Post: #1

Who's been in any branch of the military? What did you think of it? Sometimes I think I should of went right in after high school and at least did the 4 years. Ive always heard Air Force and Navy were the easiest. Do jobs even look at your military experience anymore with the way things are right now?

Post: #2

(01-10-2013 12:12 AM)houston Wrote:  Who's been in any branch of the military? What did you think of it? Sometimes I think I should of went right in after high school and at least did the 4 years. Ive always heard Air Force and Navy were the easiest. Do jobs even look at your military experience anymore with the way things are right now?

All depends on what you do. I spend a few years as a grunt and people pay it a certain amount of lip service. They think it's cool, but it never really got me any extra consideration for a job. The one exception is federal government work, where veterans get special consideration.

People will try to pitch the military to you for intangible things like ability to work under pressure and leadership skills. From what I can tell, those things don't account for much these days. The best way to get a job right now, is to come from doing the same job somewhere else.

There are, however, lots of career paths that the military can put you directly into. I know guys who deployed multiple times and then went straight into doing the same work for contractors and likely quadrupled their paycheck. From what I can tell a couple of forum members fit that description. My best advice is to get an idea of where you want to be after the military and work backwards.

Post: #3

Do they still pay for college classes?

Post: #4

My job in the Marines and the service itself put me where I am today. Employers look for prior service.

Post: #5

I've thought about it, because I've seen first hand how the training affects people in a positive way, and it's actually pretty amazing. Seen some friends who were struggling with all sorts of shit completely turn their lives around and become completely different people. Only issue I have with joining the defence force is the possibility of fighting in a war I don't care for and don't want to be a part of. Also, it might be harder to enter other countries, or at least gain citizenship, if you've served in the military, but I'm not entirely certain on that.

Something I've considered doing is joining for the 4 year minimum, transferring courses after I've finished my training, and from there getting the government to clear my uni debt and put me through the last year and a half of my course. At this point, I've got some guarenteed experience in my field, so I can most likely walk into a high paying job when I'm finished with some money left over for play at the end.

If my eyes weren't a little short sighted, I wouldn't hesitate to try become a fighter pilot though. That would be the fucking bomb.

Post: #6

I went in the AirForce, very glad I did. Bootcamp put alot of things into prospective for me plus I was in the best shape of my life when I got out. Honestly I would love to go back to bootcamp and then just be a civilian again after graduating. I think its a great thing for kids who dont have anything going on or dont have money for college.

Post: #7

1. Dont do a combat arms MOS. Unless of course you have your security guard resume already prepped for when you get out.
2. Dont go active duty. It will severely restrict your traveling options and force you to work full time for the military which always lags behind the civilian world in terms of operating practices. You will still education benefits (GI bill will be limited, just make sure your state credited schools offer free tuition to guard members...a lot of states do)
3. Choose a MOS that requires a decent training time and can be bridged easily into civilian jobs.
4. Have the guard train you, do your one weekend a month while building even more experience working for a civilian company.

Think of it along the lines of a trade school. Get paid to learn a valuable trade and then go off into the civilian sector. Get the lowest commitment time possible so you can leave if the military isn't for you, you will still have the training and experience.

Yes employers look for prior service, but its really only a +1 to them. You still need the skills and experience they desire, only then will your prior service hold any weight.

Game the military for everything it is worth. Dont feel bad about it either, because they will abuse you if they need too.

Source: 8+ years in the military. Worked my way up from a scrubby combat arms private with no skills to doing a job that most people only dream about.

Post: #8

Agree with AntiTrace. Score high on the ASVAB to open all high end MOS's. A good school takes about a year. Add combat training and bootcamp and your racking up about 1.5 years of active. Reserves are a good place to start, and if you like it switch to active. Some reserve guys I know picked up some great TDY duties, like 6 months in Germany, Italy, Central America, ect.

I also know cats that was allowed do defer a year of duty to go work in the ME to make a bunch of bank. If you guys are interested PM me and I'll tell you what I did while active and what I made on my last contract. Can't post it on the forum as we were a small MOS.

Post: #9

Air Force.

Air Force.

Air Force.

(I'm ex-Army)

Post: #10

(01-10-2013 10:42 AM)deuce Wrote:  Air Force.

Air Force.

Air Force.

(I'm ex-Army)

We loaded up Army an Marines once a month on one of our flights... All we ever herd from them was "I wish I would have went into the AirForce"

Post: #11

(01-10-2013 10:52 AM)Cr33pin Wrote:  

(01-10-2013 10:42 AM)deuce Wrote:  Air Force.

Air Force.

Air Force.

(I'm ex-Army)

We loaded up Army an Marines once a month on one of our flights... All we ever herd from them was "I wish I would have went into the AirForce"

They were just making you feel better about yourself.

Seriously, I almost joined the Air Guard a couple years back. Was interested in UAV's or Ops Management. The Marines give you a different outlook on leadership. Navy ET and Nuke schools are some of the best.

I'd recommend anything in electronics, space, ops management, future tech, missile/lasers, ect. These Mos's translate directly into the civvie job market. Fucking nasty civvies.

Say what you want, but the dress blues are still the most pimp "suit" you can wear.

Post: #12

Just sent an email asking about completing my uni course with le defence force. Let's see what happens

Post: #13

(01-10-2013 10:42 AM)deuce Wrote:  Air Force.

Air Force.

Air Force.

(I'm ex-Army)

Just made me think of this...a dude I went to college with is now flying F-16s off of an aircraft carrier (so Navy). I think he was a mech. engineer major. Saw him at a mutual friend's wedding last year and he loves telling chicks what he does.

Post: #14

i'll second (or third) a lot of what's been said here already.

1. air force if you can. it's not as easy, especially since they've been downsizing blue side.

2. pick a non-combat MOS that will pay big $$ when you finish your service.

3. go guard if possible.

navy nuke was recommended here, but folks here have to know that it's not that simple at all. there's a high wash-out rate for that particular rating. in addition to all the exams you need to pass (and that a lot of people don't), you could be stuck inside a submarine for months on end during deployments.

intel is a pretty decent MOS. lot of those guys go on to work for the govt or a contractor and get security clearances for highly specialized fields, where they rake in some big $$.

as aliblahba already pointed out, there are a bunch of decent MOS in air force too, a lot of which are technically oriented (but for which you'll get training). i don't know much about them.

i want to add 3 of my own observations though:

1. don't go in the military for girls. don't do it to impress them or because you think it'll drop panties everywhere you go. it really doesn't.

2. if you grew up decently educated, you're going to be surprised how utterly stupid many people in the military are. there are smart people there too, of course. but the dumb people far outnumber the smart, and this wouldn't be such a big issue if their lack of competence didn't present such a danger to your life. you should be more worried about the stupid people in your platoon than the taliban insurgents sometimes.

3. i think the military is a great option for those who would otherwise be flipping burgers at a mcd's. as long as you don't get your nuts blown off in war, you can look forward to immense benefits from the government, some that can last your entire life.

Post: #15

Thanks for the replies everyone. I know a girl who was in the Navy so I was talking to her about it. I didn't know they pay for Lasik surgery.

Why is the Air Force the hardest to get into? Are the tests to get in hard or what is it?
Can I get in the Navy or AF with a criminal background (no felonies though)?
Is there any way I can gurantee I'm stationed overseas or is it just 50/50 chance?
Do I have to pick what jobs I want before enlisting or how does that work?
I don't think I want to make a career out of the military. Just pay off my debt and save up. Are there any civilian jobs I could try to get into after service that will let me travel around or are they pretty much 9-5?

I don't want to just walk into a recruiting station without any idea of what I'm doing. I'm trying to think of more shit but I'm sick as a dog and out of it right now.

Post: #16

You're right about not walking into the recruiter's office with no idea. One of the most common sayings at Basic Training is, "your recruiter lied to you." Those guys are under a lot of pressure to make their targets and they could honestly care less about doing what's right for you.

As for the Air Force, think about this. One of the jobs you can get as Air Force enlisted is air traffic controller. According the Department of Labor, the median yearly salary for air traffic controllers is $108k. There are going to be a lot of people vying for that gig, so the Air Force can be selective about who they take.

Post: #17

(01-10-2013 11:33 PM)houston Wrote:  Thanks for the replies everyone. I know a girl who was in the Navy so I was talking to her about it. I didn't know they pay for Lasik surgery.

Why is the Air Force the hardest to get into? Are the tests to get in hard or what is it?
Can I get in the Navy or AF with a criminal background (no felonies though)?
Is there any way I can gurantee I'm stationed overseas or is it just 50/50 chance?
Do I have to pick what jobs I want before enlisting or how does that work?
I don't think I want to make a career out of the military. Just pay off my debt and save up. Are there any civilian jobs I could try to get into after service that will let me travel around or are they pretty much 9-5?

I don't want to just walk into a recruiting station without any idea of what I'm doing. I'm trying to think of more shit but I'm sick as a dog and out of it right now.

I'll try to break down your questions (7 year Army).

I imagine AF is hardest because most people want to go to that branch, because it has the best lifestyle out of all the services.

Not sure about the criminal history, but I'm leaning towards no, because they are downsizing and weeding out the people they would have gladly accepted five years ago.

The only way to guarantee something it to have it in your enlistment contract, besides that all bets are off. Granted your chances are better in AF/Navy, but 50/50 sounds high, maybe 35/65 is more reasonable. Army is closer 10/90.

I think based on your ASVAB and needs of the Force you will have an option of available MOS. It is different for officers, so I can't really comment on the enlisted side because I never went through it.

Now here is my $.02:

Don't do it. There are much better ways to make money and get experience. Unless you can get into some highly specialized field, but that is a very, very small percentage of military the vast majority of the Armed Forces don't get to do these things. However, if you can get into the AF all of this may not apply (this is from the perspective of an Army officer).

Also, the military is downsizing so promotions are going to get more and more competitive and I imagine a lot of the "perks" will go away.

Shit pay. Google the pay charts. You will be making jack shit the first couple of years (unless you go officer, but still not that great) good luck trying to pay down debt and still have money for entertainment/recreation.

Shit lifestyle. Granted deployments should be going away, but still field rotations, training exercises, leave restrictions, personal life restrictions, barracks life, etc

Post: #18

I found this for criminal history disqualifications
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/marines/l...minal7.htm


That sucks if a little weed charge can't get waived


What the recruiter never told you
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/joiningup...ruiter.htm

Post: #19

(01-10-2013 11:33 PM)houston Wrote:  Thanks for the replies everyone. I know a girl who was in the Navy so I was talking to her about it. I didn't know they pay for Lasik surgery.

Why is the Air Force the hardest to get into? Are the tests to get in hard or what is it?
Can I get in the Navy or AF with a criminal background (no felonies though)?
Is there any way I can gurantee I'm stationed overseas or is it just 50/50 chance?
Do I have to pick what jobs I want before enlisting or how does that work?
I don't think I want to make a career out of the military. Just pay off my debt and save up. Are there any civilian jobs I could try to get into after service that will let me travel around or are they pretty much 9-5?

I don't want to just walk into a recruiting station without any idea of what I'm doing. I'm trying to think of more shit but I'm sick as a dog and out of it right now.

The part I bolded is an excellent strategy. Do not listen to a single thing anyone involved with recruiting tells you. I have respect for the military but the recruiters are complete scumbags. They will lie to you and even your family about any and everything.

Air Force is hard to get into because it is a smaller branch but very popular so their is a large amount of competition.

Depends on the charges. Usually yeah but I believe it's pretty competitive because everyone wants to join because of the economy.

No guarantees on where you will be stationed.

The Marines have you pick a job category but the other branches put your exact MOS in your contract.

I'm not an expert on the last question but I'm sure there are. Ali can most likely help you with that.

Post: #20

Who do I need to talk to about my background if the recruiters bullshit you?

Post: #21

The recruiters might not bullshit you regarding criminal background since they want eligible recruits only. They will lie about our perks though

Post: #22

Don't enlist in the Army, good jesus.

You'll be babysat during the workday by soldiers of higher rank who you won't respect and have petty restrictions on your personal life outside of work. Plus, you get to come home to a barracks with 18-21 year olds as your neighbors. One thing you might not expect is how politically correct the military has become. As an example, you'll be forced to attend sexual harassment briefs.

You will work with chicks who don't pull their own weight, so their work falls on you and the other men in the unit. Especially black chicks. You will see incompetent, fat chicks get promoted. Especially black chicks. Two female sergeants in my unit got lost on the land navigation course and had to be retrieved by one of the male sergeants.

My advice would be to try for the Air Force. I've been stationed on two joint-service bases and the only military girls who look decent are AF girls. Army girls are either butch lesbians or just butch. A lot of military bases are located in podunk towns so you're logistics for banging a civilian girl will always be bad.

Post: #23

I live in a country of mandatory military service. It's either that or civilian service or jail. Not a hard choice, isn't it?

Post: #24

There are a few jobs in the navy worth it for the travel. Few jobs in the Air Force worth it for the travel. If you go army, go Civil Affairs. As a Reservist, you can go Airborne, Air Assualt, and travel whenever you want. I got buddies that have gone to Europe, SEA, and Africa because of that MOS. 3-6 months at a time. I wouldn't recommend any other Army MOS. Maybe electronic warfare specialist but thats a hard MOS to get into. Engineer if your good with your hands. Or a 25B. If I did the Army all over again, I would consider 25B, 38B, 29E.

I would hit the Reserves and just get on orders whenever you can or offered. When not on orders, you have TA which throws you 4500 a year for school. 2250 isnt shit for school but for a semester at community college you can get at least 9 hours out of it. 38B is the best out of the three for travel. 25B is good because it gets you in the computer world. My NCOIC makes 100K in the DC area because of his computer experience. He doesn't even have a computer science degree, its a bullshit informations degree. I dont know if 29E is a Reservist job but you will find alot of contracting opportunity with that job.

Post: #25

AirForce is teamed up with NASA so we got NASA money and our bases an shit are nicer. If you live in the barracks you get your own room, unlike the army where you share a big room with 20 dudes.