Hey, I’ve been thinking about joining the military recently mainly for free college and a stable life. The original plan was just to keep working at a movie theater, bending over for these customers while making ends meet. 10 dollars an hour isnt going to cut it at this point for college savings. Now I’m thinking about doing basic training next year when i turn 17 and join the army. I will get paid while I’m in it which is nice. On top of that, the added bonuses you get from the military is simply amazing. My long term goal is to get a degree in cybersecurity or criminal justice with NO college debt. What do y’all think?
Is it a good idea to join the military for my reasons?
byu/V2Messmer inMilitaryFinance
Posted by V2Messmer
6 Comments
The military sounds like a better option than what you have going on.
Although please realize the military isn’t a game, summer camp, or a college fund.
The armed services is a war fighting organization employed to fight and win wars.
I think you shouldn’t join the army. If you want to go into cyber, go Air Force. They are hurting bad to get people in. Plus better quality of life a million times over. Other than that yup. Your reasons line up with why 90% of the people join.
The military can definitely set you up for a good career or can be a rewarding career if you’re able to do the full 20years. Just make sure you’re proactive with actually putting in work to gain skills and a degree once you’ve gotten in. Also, I advise try joining the Air Force instead.
Served as enlisted and an officer. Solid idea, but go Air Force or Space Force. Quality of life will be much better; I think you’ll find it easier to get a job after your enlistment and better chances of you being able to take classes with Tuition Assistance while you’re in. Any way you go, I think you’ll find it more fulfilling to join the military as opposed to working where you’re at now.
Do some research about each branch, quality of life, jobs, etc. This is a big decision. The benefits are nice and can really kickstart your adult life, but you don’t want to end up injured/dead in some faraway place just because you wanted to get some free tuition.
Cybersecurity isn’t a bad route to go. Have a long term goal in mind. Something that will transfer into a real career after your service.
That’s a perfectly fine reason to join.
Just do your homework so you know what you could be signing up for with regards to training, moving, and deploying. The pay will be far better than your movie theater job, but it will be infinitely more challenging and more rewarding.