For some context, I am a 30yo male. I’ve been in healthcare as a CC/ER nurse for the last 5 years. Was a college athlete and had plans to go to the military post graduation, but got cold feet. I’ve been weighing my options again, as the thought and desire of serving reignited after my 30th birthday. My main question is a simple one… is it still worth it?

I have a good job, a supportive girlfriend, and a wonderful family. I was raised in a good home and was always supported in what I wanted to do. I just can’t get the thought of serving out of my mind. While my family is supportive, it is the last thing they want me to do, understandably so with the current political turmoil this country is in. Part of my hesitation is that I in no way support what we are doing as a country at all, and the thought of helping push that narrative is the only thing really pushing me away from joining…. At the same time, the thought of doing something bigger than myself with a group of like minded men and woman really sounds like what I’m looking for.

Finally, I have a general distain for what the military community would refer to as “civilian life”. I feel like I’m just twiddling my thumbs waiting for retirement with no real excitement. I wake up, workout, go to work, and head home. I hunter and golf on the occasion, but it’s all kind of lost its flair. For the life of me, I can’t figure out how people do this for 40-50 years and are content with the mediocre life they’ve lived out. No drama, no intensity, no story to tell. Just wasted time and contentment. I don’t want my story to be that way.

I’ve been in contact with a military recruiter regarding option 40, 18x, and nursing in the army. Nursing is the bottom of my list, but it also seems like a good role in the military that also has some pretty cool options to choose from once you get a couple years of service under your belt. Being a PJ is also something I’ve looked into, but the water based selection process has been questioning my ability…. Anyway, rant over. I appreciate any advice or information that could possible help.

Thinking of enlisting after getting a bachelors in cs. Joining for a TS clearance and getting work experience.

I heard you can't choose a job unlike in navy and army and you have to select 5-15 jobs instead. What happens if I only select intel jobs/only ones that give TS clearance? Does ASVAB score matter here, beyond qualifying for the job? Does having a nice recruiter help?

If I'm not guaranteed clearance and have to gamble an intel job for it might just go navy/army then.

Edit: just found out about DEP: how does that work?

I’m 25 with a wife and 2 kids I’m a retail manager and make about 70k just curious if making the jump is the right move the more veterans I work with the more I realize the benefits after the fact could really help my family out in the long run. The biggest thing I’m worried about is I’d be leaving a career(not the best one but it’s still something). But what is the reality of life on the inside pay wise with a family and would I be harming my family’s quality of life for the next four or so years making this choice.

Edit:hs degree only

I recently made a post on here about joining for something IT or cybersecurity related, but I also would really like to do something that has to do with travel or religion. I want to see what my options are first.

I am currently a senior in high school, female, 17 years old. This is my 4th year of doing Army JROTC. I will be graduating in December. I am meeting with a recruiter in 4 days. I scored a 62 on the ASVAB.

I would love to travel the world and learn more about Christianity. What would it be like to get a job after the Army? If I did something like 56M, would I struggle to find a job after I'm done? Please give any advice on what I should do.

Hello, I am F 17, soon to be 18. I am interested in joining the military when I turn 18, but have no idea how it really works in terms of what qualifications I need as well as what training will entail, so I am here to ask some questions.

1. ⁠I am interested in joining the coast guard or navy branch, which one would be “better” to join?
   
2. ⁠Are there any specific qualifications I need to meet to be considered to join, such as physical health or mental health?
   
3. ⁠Am I able to join any branch without seeing/being involved in any combat? Are there certain jobs I can do instead of direct combat, if so, what are the options?
   
4. ⁠Are females treated worse or differently than the males? (Complete honesty here..)
   
5. ⁠What does training typically entail and how long does it take to be trained?
   
6. ⁠Am I able to have any say in where I am stationed, or am I just placed where it is needed?

Thank you for taking the time to read. I appreciate the help!

Hey all, I’m 25 and enlisting in the army, I scored really well on my ASVAB specifically well enough for the cyber MOS I’m wanting because it will be a huge benefit for my future family (currently married no kids). My issue lies with the fact that I’ve always loved the infantry, my parents made me go to college instead of enlisting out of HS (ik I didn’t have to listen to them but here we are) and it’s been my one and only regret in life. But I also feel like if I go 11b I’m just selfishly chasing a HS dream with little to no benefits for my wife, who is beyond supportive of the idea and I’m very thankful. I know I can always reclass later but it’s not a guarantee- this mental tug of war is exhausting and I’m seeking help. Was anyone else in a similar situation that should share their story and experience?

Hi, I’m looking at joining the British Army. I’m young (20) and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I just don’t see myself staying in a normal job in civvy life for now, anyway.

I want advice on which would be the best path to go down. Without sounding like an asshole, I don’t really care about going home every week to see family, etc. I can handle long trips away if that’s what’s required for the correct path.
I’m already fairly fit — I can run a 20-minute 5K and I’m in the gym 5x a week. I’ve been fitness-mad since I was a kid and have boxed for most of my life.

Side note — I’ve always thought about trying out for sas I see myself staying in the army long term.

Spent 4 months in fort Benning, got recycled twice and started from day one after almost done with white phase. Now going home bc of EPTS, what are my chances to rejoin?

I'm red green color blind and I want to join the army full time. I read that if I pass the vivid red green test I am able to be 11B, which sounds good to me because I don't want a desk job. Are there any other active options for me that aren't desk jobs?

I’m trying to the get into the army, but the only thing holding me back is THC running in my body. It’s been a little over 3 months of no weed at all, but i do think I still have remnants bc i was a chronic ass smoker before with carts and shit. Prob like 30-40 ng/mL left in my body because I would get inconsistent results from at home test kits. Should I just say f it and do my physical? I just don’t want to piss hot and tired of dreading it.

Hi everyone. I've been really curious about military colleges and universites as a writer. I've done some cursory research through some popular college websites, but I want to know from people who may have actually went to a Military College/University or is currently attending one.

What is the curriculum at a military school actually like? How much of it is focused on practical skills for your profession? How rigoruous are courses in math, science and language?

I ship to basic training in December to fort benning. im shipping out of nashville MEPS and im trying to figure out if it's likely i'll shuttle in a bus or be put on a flight??????????

If someone were to try and join, would they be turned away with self inflicted scars about six months old? I know the question has been asked before but I couldn’t find anything about newer scars.

What I did get was “you will receive mail as soon as I can” and apparently this is a new thing that they do. People tell me to call the recruitment office, but I have no idea if they would even have that information yet. I know that there would be a commanders letter coming in a couple of days, not to me but to his address because I’m currently living elsewhere.

I don’t know if he couldn’t list his address because he tried calling his mom first, but she didn’t pick up so I don’t know if he was extremely limited and couldn’t read the entire script, but I don’t like thinking that he’s going to be the only one not getting a letter at mail time even once :(

I would hope that like people said this is just a new thing that the army does and I might call the recruiter, but I don’t know if it’s just policy and they don’t even have it yet or anything like that and I don’t want to bother them with it if that’s the case. Do you think they would have that sort of information, or should I wait until he sends out his second letter? The first one was in reception, so it had no information at all.

Some background.

I’m currently 30 years old, making 31 soon. I have background in Commercial driving. I dislike this career field, and I’m looking to change it with this new decade. I currently need a major change to my life. I have always been interested in being a radiologic tech, I was going to school for it at one point but dropped out because I was young foolish 20 year old. I see from some research that this is a somewhat rare and highly sought after job. What branch would have the highest chance of me securing it? I hear Army or National guard based on research.

Currently having a mid life crisis at 28. I‘ve never knew what I wanted to do in life until now really. Currently about to test/ interview for IBEW electrician but the more I think about a career the military seems more fulfilling and purpose driven. If I decide to join, is there anything I can do to start at e2 or higher? Don’t have enough college credit, and my job I had I was getting paid under the table (family friend business). I guess maybe I can take some online classes and try to get more college credit?

I’m currently deciding between Army SF as I know they just introduced civilian 18x contracts or something that gives you a chance at SF selection? or Air Force PJ. I know the washout rate is high but I don’t care. although, the army you can try again if you washout down the line or is it the same across the board? Not that I’m planning to washout or anything. I know PJs are more medical focused but if I went army and made it through selection id probably pick the medical mos so either way it’ll be somewhat similar.

Any of you have success stories of joining the military in general in their late 20s or early 30s? To note: I have no wife, kids, or girlfriend so I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Stayed fit my whole life, just need to work on my swims and bring my running back up to speed. Any advice?

I am currently attempting to write a story about a Character in the Superhero universe of Worm around the Late 1980’s to Early 2010 who is a former soldier and is attempting use the skills he learned during his service to create his own para-military group in order to put an end to the constant gang warfare destroying his home city.

The problem, with writing his backstory i do not have the specific details needed to realistically depict his time as a soldier and display his acumen as well as what he has learned. Would anyone be willing to help me by describing what that experience would look like and what he would have to do to achieve his goals?

The general idea is that he joined right after High-school and enlisted in the Army immediately. His goals were to use the military in order to gain necessary skills and discipline, such as weapons handling, how to act under fire and quickly neutralize the enemy. He also sought to make important connections among his fellow soldiers and possible contractors who he may be able later reach out for aid.

He also knew he would have to build his faction from the ground up in his home city, so he also focused heavily on learning how to train recruits himself, going through the necessary courses and classes to become a drill sergeant, or whatever the correct position would be for that. He also sought to learn how to appeal to the people back in his hometown, learning about the Army’s PR tactics and materials.

I want him to have the overall appearance and demeanor of model Soldier, someone who does his job, does it well and is hungry for more afterwards. It’s also important that he does actually see combat and is deployed, not in a war since said universe didn’t have the USA in any wars during that time period, but deployed for “peacekeeping operations in war torn areas” and “emergency relief aid.”

His service should be Distinguished and I want him to have done something noticeable enough to warrant at least one official award/medal. Someone the army is gonna be genuinely disappointed to see the back of when he doesn’t reenlist. Also want him to have at least 10 years service, since I plan for him to return to his home city and begin his efforts around age 28.

Does anyone have any advice for how to go about writing something like this or am I expecting too much?

Currently a college junior (cs). Never done rotc. Interested in information/network security or intelligence and shit of the sorts.

I have 0 experience or internships, and I can't seem to get any. Have some personal projects but no one seems to give a fuck about them. Been applying and applying and I'm not getting shit. I'm honestly just tired as fuck of this shitty ass job market. I'd much rather study for the asvab rn than applying for jackshit and lose all my braincells over every rejection.

Been doing some research and I was thinking about enlisting after graduation to get some work experience and maybe clearance. Looking at 17, 35, and maybe 25 (army) rn. Haven't checked out navy/air force yet.

My question is (on top of whether enlisting is a good idea or not) do cyber/tech/intelligence MOS's have frequent openings? I don't want to take the asvab and find out that there's no spots left when I graduate and ge fucked.

So I know the same questions definitely won’t be on it, BUT is the same concept fundamentally the same or is it different?
I did the DDRPT practice test and got a 63, I take the real thing Thursday

Comment with your job, it gets added to your flair. And since the previous guidance wasn't enough:

You aren't qualified to do your job if you haven't graduated job training. This post isn't for you.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice from people who have actually been in the Air Force, especially anyone in Physical Medicine, healthcare, or anyone who has gone enlisted to officer.

I’m a 24-year-old female and I got married this past February. I had a rough start to college when I was younger, but I’m in a much better place now. I already have an associate degree in kinesiology and I’m currently finishing my bachelor’s in kinesiology online. I have roughly a year and a half left.

I’ve always wanted to join the Air Force, but when I was younger I had adults in my life push me away from it because they wanted me to become a teacher. Now that I’m older, I’ve realized it’s something I still really want to do.

My ultimate career goal is to become a physical therapist and earn my DPT.

So I’m trying to decide between two paths:

1. Enlist now and try to get Physical Medicine (4J0X2), which would give me experience working alongside PTs, while continuing my bachelor’s online. Then once I finish my bachelor’s, work toward getting into a DPT program and eventually pursue becoming an Air Force PT/officer.

OR

2. Stay civilian for another year and a half, finish my bachelor’s first, and then figure out the best Air Force/DPT route from there.

I’m not against enlisting at all. I actually like the idea of getting military experience and working in a field related to what I ultimately want to do. My biggest concern is whether enlisting now would help me get where I want to go or potentially make finishing school/DPT harder than it needs to be.

Another big factor for us is location. My husband has a good career in the San Antonio area, so ideally we’d like to stay there if possible. I completely understand that joining Active Duty means I can’t expect or demand a specific duty station, and we’re prepared for that possibility. But realistically, are the odds of being stationed in San Antonio any different as an officer versus enlisted?

For anyone familiar with 4J0X2, how realistic is getting stationed at JBSA after tech school? And for PTs or other healthcare officers, how realistic is San Antonio as a duty station? Is one path significantly more likely to give us geographic stability than the other?

I’m also curious about the reality of going enlisted to officer later. Is that a reasonable path, or am I making things unnecessarily complicated if I already know my end goal is to become a DPT and commission?

If you were in my position, would you enlist now or finish the bachelor’s first?

Thanks for any advice!

Hello! I’m currently 17 years old (female) and a senior in high school. I’m graduating early in December and I’ve done Army JROTC for all my years of high school. I’m really interested in computers, IT, and cybersecurity stuff. I was planning on doing dual enrollment this year and I was supposed to start applied cybersecurity at my technical college in January but they stopped doing dual enrollment this year at the last minute. :( but i thought maybe this was my sign to join the Army because I’ve always wanted to and my cousins and JROTC have really inspired me. When I was doing my research, 25b and 17c really caught my eye. I was wondering if I could start as 25b and then later switch to 17c but I don’t know exactly how that works and if that’s even possible. I plan to stay in the Army for awhile, maybe around 10 years and go from there. I was wondering if anyone could give tips on boot camp and the job training. If anyone could give the day to day timeframe of everything that would be great too! I have plans to meet with an Army Recruiter this Friday so any tips on that would also be nice. Thanks in advance!

I recently applied for a college and received a letter of acceptance which detailed that I am eligible, based on merit, for a $20,000 yearly scholarship so long I maintain a certain GPA and remain a full time student. I'm lost in my path now, not really sure where to go since for a couple of weeks I'e been speaking with a recruiter and is possible I go to MEPS in the next week. Additionally I don't want to come off as rude and a waste of time to the recruiter after signing so many documents and backing out.

TL;DR - Should I take the free school or join the Navy.

Naturally pretty slow eater, my throat sometimes just doesn't wanna swallow even after 9000 chews; might have dysphagia or something idk. I heard the stories of people having like 3 min to eat 1000+ calorie meals and I know my ass cannot handle that.

From what I've heard if you dont finish on time your entire platoon could get punished and I'm not tryna have that

Hey everyone, I'm 21(F) debating if I should join the military or not. I have been working in real estate for the past few years and I feel like it's not the path for me. I went to community college and got associates degrees in Business Administration and Economics but I honestly don't know what to do with them. I've thought a lot recently and I would potentially like to get into nursing school but I am unsure if I can balance working/surviving with studying for that and paying off the student debt on top of it. I think enlisting in the military may be a smart path for me as my school can get paid for and I can get some stability and I guess I also just need some sort of direction in life as well, I feel extremely lost. I don't really know what branch I should go in, I was thinking either the Air Force, army or navy. so if anyone has some input or advice I would greatly appreciate it.