best military branch for engineering--military pays for college

[JERRY2KONE]

[QUOTE=t-maxxracer32;253988]lots of replys since ive logged on... where to start..

ill just adress the points that i remember.

someone said that i need to start doing something with my life or something about i should be in college and i just wanna say that i am enrolled in my community college taking 5 classes so even though i am not sure how i am paying for college... i am going!

secondly... i talked to my mom about it for a couple minutes this morning and she really doesnt like the idea of me being in the military, but that is pretty typical.

i am going to look into talking with a couple recruiters in the next couple weeks and see how that works.

do they pay for my room and board while im at colllege? is it a FULLLL ride or do they dish out a couple thousand a year? if i go with the ROTC


Our oldest son Robert 24 is enrolled in, and going to school at Sacramento State right now doing kind of the same thing you are, and running up student loans and working two jobs trying to get by the hard way. Our number two son Jr 22 has already completed two years at the New Mexico Military Institute earning his AA degree, and now he is enrolled at Western Florida University completing his other two years as a reservist. He signed up for the National Gaurd reserves and they pay for everything. He gets a housing allowance, tuition, and regular pay for esentials. It is not a ton of money, but he has been living off campus with friends, and seems to be doing just fine without our help. Once he completes his BA requirements he will serve as a 1st LT/O-2 in the US Army until he transfers to the US Border Patrol, which is his career choice. His goal is to finally end up working for the US State Department which is what we do now. He has seen the light and knows how good things are working for the Secretary of State. So yes it is a so called free ride, but you will not get rich or live a life of luxury going that route. Still it is better than finishing school and owing $100K in loans. And this is not an easy route either, because you have to maintain a certain GPA in order to keep your status with the military. If you fall behind for too long, they will cut off funding, BUT you still owe them a commitment. SO that is the key in all of this. You have to be committed to whatever your goal is. Our son has a good time, but this is not hte route to go if you plan on just partying and having a good old time.

[t-maxxracer32]

i dont party right now. i have never gotten drunk or smoked.. im a pretty good kid with real high goals in life. i plan on getting As and high Bs in college. when i put my mind to something i get it done.

i want to have 26k saved up by the end of college and i will.

i want to make 100k a year by the time im 40 and will get that done too.

i know that i will have a very hard time acheiving all this, but i look to the future more than the present.

eventually i will be one of those old rich dudes who does not have to do anything because he worked his ass off his entire life

i cant wait!

Sounds like 20 years in the military is the goal then. They can actually get you to those goals. $100k a year by 40, as long as you are an officer, no problem. Being a rich dude who doesn't work, not to bad considering you can retire after 20 years, roughly around 42 depending on your age now, and come out with a 50% pay retirement package, which is around $60k a year, backed by the US government.

I know it sounds like a long road, and it is, but it is worthwhile. You will have something that you can be immeasurably proud of for the rest of your life. Plus if you pick up a good "hobby job" to work at after you get out, you only are adding to that $60k. Hey, I'm just saying.

[JERRY2KONE]

FIREWIRE has been passing on some good info(way to go), and with my experience he is telling you pretty much like it is. There are pros and cons to every situation and nothing is for free. In order to make a good career out of the military or anything else for that matter you have to work pretty hard at it and make the best of it. I have learned an aweful lot from my 20+ years in the US Navy, and I can tell you that the training I received not only opens a lot of doors for me now, but once people see my work ethic and the level of expertice that I bring to the table from that training I gain the respect that I deserve. Not just for the 20+ years I served, but from the knowledge and experience that I bring to the job no matter what the job is. I have had a ton of technical training in a lot of different areas, but very little college education. I never liked the whole bookwork side of school and had no desire to spend 4 to 6 years in a classroom.

I am a hands on guy, and the military gives that to you, and then throws you right into situations that give you some serious responsibilities as a leader/supervisor that will test you to the limits of your own character. It is overwhelming at first, but the best of people rise to the top pretty quickly. Just like anything else you will surprize yourself sometimes as we are all much more able then we give ourselves credit for sometimes. Don't be afraid of the commitment level or the responsibility positioning. It all works out as long as you put yourself out there and take some calculated risks. This is your life man. Take the reigns and go for it. Wheather it is college or the military or whatever don't be hesitant and waste valuable time and money.

[t-maxxracer32]

waste valuable time and money. that is the saying of the day...

this is the biggest thing... currently i am not wasting time but i am wasting money my parents have saved up for me (its not technically a waste.... but i could be using other peoples money)

i was looking at some websites and the navy seems to have the best program as far as the ROTC goes. they are willing to give the most money and their website looks better than others

ima try and talk to a navy and air force recruit next week!

[George16]

Don't commit to anything until you tell us what those Navy and AirForce recruiters tell you. Keep in mind that for every benefit or anything they tell you, have them put it into writing and signed by both of you. I can't stress this enough.

Good luck.

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by George16

Don't commit to anything until you tell us what those Navy and AirForce recruiters tell you. Keep in mind that for every benefit or anything they tell you, have them put it into writing and signed by both of you. I can't stress this enough.

Good luck.

SEE car salesmen plain and simple. That is what I mean. YOu have to watch your back. Do not sign anything on the first visit no matter how sweet the deal sounds. I have a rule of thumb for you. Get all of teh info you can and sleep on it for at least one day before signing anything. Double check what they tell you with on line resources and friends(like us), then you can make a reasonable, informed decision. Don't trust some one you just met and don't trust yourself once they start throwing benefits at you. If it is not in writing when you sign the dotted line turst me you will not get it.

You are correct SIr. The Navy does have the most punch for your efforts. I do not know why that is, but for some reason the Navy has always had the best offers in education and bonuses. I became a mechanic and on my second enlistment I received a "re-enlistment bonus" of over $10K. There are some that are up to $30K for specialized programs like Nuclear power billets. Money is the key. Why spend all of your parents hard earned money, when you can do this all on your own with the assistance of military programs. Let you parents enjoy their retirement with the money they saved. I am sure that they would gladly pay your way, but that is not the point. Your a man now so do it your way. If they still insist tell them to buy you a new car for graduating from Boot Camp.

[George16]

Jerry, the re-enlistment bonuses for Nukes are now up to about $90K. Ratings like Fire Control, Electronics Tech are now receiving up to $65K. I only got a total of $55K when I re-enlisted 3 times(20,20,15) .

They got rid of the "cap" for the amount of re-enlistment money.

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by George16

Jerry, the re-enlistment bonuses for Nukes are now up to about $90K. Ratings like Fire Control, Electronics Tech are now receiving up to $65K. I only got a total of $55K when I re-enlisted 3 times(20,20,15) .

They got rid of the "cap" for the amount of re-enlistment money.

Yea that is the one thing that I miss out on now. From the day I retired I have felt like I am out of touch, because you no longer have unlimited access to all of the updated information. I am sure that alot of things have changed in the last 10 years. If you think time goes fast now while you are still serving, wait until you reitre Lito. The last ten years went by like I blinked and missed it. Life goes on. Anyway yea I have known a few nukes who had gotten out and managed to get into civil areas for nuke power, and they are now making a ton of $$$$K money. SO without the bonuses they would never keep those guys in for long. WOW I just realized that with my retirement I have already collected nearly $200K just in monthly benefits. Plus I have used military medical facilities an numerous occassions adding up even more benefit savings. That is why I joined in the first place. Making sure that I am covered for the rest of my life. Thanks for the update Lito

[jayjay283]

MAn though, they really want people now, 120,000k gauanteed by 40-45, sounds good these days, I have odd crap finances but Id go that way even so. Jobs suck, want to sit in a cubicle for 12 years ? I did ..ever see that movie "office space" that was me except the humping Jennifer Aniston part, just a nightmare, if it wasn't for the guy in the cubicle next to me day trading and not working Id still be in that box of hell. Running through a jungle sounds alot better than that crap unless you are sure you are a 100% Nancy who wants got get fat and die from donuts opposed to a bullet


BTW I used to strangle, pressure point, and beat a Marines ass at nintendo soccer EVERYDAY

[rc4x4nut]

Yeah right now if I opted to re-up Im getting a 90k bonus. Do I take that or do I get the job that pays 90k a year? Its a tough choice especially with todays economy. I wonder how long the bonus will stay? With the economy being as it is and younger folks making a dash for the recruiters I dont think retaining people is going to be a problem even without the bonus.

[JERRY2KONE]

Originally Posted by rc4x4nut

Yeah right now if I opted to re-up Im getting a 90k bonus. Do I take that or do I get the job that pays 90k a year? Its a tough choice especially with todays economy. I wonder how long the bonus will stay? With the economy being as it is and younger folks making a dash for the recruiters I dont think retaining people is going to be a problem even without the bonus.

Most youngsters today have a hard time making any kind of commitment let alone joining the military, which by the way is a 4 year bang right out of the gate. Teenagers that have (lets say) a passive nature about them steer clear of any military affiliations, and the ones who have an aggressive nature will either have a criminal record or psych issues, which both will disqualify them. When I joined years ago most of the friends that I grew up with soon followed into one branch or another. Out of like a dozen kids only 3 of them actually made it through their first year, 2 died in the first year, and the one who did make it only stuck it out for 4 years and got out. A lot of people just cannot deal with Military life in general even if the money is a solid living.

I was a bootcamp DI for 5 1/2 years, and the atrition rate for the Navy was something like 25% to 35%(just for bootcamp. Special programs that rear the kind of bonuses that you mentioned have more like 80% to 90% loss rates in the first 1 to 2 years due to the high acidemic demands and stress levels. These are the things that no one tells you up front because they don't want to scare anyone away, but this is the reality of recruiting and trying to make (invisable) quotas. Yes that bonus money is there for the taking, but actually achieving the requirements to get it are very tough in deed and pretty much reserved for the top 5% of all military people.

[rc4x4nut]

Originally Posted by JERRY2KONE

Most youngsters today have a hard time making any kind of commitment let alone joining the military, which by the way is a 4 year bang right out of the gate. Teenagers that have (lets say) a passive nature about them steer clear of any military affiliations, and the ones who have an aggressive nature will either have a criminal record or psych issues, which both will disqualify them. When I joined years ago most of the friends that I grew up with soon followed into one branch or another. Out of like a dozen kids only 3 of them actually made it through their first year, 2 died in the first year, and the one who did make it only stuck it out for 4 years and got out. A lot of people just cannot deal with Military life in general even if the money is a solid living.

I was a bootcamp DI for 5 1/2 years, and the atrition rate for the Navy was something like 25% to 35%(just for bootcamp. Special programs that rear the kind of bonuses that you mentioned have more like 80% to 90% loss rates in the first 1 to 2 years due to the high acidemic demands and stress levels. These are the things that no one tells you up front because they don't want to scare anyone away, but this is the reality of recruiting and trying to make (invisable) quotas. Yes that bonus money is there for the taking, but actually achieving the requirements to get it are very tough in deed and pretty much reserved for the top 5% of all military people.

You hit the nail right on the head. A lot of young kids cant adapt to the military life and they dont like to be told what to do. They enjoy being able to do what they want and when they want and not having any real responsibility.

Academics...another big disqualifier. They seem to think that once you got in the military you dont really have to study anymore. Im not sure about other jobs but my job we have between 10-18 4" binders filled with military and base regs that have to know. It sounds like a lot but it really isnt.

The combination of both not being able to adapt and keeping up with academics I started withdrawal paperwork of 11 out of 13 newbs in the past 1 1/2 year.

[JERRY2KONE]

Just another thought. The thing that most young men and women seem to have a hard time with is finding their place in the chain of responsibility and doing their part. Sure everyone is afraid of taking the first step into adulthood. That is just the way life is. Many people think if they hold some kind of control over their lives that they can do wahtever they want. Well that is just not the way things work. If you don't put out a good effort, then you will only get so far in life with your dreams. If you want to succeed,, then you have to be willing to sacrifice in blood, sweat, & tears plain and simple. Joining the military helps people do just that and in a hurry to. There is no time to sit around questioning what to do and what not to do. Being in the military forces you to move fast, because our nations security is vital our survival, and a lot of that responsibility lies with the military strength of its people/service members. I have seen people who had no sense or idea of what any of that meant, but the military way of life forces you to do just that. You will learn quickly or get left behind in a hurry. Watching others pass you by is a good motivator to. The question is what do you want in life, and what are you willing to do in order to get there? Make your peace with God and get moving. Don't be one of those kids who live off of your parents and make them pay for your mistakes and laziness. I am not pointing any fingers, just stating the facts.

Try coming into the Military as an adult. I was 27 when I signed my enlistment paperwork. I had held several middle management positions in various jobs. This prior work experience has both hindered and helped my military career. Funny how that works.

As a civilian I learned to speak my mind and question my bosses intentions. Those of you that have served can see how this can be a problem. My leadership loves me because I do things like show initative, take charge in certain situations, and report anything that needs to be reported (be it negative or not, sometimes your boss is just out of the loop) to whoever needs to know. Basic civilian stuff, at least when you are in management.

At the same time they hate me as I will contradict an E-7 if I have to. I usually will not, but if their orders are not in the best interest of my troops, as their squad leader I feel it is my responsibility to look out for my men, and work with my E-7 to come to some sort of agreement.

Here's the story. My E-7 wanted me to write a non-promotion counseling for someone whom he considered to be a substandard soldier. The problem is, my E-7 doesn't work with the Soldier in question and was not in a position to evaluate his performance. I politely told him that I thought the soldier in question would make an excellent NCO and thrives when responsibility and duty are thrust upon him. Pressure makes him reach his potential. Shortly after I told my E-7 this, I was relieved of my position as squad leader for insubordination. No disciplinary action or anything, he just thought that I was not ready to lead. Which is funny, as I thought looking out for your soldiers and questioning your superiors were good characteristics to find in a leader.

Thanks for reading my rant too. And like I said, don't wait to long to join the Military or it becomes both easier and harder all at the same time.