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ScienceAndMusic posted:I am 23, I am about to graduate from my univerisity with a degree I hate, and all I want to do is fly. How realistic is it to expect such a thing out of the military? I don't want to be a fighter pilot, more transport kinda stuff. I don't really ever want to shoot at anyone, or even be shot at really. I'm sure I'm probably exactly the kind of person who shouldn't be interested in enlisting so please tell me so, so I can let this fantasy die. Make drat sure you're going to talk to an officer recruiter, or whatever they're called. You will need to commission as an officer to become a pilot, not enlist. The AF has separate recruiters for officers and enlisted.
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Jan 31, 2013 00:42
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ScienceAndMusic posted:I am 23, I am about to graduate from my univerisity with a degree I hate, and all I want to do is fly. How realistic is it to expect such a thing out of the military? I don't want to be a fighter pilot, more transport kinda stuff. I don't really ever want to shoot at anyone, or even be shot at really. I'm sure I'm probably exactly the kind of person who shouldn't be interested in enlisting so please tell me so, so I can let this fantasy die. If you want to fly on active duty, you'll need to apply to a rated board. Definitely go see an officer recruiter, as mentioned above. If you want to fly in the reserves or national guard, then you'll need to "rush" and apply to specific units. Basically decide what you want to fly/where you want to live and choose accordingly. They'll have to hire you. Some units hire within, some don't. It's a crap shoot. Here you'll probably fly part time and you'll need a normal job. If you're good/lucky enough (and that's an insanely huge if) to get picked up on a board or get hired it will take 2ish years before you're even mission qualifed (OTS/AMU - UPT - SERE - FTU). You owe the AF a 10 year commitment starting when you graduate UPT. Hekk posted:.., one of the requirements for being a transport plane pilot is talking like a redneck trucker. Incorrect. The only requirement is to sound cool on the radios. You don't actually have to fly the jet well. PM me if you have specific questions.
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Jan 31, 2013 02:41
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If you're thinking about using TA or the GI Bill to pay for schooling that's an option as well. Also a lot of bases have Aero clubs that are pretty cheap that can help you get various certs. I got my PPL in Florida, and did the rest of my training in IL with our Aero Club.. IFR, etc. I have 0 interest in flying commercially though, so I took my time and treated it like a fun hobby personally. But you don't technically have to become an officer to get to learn how to fly, and get the GI bill, etc. Though I highly recommend you attempt that path first as it's best, and only enlist if you find a careerfield that you think you'd love, to get the gi bill and all that.
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Jan 31, 2013 03:49
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Christoff posted:
Thanks for the offer, but at this point I think I might be hosed. Basically, I went to MEPS, and when I went to see the classifier, he tried to get me to sign as an FC for 6 years. He also offered CS on a sub, and some engineering jobs. The classifier told me if I didn't sign anything, I'd be kicked out of the DEP, so I told him I'd sign, but I wouldn't ship to boot camp unless I got HM in my contract. So I sign, and my ship date is August 1st. So I get back to my recruiter, and he's talking about putting in reclassification requests for a poo poo ton of jobs that aren't corpsman. He also mentions that a couple of corpsman spots opened up just this past week. I tell him the same thing about not shipping with anything except HM, figuring that if spots opened up last week, surely there's gonna be a spot open between now and August. He basically says to come back when I'm serious about enlisting, and as far as I know, my enlistment process is on hold. I'm of course definitely not shipping as an FC for 6 years, there's no question about that, and at this point I'm not settling for anything but corpsman. Immediately after talking to my current recruiter I called another one in a nearby station and told him the situation, and he said he'd call my current recruiter to talk to him about it. Am I an idiot for signing at MEPS? Is going to another recruiter at this point, having already signed something, going to help anything?
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Jan 31, 2013 21:37
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I'm here again, as open to advice either cynical or misleading as ever. I took the ASVAB Tuesday, and today the recruiter showed me what might be available come Monday; basically every job that I had thought was interesting was there. Now, why I'm here again. I had issues with anxiety when I was a teenager, but I was never formally diagnosed, and the medical records show that my issues resulted from circumstances that have been dealt with (I was very overweight). The recruiter told me that I should not be forthcoming about that information as it isn't relevant anymore. I'm concerned though because the MOSes I'm interested in require secret or top secret clearances. I find it hard to believe that the Army is made up of hundreds of thousands of iron men who've never seen the inside of a doctors office. I have no doubt that I can adapt, but I am worried that I won't ever get the chance.
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Feb 1, 2013 06:11
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Ironman posted:I'm here again, as open to advice either cynical or misleading as ever. I took the ASVAB Tuesday, and today the recruiter showed me what might be available come Monday; basically every job that I had thought was interesting was there. Now, why I'm here again. I had issues with anxiety when I was a teenager, but I was never formally diagnosed, and the medical records show that my issues resulted from circumstances that have been dealt with (I was very overweight). The recruiter told me that I should not be forthcoming about that information as it isn't relevant anymore. I'm concerned though because the MOSes I'm interested in require secret or top secret clearances. As a recruiter, I never ever hosed around with anyone who had anxiety or depression issues. There are lots of ways to dance around in grey area but with the high suicide rate in the military and the high stress environment many work in, it was never worth a contract to needlessly risk the health and well being of that applicant or his fellow service members. With that said, if you disclose to anyone that you had anxiety issues in the past, at a minimum you will be disqualified pending a phsych consult with a military doctor. It could very well turn into a Bureau of Medicine waiver which are an rear end pain. Worst case, you get permanently denied. If you were ever on meds for anxiety, you are pretty much hosed if anyone ever finds out. If your issues were truly as insignificant as you suggest, it's much less complicated not to volunteer information. However, please don't be a selfish rear end in a top hat that puts others in danger because you are too proud to admit that there may be an anxiety issue that could be triggered if say you were holding onto your best friends mutilated body, watching the life drain out of him as you wait for a CASEVAC bird to show up. The screening for secret clearances isn't too terrible but Top Secret are much much more involved. Your friends and family will definitely be interviewed and it's possible old things could come up. If that happened, it would be bad for your career.
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Feb 1, 2013 06:28
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GuyGlaze posted:Thanks for the offer, but at this point I think I might be hosed. Basically, I went to MEPS, and when I went to see the classifier, he tried to get me to sign as an FC for 6 years. He also offered CS on a sub, and some engineering jobs. The classifier told me if I didn't sign anything, I'd be kicked out of the DEP, so I told him I'd sign, but I wouldn't ship to boot camp unless I got HM in my contract. So I sign, and my ship date is August 1st. Did you swear in? Like put your paw in the air and say that whole thing about "swearing to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic"? If so, you are already in the delayed entry program. If you refuse to ship, you will be discharged from the DEP. If you want to join the Navy again or another branch, it's a waiver and you have to ship to boot camp the day you swear in. You only get one shot at the DEP. However, it is entirely possible for your recruiter to change your job up until the day you ship out. When you show up to MEPs the day you ship out, you will go over your paperwork again, sign some more stuff, and swear in again. This removes you from the inactive reserve (your status as a member of the delayed entry program) and makes you active duty. Once you sign your paperwork that day, everything is set in stone and anyone claiming you can change jobs in boot camp is blowing smoke up your rear end. It is technically possible, however, your recruiter would have to have some really solid contacts and get in touch with them on the day you show up. During the initial screening they do on recruits, some inevitable get disqualified. The jobs that those recruits held do not get recycled back into the system because jobs are assigned a window that basically tells whatever branch of service you are joining when that service member will be fully trained in that field. As these kids get dqd, it's possible for the boot camp staff to shift those over to guys on open contract or with lovely jobs. However, the coordination piece to make it happen is so difficult, I only pulled it off one time in 3 years. Additionally, you have absolutely no guarantee that recruiter man will keep his word.
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Feb 1, 2013 06:37
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Hekk posted:If so, you are already in the delayed entry program. If you refuse to ship, you will be discharged from the DEP. If you want to join the Navy again or another branch, it's a waiver and you have to ship to boot camp the day you swear in. You only get one shot at the DEP. This is wrong. I got discharged from Air Force DEP and went into Navy DEP about a month later.
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Feb 1, 2013 06:40
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MancXVI posted:This is wrong. I got discharged from Air Force DEP and went into Navy DEP about a month later. In three years running a Marine Corps recruiting sub station, I did not see any branch of service bring someone into their DEP that was discharged from another services DEP. Direct Ship only for all services. It might have changed in the last four years, but I wouldn't think so.
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Feb 1, 2013 06:42
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Hekk posted:The screening for secret clearances isn't too terrible but Top Secret are much much more involved. Your friends and family will definitely be interviewed and it's possible old things could come up. If that happened, it would be bad for your career. A thorough background check, interviews with friends and family, would definitely show that when I was 17 I sought help from my family doctor about anxiety. I'm 25 now. Would that "being bad for my career" mean disqualification or would it be something worse like a fine or a criminal charge? The specific MOSes that were shown today that excited me were 35P Cryptologic Linguist, and 35M Human Intelligence Collector. If I'm going to enlist, I want something exciting and something challenging. If nothing else is realistic I would choose infantry (wasn't even offered, only 18x and I'm definitely not at a perfect APFT score yet).
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Feb 1, 2013 06:58
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Ironman posted:A thorough background check, interviews with friends and family, would definitely show that when I was 17 I sought help from my family doctor about anxiety. I'm 25 now. Would that "being bad for my career" mean disqualification or would it be something worse like a fine or a criminal charge? The specific MOSes that were shown today that excited me were 35P Cryptologic Linguist, and 35M Human Intelligence Collector. If I'm going to enlist, I want something exciting and something challenging. If nothing else is realistic I would choose infantry (wasn't even offered, only 18x and I'm definitely not at a perfect APFT score yet). I haven't been recruiting for a little while and my waiver knowledge is getting rusty. One thing you can try is talking to an Army recruiter a town or two over. Do not give them your real name or phone number or address but be completely honest about the anxiety thing. If it sounds like they are willing to work with you, you have a couple of options. 1) Go back to old recruiter and tell them to run the waiver. Or 2) tell new recruiter you lied about your name because you were working with another recruiter who was trying to get you to hide the issue. If it doesn't sound like a waiver is possible, I would advise you to walk away and find something else to do. If you are hellbent on joining anyway, if it comes up that you hid the medical history, you can get hit with a fraudulent enlistment charge which can range from entry level discharge (no benefits just like never having served) to dishonorable ( required you tell potential employers if asked) depending on the severity of the fraud.
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Feb 1, 2013 07:12
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Ironman posted:A thorough background check, interviews with friends and family, would definitely show that when I was 17 I sought help from my family doctor about anxiety. I'm 25 now. Would that "being bad for my career" mean disqualification or would it be something worse like a fine or a criminal charge? The specific MOSes that were shown today that excited me were 35P Cryptologic Linguist, and 35M Human Intelligence Collector. If I'm going to enlist, I want something exciting and something challenging. If nothing else is realistic I would choose infantry (wasn't even offered, only 18x and I'm definitely not at a perfect APFT score yet). Privacy laws are your friend in this regard. The people investigating you for a clearance aren't the same people that give a poo poo about medical qualifications for enlistment. And they don't tend to talk. And also this was 8 years ago.. so.. straight from the SF86: quote:21.1 In the last seven (7) years, have you consulted with a health care professional regarding an emotional or mental health condition or were you hospitalized for such a condition? Answer 'No' if the counseling was for any of the following reasons and was not court-ordered: It would be no. So this is entirely a non issue for both your clearance, and entrance into the military. Just don't make a deal about it with your recruiter/MEPs and you'll be fine. On the other hand, I feel like it would be a good idea for you to stop and consider that not long ago in your past you had issues with anxiety-- and how those issues stand a good chance of happening again under the stresses of military life. We have a mental health epidemic in the military, with insane suicide rates, and high rates of issues with anxiety, ptsd, and substance abuse. There are various schools of thought as to why this is, but the real important fact for you: These are problems you are much more likely to encounter as a result of service in the military. If life as a 17 year old was kicking your rear end enough to cause some mental health issues, I guess it could be no big deal-- maybe it was just a one time thing I guess. But everything we know now after 12 years of war and increasing mental health problems in our ranks seems to indicate that is the sort of thing that makes it even more likely for you to run into problems in the military. That's on top of the increased risk just by virtue of putting on a uniform. So I guess what I'm saying is-- you won't have a hard time getting in or getting a clearance with what you've described, but be honest with yourself and drat sure that you are ready for this.
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Feb 1, 2013 07:43
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Hekk posted:Did you swear in? Like put your paw in the air and say that whole thing about "swearing to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic"? Thanks for the recruiter's perspective, I really appreciate any insight I can get on the situation. I did swear in at MEPS, and I'm in the DEP right now. This is something I probably should have mentioned earlier, but I was in the Marine DEP for awhile last year, so I think that whole thing about shipping the day you sign might be just for the Marines or something. All I know is this is the second time I've sworn in and I still have to wait till August to ship. I guess my next question is, having sworn in and signed a contract, is it kosher for me to go to another recruiting station and see if they can help me out in regards to getting corpsman? Since I already swore in out of this station, am I stuck with this recruiter? I'm pretty positive my current recruiter isn't going to do anything to help me, because he seems really adverse to even entertaining the thought of trying to get me a corpsman spot between now and August, even though he came out and said that spots had opened up this past week. Overall I'm pretty confused in regards to why he's ready to get me a reclassification to a bunch of different jobs, but would rather see me walk than help me get HM. He didn't give any reason WHY he didn't want to help me out with HM, he just told me that I should be more concerned with serving my country than getting a specific job. I could understand if it was a job that was so overmanned I would never get a shot, but him telling me that people were enlisting as HM this week makes me wonder why exactly me waiting 6 months for a spot is such a problem. And another question for the Navy guys: When you enlisted, was it really taboo to go in with your mind set on a specific rate? Did you have to pick from the best looking job out of a certain selection of terrible jobs, or did you wait it out until you got the rate you wanted? Sorry for all these dumb questions, this is like the only place I can get a straight answer from people who know what they're talking about. Dry Cycle fucked around with this message at 08:18 on Feb 1, 2013 |
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Feb 1, 2013 07:59
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GuyGlaze posted:And another question for the Navy guys: When you enlisted, was it really taboo to go in with your mind set on a specific rate? Did you have to pick from the best looking job out of a certain selection of terrible jobs, or did you wait it out until you got the rate you wanted? Sorry for all these dumb questions, this is like the only place I can get a straight answer from people who know what they're talking about. I didn't have my heart set on anything, rather I wanted to get into a specific field. Somehow I managed to get the job I wanted, but there was a moment where I could have been a CTI if the stars hadn't aligned.
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Feb 1, 2013 08:47
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GuyGlaze posted:And another question for the Navy guys: When you enlisted, was it really taboo to go in with your mind set on a specific rate? Did you have to pick from the best looking job out of a certain selection of terrible jobs, or did you wait it out until you got the rate you wanted? Sorry for all these dumb questions, this is like the only place I can get a straight answer from people who know what they're talking about. I didn't have a specific rate in mind when before I joined up. I'll assume you have a good ASVAB so the same things that were open to me are probably open to you: the good jobs. I did some research on all the jobs I thought would be good to do in the Navy, then made a list of all the jobs I would actually want to do in the Navy, and then eliminated jobs further on the list based on ones I would only have to do for four years, leaving me with only one job. If you really want to be an HM, then hold out for HM. But make sure you know what you're getting into. Talk to Christoff or Pandasmores. There's a lot of crap associated with HM, like overmanning in the fleet, and well, dealing with sick sailors and their dependents, and other stuff I've only heard about second hand.
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Feb 1, 2013 17:43
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Well I really appreciate the answers and information everyone. I figure my next step is to call other recruiters in my area up and see if they can help me out in regards to getting a reclass to HM. If not, I'll probably just start college or something.
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Feb 2, 2013 06:27
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Hi. I'm worried about something in a contract. I still have a lot of time and whatnot, but I just want to make sure that I'm refrencing the right documents when I go in. Is there an equivalent to this link for the Navy. If not, is there any reason I should expect what holds true in that document in regards to the Army is not true for the Navy? At this point, I'm still fairly convinced that my recruiter and the other recruiter I've been in contact with are honest in their endeavors and statements, and I'm not planning on bludgeoning them with anything legalesque; but if things don't go the way I'd like in a short while, I'd like to raise a ruckus, and I'd like to make sure that if I threaten to make the 10 meter walk next door and Go Army!, that that's actually a thing I can do.
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Feb 2, 2013 07:42
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I have a few questions about enlisting, going to give a little personal info first for context. I'm 23, 2 years into a computer science degree at a public university. I'm doing well enough in school, I've just lost my motivation for it. I wanted to join the USMC when I was 18, but I let my mom talk me out of it (she was terrified at the prospect of me getting sent to war, literally crying when the recruiter came by). I took an ASVAB several years ago, in high school. I scored an 89 at the time, and I'm pretty positive that I'll score the same if not better now. I've been in college for a few years now, and engineering school at that. First off, I've got about $25,000 in student loans right now, will the G.I. bill cover the loans that I already have? (Or some other loan repayment program that I don't know about). Regardless of my ASVAB score, when I nearly enlisted a few years ago, I was set on enlisting as Infantry. I'm not sure that I've lost that sentiment. My recruiter advised against it, (as did nearly everyone else), saying that with my scores it would be much better for me to choose an MOS that offers some type of training for once I get out of service. I honestly don't know what I should do here. The rational part of me thinks "go with something that will give me job training for when I get out", but I will absolutely finish my CS degree after I get out of service, so that seems almost moot. Plus, I come from a family of veterans, and all of them have/did serve(d) in combat roles, and I always saw myself following in their footsteps. Suggestions here? Advice? Words of wisdom? My family has a history of diabetes and high blood pressure. I have neither, but my father and both grandfathers have/had both. Will this disqualify me, or hurt me in any way? I seem to have a sensitivity to flour, specifically when used in things like breakfast gravy or pancakes. Sometimes it doesn't effect me, other times it gives me stomach cramps and digestion problems. I don't have celiac's disease or anything like that, it doesn't always happen, and it's very specific foods. Is this a problem? This one is a bit out there. My girlfriend is also considering enlisting, we're both patriotic and both come from veteran families, and we've been thinking about it for a while. However, she does not see herself joining the USMC, she's thinking perhaps Navy or Army. Just for sheer curiosity here, this isn't necessarily likely or even remotely likely, but if we were to get married and were in different branches of service, how would this work? Or would it change anything whatsoever? This might sound strange, but I'm 23 years old - obviously not an old man or anything. But, will it be weird joining at 23? Meaning, should I expect some flack for being older than a lot of the other boys in training? Sorry for the huge post, feel free to just quote one or two questions and answer them if you don't feel like answering them all. Also, if you have any advice or just something that might benefit me at all, feel free to post it - even if it doesn't involve any of my questions.
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Feb 4, 2013 08:38
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Pyrok posted:I have a few questions about enlisting, going to give a little personal info first for context. Kick yourself in the face and finish your degree if possible. Talk to a therapist about your motivation problems. Also, why do you want to do infantry? (E: a better reason than family tradition, at least)
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Feb 4, 2013 08:58
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MancXVI posted:Also, why do you want to do infantry? (E: a better reason than family tradition, at least) Oddly enough, I'm sitting here trying to think of an answer, and I really don't have one - at least one that won't sound absolutely ridiculous. I guess I always just wanted to know if I had "it". Part of me wanted to experience combat and see how I came out on the other side. And finally, I suppose as absurd as this sounds - part of me just figured that if I'm going to serve, I might as well go all the way and enlist in a combat role, to one day be able to tell my children that I went to war, and give them stories like my grandfather gave to me when I was a boy. I know this likely sounds absurd, and probably makes me sound like a child who has watched too many military films, but that's the best I've got a 3am. Edit: Also, are you suggesting that I simply don't enlist, or that I wait until I finish my degree and then go to OCS?
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Feb 4, 2013 09:05
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Pyrok posted:Oddly enough, I'm sitting here trying to think of an answer, and I really don't have one - at least one that won't sound absolutely ridiculous. I guess I always just wanted to know if I had "it". Part of me wanted to experience combat and see how I came out on the other side. And finally, I suppose as absurd as this sounds - part of me just figured that if I'm going to serve, I might as well go all the way and enlist in a combat role, to one day be able to tell my children that I went to war, and give them stories like my grandfather gave to me when I was a boy. I know this likely sounds absurd, and probably makes me sound like a child who has watched too many military films, but that's the best I've got a 3am. Nothing wrong with enlisting if you do it for the right reasons. I enlisted because I hosed away college and got academically suspended and lost my job all at the same time. It was a great decision, got me out of debt, and made me less of a shithead (or at the very least a different kind of shithead). Sometimes, though, I wish I had sought help and turned school and my life around so I won't be that 30-year old rear end in a top hat sitting in a classroom when I start using my GI Bill. The other part of it is that I'm in a field that I love (avionics). I get to fix and inspect cool airplane computers. It's kickstarted my brain and given me a direction to go in for my second shot at a degree. I have no clue what infantry is like, but I hear enough to know that it doesn't sound fun. Why would you want infantry when there's so much other legitimate opportunity?
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Feb 4, 2013 09:34
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MancXVI posted:Nothing wrong with enlisting if you do it for the right reasons. I enlisted because I hosed away college and got academically suspended and lost my job all at the same time. It was a great decision, got me out of debt, and made me less of a shithead (or at the very least a different kind of shithead). Sometimes, though, I wish I had sought help and turned school and my life around so I won't be that 30-year old rear end in a top hat sitting in a classroom when I start using my GI Bill. Yeah, I'm a bit concerned that since I have a perfect opportunity to finish school and be making 80k+ a year within 2 years from now, I'll regret it - but it's only a small part of me. More than that, I fear that I'll get old and look back at my life and regret that I didn't spend 4 years of my life serving my country when I could have (bleeding heart, I know). I've always wanted to join, and now just seems like the perfect time. I share similar concerns though about finishing college when I'm 27 or 28. I suppose it's not that old, but I'd still have 10 years on the Freshmen and possibly a lifetime of stories and experience if I got deployed I suppose. As far as infantry goes, I don't know for sure that I want to do it, I'm just not sure that I don't. It's a legitimate concern for me that I won't really gain any training or skill set from it, that I could use in the civilian world. But at the same time, I know that I'll finish my degree when I get out, so unless doing comp. science type stuff in the corps will transfer over to fulfilling credit hours for my degree (any idea if this could happen?), the whole skill set thing doesn't really bother me as much. I guess I was just comparing the benefits of having the infantry experience (not sure benefits was the right description there) against the pitfalls of it. I'm absolutely not ruling out going with a different MOS.
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Feb 4, 2013 09:43
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Pyrok posted:Yeah, I'm a bit concerned that since I have a perfect opportunity to finish school and be making 80k+ a year within 2 years from now, I'll regret it - but it's only a small part of me. More than that, I fear that I'll get old and look back at my life and regret that I didn't spend 4 years of my life serving my country when I could have (bleeding heart, I know). I've always wanted to join, and now just seems like the perfect time. I share similar concerns though about finishing college when I'm 27 or 28. I suppose it's not that old, but I'd still have 10 years on the Freshmen and possibly a lifetime of stories and experience if I got deployed I suppose. Stop glamorizing war. Do what's good for you. What are you doing right now as a hobby to make yourself a better programmer?
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Feb 4, 2013 09:47
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I would finish out your degree. Doing that means you can seek a commission, which is far more desirable and beneficial. Enlisting to enlist and be able to say you did it will leave an awful taste in your mouth, especially if you select combat arms because those guys DO NOT advance well at all, last I checked. Commissioning is competitive, but if you pull a decent gpa, 3.5+, you could be looking at a much better lifestyle, and you still will be able to have service time under your belt. Also if you do enlist, the amount of mouth breathers is staggering. You will be shocked at how dumb some of the people you are serving with are. Please do not enlist into combat arms because you of some romanticized view of war.
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Feb 4, 2013 14:38
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Also, keep in mind if you want to be infantry, or something else combat arms, there's a very good chance that you will come out with some kind of physical disability. A VERY good chance. Spending the rest of your life with some kind of limitation or debilitating pain is not a good time. And I'm not talking from IED blasts, or getting shot or whatever, I'm talking about because of some dickhead who thinks that running with a 120 pound ruck on your back will give you "heart" or whatever rubbish they get in their head. You would be much better picking something that is related to the field that you are interested in. Even if you go straight back to school afterwards for your degree, if you pick something (marine people can be more specific than I) like linguist, something IT field, cyberwarfare if they've got it, then you come out with maybe some certs, some wild poo poo to put on your resume, and the very important security clearance. Really, combat arms is just a bad idea. There's plenty of people in here that are combat arms, and it's dumb. There's people who work alongside combat arms, and they can see how dumb it is. You probably won't take this advice anyway, but at least we can all laugh at you if you ignore it. In regards to inter service marriage, you do some paperwork, and that lets the DoD know that you would like to be stationed together. They SUPPOSEDLY will do what they can, but it still seems to be a crap shoot. Then you've got the problem of "hey, we need Jarhead Pyrok at this marine base, but Airman Pyrok needs to go to another state, as there is no airforce presence there" so it can be a bit lovely. Some people have had plenty of luck with it, and some others get the shaft. Your mileage may vary. If I were you I'd both pick airforce. The jokes about the quality of life between services are jokes, but they generally get a much better standard of living, with a lot less dumb stuff (unless you keep up with the DLI thread lately, they seem to be getting pretty gay in there).
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Feb 4, 2013 16:44
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MancXVI posted:Stop glamorizing war. Do what's good for you. What are you doing right now as a hobby to make yourself a better programmer? Nothing really, aside from programming assignments for class right now. I'm pretty strapped for time when it comes to anything except for school right now. I'm pretty familiar with Python and C++ at this point. And I won't quote everyone who responded, but after reading your responses and sleeping on it, but I won't be going combat arms. I'm going to speak with a recruiter this afternoon (just preliminary) and see what MOS might fit me well. The cyber warfare idea was great, I'm definitely going to ask about that, and anything else that might be related.
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Feb 4, 2013 17:12
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Seriously find a way to finish your degree. There are many better ways to see if you have "it," and to push your self, but finishing a degree after you're done loving around is very hard. You'll hear it over and over again from this forum: Do not enlist with a degree, but that sure as gently caress means don't quit school and enlist. When you've got the diploma, take a hard look at your life and start researching military job options (officer, or enlisted side) and see if its something you want to do. You should also start looking at jobs that will give you marketable skills while you're serving, and when you get out. The military as a whole is downsizing, and people getting out are going to be looking to pick up DOD contracts. Guys who work on military technical systems, have clearances, have connections, and have degrees are the ones who pick those kinds of jobs up before anyone else. I was in your shoes before, but a bit older. I wish I had finished my degree before I signed my time away. There are a lot of awesome things to do in the military, and if you're still excited about it when you're done go for it.
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Feb 4, 2013 18:28
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iceslice speaks the truth, but my advice is to be taken if you aren't gonna take his (which it sounds like you are already set on doing). I won't call you an idiot for not doing another two years and enlisting if that's what you really, really, want to do, especially if it sounds like you are going to maximize the benefit from joining the military whilst minimizing the gay poo poo. But completing your degree and commissioning would be optimal.
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Feb 4, 2013 18:37
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I've thought a lot about what you guys have said, regarding waiting to finish my degree before I join. Best case scenario, the earliest that I'd be finished would be summer '15, and there's a chance that it would be either 1 or 2 semesters beyond that (my status is really messed up, I have way more hours than I should, because it took me 3 years to settle on a major). But a legitimate concern for me is that if I went ahead and finished my degree, I'd be presented with a difficult choice of joining as an officer, or going straight into civilian work making large sums of money. Of course the benefits of joining would still be there, but I can't say what my life will be like in a few years (who can really?). I'm generally an extremely logical person (hence the engineering school I suppose), and the rational part of my psyche is urging me to follow your guys' advice - and don't think that I don't appreciate it or that I'm ignoring it for any absurd feelings of not trusting it to be wise - and wait out school before joining. But, for the life of me, I don't want to let the opportunity of joining pass me by and get caught up in life after college and never serve. I don't see myself as a career Marine, I'm almost positive that 4 years will be enough, but I do want to serve. Out of a mix of patriotism, duty, family tradition, and wanting to give back to my country - I want to do it. I can't explain it anymore beyond that, I just feel that call to step up and serve. That being said, it is more likely that I will go ahead and enlist (probably sometime around this August if it happens). I completely understand your guys' reasoning, and I absolutely appreciate it, but joining now just seems "right". I know that I'll make less money, I know that I'll be way lower on the totem pole, but those are acceptable to me. I'm sure I'll make enough money to make up for it once I'm a civilian again, and I don't mind the idea of being enlisted (though truly, what do I know on the subject?). Mostly, I just don't want to get caught up in life and never end up joining. I can see the following being a fairly legitimate scenario: I finish school, but instead of enlisting right away I decide to entertain a few job offers (because after-all, I'm a broke college kid who will by then be around 50k in debt [I know a lot of my loans will defer if I serve, but I'll still owe money to non-financial aid loans]), I take a job making 60-70k a year and decide to just work a year to get a bankroll saved up before I enlist. But after a year, I get offered a promotion making another 10k a year on top of my base salary, I'm 27 or 28 by this point, and serving might just look like a faraway dream now. I've got a great job, possibly the beginnings of a family, and serving might not make as much sense then as it does now. Does this make me sound like a moron?
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Feb 4, 2013 19:43
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I think you are glorifying serving in the military a bit, but you've got a lot better reasons than about half the dudes I signed up with (shoot brown people / be a great Christian Warrior). So if you're going to enlist, pick something that's gonna benefit you as much as possible (linguist, cyber, whatever), and come back for advice if you think you are getting dicked by your recruiter, and be prepared to walk away and go to another service if the marines aren't giving you what you want.
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Feb 4, 2013 19:55
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I posted a few weeks ago about how long med waivers take usually, and the fact that my recruiter is not talking to me. It's now been over a month, since I've heard from my recruiter about the waiver or about anything. I've called him multipled times, and even texted him. His voice mail box is full, so I can't leave messages. 3 weeks ago, I emailed him about the waiver and that I wanted to drop if it didn't happen by today, because I couldn't keep putting off big decisions (next semester, a new apartment, etc.) while this was stuck in limbo. I also highlighted that I was told at MEPS that I was qualified for the job, even though I wasn't and that I believe he (the detailer) lied to me outright to get me to sign that day vs. coming back after the med waiver got approved. I CCed his CO and I still haven't heard anything for 3 weeks. Not even an acknowledgement of "hey, I see what you're saying, no promises but I'll work on it." I'm pretty lost as to what to do.
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Feb 4, 2013 20:02
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Pyrok posted:Does this make me sound like a moron? If you really want to go into cyberwar stuff then you'd be better off going in as a civilian. You can literally be doing the exact same thing as someone in the military, but you will get paid a bunch more. If you want to serve your country it doesn't mean you have to put on a uniform. http://www.nsa.gov/careers/cyber/index.shtml Also if you go the military route you're looking at a 6 year minimum commitment.
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Feb 4, 2013 21:11
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Have you considered the USMC Reserves or ARNG? You can do your combat arms thing without signing the next 3-6 years of your daily life away. As an alternative suggestion certain linguist jobs will have you closely supporting combat arms without actually dealing with moto retard lets grind our knees into dust poo poo. I'd look at 35P or 35M and their USMC equivalents. Both of those jobs (maybe no language training as a new 35M on active duty) will give you a TS/SCI and a language plus skills that probably are actually worth something as a civilian.
Flying_Crab fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Feb 5, 2013 |
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Feb 5, 2013 00:00
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DoktorLoken posted:Have you comsidered the USMC Reserves or ARNG? You can do your combat arms thing without signing the next 3-6 years of your daily life away. As an alternative suggestion certain linguist jobs will have you closely supporting combat arms without actually dealing with moto retard lets grind our knees into dust poo poo. I'd look at 35P or 35M and their USMC equivalents. Both of those jobs (maybe no language training as a new 35M on active duty) will give you a TS/SCI and a language plus skills that probably are actually worth something as a civilian. Do this if you are going to full stop your degree and enlist. Also know you will need 6 years minimum to get the GI bill if you use the student loan repayment program(slrp).
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Feb 5, 2013 01:52
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Bright Eyes posted:I posted a few weeks ago about how long med waivers take usually, and the fact that my recruiter is not talking to me. It's late here and I haven't gone back and read your original post about the med waiver. However, it sounds to me like a) your recruiter is dodging you because he doesn't want to take the time to run your waiver because it's a pain in rear end and his mission is low enough he doesn't need you or b) your recruiter is dodging you because he doesn't think your waiver will get approved. Either way he is avoiding you so that when his easy contracts dry up, he can tell his boss he has you working and can possibly submit waiver paperwork in tougher recruiting times. Either way, the key thing to remember here is that your recruiter will make it look like he is doing you a favor by putting together the paperwork for you to enlist. There are a couple of things you can do here. 1) You can pick another branch of service and see if they are willing to work the med waiver. From what I saw as a Marine recruiter, the Army is pretty good about submitting waivers since they have a guy at every recruiting station whose job is running waivers and processing enlistment paperwork. The Air Force is pretty likely to tell you to get bent because they are never hurting for applicants. The Navy is somewhere in between the Army and the Air Force. Finally, depending on how well the Marine Corps is doing recruiting, you could see any of the previous three scenarios. During the push to 202k for the Corps, I ran every waiver I came across because I needed every contract I could get. Now that the services are downsizing, applicants are not needed nearly as badly and it's a pain in the rear end to put together the paperwork. It takes time and there is no guarantee that the waiver will get approved. 2) You could also find out how big the recruiting station Headquarters covers and go somewhere outside of that. For the Marine Corps, you have recruiting substations all over a city. The RS (Recruiting Station) is the hq for all of those substations and typically covers from 1/4 to 1/2 a state. If you move outside of that area, you are dealing with completely different folks.
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Feb 5, 2013 07:19
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The waiver is specific to the job, not for military enlistment, so I definitely can go to other branches. It's just that Navy is the only branch that really has this job. Is there something that would force me to quick ship with other branches, since I've already been DEP with Navy? I saw something about it a page or two ago. The job I want (CTN) requires vision correctable to 20/20 and MEPS said I was correctable to 20/25... Therefore, he said we had to submit paperwork for the 20/25 waiver. He said he submitted it December 11th when I got him documents from my optometrist saying my vision is correctable to 20/20. So we're coming up on 2 months with, as far as I know, no action on the waiver. But, like I said, I haven't heard from him in a month and can't get a hold of him. On top of that, how do I even know he sent the waiver form? Couldn't he just say he did, and then say "oh it never happened and now it's your ship date, soooooooooooo." Should I call his OIC and talk to him or would that just piss people off?
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Feb 5, 2013 16:54
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Pardon my ignorance, but isn't a CTN just an Army 35P? I honestly don't know. In which case, doesn't the airforce have the same job / mos / rate whatever lingo you guys use? E: Oh wait, that's something cyber? That's like a 35Q?
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Feb 5, 2013 17:02
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After meeting with my recruiter yesterday, I'm fairly turned off to the idea of joining the USMC. Apparently they no longer offer enlistment bonuses like some of the other branches (not a breaker to me, but still somewhat important), the dude told me that he won't guarantee me a job, he said that by the time I get to pick my job at MEPS, I will have already signed the contract and will only get 3 job options. If those aren't the job I want, then I'm SOL. And honestly, the dude seemed more than a little judgmental that I was asking about techy jobs. On a side note: He told me that the GI bill will not help me pay for loans that I've already accrued, are there any programs that might help me with those? Going to talk to Navy and Army recruiters later this week, possibly Air Force too.
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Feb 5, 2013 18:51
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Pyrok posted:
Correct. The GI Bill does not pay loans. The Student Loan Repayment Plan (SLRP) does, and MAY be an option if you enlist. Do be aware that taking the SLRP will add 3 years to your obligation for your GI Bill - you need 6 years to collect the 100% rate.
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Feb 5, 2013 19:20
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Vasudus posted:Correct. The GI Bill does not pay loans. The Student Loan Repayment Plan (SLRP) does, and MAY be an option if you enlist. Do be aware that taking the SLRP will add 3 years to your obligation for your GI Bill - you need 6 years to collect the 100% rate. Ok, just so I understand properly. I'll have to sign a contract for a 6 year enlistment to qualify for both the GI Bill as well as the SLRP? Does that also include an additional 2 years of reserve duty or anything like that? Or will that be 6 years in, and then I can be totally out if I want to be? And will that cover all of my already acquired loans, or just a percentage of them?
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Feb 5, 2013 19:47
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