WonTon

iTrader: (17)

i just dont know what branch i would want to go into....i hear alot of people saying that it really sucks no mater what branch you enlist in. so what are some opinions of people how were in my shoes, "tossing the idea around"

what do i need to do, who do i need to talk to, what is in-store for me?

help me out guys, i want to better my life and get a good career and stick with it.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

I hear good things about the air force, but have no experience.

talk to SamNavy man, he will break it down for ya

NA6C-Guy

iTrader: (1)

I tried to AF lately and they turned me down because I didn't have the college education they wanted. Also looked into the Navy but decided not to. It seems that today with so many people unemployed, even joining the armed forces is a bit tougher because of the flood of over qualified people. I don't know anything about you, but I hope you have something impressive to show for yourself. Not that you can't get in, but it's a nice perk if you don't want to start in the basement level on your journey.

A friends brother joined the Navy recently as so far after about 9 months he is liking it, and has no real regrets. He went into one of the toughest fields though, and started off at like 3rd rank with a decent bonus.

Import Al

iTrader: (5)

^^ I'm ex Air Force & am reenlisting in the Marine Corps after fall semester. But I need to know a little more about you to know what lifestyle you'd like.

Army: Biggest branch, most jobs (lots of mechanic/vehicle stuff, guessing that interests you. Lots of combat jobs too) You can get promoted quickly, at least actives. Army bases are usually average as far as living quarters, crap to do, dining facilities etc. The Army has over 1.1 million AD soldiers, so you should always be within close range of friends to do ****. Most soldiers I know say they like there way of life. Boot camp is 8 weeks then your AIT (your job specialty training) they have the most gaurd & reserve jobs, & you only need a 30 ASVAB to get in lol.

Navy: I'd ask SamNavy but it seems like the Navy is pretty fun. Minimum ASVAB = 31, 50 w/a GED. Boot camps 8 weeks, some dude on here just did it. I think the smaller ship your on, the more often you port to get drunk & bang broads. Naval facilities are generally nice, most sailors are decently smart. Oh & after you get your job training but think "this **** is gay, I want some action" you can try a Challenge Program. SEALS, EOD (bomb squad), SAR/diver, some badass PT boat thing... You aren't stuck in your MOS/contract if you qual in something else.

Air Force: Do you like computers, insanely expensive killing machines & not really being in harms way? The Air Force wants YOU! =P 36 minimum ASVAB, no GEDs. Boot camps 8 easy weeks, though Lackland (San Antonio) gets hot as hell in the summer. Education is key to promotions... I'm a slacker so no degree. But an Associates = E3 after boot camp. There's the Community College Of The Air Force & CLEP tests, 100% free up to your Bachelors. Engineering degrees get you into a bunch of jobs, but you can't train to be a fighter pilot after 27. If you're kinda a tech geek but want to still kick ***, you'll love the USAF.

Marine Corps: Do you want to **** some **** up? Good. That's what Marines do. Boot camp is 13 weeks, 32 minimum ASVAB. Everyone quals as a Rifleman (M16A2) to interchange in any position on a fireteam. You can earn belts practicing "Semper Fu" in MCMAP (Real MMA). The Marines don't have a Service Academy so if you score over a 74 on the ASVAB & kick *** in boot camp you can be selected for OCS or get your Bachelors & enter TBS to become a lieutenant (6 & 1/2 months.) The USMC is the smallest of the above branches (203K) and the percent wounded or killed is highest. But if you want action, you'll likely see at least one combat deployment if you enlist for 4 years... Get some!

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Holy ****, sounds like you have most if not all info you need lol

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

Army Basic is 10 weeks. In my experience the living quarters can be awesome or horrible depending on your luck. Are you married? If so you'll be fine no matter where you are or which branch. How old are you? Got a college degree? Whatever you do I strongly recommend talking to a recruiter (for whichever branch interests you) about coming in commissioned as an officer and not enlisting. If you decide on looking more into the Army let em know and I'll answer all the questions I can (as I'm sure FRT-Fun and Kotomile will as well,) samnavy should be able to handle your navy questions and penguin just graduated AF basic if I remember correctly. I'm sure we've got a current Marine or two hiding on here as well.

Import Al

iTrader: (5)

^^ My apologies KPLAFIN. That's great advice though, if your close to a degree then consider signing up as a commissioned officer. No point going enlisted if you're like 15 credits from a bachelors. (E1's make $1339 a month, O1's make $2745)

fooger03

iTrader: (2)

LOL @ pay. I are O-2. $4600/month after taxes

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

**** yourself......sir. I make a whopping ~700 a check with COLA for Germany. What branch are you?

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

There are perks and drawbacks to each service. If we lump the AF/Navy and Army/Marines together lifestyle wise, it's clear that the AF/Navy is an easier lifestyle, but they're harder to get into and promote slower. The Army/MC is easier to join and promotes more quickly, but you're more likely to find yourself in a situation you'd rather not be in. If you join the Army/MC now, I can almost guarantee you'll be in OEF/OIF within a year of getting out of AIT/whateverthemarinescallit. I'm going to Afghanistan soon myself.

It's something I don't think you'll regret. You'll make friends, memories, and have stories to tell your grandkids. If you stay in and retire, you'll have your medical benefits for you and your family for life, in addition to your retirement pay.

fooger03

iTrader: (2)

Thanks!

Army, 4 years enlisted radio operator, 4 years commissioned Engineer

P.S. - I hate officers TOO.

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

Haha, I don't necessarily hate officers, just that you make more than myself when I do all the work . I'll be getting out at the end of my first 4.5 years and using my GI Bill to go to VT and come back in as an LT.

fooger03

iTrader: (2)

I get pissed when I have to watch my Soldiers play on the equipment and I can't. I make them teach me

Great plan!

GI Bill kicks ***! Any soldier that doesnt 'invest' in it, lacks ambition.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

My younger brother went Army over two years ago (maybe it was three) and has been promoted a couple of times. He does radio communications and just now trained for satellite communications, went to jump school and qualified Airborne, did a tour in Korea (which he thought was a great time), and because of his previous college credits, his high scores and good work performance he is looking at either going to OCS to be an officer or Warrant Officer school.

There are lots of jobs in every service that you might not know exist. The recruiters will always lie about what jobs you qualify for and what jobs are available. It is their job to hire cooks for the mess hall, infantrymen, and all of the other menial **** nobody wants to do. They will lie to you and ruin your life because they need to hire 8 cooks (or other job) this month. They tried to tell my brother he only qualified to be a cook even though he maxxed out parts of the asvab and had lots of college. They will sometimes show you an awesome video of people doing cool **** with exciting music and a professional voicover to get you jazzed up to sign up for a bullshit job. A neighbor signed up to be a Scout because the video showed dunebuggies and dirtbikes flying over jumps in the desert. He said "We didn't get to do none of that ****." His time in the army involved zero useful training for the outside world and hours and hours of boredom. You want a marketable skill that you can make use of in the outside world in most cases. Jobs with lots of training are good. They make you more valuable.

The best people to talk to are ones who are already in, so you are doing the right thing asking on this forum. Good luck.

KPLAFIN

iTrader: (1)

This is very good advice, they can (and will) make any job seem amazing. Do yourself a favor and when you get shown the video clips for a bunch of MOS's write down the ones that sound good to you (will be a two digit number followed by a letter like 11B, 94A, 15E, etc...) then come back here or wherever else and try to find someone in that field, they'll tell you exactly what's up with the job, how AIT will work, what exactly you'll be doing on a day-to-day basis, etc...

Regardless of what you do good luck, don't let Basic scare you out of joining or anything, **** is a cake walk as long as you have a strong mind.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

Check out these threads:
https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs-here-4/anybody-guard-25334/
https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs-here-4/how-many-members-armed-forces-29356/
https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs-here-4/anyone-air-force-36495/
https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs-here-4/i-made-through-navy-bootcamp-47631/
https://www.miataturbo.net/insert-bs-here-4/anyone-us-air-force-31950/

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

If you score high enough on the ASVAB, consider an Intel job. In the Army those are 35 series. I was a 35F first and a 35P now, that's the way to go IMHO. You might also request to take the DLAB.

https://www.miataturbo.net/showthrea...highlight=dlab

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

+1 to that. Dad was in Intel and was in Berlin during the Berlin Crisis of 1961 as an enlisted soldier doing message interception and codebreaking. Then he took a hiatus to fly civilian aircraft for a few years and finish his bachelors and masters at the University of Texas at Austin. He took a commission and went back in the Army during Vietnam and was active duty until Desert Storm ended for him in 1992. Then he worked a GS job for the DoD for many more years doing more Intel work. The Army was a great career and was really good for the family. You get to work with some of the brightest and most professional people in Intel. I was very impressed with his friends and co-workers. And if you get clearances and the right education you can make good money afterward. I remember at one point he was looking to fill a GS position with someone with a particular Intel skill set at $80k a year and couldn't fill the vacancy.

In short, get training. If your job has a short AIT, you probably aren't making good use of your time in the military or forging a worthwhile career path.

WonTon

iTrader: (17)

thanks for all the information guys!

to give yall some information about me cause some of yall asked: im 21, im not unemployed and can find a good job without going into the military. im skilled in welding and mechanics. i graduated high school and have taken a few college classes in welding while i was still in high school. i want a better education. im not married but have a girlfriend and might as well be

nickblackbelt

iTrader: (5)

i am in the navy for intel and it blows. i got 1 year left and will be out. but i am the kind of person who likes to run their own business. oh and the miltary does not pay ****

but if you want to serve the country then more power to ya!