7 Things to Think About Before Joining the Military

Do you have what it takes?

1. Do Your Research!!!!

If you are thinking about joining the military you should do your research first. If you do your research you will know more about potential career paths you might want to pursue. You might even discover that there is a sign-on bonus. I did not do any research but jumped right in which is my only regret. My recruiter used my ignorance against me and signed me up for a contract for 6 years, for a job I was not interested in.

Don’t get me wrong, not all recruiters are bad. I just happened to find one that was more worried about the number, than me as a person. Do your own research and ask around. There are forums and websites where you can go and get a lot of information. Go straight to the recruiting websites and read what’s available. Educate yourself as much as possible.

Our biggest issue is that David and I often found out pertinent information after the fact. Like way after the fact. This was because we didn’t know what we were looking for. We didn’t know how to ask or realize that there were programs that can help us in just about any area. If you are having an issue somewhere, more than likely someone else has experienced this as well. This means that someone can help you or point you in the right direction. JUST ASK!!! Also, don’t take the word of just one person.

There are a lot of resources available, it is going to be well worth the time for you to ask. Try reaching out or joining some Veteran groups to ask questions. Most Veterans are more than willing to talk to you about their experiences. They will try to help you if this is the career path you want to follow. Check out Veterans Salute on Facebook. Everyone will have a different perspective on THEIR experiences with the military. It is up to you to make use of that information.

TIP: ALWAYS ASK IF YOU DON’T KNOW OR UNDERSTAND SOMETHING!

2. Really Think about your WHY.

One of the questions most service members get asked is why did you join the military? Take some time, and really consider what made you start thinking about joining the military. This is very important because once you have signed on the dotted line, you are locked into a contract for a period of years. Make sure that you consider the realities of the decision you are about to make and their long-standing impact on not just your life, but your whole family as well. Don’t join because you watched a movie that you thought was cool and that you would be doing something like that. Don’t romanticize military life.

Yes, there is a very good possibility that you will be doing some cool things but know that that happens maybe 25% of the time and I believe that I am being generous. Be aware that the majority of your time will be spent training for your MOS (military occupational specialty), working on your physical fitness, training (weapons, Combat Life Saving, Navigation, etc.) sitting around and waiting, and last but not least, busy work. Busy work is where you are made to do menial unimportant tasks just to keep you occupied and out of the way.

*While I was stationed in Fort Lewis, WA one of the favorite tasks that my platoon sergeant liked to assign us was unloading and loading quad cons or conexs. This was their all-time favorite. Rain or shine, hot or cold we were out there unloading and loading. Fun stuff 🙂

Determining your why is going to help you make the most of your decision and help you focus on your end goal especially when the job gets tough. If you have done the research and gotten whatever questions you had answered, then you are off to a good start.

Here are some examples of how this could impact you:

Pros:

You would have a steady job

You would have your basic needs met (food, shelter, money)

You would meet lots of new people and make friends.

You could travel to new places

You have education benefits before, during, and after the military as well as career possibilities once you decide to get out.

Cons:

You work long hours.

You do whatever job you are assigned

You go where you are sent

You have at least 3 people in your business making sure that you are taken care of.

Your job could be dangerous. (some would say that’s a good thing)

3. Desired Location

One of the things that you need to be aware of when thinking about joining the military is that you will more than likely be expected to move from place to place. If you do enlist, where would you like to go? Try to practice forward-thinking now to help you in the future. Take into consideration what Veteran benefits you might have when you get out. For example, education benefits. Some states like Texas, California & Florida have the Yellow Ribbon Program for Veterans that enlisted from these states. What is the Yellow Ribbon Program? It is a program that can help you pay for the higher out-of-state, private school, or graduate school tuition that the Post-9/11 GI Bill doesn’t cover. 

I understand that most people don’t really know where they want to wind up in the future because a lot of people have never been to another state other than the one they grew up in. This is the prime time to do some more research of places you might want to go to.

4. What is Your Desired Career Path?

As I mentioned earlier, I highly recommend that you do some research while you are thinking about joining the military so that you can determine what career path you want to take. This will help when determining your MOS. Do you have any particular area/areas you are interested in? Try to come up with 3-5 fields that you wouldn’t mind pursuing as a career. If you have the discipline and the forethought too, perhaps you should consider something that you could do after you get out of the army. This way you get a lot of hands-on experience, and education in this field while you are an active-duty soldier.

Here is an example:

You go into the army as an x-ray tech. You have experience, up-to-date training, etc. When you get out, you could potentially jump straight into the civilian sector with no issues.

This type of planning can only help you transition better when you do eventually get out. This only makes you more marketable to future civilian employers. *Bonus Do some additional research to find out if the job that you like might be offering a bonus! If so, ask. Even if there is not much info about it, ASK ANYWAYS!

5. What is your end game?

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years or so? What are your plans for getting there? I joined because it was my ticket out of the Philippines and a chance at a better-paying job. What is it for you? Once you get in, what do you want to get out of it? Is it experience? Education? Security? An escape? Only you know the answer to that. Once you answer that question then you will be able to move ahead to plan your end game.

David and I made a huge mistake in not having an exit plan. What would we do? Where would we go? How would we get there? This would have helped us transition so much better. When we got out, we were both so lost because military life was all we knew. We had both been part of OIF and OEF that we felt guilty for getting out.

Despite my experience with my recruiter, I did like my job in the end. Since David and I were both on active duty, that was our life. We took it one day at a time. We did not want to be ‘lifers’ by any means, but we weren’t in a hurry to get out either. We took it for granted. We didn’t plan ahead for anything unless we had a four-day weekend, leave, or a deployment coming up.

If you think that the best way to achieve your goal is by joining the military, then by all means do so. Make sure that you have an exit strategy. I got out because I was a new mother, while David was medically retired. You can imagine how hard the transition was for both of us.

We don’t want you to make the same mistakes we made. Plan ahead. If you want to reach a certain rank, then WORK FOR IT! You want to get as much education as you can knocked out while active, THEN SIGN UP for classes and get them done. If you want to save a nice amount to be comfortable when you get out as you figure out your next move? Then do something about that while you can. Make a plan for either of these things or even something I have not mentioned and execute that plan.

This will make it easier for you and your family (if you have one) in the end. You might think that being in the military is a pretty steady job, but s*%$ happens and you might find yourself out faster than you thought.

6. How long are you willing to give?

I enlisted for 6 years, and I didn’t get much room to negotiate because of the recruiter. This was my fault also because I did not do my research. You can enlist anywhere from 3-8 years. Know that the military owns you and can call you back at any time during those 8 years. This is when you are no longer active and IF they need you.

This is because there is an 8-year minimum service obligation to the military. If you only enlisted for 3 years of active duty service, you will then be placed on the Inactive Ready Reserve status (IRR).

If you want to be a little bit more active than that, you could always join the Reserves or the National Guard.

7. What Branch do you want to join and why?

Before I joined, I had my father’s friends tell me not to join one branch or another for their own reasons. Everyone on my father’s side was Airforce, while he was Navy, and I joined the Army. I don’t know why I never considered the Marine Corps.
I know that I did not want to join the Navy because I get motion sick. I also could not picture myself on a boat for an extended period of time. Despite my ASVAB score, height & weight, I don’t know why I did not join the Airforce. I imagine it had something to do with my recruiter at the time and how I trusted him too much.

I recommend that you browse the webpage of EACH branch to see what they offer. Think about which one you would be most comfortable with. This is because once you sign the dotted line you will be stuck until your contract is up! Take the time and do your research. Think about this life-changing decision you are on the precipice of making.

Conclusion

Although I might not have gotten what I wanted when I started, I actually enjoyed my job and the perks it gave me. Especially while deployed. There are plenty of great things that you can experience with the military. You have to open your eyes to see and appreciate them.

Whatever you do in the end, I wish you the best!!!