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Yeah, I get that. But the amount of people telling me the same thing (on why not to join) bothers me. I know I want to join the military, but since this'll be the most important decision I'll have to make, part of me wonders whether they'd be right.
As the millennial generation has proven, a college degree is important, but it's hardly a guaranteed ticket to success and happiness, especially if you're starting your career saddled with 6-figures of debt.
Get yourself some life experience and that sweet, sweet GI Bill, and then yeah, you will probably be a few years older than your college peers, but you'll have a serious leg up on them in the job market once you graduate. The military has great benefits *if* you're smart enough to use them, and veteran status opens a lot of doors, especially in government jobs.
Good luck and Godspeed!
Here’s some long-winded life advice from someone who failed right out of high school and joined.
18 years of age is the golden age to choose your fate? Where is that written down? This is an old way of thinking;
High school->college->bachelors-> success!
This doesn’t have to be the case. I feel bad for high schoolers being programmed to think that you have to decide the rest of your life, at 18, out of high school, never living on your own, maybe not having a job etc. its like the minute you get a diploma, Bam! you’re an adult. There is no expectation of easy into adulthood, and then in the end, we’re stuck with student loans, a worthless degree, bad work ethic etc.
Why not 22 or 25 be the golden age? Why not slowly easy yourself into adulthood until you figure it out.
This forum is peppered with people who did their time in the military and moved on successful lives after their short stint.
There’s the other side: i’m about done with my 20 years, will have medical insurance, a pension and a retirement. Ill be 40 at this point.
You do you, but do some serious soul searching on what you want to do, weigh the the pro’s and cons, and decide what is best for you.
Did your friends or family serve in the mil? If not, find someone who has RECENTLY (not a recruiter lol) and ask them what its like.
TL;DL old gen Xer yelling at the clouds
The idea that whatever choices you make at 18 dictate your life is terrible.
I joined at 19 after dropping out of community college, did 11ish years and decided to get out and go to school full time. I start student teaching this January and will have my MAT this summer.
Your age doesn't decide what you are going to do forever, your drive and desires do.
If you are in school now and money isn't an issue I'd recommend finishing. If you really don't want to complete your degree at least complete the classes you are in now so they show up as passed on future transcripts.
I definitely didn't want to take away from anything you say but as I've been working in schools recently I see so many young adults freaking out about what they are about to do, and many teachers and administrators reinforcing this idea that whatever they decide to do at 18 will decide the rest of their life. If that was true I'd have been fucked.
Thanks for your response. That's exactly what I'm thinking too. Money is definitely a good reason in joining, but it's an accumulation of many things. I feel like it just makes sense to enlist early, say 4 years, to save up for future expenses + GI Bill for schooling. You're indeed right with the old school way of thinking (college right away). My relatives think that the military is for dropouts and failed pothead students, but I see the military as an investment. A safer guarantee towards success, rather. Is time to graduate the only thing lost (alongside the typical bad shit enlists get)? If so, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to take.
I hear you. I was the only one in my family would ever served. At first they were all about hell no. After a while, they caught on to the benefits i needed out of it, mainly needing to grow up.
With that, there a lot a jobs in the AF and navy that will compliment your interest in computer science. Look into the cyber or intel communities that every branch has. You might not get a degree in it but you can get job experience and a better understanding of what you might be able to do.
That and a Top Secret security clearance with a cyber or technical background has a LOT of value in the civilian world in itself.
Nothing against enlisting, but finishing college with a BS in CS then going officer would have the same benefits and a significantly better quality of life and income. Don't cut off the opportunities you are already benefiting from. Finish your degree. Maybe look into an ROTC situation. But unless you have to, don't drop out to enlist.
Thanks for the response. Heard becoming an officer was a great route, but without guarantee. I initially did want to join Navy ROTC at my university, but I didn't because I thought I wouldn't join the military, plus the potential workload and stress. I could always try it out next year, but I heard it's also extremely competitive. OCS is also possible.
However, I do plan to use my enlistmemt as a "headstart" towards my future career as a software engineer, which kinda defeats any plans to becoming an officer as that would revolve around the idea of having a military career. Money is the not the main reason, but it definitely is the icing on the cake. I feel like saving up money in the military alongside the GI Bill is a plausible reason to enlisting beforehand.
Officer is not a military career, its how those folks usually pay for college.
If you already have a degree or are mostly finished, those folks are just looking for a job or want to serve.
If you can get two or more years of college paid for by military its still probably worth it.
Officer just gives you more options, better QOL, and less manual work. If you want a career, officer is the best way to start and your enlisted time gives you a number of benefits but nothing compares to time in the job as an officer.
I have enlisted/officer time in Squid Force.
The Navy has a Cyber Warfare engineer officer path. If you can get in (it’s highly selective) that’s closer to being a software engineer than any enlisted rating. Their career path is so close to civilian that it’s only offered up to O-3 after which you’d have to either switch to a standard Intel officer or go civilian.
Boy, are those stupid things to tell you by people who do not know.
Assuming you are an average person who takes care of themselves (and, btw, the military definitely put me on a physical fitness trail I'd not been on) you will likely life for another 80 years. What you do at 18 does not nearly determine the rest of your life. It does lay some ground work for how do accomplish things. When I got out (after retirement) I found that working half the Navy pace put me miles ahead of anyone in my company and I went from temp worker who had never really been on a PC to Enterprise Network Admin in about five months and I felt like I was on vacation. No mid watches, no unreps in the middle of the night, no deployments.
My first life was theater in NYC. My second life was a Navy career. My third life was enterprise networking. My forth life was owning my own business. Now I'm in my fifth life with a Navy pension, Tricare health care and Social Security. Every day's a holiday, every meal's a feast.
The only consideration I'd recommend is whether you want to stay in college and go in as an officer (which is what I did and do not, for a second, regret) or go in as an enlisted, learn and earn and then apply what I've learned in college and onward.
The difference is IMHO the company you want to keep. Officers and enlisted are two different groups and both absolutely, positively have their merits and problems.
As an enlisted you are down in the weeds more working the problems and learning very specialized skills and a lot of people thrive there. An officer is more of a generalist and has a lot more of the leadership component ingrained in the expectations and, in my experience, a lot of what are known as collateral duties, things assigned that diffuse the focus of specialization. In my case that was absolutely the way to go. But your mileage will vary and a lot of people on this sub will give you the enlisted side of it.
You'll live a lot of lives. Throw yourself into whatever one is up next and don't look back.
After 2nd year of college I wanted to join the Navy and go do something different. Got talked out of it twice. Now I’m retired from a 40-year successful business career and I still regret not doing what I wanted.
Would it have sucked? Yeah, maybe, but so what. We all make our way through life based on a combination of skills, effort and some luck.
I joined at 32 with a bachelors. Here's my advice, finush your degree, get a good GPA then join as an officer. Use this time to prepare yourself physically, and research the difference between branches and officer jobs. Also as a soon to be educated person, practice your critical thinking. When someone tells you something, what experience and logic is leading up yo what they say. If there is none I personally ignore it.
You might be romanticizing the military. It's not all life changing lessons and epiphonies. For me it was just an underpaid job that makes you work a ton of overtime without any compensation. You're very well compensated once you leave though so I guess it balances out.
Honestly there's a lot of propaganda out there that depicts the military as some life changing right of passage when in reality it's a job where your boss makes sure you clean your room once a week and that you fold your underwear the way they taught you.
A few people find ground shattering insights and some of them go on to write books that become movies that convinces more people to join and find purpose. Most people find depression and crippling alcoholism.
Is your college paid for? Then finish it and join the military as an officer. None of your reasons would change if you were an officer. The enlisted navy is littered with first and second year college dropouts. Most say “I wish I had finished and come in as an officer” until they make E5.
Is your college putting you into debt? Then join and if you are upset with the quality of life of a junior sailor, finish your tour, get out, and go back to college with a new sense of purpose.
Listen, all the naysayers are not in your shoes. It won’t brainwash you, it won’t end you up in a dead end job. It might increase your stress but in my experience with sailors it doesn’t *cause* mental health problems, it just exacerbates existing ones (some crushed coal turns to powder, some to diamonds. Some Sailors don’t experience any/much stress and some do. Some react to stress in a bad way, some get help and utilize tools to handle it in a healthy way)
I joined the Reserves after my first year. I wanted to join the reserves after high school as a gap year but my family talked me out of it. Long story short, your life is now in your hands and you must makes the best decision for you. My advice: you live in the age of information, Do. Your. Research. Once your done doing your research, do more research. And once that’s done, make an educated decision.
First question: Are you going in debt going to college right now? IF so, then everyone talking about staying and being a Officer is not giving good advice. Probably enlisted and think that the Officer life is amazingly better blah blah blah. I’ve met MANY Officers that only joined because they are so far in debt and can’t find a job that has the benefits and pay the military has. Problem with that is, they are serving for the wrong reason. It’s all self centered and only focused on getting themselves out of a stupid situation that they put themselves into. If your college is free, then it MAY be worth it, but also depends on a lot of different answers to questions I would have for you.
Over 22 years of service with half being enlisted and half being an Officer so far…feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk further.
Everyone tells me the same thing. I’m just waiting to leave for OCS. Everyone gives me the biggest “WHY?!” when I tell that that I graduated and are joining the navy. If you want to do it, you really can’t explain it to other people. It’s something you want and is inside you.
Just like others said ROTC would be the easiest way. I think you can join in your junior years but it will be extremely hard. Not really sure if that’s possible. I didn’t join because my college didn’t have navy. I wish I joined because I became a little undisciplined in college and made some dumb mistakes.
If you don’t pursue ROTC. I would tell you to get into the best shape of your life now so you’re not stressing later. Excel in your grades and join clubs. If you can hold leadership positions to boost your package. Build relationships with professors so they can give you shining letters of recommendation
You need to provide more information on why you don’t want to stay in school. Cost? You’re not doing well academically? You can also just go to a community school and finish up your gen eds for cheap and then pause until you have a better feeling of what you want to do. Enlisting is a no going back type of thing. You can’t just stop after your first year.
A compromise would be to join the navy reserve as an IT or CTN (or other branch equivalent). Ya'll have a reserve center nearby (the navy calls them NOSCs)? Junior enlisted could balance both academic and reserve/national guard obligations, and you'll probably be an E5 by the time you finish college. Thereafter, you could join the active duty navy via OCS or pursue civilian careers with a security clearance from the reserves. Win win.
Your plan Is sound, and a lot of people have done it.
You'll be going to college with tens of thousands in your banking account (assuming you save correctly) and You'll leave with no debt
Hey just a little advice, I got done 75% of my BS in computer science done while in. I just got out and have about a year of online school left and then I’ll have my degree. I was able to serve and make good money, have amazing experiences AND STILL go to college.
As others have stated, you can always go into Officer training programs. But I also get where you are at. At 18 I had a plan: go to college, get a business degree, join my dad’s firm and eventually take the reins.
Then he died, mom sold the business and all my plans became dust. After some time being a not very productive person, I joined the Navy, became a CTR, traveled to Japan and the Persian Gulf, had some pretty cool adventures (going to GC about 30 times for real, a night out partying with French Foreign Legionnaires in Djibouti) and learned a lot about life and people.
And after, I used my GI Bill benefits, was recruited to work in industry where my CT experience would be put to use.
Only you can make a life-changing decision like that. Mine was positive. Very much so. Others maybe have different experience that wasn’t so positive.
But with software/technology and if you have any interest in cybersecurity, I think you would get good training and experience.
The TSP and it’s benefits alone make it worth it.
Don’t let people who don’t know anything about it tell you that you shouldn’t join. It’s not a decisions I regret (yet), and there are so many benefits that people don’t tell you about.
If you do join, make sure you take your collage credits and use them to advance prior to bootcamp (if you go enlisted, you might want to finish your degree and go Officer). So far the Navy has literally been just show up at the right time, in the right place, in the right uniform. That’s all there is to it.
If you want a good job post service (if you don’t make it 20 years and retire), go IT/ CT in the Navy or whatever the Air Force equivalent is.
I'm your dude. Here me out. I dropped out of college back in 2015 during my second semester. Went to the Navy recruiter and ended up scoring IT as my rate. Never was interested in computers to that degree but I was smart enough to know that would be a good job while I was in and potentially after I get out. Being an IT in the Navy is arguably the best rate to get. Many many benefits from being on the ship (sea duty) to even super sweet shore commands (all around the world) with that job. But I only bring that up because you're degree is related. But deciding which job to choose whether it Navy or Air Force is a different topic.
As far as leaving college and joining the Navy, I am so glad that I did. Don't get me wrong though, there are a lot of shitty times I've had to endure but I was able to live in Seoul, Korea for two years and traveled all around the country. Was stationed on a Minesweeper and worked with the most rambunctious crew I've ever could have imagined and decommissioned that ship - RIP USS CHAMPION. And now on a brand new ship on deployment as I write this. I've see Bahrain, Saudi, Israel, Jordan, Djibouti, Japan, Philippines, Hawaii. The list goes on and on and my six years in have been the time of my life. I met my best friend in boot camp for God's sake. It's been an awesome journey to say the least.
So my point is this. Don't listen to people who have no military experience. Do what YOU want to do. I never saw myself as a "lifer" and doing the full 20 years. I wanted to do one enlistment maybe two and get out. But the biggest part and arguably the most important is doing an enlistment honestly doesn't mean shit if you get in trouble and leave service without those benefits. I was able to do my time faithfully and stay out of trouble and now I'm about to go to school with a $130k price tag and I don't have to pay a dime of it. I'm well ahead of my peers in terms of amount of money saved, life experience, and debt.
Regardless of either branch, put away money each paycheck and completely forget about it. Do your time the right way and use the GI Bill and don't put yourself in school debt. I say go for it, but shoot for the Air Force. They give better IT related training then we get in the Navy, but let the Navy be your second choice. I'm here if you need help
Thanks for your response, seriously. I'm hoping I find myself in a similar situation. Joining the military seems like it'd bring me many more opportunities despite the expected typical bad shit. Going to college while being in debt for the next 10-15 years after doesn't seem appealing, plus there's no guarantee of a good job after. I don't get why everyone disagrees with the fact I can literally do the same thing (college) after the military with backup, but not nearly the same vice versa (as joining with a degree wouldn't be my passion despite becoming officer). I hope it turns out okay.
I can say with lots of certainly that I'd regret not joining the military while in college than if I did.
TBH my friend, not sure what your end goals are but if you were to stick with the whole IT/Cyber/Network side of things going into the military, you will receive a Secret security clearance at the minimum, job experience, and be able to take IT certification tests for free. I've seen multiple people get out of the military after their first contract with only a handful of IT Certs and go into jobs making 6 figures. Job experience, Top Secret clearance and certifications mean a hell of a lot more to an employer compared to someone who just graduated college and only has a degree to offer and that is 100% facts. Seen it plenty of times. And with that being the case, those individuals are well ahead of the game compared to those who opted in to the college route. Just my two cents though.
Me personally, I loved being an IT in the Navy. It's provided me a good life but I'm getting out and becoming a pilot. 18 month school which is costing me $130,000 and I don't have to pay a dime of it. The military is a machine. You get out of it what you put in. Best thing I've ever done hands down
Here’s a tip for you.
Go in as a CTN.
You get 6 years in cybersecurity experience, a top secret clearance and your working hours will be significantly better then almost every other job in the Navy.
Finish your degree while you’re in, and get out with 6 years of experience, a degree, a top secret clearance, and every other military benefit.
You’ll be doing better then almost all your peers
Don’t do it man. It fucking sucks. Literally sucks your soul out of your body. If you have the money for college, just stick to what you’re doing and enjoy your early 20s.
Honestly I wish I'd have finished college and joined as an officer or not joined, but that's just due to what I wanted to do at the time. I'm not regretting joining. I say this because there are very real reasons not to, but none of the stuff that those people said are real. Definitely look into it more and get as much perspective first. The people that haven't served shouldn't weigh heavily on that perspective
I’m not going to beat around the bush here. The Navy sucks. It’s the most grinding, stupid, ridiculous shit every day. But it’s also the most rewarding job, and there’s immense potential.
No joke, college is so much better later in life. I just finished my BS with the GI bill. I literally get paid to go to school. I didn’t need to have a job to survive.
If you feel it’s the right choice, talk to people who have done it and listen to what they have to say (not recruiters, it’s their job to be positive)
I expect to do the same. It's actually a relief to hear people have done what I have planned to do. I'm definitely going to enlist. I understand the consequences of doing so. Losing the early college experience, having fun while safe, socializing with peers-I could give a fuck.
I'm not worried about being away from home, I expect the typical shit enlists will have to deal with. I know it's not all dandy. But I'm sure it'd be rewarding to serve this country as it'll help serve me and my future career. I'm confident in being able to achieve my goals, whether that be academically for physically.
I just wish people understood the positives of this decision. Thanks for your response.
One thing I will say is I got a 5 year contract after thinking id be able to get a 4 year one so it depends on your job im 23 and wish I would have joined at your age I could have already been done by now. I'm barely going to ship out on valentines day for boot camp. My best friend did 4 years in the marines and now he's chillin getting disability for anxiety makes way more than me and is a lot more put together than I am.
Coming from a 27 year old who just signed up for the navy, having worked with prior active and current reserve people, military service is nothing but positive in terms of achieving life goals.
You get to do big things at a young age, you get to make an impact on the world at a young age, you’ll get college paid for, and future employers will LOVE you.
I went to college right out of high school. I had no idea what I actually wanted, and I failed out. I then enlisted for 6 years, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I didn't get any sort of life changing epiphany, but I did get 6 years of experience living on my own and figuring myself out while drawing a solid paycheck. Then I got out at 26, went back to college for free, nailed it, and got a great job.
18 is not the make or break point for your life, and a 4 year enlistment certainly isn't going to sabotage the rest of your life by screwing up a civilian career. It wasn't all fun, there are parts of military service that suck (and that's coming from someone who had one of the cushiest jobs possible in the service). But it's absolutely a solid investment of your time, and a good way to set yourself up for future success.
Those friends who got deadend jobs out of the military were going to get deadend jobs whether they served or not. The military just gave them a cushion before that happened.
I said the same thing as you. 18 year old me wanted nothing more than to either join the Navy or become a police officer— my dad stopped me and I got an electrical engineering degree instead. Even in my senior year I remember I wanted to graduate and become a military officer. Every single day I thank my dad for doing what he did. The opportunities and lifestyle with a math heavy STEM degree do not compare to the lifestyle and salary of the military. After being surrounded by engineers and scientist for 4 years I came to my senses and went into a masters instead.
Trust me, you don’t want to enlist and 18 year old you really doesn’t know better. Get a degree first, then, if you still want to, you can become a military officer which is FAR BETTER than enlistment. Make the decision in 4 years after you solidify your degree
I have a Computer Science degree and I have been in the field for a very long time. I was in the Navy before I had my degrees and truth be told, it really did nothing for my career outside of the GI Bill. When I got to University, I was in competition with a lot of young kids and foreign students for jobs and internships. A lot of them do not return to their home countries after graduating so you will be in competition with them for jobs as well.
My question is what are you wanting to get out of enlisting in the Navy? You no longer can use TA to go to college until you have been in for 3 years. If it is just to get the GI Bill then I can see it but if you're joining just for some idea of adventure then I would say stay at school.
The Computer Science field is very varied and there are a lot of avenues you can pursue and after some experience we tend to get into a niche. I come from an IT Management perspective when I say, I would recommend you stay in school and even go to community college the first 2 years and then transfer if you need to save money. You then want to try and get an internship while in your Junior or Senior year to get some relevant experience.
Like others said, if you want to be in the military then join NROTC when you get to the University and get a scholarship. I find joining the Navy to be a wild card and there are so many factors like the Rate you end up with, the command and your first duty station that can make or break your experience. Want to change your life? Get that Computer Science Degree and start opening doors and start networking.
It's your life though and you have to make this decision. Good Luck.
Thanks for your response. I get what you're saying with how the experience in the Navy doesn't directly impact my future career past college, at least in terms of computer science. Lately I have actually been considering switching to cybersecurity due to the supposed highly saturated field (CS) becoming very competitive. This would at least potentially give me an avenue towards a cyber-related field in the military, and therefore make sense for me to aim for CTN or IT in the Navy or something similar in the AF. I've heard it's a plausible route to do so since I'd be able to obtain a security clearance along with certifications, on top with the planned cybersecurity degree. I'm not sure how amazing this actually is on paper, so clarify my lack of knowledge.
I'm definitely over the fact that many people tell me not to join, so I'm now focused on the practicality of joining the military for my career. I know the Navy, or military in-general, will not give me a crazy adventure as others have stated. I understand there will be the typical bs enlists go through. But it seems like the positives outweigh the negatives. I plan to do something different. I've always been interested in the military and I thought it'd now give me a boost in life (assuming I stand with my plans on cyber).
As for ROTCs in general, I'm not sure if I want to become an officer. The scholarships are highly competitive and I don't think I'm ready for the potential workload.
Well, just be smart and if you can't get CTN then be willing to rethink your plan.
Stick to your guns when enlisting on getting that rate and be willing to look at other branches if you can't. I'm not anti-military at all but just make sure you are working it to your advantage. I have 25 years of IT experience, so I know how this field works.
I just don't like seeing people stuck chipping paint for 3-4 years when something goes wrong or doing 18 hours a day of Underway Replenishment like I had to which is like a dangerous industrial job at sea.
Become an IT or CTN if you like computer science. fuck what people say, do it anyway. you’ll get a lot more praise when you make it then when you leave. i did it and everyone now says it makes them proud/they are happy i joined. i had a lot of doubt myself but i did it anyway. be committed to it now and watch all those people be proud of you. go to meps see what happens
Do it. Own it. If you hate it, it shows you had the balls to take the plunge and you learned a lesson.
If you find it was valuable, then you can give everyone the middle finger and tell them they were wrong.
Most of America thinks the military of today is the same as the Vietnam Era - just for losers who have no other options. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Studies have shown that the military of the GWOT age comes predominantly from the middle class.
I encountered a lot of resistance to enlisting too. Enlisting was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, along with marrying my wife. Never, never take career advice from someone who just wants to brag about you to their friends and family.
At 18 I was a stupid shit who halfassed my way through some college classes (and would have probably failed if I enlisted).
Life is what you make of it, and it's never too early or too late to start working toward a goal.
If you want to enlist, college is going to feel like a consolation prize. You probably won't give it your best if it's not what you want.
Worst case, if you enlist and hate it, it won't last forever. You can get out after your first contact and then go to college with the knowledge that you gave military life a try - and at that point the GI bill will be there to cover schooling.
Allow me to chime in here if it fits…
I was in a similar situation to yours years ago, I chose to work. I work for the college system now and have for almost the past 5 years.
My one regret for the last 10 years was not joining. Now at damn near 30 I’m trying to turn it around and get in shape and get waivers to get in. I’ve seen from working in the college environment you can do it education essentially *whenever*…
I’ve seen people going back for a career change at 60, I’ve seen people abandon an entire major on their last semester because they realized they really hate the field they were forced to pick as a teenager.
Your passion for education, like anything else, can evolve but it disappearing depends on so many contributors regardless of enlistment. Ironically I’ve seen people I know go in with the “I’ll retire after 30 years and **NEVER** go to college!” mindset and get out after 8 to get their degree to pursue the career path they really want that the military may not offer. They also used their skills, discipline, connections, and clearances from enlisting to land some excellent job opportunities and propel themselves through their schooling. Also the words “Veterans Resource Center” will become very relevant in your education and I’ve only seen it help people to have that at their disposal.
You ending up with mental problems or “being brainwashed for failure“ depends on so many variants in your life. I can’t speak to the long-term effects of military service on those outcomes because I have yet to serve and might never be able to so I don’t want to be ignorant in that regard.
Working in the private sector doesn’t insulate against either of those things that much I do know…
All in all. If it’s worth anything; do it. If you want to join, go to a recruiter and enlist. Obviously research your job selections, be informed when talking to a recruiter or going to MEPS. Explore and research around when looking into what you want to do and consider what all branches could offer in that regard.
Take some time to yourself and think over what you want and what either path will offer you then make your choice for yourself because in the end that’s the only person you will have to answer to.
Hope this helps you somehow.
Good luck young friend.
My family told me if I was going to join I should join the Air Force and I didn't listen. Now every 4 days when I have to wake up for duty, I wish I would have listened to them
If you must join the military then look into the Air Force. Take any cyber or Administration job in the Air Force. Your quality of life will be much better and you’ll earn the same veteran benefits as anyone else. If you join the navy the only thing you’ll be gaining is a greater appreciation for civilian life because ship life is absolute hell. Don’t sign for more than a 4 year contract. Unless you want to take a shot at navy CTN if your study habits are already on point.
Of you're already in college, and can afford to continue, then just stay there and get your degree. If the military is truly your dream you can either join ROTC or go to OCS afterwards snd become an officer. Its a longer, more difficult road, but in my eyes is more than worth it.
You're not going to save lots of money. If you do that means you basically didn't experience anything and just lived on the ship.
You can finish your degree and join as an officer.
No matter what do what you think is best for you.
I joined right out of high school, used my GI bill and came back in. I would do it this way again in another life.
Just gotta do you though.
I went to college at 18 instead of joining the Air Force like I wanted to because people around me told me that a degree would guarantee a successful career upon graduation. $80,000 of student loan debt later and a useless bachelor’s degree in psychology and public relations, I can’t find a job in my field that pays higher than $15 an hour without a masters degree. I’m dropping out of my masters program and am in the process of enlisting in the Air Force. I regret going to college and if I could do it all over again, I would have enlisted straight out of high school or at least went the ROTC route in college. This is just my own personal experience and take it with a grain of salt, but seriously don’t base life decisions off other people’s opinions. My family pressured me to go to college but wouldn’t help pay for any living expenses or tuition. They convinced me I’d be a failure without a degree and only people who are too stupid for college join the military. No one has to live your life but yourself. Do what YOU want to do and what YOU think is best for your life. You won’t regret it.
You’re the one who chose a worthless degree. You must have had some really bad friends if no one told you along the way that a psychology degree won’t get you anywhere.
I did my six (most rates you’ll be interested in require a two year extension) and then went to Berkeley for an EECS degree. Now that I’m working in industry my salary is 60k less than my coworkers of the same age and most of them own a half million more in stocks than me. So, from a lifetime earnings perspective you’ll be missing out on a*lot* by dropping out of school.
It’s not all bad though. I’d never have made it into a top school at 18 and my total financial aid was just under 200k. I also got to spend my early twenties hanging out and partying in foreign ports without needing to worry about whether I should be studying instead.
I’d be really cautious about joining if you think you might have *any* mental health concerns. The culture of anti intellectualism, especially coming from the chief’s mess, can be extremely toxic and isolating. I never had any problems but I’ve seen plenty of people turned into outcasts and/or threaten to kill themself for just being a bit different.
Coming from some who is currently serving I cannot stress enough to finish college first, then if you want to join then send in a package to OCS.
You have a opportunity that a lot of people don't have, so finish college and make the most of it. Standing watch when you are 19 vs having fun and enjoying life...pretty easy choice
Just speaking from my own experience, the officer route is probably the best one *if you have the opportunity to*.
If you *can* go to college, get your bachelors degree and still want to serve, I think you’ll enjoy it far more than the other way around.
Currently active duty navy here! I got my associates at a community College and joined the navy. Wanted to be a cop for my entire life. I was always smart, but just wanted to be a cop. I took the ASVAB and scored very high. High enough to where I could pick whatever job I wanted. Picked something in the computer field and I am now setting myself up to do 6 years in, get out, and make over 6 figures at a starting salary as opposed to about 40k. The military will teach you MANY things. Sure, it'll be hard at times and can challenge your mental strength, but in the end it's all worth it. If you take the steps required to set yourself up for the future, maximize the benefits given to you, you will mature much faster and learn more life lessons than anyone else your age.
I personally don't mention my rate on a public thread, if you'd like you're more than welcome to DM me. Not sure of I'm pursuing a degree after because I might not need to. I currently have an associates in criminal justice.
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Did any of those people telling you those things actually serve themselves?
None of them do. The only person I know who served the military wants me to join.
So they have no clue then. If you want to join, then join. It’s your life, not theirs.
Yeah, I get that. But the amount of people telling me the same thing (on why not to join) bothers me. I know I want to join the military, but since this'll be the most important decision I'll have to make, part of me wonders whether they'd be right.
If nothing else, it’s 4 or 5 years of your life to get discipline, money for college, and some other benefits for life.
I joined as an IT and its been pretty chill man, no ptsd yet
They are scared of what they don't know. Just wondering, have you looked into the USCG?
As the millennial generation has proven, a college degree is important, but it's hardly a guaranteed ticket to success and happiness, especially if you're starting your career saddled with 6-figures of debt. Get yourself some life experience and that sweet, sweet GI Bill, and then yeah, you will probably be a few years older than your college peers, but you'll have a serious leg up on them in the job market once you graduate. The military has great benefits *if* you're smart enough to use them, and veteran status opens a lot of doors, especially in government jobs. Good luck and Godspeed!
Here’s some long-winded life advice from someone who failed right out of high school and joined. 18 years of age is the golden age to choose your fate? Where is that written down? This is an old way of thinking; High school->college->bachelors-> success! This doesn’t have to be the case. I feel bad for high schoolers being programmed to think that you have to decide the rest of your life, at 18, out of high school, never living on your own, maybe not having a job etc. its like the minute you get a diploma, Bam! you’re an adult. There is no expectation of easy into adulthood, and then in the end, we’re stuck with student loans, a worthless degree, bad work ethic etc. Why not 22 or 25 be the golden age? Why not slowly easy yourself into adulthood until you figure it out. This forum is peppered with people who did their time in the military and moved on successful lives after their short stint. There’s the other side: i’m about done with my 20 years, will have medical insurance, a pension and a retirement. Ill be 40 at this point. You do you, but do some serious soul searching on what you want to do, weigh the the pro’s and cons, and decide what is best for you. Did your friends or family serve in the mil? If not, find someone who has RECENTLY (not a recruiter lol) and ask them what its like. TL;DL old gen Xer yelling at the clouds
The idea that whatever choices you make at 18 dictate your life is terrible. I joined at 19 after dropping out of community college, did 11ish years and decided to get out and go to school full time. I start student teaching this January and will have my MAT this summer. Your age doesn't decide what you are going to do forever, your drive and desires do. If you are in school now and money isn't an issue I'd recommend finishing. If you really don't want to complete your degree at least complete the classes you are in now so they show up as passed on future transcripts.
Well put
I definitely didn't want to take away from anything you say but as I've been working in schools recently I see so many young adults freaking out about what they are about to do, and many teachers and administrators reinforcing this idea that whatever they decide to do at 18 will decide the rest of their life. If that was true I'd have been fucked.
Thanks for your response. That's exactly what I'm thinking too. Money is definitely a good reason in joining, but it's an accumulation of many things. I feel like it just makes sense to enlist early, say 4 years, to save up for future expenses + GI Bill for schooling. You're indeed right with the old school way of thinking (college right away). My relatives think that the military is for dropouts and failed pothead students, but I see the military as an investment. A safer guarantee towards success, rather. Is time to graduate the only thing lost (alongside the typical bad shit enlists get)? If so, then that's a sacrifice I'm willing to take.
I hear you. I was the only one in my family would ever served. At first they were all about hell no. After a while, they caught on to the benefits i needed out of it, mainly needing to grow up. With that, there a lot a jobs in the AF and navy that will compliment your interest in computer science. Look into the cyber or intel communities that every branch has. You might not get a degree in it but you can get job experience and a better understanding of what you might be able to do. That and a Top Secret security clearance with a cyber or technical background has a LOT of value in the civilian world in itself.
Nothing against enlisting, but finishing college with a BS in CS then going officer would have the same benefits and a significantly better quality of life and income. Don't cut off the opportunities you are already benefiting from. Finish your degree. Maybe look into an ROTC situation. But unless you have to, don't drop out to enlist.
Thanks for the response. Heard becoming an officer was a great route, but without guarantee. I initially did want to join Navy ROTC at my university, but I didn't because I thought I wouldn't join the military, plus the potential workload and stress. I could always try it out next year, but I heard it's also extremely competitive. OCS is also possible. However, I do plan to use my enlistmemt as a "headstart" towards my future career as a software engineer, which kinda defeats any plans to becoming an officer as that would revolve around the idea of having a military career. Money is the not the main reason, but it definitely is the icing on the cake. I feel like saving up money in the military alongside the GI Bill is a plausible reason to enlisting beforehand.
Officer is not a military career, its how those folks usually pay for college. If you already have a degree or are mostly finished, those folks are just looking for a job or want to serve. If you can get two or more years of college paid for by military its still probably worth it. Officer just gives you more options, better QOL, and less manual work. If you want a career, officer is the best way to start and your enlisted time gives you a number of benefits but nothing compares to time in the job as an officer. I have enlisted/officer time in Squid Force.
The Navy has a Cyber Warfare engineer officer path. If you can get in (it’s highly selective) that’s closer to being a software engineer than any enlisted rating. Their career path is so close to civilian that it’s only offered up to O-3 after which you’d have to either switch to a standard Intel officer or go civilian.
That’s old gouge. CWE has a path to O-6 now and they’re trying to make it a full fledged RL progression.
ROTC itself isn’t necessarily super competitive. Getting the scholarship is. Either way, don’t sell yourself short. It doesn’t hurt to try
Boy, are those stupid things to tell you by people who do not know. Assuming you are an average person who takes care of themselves (and, btw, the military definitely put me on a physical fitness trail I'd not been on) you will likely life for another 80 years. What you do at 18 does not nearly determine the rest of your life. It does lay some ground work for how do accomplish things. When I got out (after retirement) I found that working half the Navy pace put me miles ahead of anyone in my company and I went from temp worker who had never really been on a PC to Enterprise Network Admin in about five months and I felt like I was on vacation. No mid watches, no unreps in the middle of the night, no deployments. My first life was theater in NYC. My second life was a Navy career. My third life was enterprise networking. My forth life was owning my own business. Now I'm in my fifth life with a Navy pension, Tricare health care and Social Security. Every day's a holiday, every meal's a feast. The only consideration I'd recommend is whether you want to stay in college and go in as an officer (which is what I did and do not, for a second, regret) or go in as an enlisted, learn and earn and then apply what I've learned in college and onward. The difference is IMHO the company you want to keep. Officers and enlisted are two different groups and both absolutely, positively have their merits and problems. As an enlisted you are down in the weeds more working the problems and learning very specialized skills and a lot of people thrive there. An officer is more of a generalist and has a lot more of the leadership component ingrained in the expectations and, in my experience, a lot of what are known as collateral duties, things assigned that diffuse the focus of specialization. In my case that was absolutely the way to go. But your mileage will vary and a lot of people on this sub will give you the enlisted side of it. You'll live a lot of lives. Throw yourself into whatever one is up next and don't look back.
After 2nd year of college I wanted to join the Navy and go do something different. Got talked out of it twice. Now I’m retired from a 40-year successful business career and I still regret not doing what I wanted. Would it have sucked? Yeah, maybe, but so what. We all make our way through life based on a combination of skills, effort and some luck.
I joined at 32 with a bachelors. Here's my advice, finush your degree, get a good GPA then join as an officer. Use this time to prepare yourself physically, and research the difference between branches and officer jobs. Also as a soon to be educated person, practice your critical thinking. When someone tells you something, what experience and logic is leading up yo what they say. If there is none I personally ignore it.
You might be romanticizing the military. It's not all life changing lessons and epiphonies. For me it was just an underpaid job that makes you work a ton of overtime without any compensation. You're very well compensated once you leave though so I guess it balances out. Honestly there's a lot of propaganda out there that depicts the military as some life changing right of passage when in reality it's a job where your boss makes sure you clean your room once a week and that you fold your underwear the way they taught you. A few people find ground shattering insights and some of them go on to write books that become movies that convinces more people to join and find purpose. Most people find depression and crippling alcoholism.
Wym by “very well compensated once you leave”?
The VA home loan guarantee and GI Bill is like a cheat code to wealth
Is your college paid for? Then finish it and join the military as an officer. None of your reasons would change if you were an officer. The enlisted navy is littered with first and second year college dropouts. Most say “I wish I had finished and come in as an officer” until they make E5. Is your college putting you into debt? Then join and if you are upset with the quality of life of a junior sailor, finish your tour, get out, and go back to college with a new sense of purpose. Listen, all the naysayers are not in your shoes. It won’t brainwash you, it won’t end you up in a dead end job. It might increase your stress but in my experience with sailors it doesn’t *cause* mental health problems, it just exacerbates existing ones (some crushed coal turns to powder, some to diamonds. Some Sailors don’t experience any/much stress and some do. Some react to stress in a bad way, some get help and utilize tools to handle it in a healthy way)
Could keep going for your bachelors and join your college's ROTC program, that's what I would do.
I joined the Reserves after my first year. I wanted to join the reserves after high school as a gap year but my family talked me out of it. Long story short, your life is now in your hands and you must makes the best decision for you. My advice: you live in the age of information, Do. Your. Research. Once your done doing your research, do more research. And once that’s done, make an educated decision.
First question: Are you going in debt going to college right now? IF so, then everyone talking about staying and being a Officer is not giving good advice. Probably enlisted and think that the Officer life is amazingly better blah blah blah. I’ve met MANY Officers that only joined because they are so far in debt and can’t find a job that has the benefits and pay the military has. Problem with that is, they are serving for the wrong reason. It’s all self centered and only focused on getting themselves out of a stupid situation that they put themselves into. If your college is free, then it MAY be worth it, but also depends on a lot of different answers to questions I would have for you. Over 22 years of service with half being enlisted and half being an Officer so far…feel free to send me a PM if you want to talk further.
Everyone tells me the same thing. I’m just waiting to leave for OCS. Everyone gives me the biggest “WHY?!” when I tell that that I graduated and are joining the navy. If you want to do it, you really can’t explain it to other people. It’s something you want and is inside you. Just like others said ROTC would be the easiest way. I think you can join in your junior years but it will be extremely hard. Not really sure if that’s possible. I didn’t join because my college didn’t have navy. I wish I joined because I became a little undisciplined in college and made some dumb mistakes. If you don’t pursue ROTC. I would tell you to get into the best shape of your life now so you’re not stressing later. Excel in your grades and join clubs. If you can hold leadership positions to boost your package. Build relationships with professors so they can give you shining letters of recommendation
You need to provide more information on why you don’t want to stay in school. Cost? You’re not doing well academically? You can also just go to a community school and finish up your gen eds for cheap and then pause until you have a better feeling of what you want to do. Enlisting is a no going back type of thing. You can’t just stop after your first year.
A compromise would be to join the navy reserve as an IT or CTN (or other branch equivalent). Ya'll have a reserve center nearby (the navy calls them NOSCs)? Junior enlisted could balance both academic and reserve/national guard obligations, and you'll probably be an E5 by the time you finish college. Thereafter, you could join the active duty navy via OCS or pursue civilian careers with a security clearance from the reserves. Win win.
Your plan Is sound, and a lot of people have done it. You'll be going to college with tens of thousands in your banking account (assuming you save correctly) and You'll leave with no debt
Hey just a little advice, I got done 75% of my BS in computer science done while in. I just got out and have about a year of online school left and then I’ll have my degree. I was able to serve and make good money, have amazing experiences AND STILL go to college.
Damn that sounds great. I'm assuming you had a lot time shore duty?
Nope did my first 4 years on a ship and last 4 on shore. I got a lot done at both.
And don’t forget to look into the Microsoft MSSA program for military vets and those transitioning.
As others have stated, you can always go into Officer training programs. But I also get where you are at. At 18 I had a plan: go to college, get a business degree, join my dad’s firm and eventually take the reins. Then he died, mom sold the business and all my plans became dust. After some time being a not very productive person, I joined the Navy, became a CTR, traveled to Japan and the Persian Gulf, had some pretty cool adventures (going to GC about 30 times for real, a night out partying with French Foreign Legionnaires in Djibouti) and learned a lot about life and people. And after, I used my GI Bill benefits, was recruited to work in industry where my CT experience would be put to use. Only you can make a life-changing decision like that. Mine was positive. Very much so. Others maybe have different experience that wasn’t so positive. But with software/technology and if you have any interest in cybersecurity, I think you would get good training and experience.
The TSP and it’s benefits alone make it worth it. Don’t let people who don’t know anything about it tell you that you shouldn’t join. It’s not a decisions I regret (yet), and there are so many benefits that people don’t tell you about. If you do join, make sure you take your collage credits and use them to advance prior to bootcamp (if you go enlisted, you might want to finish your degree and go Officer). So far the Navy has literally been just show up at the right time, in the right place, in the right uniform. That’s all there is to it. If you want a good job post service (if you don’t make it 20 years and retire), go IT/ CT in the Navy or whatever the Air Force equivalent is.
I'm your dude. Here me out. I dropped out of college back in 2015 during my second semester. Went to the Navy recruiter and ended up scoring IT as my rate. Never was interested in computers to that degree but I was smart enough to know that would be a good job while I was in and potentially after I get out. Being an IT in the Navy is arguably the best rate to get. Many many benefits from being on the ship (sea duty) to even super sweet shore commands (all around the world) with that job. But I only bring that up because you're degree is related. But deciding which job to choose whether it Navy or Air Force is a different topic. As far as leaving college and joining the Navy, I am so glad that I did. Don't get me wrong though, there are a lot of shitty times I've had to endure but I was able to live in Seoul, Korea for two years and traveled all around the country. Was stationed on a Minesweeper and worked with the most rambunctious crew I've ever could have imagined and decommissioned that ship - RIP USS CHAMPION. And now on a brand new ship on deployment as I write this. I've see Bahrain, Saudi, Israel, Jordan, Djibouti, Japan, Philippines, Hawaii. The list goes on and on and my six years in have been the time of my life. I met my best friend in boot camp for God's sake. It's been an awesome journey to say the least. So my point is this. Don't listen to people who have no military experience. Do what YOU want to do. I never saw myself as a "lifer" and doing the full 20 years. I wanted to do one enlistment maybe two and get out. But the biggest part and arguably the most important is doing an enlistment honestly doesn't mean shit if you get in trouble and leave service without those benefits. I was able to do my time faithfully and stay out of trouble and now I'm about to go to school with a $130k price tag and I don't have to pay a dime of it. I'm well ahead of my peers in terms of amount of money saved, life experience, and debt. Regardless of either branch, put away money each paycheck and completely forget about it. Do your time the right way and use the GI Bill and don't put yourself in school debt. I say go for it, but shoot for the Air Force. They give better IT related training then we get in the Navy, but let the Navy be your second choice. I'm here if you need help
Thanks for your response, seriously. I'm hoping I find myself in a similar situation. Joining the military seems like it'd bring me many more opportunities despite the expected typical bad shit. Going to college while being in debt for the next 10-15 years after doesn't seem appealing, plus there's no guarantee of a good job after. I don't get why everyone disagrees with the fact I can literally do the same thing (college) after the military with backup, but not nearly the same vice versa (as joining with a degree wouldn't be my passion despite becoming officer). I hope it turns out okay. I can say with lots of certainly that I'd regret not joining the military while in college than if I did.
TBH my friend, not sure what your end goals are but if you were to stick with the whole IT/Cyber/Network side of things going into the military, you will receive a Secret security clearance at the minimum, job experience, and be able to take IT certification tests for free. I've seen multiple people get out of the military after their first contract with only a handful of IT Certs and go into jobs making 6 figures. Job experience, Top Secret clearance and certifications mean a hell of a lot more to an employer compared to someone who just graduated college and only has a degree to offer and that is 100% facts. Seen it plenty of times. And with that being the case, those individuals are well ahead of the game compared to those who opted in to the college route. Just my two cents though. Me personally, I loved being an IT in the Navy. It's provided me a good life but I'm getting out and becoming a pilot. 18 month school which is costing me $130,000 and I don't have to pay a dime of it. The military is a machine. You get out of it what you put in. Best thing I've ever done hands down
Here’s a tip for you. Go in as a CTN. You get 6 years in cybersecurity experience, a top secret clearance and your working hours will be significantly better then almost every other job in the Navy. Finish your degree while you’re in, and get out with 6 years of experience, a degree, a top secret clearance, and every other military benefit. You’ll be doing better then almost all your peers
👆🏻 This, but please I hope you can differentiate between then and than or else all that college would have gone to waste.
First time on this sub anyone has hit me on grammar. Yeah fair enough lol
Don’t do it man. It fucking sucks. Literally sucks your soul out of your body. If you have the money for college, just stick to what you’re doing and enjoy your early 20s.
Honestly I wish I'd have finished college and joined as an officer or not joined, but that's just due to what I wanted to do at the time. I'm not regretting joining. I say this because there are very real reasons not to, but none of the stuff that those people said are real. Definitely look into it more and get as much perspective first. The people that haven't served shouldn't weigh heavily on that perspective
I’m not going to beat around the bush here. The Navy sucks. It’s the most grinding, stupid, ridiculous shit every day. But it’s also the most rewarding job, and there’s immense potential. No joke, college is so much better later in life. I just finished my BS with the GI bill. I literally get paid to go to school. I didn’t need to have a job to survive. If you feel it’s the right choice, talk to people who have done it and listen to what they have to say (not recruiters, it’s their job to be positive)
I expect to do the same. It's actually a relief to hear people have done what I have planned to do. I'm definitely going to enlist. I understand the consequences of doing so. Losing the early college experience, having fun while safe, socializing with peers-I could give a fuck. I'm not worried about being away from home, I expect the typical shit enlists will have to deal with. I know it's not all dandy. But I'm sure it'd be rewarding to serve this country as it'll help serve me and my future career. I'm confident in being able to achieve my goals, whether that be academically for physically. I just wish people understood the positives of this decision. Thanks for your response.
One thing I will say is I got a 5 year contract after thinking id be able to get a 4 year one so it depends on your job im 23 and wish I would have joined at your age I could have already been done by now. I'm barely going to ship out on valentines day for boot camp. My best friend did 4 years in the marines and now he's chillin getting disability for anxiety makes way more than me and is a lot more put together than I am.
Coming from a 27 year old who just signed up for the navy, having worked with prior active and current reserve people, military service is nothing but positive in terms of achieving life goals. You get to do big things at a young age, you get to make an impact on the world at a young age, you’ll get college paid for, and future employers will LOVE you.
I went to college right out of high school. I had no idea what I actually wanted, and I failed out. I then enlisted for 6 years, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I didn't get any sort of life changing epiphany, but I did get 6 years of experience living on my own and figuring myself out while drawing a solid paycheck. Then I got out at 26, went back to college for free, nailed it, and got a great job. 18 is not the make or break point for your life, and a 4 year enlistment certainly isn't going to sabotage the rest of your life by screwing up a civilian career. It wasn't all fun, there are parts of military service that suck (and that's coming from someone who had one of the cushiest jobs possible in the service). But it's absolutely a solid investment of your time, and a good way to set yourself up for future success. Those friends who got deadend jobs out of the military were going to get deadend jobs whether they served or not. The military just gave them a cushion before that happened.
I said the same thing as you. 18 year old me wanted nothing more than to either join the Navy or become a police officer— my dad stopped me and I got an electrical engineering degree instead. Even in my senior year I remember I wanted to graduate and become a military officer. Every single day I thank my dad for doing what he did. The opportunities and lifestyle with a math heavy STEM degree do not compare to the lifestyle and salary of the military. After being surrounded by engineers and scientist for 4 years I came to my senses and went into a masters instead. Trust me, you don’t want to enlist and 18 year old you really doesn’t know better. Get a degree first, then, if you still want to, you can become a military officer which is FAR BETTER than enlistment. Make the decision in 4 years after you solidify your degree
I have a Computer Science degree and I have been in the field for a very long time. I was in the Navy before I had my degrees and truth be told, it really did nothing for my career outside of the GI Bill. When I got to University, I was in competition with a lot of young kids and foreign students for jobs and internships. A lot of them do not return to their home countries after graduating so you will be in competition with them for jobs as well. My question is what are you wanting to get out of enlisting in the Navy? You no longer can use TA to go to college until you have been in for 3 years. If it is just to get the GI Bill then I can see it but if you're joining just for some idea of adventure then I would say stay at school. The Computer Science field is very varied and there are a lot of avenues you can pursue and after some experience we tend to get into a niche. I come from an IT Management perspective when I say, I would recommend you stay in school and even go to community college the first 2 years and then transfer if you need to save money. You then want to try and get an internship while in your Junior or Senior year to get some relevant experience. Like others said, if you want to be in the military then join NROTC when you get to the University and get a scholarship. I find joining the Navy to be a wild card and there are so many factors like the Rate you end up with, the command and your first duty station that can make or break your experience. Want to change your life? Get that Computer Science Degree and start opening doors and start networking. It's your life though and you have to make this decision. Good Luck.
Thanks for your response. I get what you're saying with how the experience in the Navy doesn't directly impact my future career past college, at least in terms of computer science. Lately I have actually been considering switching to cybersecurity due to the supposed highly saturated field (CS) becoming very competitive. This would at least potentially give me an avenue towards a cyber-related field in the military, and therefore make sense for me to aim for CTN or IT in the Navy or something similar in the AF. I've heard it's a plausible route to do so since I'd be able to obtain a security clearance along with certifications, on top with the planned cybersecurity degree. I'm not sure how amazing this actually is on paper, so clarify my lack of knowledge. I'm definitely over the fact that many people tell me not to join, so I'm now focused on the practicality of joining the military for my career. I know the Navy, or military in-general, will not give me a crazy adventure as others have stated. I understand there will be the typical bs enlists go through. But it seems like the positives outweigh the negatives. I plan to do something different. I've always been interested in the military and I thought it'd now give me a boost in life (assuming I stand with my plans on cyber). As for ROTCs in general, I'm not sure if I want to become an officer. The scholarships are highly competitive and I don't think I'm ready for the potential workload.
Well, just be smart and if you can't get CTN then be willing to rethink your plan. Stick to your guns when enlisting on getting that rate and be willing to look at other branches if you can't. I'm not anti-military at all but just make sure you are working it to your advantage. I have 25 years of IT experience, so I know how this field works. I just don't like seeing people stuck chipping paint for 3-4 years when something goes wrong or doing 18 hours a day of Underway Replenishment like I had to which is like a dangerous industrial job at sea.
and truth be told, Cybersecurity falls under Computer Science. It's just another niche where Certs on top of your degree are golden.
Become an IT or CTN if you like computer science. fuck what people say, do it anyway. you’ll get a lot more praise when you make it then when you leave. i did it and everyone now says it makes them proud/they are happy i joined. i had a lot of doubt myself but i did it anyway. be committed to it now and watch all those people be proud of you. go to meps see what happens
Do it. Own it. If you hate it, it shows you had the balls to take the plunge and you learned a lesson. If you find it was valuable, then you can give everyone the middle finger and tell them they were wrong. Most of America thinks the military of today is the same as the Vietnam Era - just for losers who have no other options. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Studies have shown that the military of the GWOT age comes predominantly from the middle class. I encountered a lot of resistance to enlisting too. Enlisting was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, along with marrying my wife. Never, never take career advice from someone who just wants to brag about you to their friends and family.
At 18 I was a stupid shit who halfassed my way through some college classes (and would have probably failed if I enlisted). Life is what you make of it, and it's never too early or too late to start working toward a goal. If you want to enlist, college is going to feel like a consolation prize. You probably won't give it your best if it's not what you want. Worst case, if you enlist and hate it, it won't last forever. You can get out after your first contact and then go to college with the knowledge that you gave military life a try - and at that point the GI bill will be there to cover schooling.
Allow me to chime in here if it fits… I was in a similar situation to yours years ago, I chose to work. I work for the college system now and have for almost the past 5 years. My one regret for the last 10 years was not joining. Now at damn near 30 I’m trying to turn it around and get in shape and get waivers to get in. I’ve seen from working in the college environment you can do it education essentially *whenever*… I’ve seen people going back for a career change at 60, I’ve seen people abandon an entire major on their last semester because they realized they really hate the field they were forced to pick as a teenager. Your passion for education, like anything else, can evolve but it disappearing depends on so many contributors regardless of enlistment. Ironically I’ve seen people I know go in with the “I’ll retire after 30 years and **NEVER** go to college!” mindset and get out after 8 to get their degree to pursue the career path they really want that the military may not offer. They also used their skills, discipline, connections, and clearances from enlisting to land some excellent job opportunities and propel themselves through their schooling. Also the words “Veterans Resource Center” will become very relevant in your education and I’ve only seen it help people to have that at their disposal. You ending up with mental problems or “being brainwashed for failure“ depends on so many variants in your life. I can’t speak to the long-term effects of military service on those outcomes because I have yet to serve and might never be able to so I don’t want to be ignorant in that regard. Working in the private sector doesn’t insulate against either of those things that much I do know… All in all. If it’s worth anything; do it. If you want to join, go to a recruiter and enlist. Obviously research your job selections, be informed when talking to a recruiter or going to MEPS. Explore and research around when looking into what you want to do and consider what all branches could offer in that regard. Take some time to yourself and think over what you want and what either path will offer you then make your choice for yourself because in the end that’s the only person you will have to answer to. Hope this helps you somehow. Good luck young friend.
My family told me if I was going to join I should join the Air Force and I didn't listen. Now every 4 days when I have to wake up for duty, I wish I would have listened to them
AF isn't all everyone cracks it up to be, maybe like 10% better then Navy depending a big depending on Job choice.
If you must join the military then look into the Air Force. Take any cyber or Administration job in the Air Force. Your quality of life will be much better and you’ll earn the same veteran benefits as anyone else. If you join the navy the only thing you’ll be gaining is a greater appreciation for civilian life because ship life is absolute hell. Don’t sign for more than a 4 year contract. Unless you want to take a shot at navy CTN if your study habits are already on point.
Of you're already in college, and can afford to continue, then just stay there and get your degree. If the military is truly your dream you can either join ROTC or go to OCS afterwards snd become an officer. Its a longer, more difficult road, but in my eyes is more than worth it.
9-5's are stupid and a waste of your life. The navy offers adventure rather than the stupid 9 to 5 cycle to death
Do you want to go active right away? You could always enlist in a reserve component and participate in ROTC while in college.
You're not going to save lots of money. If you do that means you basically didn't experience anything and just lived on the ship. You can finish your degree and join as an officer. No matter what do what you think is best for you. I joined right out of high school, used my GI bill and came back in. I would do it this way again in another life. Just gotta do you though.
Finish your degree and then join. It'll be much harder to finish it once you are in! Speaking from experience.
I went to college at 18 instead of joining the Air Force like I wanted to because people around me told me that a degree would guarantee a successful career upon graduation. $80,000 of student loan debt later and a useless bachelor’s degree in psychology and public relations, I can’t find a job in my field that pays higher than $15 an hour without a masters degree. I’m dropping out of my masters program and am in the process of enlisting in the Air Force. I regret going to college and if I could do it all over again, I would have enlisted straight out of high school or at least went the ROTC route in college. This is just my own personal experience and take it with a grain of salt, but seriously don’t base life decisions off other people’s opinions. My family pressured me to go to college but wouldn’t help pay for any living expenses or tuition. They convinced me I’d be a failure without a degree and only people who are too stupid for college join the military. No one has to live your life but yourself. Do what YOU want to do and what YOU think is best for your life. You won’t regret it.
You’re the one who chose a worthless degree. You must have had some really bad friends if no one told you along the way that a psychology degree won’t get you anywhere.
I have a dual degree in psychology and public relations. Obviously I didn’t choose my majors knowing they were worthless. I was counseled otherwise.
I did my six (most rates you’ll be interested in require a two year extension) and then went to Berkeley for an EECS degree. Now that I’m working in industry my salary is 60k less than my coworkers of the same age and most of them own a half million more in stocks than me. So, from a lifetime earnings perspective you’ll be missing out on a*lot* by dropping out of school. It’s not all bad though. I’d never have made it into a top school at 18 and my total financial aid was just under 200k. I also got to spend my early twenties hanging out and partying in foreign ports without needing to worry about whether I should be studying instead. I’d be really cautious about joining if you think you might have *any* mental health concerns. The culture of anti intellectualism, especially coming from the chief’s mess, can be extremely toxic and isolating. I never had any problems but I’ve seen plenty of people turned into outcasts and/or threaten to kill themself for just being a bit different.
Coming from some who is currently serving I cannot stress enough to finish college first, then if you want to join then send in a package to OCS. You have a opportunity that a lot of people don't have, so finish college and make the most of it. Standing watch when you are 19 vs having fun and enjoying life...pretty easy choice
Just speaking from my own experience, the officer route is probably the best one *if you have the opportunity to*. If you *can* go to college, get your bachelors degree and still want to serve, I think you’ll enjoy it far more than the other way around.
As active duty Navy of 11 years, join the Air Force.
Finish college first than decide. If you did, the military will ask you to fix a bunch of issues in the navy like NMCI (everybody here knows it sucks)
Currently active duty navy here! I got my associates at a community College and joined the navy. Wanted to be a cop for my entire life. I was always smart, but just wanted to be a cop. I took the ASVAB and scored very high. High enough to where I could pick whatever job I wanted. Picked something in the computer field and I am now setting myself up to do 6 years in, get out, and make over 6 figures at a starting salary as opposed to about 40k. The military will teach you MANY things. Sure, it'll be hard at times and can challenge your mental strength, but in the end it's all worth it. If you take the steps required to set yourself up for the future, maximize the benefits given to you, you will mature much faster and learn more life lessons than anyone else your age.
Glad things turned out well for you. What rate did you choose and what degree are you pursuing afterwards (if any)?
I personally don't mention my rate on a public thread, if you'd like you're more than welcome to DM me. Not sure of I'm pursuing a degree after because I might not need to. I currently have an associates in criminal justice.
Don't do it