I've been thinking about the military for some time. I've also thought about a lot of other career possibilities, partly because I have no idea what I want to do with my life. My parents are well off and have supported me through college, although I have no made much progress for the last year or so. I'm currently 23, with about one year of schooling left. Perhaps I just don't want to deal with what happens after I graduate.

I've also thought about law enforcement as a career, although the more I've thought about it, the less appealing its been. Also, my parents have a lot of connections, and I surely could get a job with a family friend, but somehow that doesn't feel right. Besides, when I worked for an engineering firm and a biotechnology company, I really didn't have the skills necessary to make it past the low-level jobs. I'm one of the best I know at computer troubleshooting (building and fixing computers), but my expertise in programming and other computer skills is limited, though I really helped my father develop his internet company. My current major is political science, which I am quite good at, and I may eventually start volunteering for political campaigns, but I need better credentials to do much in it.

One of my biggest problems is that I let myself off too easily. I won't ever let other people down, but when I get tired or sick, I sometimes let things like schoolwork go, with disastrous consequences. I recognize the problem, but I can't seem to solve it. Ironically, I often spend my free time fixing things up and improving my living space or the lives of those around me, but I don't always focus on what is important.


Reasons I would want to join the Army, National Guard, etc.:

1. I could learn new skills. I've always been interested in Military Science in particular, but it is pretty hard to learn much about it as a civilian. Specific career skills would also be useful, but I don't really want to train as a truck driver, cook, or airplane mechanic. I also don't want to focus on jobs that deal with skills I already know, like computers. I think I'd want one of the combat arms jobs (tanks, scouts, infantry, etc.).

2. Self-discipline. This gets repeated so often that it is almost cliched, but it is perhaps the biggest thing holding me back right now.

3. Delay having to choose a career. Frankly, I can spend a few years in the military, learning stuff, and then, hopefully, I'll have a better idea of what I want to do in life. Perhaps not, but at least I'll have done something useful in the meantime.

4. Serve my country. A lot of people joke about patriotism, especially in academia, but duty, to my country among other things, is very important to me. I might eventually go into politics, but a resume is actually a very minor concern. I am not a John Kerry. I've also already travelled over much of the world, so that isn't a driving factor either. I feel as if it is very important for me to serve my country at some point.

5. Feel useful. I feel kind of worthless right now, not really doing anything important. I am capable of great things, but I don't feel as if I've accomplished much. In the military, I'd want to be placed somewhere that my performance made an appreciable effect.


There are negatives to the military, such as:

1. Not being in control of your own life - this one will probably annoy me no end, but I think I can deal with it for a few years. Hopefully, I won't be assigned a job I hate, or sent to a hellhole.

2. Low pay - at least there are few expenses and some good benefits. I don't have any dependants, so this isn't such a big deal to me.

3. Danger - I'm not afraid of death (though I am afraid of permament injury, failure, and a host of other things). While I certainly do not wish to die, I am willing to risk it for a noble cause. In actuality, the chance of being killed in today's army is pretty low.

4. Time - I might end up having to stay longer than I want, especially if they use stop-loss orders.


I'm probably going to be academically suspended for one semester. Then, I'll have one more year of college. I don't know what to do during that downtime; I really do not wish to live at home, even though I get along well with my parents.

I could join the National Guard now and PROBABLY get my training in during that time period. One of my good friends is an officer in a tank unit about 10 miles from my parents' house. They seem like good guys and they value what they do. They also have openings available, as enlisted or officer. I am one inch too tall to be a tanker, but I could probably get around that. This particular unit is unlikely to deploy for the next year (most companies are retraining for different mission requirements), but nothing is ever certain. I visited them at the armory while they were training and spent the morning hanging out, so I got a general feel for the guys.

I probably have the option of being an officer. I believe that I need 90 hours of college credit by the time I'd finish Officer Candidacy School. Currently, I have 83.7. Somehow, I'd need to complete another half-semester before then. I need to ask more questions about how this is handled.

I could also join the army now and finish college later, but I might not have the option to be an officer. The National Guard recruitment guy couldn't give me advice here. If I joined the Guard and then eventually changed to full-time army, some things would carry over, while others (in particular OCS), would not. I really don't know if I could make the change, and if so, what the consequences would be.

I am not really clear on the minimum commitment. The army website says something about 8 years total... The National Guard Recruitment guy said something about 3 years, plus an additional three if I chose to pursue becoming an officer.

I feel as if the recruitment officer was not always entirely honest with me. He is a personal friend of my buddy in his unit, but I felt like it was pulling teeth to get him to tell me about stop-loss orders, length of deployments, and other things that I would really need to know. It makes me very uncomfortable not knowing about potential downsides, whereas if I was just told about them straight-up, I'd probably be OK with them.

-Biscuits