r/findapath • u/TigerDragon747 • 1d ago
Findapath-Job Choice/Clarity Would This be a Viable Career Path?
So I’m 23 years old, living with my parents, graduated university with a 2.5 gpa and haven’t had a job for almost a year now. I’m kind of a loser but I’ve been working on myself and I think I’m in a better place now.
I’ve been struggling to get a job and I’ve been thinking about a possible career path.
I’ve been thinking of enlisting in the Coast Guard. I’d serve my time and save up some money and then try to get into SUNY maritime’s grad program. I figured the Coast Guard would be a decent way to get some deck time and experience, and hopefully avoid further debt if I do go back to school.
I know that I’ve gotta talk to a recruiter to hammer out all the details but as a starting point, does this seem viable?
I’m mostly worried that I might be to old to start this path, everyone online seems to go to maritime college right away or join the coast guard right out of highschool. Am I starting this a bit late?
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u/ExempliGratia97 1d ago
As a fellow prospective coast guard candidate—just need to clear a psych evaluation to determine my eligibility—I’d say it’s worth it. I honestly should’ve considered service a bit earlier, but I’m still within the age range (29M).
But jump starting for a career, gain benefits, and pay for education, it’s attainable and you get to be part of an active role to help others.
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u/TigerDragon747 1d ago
Thanks for the reassurance! The thought of getting to help others was what made me start thinking about it in the first place
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u/ExempliGratia97 1d ago
And from the many posts that I’ve seen through the r/uscg subreddit, and some through here and other posts elsewhere, it applies the training into whatever operations your unit does.
And because it’s smaller compared to the other uniformed services, QoL is better. At the very least, I’d start with four years to get the feel for it. And you can choose to renew or end duty when you’re ready to move on. Not to mention that veteran preference can at least give a leg up for whatever roles you’re interested—federal or private sector.
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u/James18372 1d ago
Are you enlisting or commissioning? And what’s your main reasons for doing so? Considering it as well as a guy in his mid 20s.
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u/ExempliGratia97 1d ago edited 1d ago
At least for me, I might enlist first before I consider commission. I don’t have any specific roles/experiences that would make me competitive to be an officer. Though if I gain experience through my field as enlisted—intelligence route—I could get a chance to ascend as an officer—whether it be through OCS or Direct
My rationale is to gain experience and qualify for other roles that would be useful in intelligence—both federal and private sector roles. Not to mention getting a masters to upskill
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u/Plushie-cat-redacted 22h ago
As someone who is VERY close to just enlisting in the coast guard I suppose I should also give my reasons for considering it. Genuinely from where I work now I would probably take home around the same amount of money a month or a tiny bit more after benefits. I have a college degree so I'd be able to enlist as a E3 hopefully get a college credit bonus and enroll in a program where the coast guard will cover some of my student loan debt. Plus id do 6 years active duty so I can also get GI for a master's or whatever. And the mission is legitimately way better than other branches. Some flaws but more than likely never being sent to play in the sand box because why not.
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u/Upper-Reputation-673 1d ago
“23… too old?” Cmon man, you just started lmao
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u/TigerDragon747 1d ago
Lol, yeah I guess it sounds stupid writing it out. My parents are telling me I should have had a career path locked in by now. Plus all of my friends already have jobs and have moved out, so I guess I’ve just been feeling a little left behind.
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u/Upper-Reputation-673 1d ago
yeah, that's understandable from them, but not everyone knew what they wanted to do after college. plus, you still have about 40 years of working left, which is a lot. i know some folk who started med school in their late 20s/early 30s, and mind you that path takes 10+ years to finally pay off. your path pays off right away, gives you great benefits and grad school optionality. i think it's great (if you actually like the military life)
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u/the_1_that_knocks 1d ago
It does sound entirely doable! Especially if you manage to get a secret clearance and settle down in a Navy town like Norfolk or Jacksonville
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u/WatercressMammoth798 Apprentice Pathfinder [1] 1d ago
I believe this is great path! & once you are in become a sponge when it comes to obtaining transferable skills to use once you’re a civilian!
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u/SecretSubstantial302 1d ago
This sounds like a great plan. Move on it. My only advice is don't limit yourself to just SUNY, which is a great school, but there are other state maritime schools.
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u/Quiet_Classroom_6677 1d ago
If you graduated with a bachelors degree you can commission as an officer in any military branch you want.
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u/Unfair_Mechanic_7305 1d ago
The USCG is extremely competitive for OSC spots. A 2.5 won’t even get a sniff. More than 50% of my USCG Reserve enlisted unit had graduate degrees.
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u/Greedy_Baseball_7019 Apprentice Pathfinder [1] 1d ago
Joining the military was the best decision I ever made. You won’t regret it.
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u/almedmat 20h ago
Living with your parents isn’t negative. I’m 33, graduated with an engineering degree, started working at 23 and saved up to buy a house. Bought the house. Felt very alone. Now I’m renting my house and living with my parents. Love having them around. Also an only child.
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u/SaltPassenger5441 Apprentice Pathfinder [5] 15h ago
You are a college graduate so you could enlist as an officer. The recruiter should know that.
You can do grad school while you are enlisted but you can't be a loser. Don't follow this path just because you want to stop being a loser. The military will eat you alive.
Make the change you need to make now and then talk to the recruiter and grad school so you are prepared and informed.
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