Thinking About Joining The Military

I have put many nights of thought into joining the ranks of the armed services and have considered every angle there is. The first thing you need to ask yourself, are you OK with being away from “home” and not able to return at any moment you wish. Will you be mentally stable enough to handle the drill instructors wrath of god upon you? Are you capable of pushing your body past its limits and continue to push? Could you run into battle and not freeze. Will you be able to handle the stress of daily military life(you need to research this). Are you mature enough to be on your own? Could you kill someone? How will seeing a good friend die beside you effect you?

These are a few question I have asked myself over and over, They are the simple general questions but things you should have the right answer to.  With my decision making process I have also considered the pros and cons. I will list a few I see as the most valuable.

PROS:

I would go in as a 2nd LT starting pay 42K, sign on 6 years, would have a good chunk in the bank.

Everything is paid for.

Do what you’re told and don’t think for yourself.

Get to do things most people only dream of.

See places most people will never be.

Have stories that will stick with you the rest of your life, good and bad.

These WILL BE the best years of your life if you decide to do it, you wont know it until its over though.

You will be in the best shape of your life.

You will always be able to say you are a veteran.

CONS:

You have almost no control of what you will do for the next 4-6 years.

Boot camp will suck.

You may not get the MOS you want.

You will be yelled at a lot.

You will be thought less of for being a butter bar(my situation)

You might die.

You will miss home/family/friends.

Very slim chance you will be having sex while on tour for a year.

If you have a wife/Girlfriend there is a 80% chance they will leave you or cheat on you while gone.

If you have any other suggestions please leave a comment, especially if you are currently in the service. This is me looking from the outside, still considering joining but very hesitant, have been considering it for 2 years now and the age limit is getting closer. Personally if I could go back and do everything again, knowing what I know now, I would have attended OCS during the summers in between my college years and went straight to my MOS when I graduated.

The military sounds like a great career and experience, if you are unsure of what to do it is a great way to get you on track. Stay career or use what you learn to better yourself. Just know that finding a job when you get out will be just as difficult as it is now. But at least you will have some money in the bank to maybe even start your own business.

Don’t look back in 20 years and wish you had.