that entire mess. Stick to your guns, if you can't get CTN it's not worth being in the Navy. You will regret every day you didn't get the rate you wanted.
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Jan 10, 2013 19:30
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DoktorLoken posted:Is it possible to get your RE upgraded? The Guard at least might waiver a RE-3. Even if you do get back in though, you're probably going to have to do Army BCT since you haven't gone through USMC or Army basic. Have fun. I don't know. I've been out for a good while now, so I don't know if that would work for or against me in trying to get it changed, or even what grounds I could cite to do it. I'll Google the process to appeal or whatever. As the saying goes, the worst they can do is laugh in my face. I did a bit more google digging, and apparently "4B" is the boilerplate Air Force RE code for any weight control discharge.
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Jan 11, 2013 00:02
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Yea, and don't believe the detailer's bullshit about only have an hour left and you need to sign this countract and they'll change it to the job you want tomorrow and THEN they see you need a med waiver for your eyes and you're stuck with a job you don't want waiting for a waiver to get approved. 
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Jan 11, 2013 00:14
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Otisburg posted:I don't know. I've been out for a good while now, so I don't know if that would work for or against me in trying to get it changed, or even what grounds I could cite to do it. I'll Google the process to appeal or whatever. As the saying goes, the worst they can do is laugh in my face. The only folks that can change your RE: code is the AFBCMR. You file a case with them, and you can elect to present yourself before the board in Washington, or at one of the "traveling boards" that goes around the country. Or you could even have them examine the case without you present. It really pays to be present, much higher success rates. Showing that you're fit and have been fit, and that there was stuff that lead to your weight control issues that were either out of your hands, or mitigating, would all help. Professing a greater degree of maturity and respnsibility, etc etc. It's all about impressing them really for something like this. For other types of AFBCMR cases it gets much more semi-judicial.
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Jan 11, 2013 00:41
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GAS CURES KIKES posted:Showing that you're fit and have been fit, and that there was stuff that lead to your weight control issues that were either out of your hands, or mitigating, would all help. Professing a greater degree of maturity and respnsibility, etc etc. It's all about impressing them really for something like this. Thanks for the lowdown. I think if I'd been a bit more in my right head and had less severe life stuff going down, I'd have kept it together and not gotten fatty booted. Dumbest mistake I made was taking a humanitarian reassignment stateside to be closer to my dying mom. Sounds callous, I know, but it pulled me out of my AFSC and put me in the company of people who were ate up even by AF standards. I'll ponder how to present the mitigating crap and make it not sound like I'm reading them my livejournal. Since I didn't have any other discipline problems, if I can get a lid on the weight thing and maintain, maybe I can get a do-over on the mistakes of my youth. Worst case they tell me nope and I'll have been maintaining a healthier weight "for nothing."
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Jan 11, 2013 01:16
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Otisburg posted:Thanks for the lowdown. I think if I'd been a bit more in my right head and had less severe life stuff going down, I'd have kept it together and not gotten fatty booted. Dumbest mistake I made was taking a humanitarian reassignment stateside to be closer to my dying mom. Sounds callous, I know, but it pulled me out of my AFSC and put me in the company of people who were ate up even by AF standards. I'll ponder how to present the mitigating crap and make it not sound like I'm reading them my livejournal. If you need help writing up your appeal and someone to give a close look at it, lemme know.
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Jan 11, 2013 04:33
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I guess this is the place. I graduated law school 2 and a half years ago and for 2 years did a really awful job for no money and have been drowning under student loan debt. Lost the job a few months ago. I DO NOT want to practice law, which is a big problem. I am also not a self starter, so it is very difficult for me to find a job. Once employed I can work long and hard and have no problems. So for these reasons, I am about 90% to thinking that a commission in some branch is the career path for me. It's a steady pay check, student loans I THINK will be taken care of in a decade, and I'm confident that I will test high and be able to do some cool stuff. I have no interest in being a JAG and I'm not licensed in any state anyway, so please don't mention it. Any advice? Is this a smart move? Dumb move? What branch should I look at? I am positive I would not pass an eye test, but everything else physically is not an issue.
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Jan 12, 2013 21:48
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Joining because of money isn't always a good idea, in fact, it is regularly a bad one. However, if you are going to join because of that reason, going O is the best option, as an 01 gets paid like, and I mean this, at least twice as much as an e5/e6. What kind of jobs interest you? Anything in particular? What branch?
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Jan 12, 2013 23:15
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Secret Spoon posted:Joining because of money isn't always a good idea, in fact, it is regularly a bad one. However, if you are going to join because of that reason, going O is the best option, as an 01 gets paid like, and I mean this, at least twice as much as an e5/e6. I honestly have no idea. I'm open to just about everything and (I know this is arrogant, but) I'm smart enough that I can learn how to do pretty much anything. It's also not just money; I feel like I'm at a dead end in my life and this is my best option. I'm finding it impossible to convince a company to take a chance and train me, but the military would obvious do that. Even if I only last 5 years I would come out with skills that could benefit me in civilian life. I guess I posted here to get advice about what jobs and what branch I should think about because I don't really know what kind of jobs there are or what would suit me. I don't exactly think I'm the first person to join the military believing it to be their best or last option. If I had to choose I'd rank it AF, Army, Navy, but that's not really based on anything concrete and I'm worried my eyesight might make it difficult to join the Air Force.
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Jan 13, 2013 00:53
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Nimmy posted:I guess I posted here to get advice about what jobs and what branch I should think about because I don't really know what kind of jobs there are or what would suit me. Have you thought about the FBI? With a law degree, I think you'd have a good chance and you don't have to practice law.
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Jan 13, 2013 04:11
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Nimmy posted:I honestly have no idea. I'm open to just about everything and (I know this is arrogant, but) I'm smart enough that I can learn how to do pretty much anything. It's also not just money; I feel like I'm at a dead end in my life and this is my best option. I'm finding it impossible to convince a company to take a chance and train me, but the military would obvious do that. Even if I only last 5 years I would come out with skills that could benefit me in civilian life. I guess I posted here to get advice about what jobs and what branch I should think about because I don't really know what kind of jobs there are or what would suit me. I don't exactly think I'm the first person to join the military believing it to be their best or last option. If I had to choose I'd rank it AF, Army, Navy, but that's not really based on anything concrete and I'm worried my eyesight might make it difficult to join the Air Force. Its not too arrogant to assume you could learn just about any job in the military. There are honestly only a handful of mentaly taxing jobs. There are plenty of jobs that you could perform with "poor" eyesight, although at a certain point that will DQ you from all branches. I can't really tell you where to begin with this, but there are HUNDREDS of jobs of jobs in the military, and there are even sub jobs and special OJT qualifiers for those jobs that change where you can be stationed, how well you advance, and what you will be doing. I highly encourage you to take some initiative to take a look into what there is to do, both officer and enlisted side. Because listing all the jobs from Photographer to an in flight tech, from a yeoman to a PJ, is going to take a hot minute, especially across three branches. Secret Spoon fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Jan 13, 2013 |
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Jan 13, 2013 04:56
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Secret Spoon posted:I highly encourage you to take some initiative to take a look into what there is to do, both officer and enlisted side. Because listing all the jobs from Photographer to an in flight tech, from a yeoman to a PJ, is going to take a hot minute, especially across three branches. I don't know if I would enlist, but yeah I think I need to track down an officer recruiter or two and have a chat about these things. Re: FBI, I think it's much more competitive in addition to all of the other things being a little lesser. I actually look at relocation and potential instability as a plus. In the FBI I wouldn't have the opportunity to go to, just as an example, Okinawa or Germany. Early retirement and veterans benefits are other pretty big perks. I'm just having a really hard time seeing a career path for me in the private sector right now and that is what I would be seeking in the military. And maybe I'm just a stupid idiot, but I do think it's something romantic and important and I'm not adverse to going to a terrible place for a little while.
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Jan 13, 2013 05:48
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Nimmy posted:If I had to choose I'd rank it AF, Army, Navy, but that's not really based on anything concrete and I'm worried my eyesight might make it difficult to join the Air Force. You should probably think about this stuff before you talk to a recruiter, because there is a shitload of differences between the services, much less individual jobs in the services, and it's not like there's a DoD wide "officer recruiter"; each service has their own, so you should at least have an idea about which service you're interested in joining so you can prioritize meeting with the officer recruiters from each service. Also the AF's standards for eyesight aren't any different than the other services...I'm an AF officer and I have terrible eyes. What you are thinking about is the ability to pass a flight physical, which is only going to apply if you want to fly...which is also going to be very similar across all the services. In fact figuring out a general idea of what you are interested in is also good so you can start bouncing your desired job list against any physical qualifications for that job...if you don't have 20/20 uncorrected, probably shouldn't pursue being a pilot. Nimmy posted:to going to a terrible place for a little while. Not trying to discourage you, just be aware that there are plenty of places for permanent duty stations that are pretty lovely, where you could be stuck for 3-4 (or more) years. Living in terrible locales because of the military isn't just a deployment thing.
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Jan 13, 2013 06:42
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Nimmy posted:I guess this is the place. I graduated law school 2 and a half years ago and for 2 years did a really awful job for no money and have been drowning under student loan debt. Lost the job a few months ago. I DO NOT want to practice law, which is a big problem. I am also not a self starter, so it is very difficult for me to find a job. Once employed I can work long and hard and have no problems. So for these reasons, I am about 90% to thinking that a commission in some branch is the career path for me. It's a steady pay check, student loans I THINK will be taken care of in a decade, and I'm confident that I will test high and be able to do some cool stuff. I have no interest in being a JAG and I'm not licensed in any state anyway, so please don't mention it. I mean, you could commission I guess, but that poo poo really works out best for self starting super motivated types. Successful officers tend to be the ones that are extremely hard working, self motivated, mission focused types. Or they just really like to run marathons and poo poo, your mileage may vary. Have you considered enlisting? The expectations are low, and the pay is pretty drat good. Plus you can't beat free healthcare and food and poo poo. Within a few very short years you can be making American middle class money, and simultaneously working less and having more freedom and leeway given to you. If you were to enlist, you will find that you are always the smartest guy in the room-- and since you're already a lawyer, when your inevitable enlisted problems happen (And they will) you can cover your own rear end and probably be the most successful barracks/dorm lawyer in the history of the DoD. I mean hey man, if you're a non self starting motivation lacking type, you could at least be the king of that kingdom by enlisting. Excelling in that environment is goddamned easy. Whereas excelling as an officer is.. downright difficult. Not because the bar is set all that high on important stuff, but more so because it's set pretty high on retardedly unimportant stuff. You might think I'm kidding, but I'm really not.
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Jan 13, 2013 10:24
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I feel like there are other things (FBI, CIA, foreign service, etc) that I'd have to get rejected from before I would consider enlisting.
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Jan 13, 2013 15:30
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GAS CURES KIKES posted:be the most successful barracks/dorm lawyer in the history of the DoD. He is the one whose birth was prophesied by the elders and signaled by the star. Lo, the enlisted messiah comes to bring the kingdom. He's right, if you weren't enough of a self starter to practice law you probably don't want to be an officer. Being enlisted is a whole different ballgame and if you can't find a job anywhere else it might be worth considering only if you can get the Loan Repayment deal in your contract. It's a few years of your life for a fresh start.
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Jan 13, 2013 18:03
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DO.NOT.ENLIST. Do not listen to Signaleer, do not listen to Shimazu. They both have extreme mental health problems apparently. If you have a degree and you enlist you are one of the stupidest fuckers on the planet. Be an officer or do absolutely nothing involving the military.
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Jan 13, 2013 18:08
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uh enlisting to get all of your student loans paid off isn't a bad idea. A dude at my unit enlisted with a degree, got over $80k in student loans paid off, and now he's out. With no student loan debt. And veteran's benefits. Being enlisted really isn't all that bad; yeah, commissioning would be better, but to get a fuckload of student loan debt paid off, it's worth it.
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Jan 13, 2013 18:13
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If you have a four year degree and enlist instead of pursuing something in a career field you are interested in you are certifiably retarded.
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Jan 13, 2013 18:19
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vacation in kabul posted:If you have a four year degree and enlist instead of pursuing something in a career field you are interested in you are certifiably retarded. On the other hand, this advice is coming from VIK, so it's street value is roughly that of a blowjob from a preop tranny behind a denny's. $12.45sh by my count. More if you want eye contact. Real Talk: This guy doesn't have the motivation to be a lawyer. He thinks that the FBI, CIA, and State Department are going to be real possibilities for him. They are not. The amount of neurotic super type-a's that make it into those organizations is absolutely insane. Nobody winds up as a case officer because it was a fallback after they turned out to not be enough of a self starter to practice law. He probably has some amount of debt and a real need to get health insurance and a new path in life. He could attempt to become an officer, which is rather competitive right now, and owe even more service commitment AND have to deal with doing a bunch of high motivation self starting BS just to stay an officer.. Or he could enlist, pick a niche specific job that interests him and he'd like to do as a career-- get the training and qual's, spend a few years doing retarded enlisted stuff, get out free of debt and start his new life in whatever field it is that's interesting to him. We're not telling the guy to go become a 13F as a former lawyer. That would itself be retarded. But if he's interested in lets say-- intelligence or counterintelligence, or some of the medical fields, or any number of interesting skills there are great opportunities you can take being enlisted. I never would have wanted to be an officer personally, the pay gap isn't so astounding for me because I have a successful spouse, but the difference in absolutely retarded bullshit is fairly astounding. Plus I hate being responsible for the random gently caress ups of others. And frankly, there are a lot of times when I just don't have the loving motivation to do the retarded officer poo poo. It's just not a good fit for me, and a lot of other people. So I really do feel like the "OMG U HAEV A DEGREEZ U SHULD BE OFFICERS WITH SHINEY RANKS" is retarded advice. There are pro's and con's to everything, and dealing in absolutes like "DO NOT ENLIST WITH A DEGREE" is just as retarded as anything else with the military.
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Jan 13, 2013 20:59
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The only people who think like that really don't know much outside of being enlisted. You're loving stupid if you enlist with a degree, end of story.
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Jan 13, 2013 21:21
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I think Shimazu is right here from my limited perspective. Obviously enlisting with a degree to be combat arms is dumb. Being an officer is great for some. Personally I have a limited desire to manage a large group of people. As an example here there is a SSG in my company with a PhD who is an actual college professor. Exceptionally knowledgable as an analyst and great to learn from given the academic background. From my perspective, being enlisted in an intel unit is great. The amount of bullshit is low and we don't get treated like poo poo. Granted this is the Guard and I doubt you will find much in the way of college professors in the active side of things.
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Jan 13, 2013 21:50
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So I'm not trolling here, I'm actually curious. VIK... You seem to really hate military life, which doesn't sound unreasonable, but I'd like to know why. I'm curious about your situation. Can you go into what you do, your enlistment process, what mistakes you think you made, etc etc? A well laid out viewpoint from someone like yourself could actually be useful for people clicking this thread.
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Jan 13, 2013 21:50
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DoktorLoken posted:I think Shimazu is right here from my limited perspective. Obviously enlisting with a degree to be combat arms is dumb. Being an officer is great for some. Personally I have a limited desire to manage a large group of people. Enlisting in the guard/reserves with a degree is a completely different animal than active duty.
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Jan 13, 2013 21:58
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JesusDoesVegas posted:So I'm not trolling here, I'm actually curious. VIK... You seem to really hate military life, which doesn't sound unreasonable, but I'd like to know why. I'm curious about your situation. It's this simple: if you enlist, almost without a doubt, you will be working with 18 year olds, you will be a glorified janitor, you will be treated like a child, you will realize that "free healthcare" is a load of poo poo, your superiors will more than likely be retards who engage in cronyism in the worst ways, and most of all once you realize you've made a gigantic mistake you will not be able to walk away from it. I actually do not consider the idea behind my enlistment to be a mistake. I got a 40,000 dollar bonus, I'm out and I still have plenty of money from what I saved, it enabled me to buy a house and two cars, and now thanks to the combination of unemployment insurance, the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and my wife's employment I'm going back to school full time after already having gone for four years. So I'm pretty set and my time in the Army enabled me to be able to afford to live on my own and continue to do so for the foreseeable future. There are two things though: 1) I should have finished my degree by any means necessary and gone to OCS if I really wanted to be in the military. Hindsight's always 20/20, but unless you're married you really don't make that much in take-home pay in the military if you're enlisted (and your cap if you are married is incredibly low). If you're an officer it's a very comfortable living and if you're a really good (or even average really) officer you can make a really fine living for yourself down the road. 2) The four years of my life that I gave to the Army were the worst four years I've had so far on Earth. I was either in garrison and absolutely miserable or deployed and absolutely bored. It's like a weight has been lifted off of me since I've gotten out because I'm no longer an indentured servant working for some of the biggest retards I've ever met in my life. Honestly though, my experience doesn't have much to do with enlisting with a degree. I was a shiftless college student with no ambition who thought the military was badass so I very stupidly enlisted, but I'm a dime a dozen. There are really a ton of people like me, and they'll probably benefit in the end from four years of the military too. Enlisting with a degree is straight-up retarded though, you might as well just take all of the money out of your checking account right now and flush it all down the toilet. Because once you're done with an enlistment and you realize no one gives two shits that you were in the military and you have a degree you haven't been applying for four years (like the idiot you are) you'll realize that you flushed like 10000x the money you put in the toilet down the drain.
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Jan 13, 2013 22:34
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vacation in kabul posted:The only people who think like that really don't know much outside of being enlisted. You're loving stupid if you enlist with a degree, end of story. VIK, I know this may be hard for you to fathom, but 1) A college degree is not nearly the valuable and rare commodity that you think it is and 2) A good paying job with excellent benefits and opportunities to learn something you want to learn and do IS an increasingly rare unicorn. If this guy doesn't want to be a lawyer, isn't a self starter or exceedingly motivated, enlisting to get training in a job that interests him and benefits and pay that are extremely good in today's economy isn't a bad idea. It's an even more attractive idea if he goes guard or reserves. If he wanted to change his career path and go into IT he could go get a few years IT experience, a clearance, and someone to foot the bill for a new degree. If he wanted to go into medical and do laboratory technology, or diagnostic imaging it's the same deal. If he wanted to work on nuclear reactors, guess what-- he could enlist and do that. If he wanted to be an air traffic controller, he could do that. There are loving tons of jobs and opportunities available to someone when they enlist, and they can get out of the deal what they wish and come out ahead for having enlisted. The only idiot here is you brother. But we've come to expect a certain, quality, to advice that you provide. And you are certainly not disappointing. Generally if you've got a degree, are motivated, self starting, and wish to be a leader/manager-- go and commission, there are a lot of opportunities for you if you fit that bill. Otherwise, enlisting offers a range of benefits and opportunities that are very much worth looking into even if you graduated with a 2.67 GPA from North Dakota State Online with a degree in gender studies and a minor in ceramic arts. Me personally, if I graduated from law school I'd try and go JAG- but that's getting pretty damned competetive these days, and he's not interested in it. So myself and others are trying to give him pragmatic advice about joining the military, and providing options outside of commissioning. We're not saying "ENLIST DONT BE AN OFFICER, YOU WILL BE A BETTER OFFICER IF YOU ENLIST" or anything like that. Frankly, you're being a bit of oval office.
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Jan 13, 2013 22:42
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the whole have degree = magically commission??? thing is kind of overblown around here, it's not nearly as simple and a long drawn out process with it ending most likely in not being accepted. edit: as far as the army is concerned if you're not scoring a 300 off the bat I wouldn't even bother tbqh DEVILDOGOOORAH fucked around with this message at 22:52 on Jan 13, 2013 |
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Jan 13, 2013 22:46
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I'm not, you're typing out huge replies trying to justify an absolutely ridiculous, retarded assertion you're making. Here, read this: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnebersole/2012/08/08/why-a-college-degree/ If you earn a degree you earn almost 1 million dollars more, on average, over your lifetime than the people without one. Guess what you don't need a degree for and would gently caress that curve for you? Enlisting. You don't know what the gently caress you're talking about. DEVILDOGOOORAH posted:the whole have degree = magically commission??? thing is kind of overblown around here, it's not nearly as simple and a long drawn out process with it ending most likely in not being accepted. Right, but if you can't get a commission you shouldn't be looking at the military if you have a college degree.
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Jan 13, 2013 22:49
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