I'm thinking about joining the army or the airforce.

[Wolfwood]

I've been kind of stuck in a rut and I've been considering enlisting for awhile now. I just wanted to get the opinions of some of the people on this board who have served. Maybe pick their brains a bit. I'm 24 and I'm about to finish college, which I know it is pretty backwards to enlist afterwards, but oh well. Do you regret serving? What was your experience like? Which do you think would be better, army or airforce?

 

[enterthemadness]

I haven't served. I've though about enlisting because I am jobless.

All I can honestly say...if you think you can handle it, don't mind traveling, want to serve your country, and would like a pay check twice a month....then go for it. But you have to make a decision. 4 years or 20?

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

I'm not sure getting out of a rut is reason enough to join.

The military is not going to be easy. You might not see your family for months. The pay is low. You might have trouble dealing with your fellow servicemen. You might witness the deaths of friends.

So why are joining? Are you planning to be an officer?

Because if you join for the wrong reasons your going to regret your decision the first morining of boot camp. And if you go in as an officer your experience will be completely different than if you enlist.

 

[ChickenScratch]

Hey man, go for it! My aunt met and married my uncle in the army, most f my family is military on both sides ... except for my aunt who's CIA. Go for it, just remember to have an end goal afterward.

 

[Mike_D202]

I hope you like Iraq.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Just my suggestion... Finish college and go through officer candidate school when you join the military. Depending on what you'd like to do in the military either branch can be a good option.

 

[SuBe]

I served in the Marine Corps for a little while. I loved it, and continue to love the Marine Corps. It was the best decision I have ever made. My brother is in the Air Force. It is very similar to a regular office job. He is admin.

I would suggest you really look at it and really think about it before you decide for or against.

 

[Erzengel]

I've been kind of stuck in a rut and I've been considering enlisting for awhile now. I just wanted to get the opinions of some of the people on this board who have served. Maybe pick their brains a bit. I'm 24 and I'm about to finish college, which I know it is pretty backwards to enlist afterwards, but oh well. Do you regret serving? What was your experience like? Which do you think would be better, army or airforce?

You might want to look into going in as an officer considering you're going to have a college degree. I tried doing this with the Coast Guard and was going to be limited training camp and obviously you go in as an officer and probably have more opportunities than say a 18 year old signing up from high school.

I'm sure other branches of the military have these types of programs.

 

[Franklin Richards]

I suggest you rent a little movie called Stripes before you commit.

 

[SuBe]

You might want to look into going in as an officer considering you're going to have a college degree. I tried doing this with the Coast Guard and was going to be limited training camp and obviously you go in as an officer and probably have more opportunities than say a 18 year old signing up from high school.

I'm sure other branches of the military have these types of programs.

Not to mention the Pay and Benefits are amazing.

 

[SuBe]

I just looked it up, the pay for O-1, that is $69,000 a Year.

 

[wiegeabo]

Go Air Force. You'll always have a home (on base) that's not on the front lines. My grandfather served twenty or so years.

On the other side, three of my uncles served in the army during Vietnam, and one was MIA for a while.

 

[SuBe]

My Dad has 23 year in the Air Force
By older brother has 16 years in the Marine Corps
My Twin has 9 years in the Air Force
I had 1 year in the Marine Corps

None of us would change a thing about our time in. Even my Brother who was blown up after serving 3 tours in Iraq.

 

[PemLam]

Just retired from the Air Force after 20 years. Best decision I ever made (joining and retiring).

Money is good and the benefits are practically unequalled. Make sure you research the job specialties and only sign on the dotted line (per se) if the job you want is guaranteed. (Yes, you can get a particular job guaranteed via contract).

Oh and Messiah, everybody regrets their decision on day 1 of boot camp or basic training.

 

[Erzengel]

Coast Guard is pretty nice. All port towns.

 

[Stikmann]

I joined the Air Force when I was 20 and served for 4 years active and 4 years in-active reserve. It's one of the things I'm most proud of in my life. If you were to enlist now at 24 years old, you'll have a leg up on the other new enlistees in that you're probably more mature and reliable than them. Typically, the newbies that were a little older were groomed for leadership more often than the younger ones. If you do go through with it, make sure your recruiter is being legit with you…not just telling you what you want to hear. I had a great recruiter that really got me ready for Basic and helped me out with testing and stuff. But he was also really up front about where I'd likely end up and what jobs I'd be best suited for (I'm colorblind so I was really limited as far as career choices).

Go Air Force, man!

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Oh and Messiah, everybody regrets their decision on day 1 of boot camp or basic training.

Some more than others.

 

[Wolfwood]

I suggest you rent a little movie called Stripes before you commit.

Oh please, that was my whole inspiration for joining. lol

"And that's the fact, Jack!"

Thank-you guys for your great input, I'm going through all of it and considering what you guys have said.

I have a few questions. How easy is it to communicate with the outside world? Will I be able to call my family or friends frequently? Would I be able to have internet access? I need my daily dose of the funny pics thread lol.

One of the big concerns for me is that my family depends on my income and the pay is more than I make now, so that's not an issue. However, if I were to die, I hear there's a Life Insurance policy. Do you know if it's hard for families to collect on that, like do they make it difficult? I just want to make sure my family is okay.

Also, my major is in English Lit, any idea if that'll get me anywhere with the Army/Airforce?

 

[PemLam]

Oh please, that was my whole inspiration for joining. lol

"And that's the fact, Jack!"

Thank-you guys for your great input, I'm going through all of it and considering what you guys have said.

I have a few questions. How easy is it to communicate with the outside world? Will I be able to call my family or friends frequently? Would I be able to have internet access? I need my daily dose of the funny pics thread lol.

One of the big concerns for me is that my family depends on my income and the pay is more than I make now, so that's not an issue. However, if I were to die, I hear there's a Life Insurance policy. Do you know if it's hard for families to collect on that, like do they make it difficult? I just want to make sure my family is okay.

Also, my major is in English Lit, any idea if that'll get me anywhere with the Army/Airforce?

In AF basic you'll be given the opportunity to call your family within the first 48 hours to let them know you're safe and to provide an address for them. After that, contact will be random, depending on the instructor and how you're progressing. During basic you'll have no free time initially (the first several weeks at least) so no internet. After basic, you'll go to Tech school which is like a regimented dorm life where you'll earn more freedoms as you progress. After basic, your first assignment will be like most other jobs and you'll probably live in the dorms unless you're married.

As for life insurance (hopefully you won't need it), you'll be automatically enrolled in SGLI (Servicemembers Group Life Insurance) for up to $400K at a cost of about $29 per month. If you die (non-suicide), a $100K gratuity is paid within 24 hours to your surviving beneficiary(ies). Shortly thereafter (within 7 days or so) the full life insurance amount of $400K is paid. (The $100K gratuity is NOT part of the $400K).

As for your degree, sorry, but it's going to be a non-factor. They're looking for engineering, science, mathematics, etc.

Good luck with whatever you choose though.

 

[BlackLantern]

I've been kind of stuck in a rut and I've been considering enlisting for awhile now. I just wanted to get the opinions of some of the people on this board who have served. Maybe pick their brains a bit. I'm 24 and I'm about to finish college, which I know it is pretty backwards to enlist afterwards, but oh well. Do you regret serving? What was your experience like? Which do you think would be better, army or airforce?

well if you have a degree, you can join as an officer....I served 4 years in the navy (enlisted) and the officer track is a lot easier to deal with in the navy as opposed to the Army or Air Force