Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

[AUChase]

I'm sure there is some useful knowledge buried deep in this forum and I'll be honest, I usually don't come here for this sort of advice, but I need some help.

I'll lay down some ground work for you.

I'm 22 with a decent job (Roughly 34,000 salary + commission) as a Sales Advisor for a company called Drive Time. There's room to move up in the company, but I've really had the urge to do something insane with my life, recently. I want to see other parts of the world and even the United States and I'm really not in any position to do that right now and I've always had sort of a weird fascination with the Coast Guard.

On the way to work today (I have an hour drive so there's plenty of time to think) I really started giving some thought to looking into the Coast Guard. I know it's not all fun and games and there's a lot of work involved, but It's something that I'm really starting to consider. If you had asked me, when I came out of high school, I would have laughed at you. Now, I'm 22 and I haven't accomplished any of my goals in life and I want to at least make sure I see the world and gain a really good perspective on life, before I hit 30 years old.

I'm mostly interested in the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Navy.

Do any of you that serve or have served have any real advice that may help me make the decision ? I don't want to lean on my family, only because they're always so negative about this sort of thing + even after I serve and if I don't make a career out of it (which would be unlikely with the Coast Guard) I still have a degree and can still go back to working for a company like DriveTime, because I have some really awesome references and know some people who are market managers and general managers.

I know this is a bit random, but I'm just reaching out for some advice. I'm tired of living in this damn state and I want to see other parts of the country/world and experience things the average person can't.

[TMagic]

Not to piggy back off your thread, but I'm interested as well. Just like you, I want to be able to see the world while Im young.

I was thinking about joining the reserves and I'm a little apprehensive about it.

[Crimsontide27]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

I spent 6 years in the Army and I can tell you that if you ask 10 people their opinions, you will get 10 different points of views and answers.

Looking back on it, if I had the hindsight that I have now, I would choose the Air Force over any other branch of service.

I had some amazing times in the military and I had some very miserable times while in service. Met many wonderful people who I still stay in contact with to this day.

The strongest advice I could give you would be to set yourself up for success while in the service, so that its a much easier transition back to the civilan sector.

For myself and many, many others.....when we decided to not re-enlist and leave the service, it was a huge shock to know that even though we had various military schooling, numerous awards and decorations, were combat vets with 2 tours of service overseas to Korea, Iraq, and Afghan....no one wanted us on the job market. Just something as silly as Best Buy / Wal Mart didnt even hire any of us.

Whatever branch you choose, choose a job ( MoS ) that can easily transition out to the public sector. I did the Infantry / Aviation route, thinking that being a helicopter mechanic would be a good trade to have outside the military....little did I realize that the civilian sector does not use Blackhawk mechanics much and those that do require them to have an Airframe and Powerplant certification ( which I have ), but only pay $13 an hour ( which I would have never believed it was so low for acft mechanic )

Now I am blessed to work in the video game industry, but only because I knew someone .... that knew someone else.....that knew someone hiring lol.

If you have any specfic questions, I can answer from my point of view. Everyones experience will be different depending on branch, job code , chain of command, duty station etc....so its hard to give a broad view that encompasses all the information that someone seeks.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

You don't have to join the military to see the world. But you know if that is something you REALLY want to do, then go for it. I was in the Army, my wife was in the Navy. My advice is don't think just because you are in the Navy or Air Force you can't get hurt. My wife got hurt in the Navy and now is 100% service connected.

But if I was you, you making pretty damn good money now for somebody your age. I would stay a civilian. Yeah I can understand wanting to get out of Alabama, see the rest of the world and the USA. But you making so much money that you really could do that on your own. Take a vacation and just road trip.

[dickey1331]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

Since you talked about wanting to join the Coast Guard I figured I should chime in. Hopefully this makes some sense as Im a little tired right now but if you have any questions Ill be sure to answer.

Ive been in 5 years. Im an E5 and my rate is an Operation Specialist (OS). As an OS, or any rate really, you have multiple jobs you can do. Like in the Navy for example an OS will pretty much do radio (I think thats what Navy OS do) while in the Coast Guard you are a jack of all trades and a master of none which can be good and bad. Right now Im at a Sector so we do Search and Rescue (SAR). If you yell mayday on the radio our Comms watchstander (CU) will answer up on the radio. During the SAR case our SAR controller (OU) will come up with a search plan to come save you and the Situation Watch (SU) mainly does non SAR things such as Law Enforcement, pollution, marine causality, etc. While on a Cutter (boat) you do a completely different job that really has nothing to do with SAR and there are several other type jobs that OS do.

As for money we make the same as any other branch. Being in Alaska as an E5 with 1 dependent (wife). I make around $60,000 a year. Im moving to Mississippi/Alabama this summer and Ill loose about $1500 a month.

I really enjoy the Coast Guard. Yes there are some days that really suck but hey you could have it a lot worse. I make a good amount of money, I have a secure job and I get all the benefits of being in the military. To me I think the Coast Guard is the best branch but I dont really want to go into too much detail on that.

You said you want to travel so I figured Ill tell you where Ive been. Im originally from Arlington (DFW), TX. Boot camp is in Cape May, NJ. My first unit I was a non-rate (E2/E3) at Station New Orleans. Its a small boat station so 41' and 25' boats. They did SAR and Law Enforcement. Went through a hurricane (Gustav) and a oil spill that happened on the Mississippi River. After that I went to A school to become an OS, which was in Petaluma (San Francisco), CA. My duty station after that was in Valdez, AK (TDY) then finally to Anchorage, AK. While Ive been here Ive done AOR trips to Kodiak, Whittier, Valdez, and Seward. I worked the Deepwater Oil Spill (BP) in Grand Isle, LA and now Im off to a boat in Mississippi in which Ill be getting to see some foreign countries.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

I've been in the Navy for 5 years. My advice is to do your research before you join. Look at everything the different branches have to offer. Don't rely on your recruiter for everything. Some recruiters may go above and beyond for you, but their primary job is to get you to sign up. I was very naive when I joined, and I see a lot of people coming in to the military who didn't do their research. Look at different jobs that interest you and try to get as much information as possible. Look at pay, benefits, physical training requirements, etc.

You mentioned you had a degree did you want to go the Officer route or the enlisted route?

If you have any specific questions or anything feel free to PM me anytime and good luck.

[baumy300]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

This is all really good advice.

Personally, I would not join the military if your sole intention is just to travel. It is something you have to be all in for or you will regret it the second you get on the yellow foot prints.

[AUChase]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

Thanks for the solid advice, fellas.

I'm going to think it over for about a month and get some things into perspective. It's not the fear or the thought of there being less of a chance of injury with the Air Force and Coast Guard, it's just that the jobs that come along with those branches interest me the most.

I'd love to work around water and I've been doing a bunch of research into the coast guard and while a lot of it looks like tough work, it looks like something I may would enjoy, also..

Like I said, I'm just trying to gain some perspective from some guys that I know have been there and done that. & Dickey, I actually had you in mind when I made this thread, I was just going to wait and see if you responded first, before I tried asking you through PM.

[seasprite]

I was a Chief in the Navy for 12 years. If you have any specific questions about the Navy, please ask.

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[AUChase]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

I'm sure I'll have something, as soon as I've done some more research. I've been trying to learn all that I can on my own, without relying on a recruiter. I've seen, first hand, how crooked some recruiters can be and I don't want to have to rely on one to help me make all of my decisions.

This is all assuming I went forward with this. It's just an option I'm giving myself and something I've been giving some serious thought.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

If I could do it all over again I would probably choose the Air Force. Quality of Life in the Air Force tops all other branches and from what I've seen the Air Force is a great service.

But you said you wanted to be around water and I don't think many jobs in the AF allow you to do that, although I know of a lot of AF bases in close proximity to water. The Navy and Coast Guard are similar and have some similar jobs.

[AUChase]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

The AF, Navy, Coast Guard just seem to be more interesting.

I hear their standards are more demanding, though. From what I understand, don't you have to score higher to get into those branches ?

[Buckeyes_Doc]

The AF, Navy, Coast Guard just seem to be more interesting.

I hear their standards are more demanding, though. From what I understand, don't you have to score higher to get into those branches ?

Typically its tougher to get into those branches because more people are trying to get into those brances. If you score well on the ASVAB you will have a lot more job options. If you score low or not high enough the job you want may not be available and your job options will be limited.

Across the board its tough to get into the military. With the state of the economy more people are turning to the military and more people are staying in the military. It is very demanding now and they are looking for anyway to disqualify people, but the Navy is still bringing in 40,000 plus recruits a year, but the job you want may not always be available.

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[12]

Re: Military Vets/Currently Service: I need advice!

When I was your age, which wasn't that long ago, I was in the Navy's Delayed Entry Program (DEP). I did very well on the ASVAB and the job I picked was a CTR (Cryptology Technician). It was in the Intel field. I was young, it sounded cool, and I did some research and the opportunities it would provide after my enlistment sounded pretty enticing.

Two weeks before my ship date, my back went out on me during PT. I went to the doctor and they ran an MRI which revealed some disc issues. It pushed my ship date back six months.

To make a long story short, I didn't end up going in. I don't regret it because my life is great, but if I were 22, single, and was in a rut or wanted to get away, I would give the Navy or Coast Guard a long look. Both are good branches.

[dickey1331]

It's also hard to get into the Coast Guard especially now. They pretty much aren't giving out any waivers and they are picky about who they pick. I talked to a recruiter in Miami recently and he said they are focussing on females and minorities as the CG has poor numbers in those categories. I've heard people waiting a year to finally ship out. I only waited a month after Meps so it really depends on the area and when you talk to them.


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