Get a degree and join up as an officer. Joining the Army or the Navy. Of course, there are plenty of great perks you can get from joining it, but also keep in mind that it also has its own share of drawbacks. Joining the military as an officer like my dad did is very hard these days. Don't necessarily give up on the idea of enlisting because of what the top comment says; enlisting can be an amazing experience and while more is expected of officers in terms of intelligence, more is expected of officers, period. For others, it is a gateway towards attaining self-reliance and maturity as well as get a chance to explore the world. You won't regret it one bit. The Navy is filled lots of folks who failed the mid-20's, escaped college debt or seeking paid college post-Navy, want to obtain citizenship, or accidentally knocked up an otherwise helpless money-sink of a woman. Physical Condition. I got lucky though, in regards to my duty station and lack of deployment. At the same time, it can also be a miserable experience if you end up with the wrong job. That’s about as complicated as I’d imagined my future in the Marine Corps, BEFORE boot camp. Oh, there's happy people and some that joined for the sake of their family's prior service; pride and patriotism and all that. My own situation was kind of similar to what some people talk about; I had a need to join and some people suggested I go through ROTC instead. Those are the factors I contended with and had to make peace with. NCO's are grunts. The Navy will care for Marines with Navy Bureau of Medicine and berth and feed them when on board Navy amphibious ships. Here’s the thing. However, there may be some very big benefits to waiting. Part of me wants to join the navy to travel and see the world before I go off and do police work and the other part of me just want to hurry up and get a 2yr degree and go be a cop somewhere. Thanks for the response. The safety nets make it easy to recover from fucking up your life, and college benefits are good. You'll also get your experience out on the streets so getting a cj degree is perfectly useless. Most new recruits are not necessarily thinking about their living quarters or medical benefits when deciding which branch of the military to join.To be sure, the best way to decide which branch of the service is best for you is to have a good sense of where your skills and career interests are, and choose based on the opportunities available. Top 10 Reasons the Navy is the Best Service. I've learned and experienced exponentially more than when in uni. Rising. 1. Whatever you decide, fucking stay in school. It gets better later, though. Criminal justice is something I am very knowledgeable in. That is if I decide 2yr or 4yr. Image: Defense.gov 1. Learn about the different ways to join the United States Navy as an enlisted Sailor or Officer. The non-HPSP student attends the actual civilian residency I attended and is paid according to 2010-2011 rates paid by the hospital. To join the Navy, you must: Be a U.S. citizen; or Legal Permanent Resident (Enlisted) Be between the ages of 17 and 39 to enlist or be between 19 and 42 to become an Officer* Have a high school diploma or GED equivalent (Enlisted) or have a four-year degree from an accredited university (Officer) One of these is being away from family and friends most parts of the year. If you can get a full ride scholarship, by all means, do that instead. Do not encourage lying. 10. If you think you need some extra structure and routine alongside the academics, join your school's ROTC program. You wanna pay for college? A family member who may have served in a particular branch, like a father that served in the Air Force 2. Joining the Army or the Navy. More posts from the newtothenavy community. Now if I go to the navy. Instead, you'll be encouraged to reach your academic goals by working in an environment where advanced education is supported. card. I work in the veterinary field in academia right now. Related Article: Top 20 Reasons To Join The Military. In my personal opinion I would say why waste time with the military if you can go to college for free? This is actually one of the most important questions you can ask. In some smaller naval commands, there typically aren't enough Masters-at-Arms (the Navy's military police) to guard all the bases' gates. I would assume it would be in something different based off of what job I get correct? In some smaller naval commands, there typically aren’t enough Masters-at-Arms (the Navy’s military police) to guard all the bases’ gates. The military is a very personal choice. Unless you go specialforces it can be a bit of a bummer action wise. Oceanfront property. They turn to the junior enlisted personnel who aren't even trained to guard a box of coloring books. Perhaps it would help you make up your mind. OP, listen to covracer. In the end it is only 10% more on the police test to join. So I don’t really need to worry about paying for college or anything. For others, it is a gateway towards attaining self-reliance and maturity as well as get a chance to explore the world. Learn about the different ways to join the United States Navy as an enlisted Sailor or Officer. What I'm going to say is highly controversial, but I only say this because I feel we need to confront the elephant in the room head on: You're better off learning actual life skills than going to college...right now. Cookies help us deliver our Services. I've read about all the educational benefits the Navy provides as well as job training that can help land civilian jobs after service. If you don't have Navy ROTC, or it's not a very strong program, maybe you should consider transferring, but bottom line, stay in school. if you want to add meaning or better experience to your life, go travel for a year. I haven't talked to Navy people I know personally about it, but it does appear to offer a variety of positive and negative perspectives on Navy life. Why not? For many, this is the only path to getting professional status. It is easy to surpass them, but I'm at the point, 5 years in and 2 to go, where I realize that the meaninglessness of my job is causing me stupid amounts of stress and mental fatigue. To join the Navy, you must: Be a U.S. citizen; or Legal Permanent Resident (Enlisted) Be between the ages of 17 and 39 to enlist or be between 19 and 42 to become an Officer* The Navy isn't all sunshine and butterflies, the government owns you, literally. If I go the degree route, I have to like the subject that I’m learning, I’m not doing a degree in something I would never do in my life just because someone says don’t get one in criminal justice. Mental health in the military is taken very seriously, not just for the admission into the services, but also staying in the services as well. Everyone gets it so you'll look like every other applicant. He said it was on of the best things that could have happend. TL;DR the Enlisted Navy can equip you for life with a secure job and "housing" of some sort or another, and you will work with retards, but quickly advance beyond them. So, check out five things we wished we knew before joining the Navy. If you basically want to live in an underground sewer like maze in the middle of the ocean for 6 months at a time with no sunlight, yes. So I have been thinking about what I want to do for a long time now and I just can’t decide. If I went navy. Hot New Top. The military physician makes approximately $130,000 per year while in the service. (i've never been a member of the services). Are you willing to make less? I actually work with a bunch of police officers day to day right now. My brother joined the Air Force. Honestly, If I could do it all over again I would have not spent my dad's life insurance money on college and I would have joined the Air Force instead. Enlistment, for many, is an easy way out of whatever situation they are currently in, they view it as a solution to their problems, when really, the problem is with you. Join. A lifelong dream to serve in one particular job in the service (like wanting to be a Navy SEAL) 3. You are a fucking Idiot, congrats on being ignorant. The benefit of joining the USMC is you get to be a MARINE. Joining the US Navy can be a fun, fulfilling, and rewarding career choice. They work more long hours than enlisted and take their work home more often. I did it. It is easy to surpass them, but I'm at the point, 5 years in and 2 to go, where I realize that the meaninglessness of my job is causing me stupid amounts of stress and mental fatigue. 1. Sailors can be promoted based on performance, and enlisted sailors have to earn an increase in rate. Both the Army and the Navy offer the same basic ways you can join. Let’s look at potential dangers and downsides to joining the Air Force. No, 25 is not too old to join the military. Also in the Navy, if you can, don't let them stick you doing stuff that doesn't even remotely transfer over to civilian life. I didnt think about traveling. Do you want to stay home? Are you more cut out for the Army, the Navy, the Marines, the Air Force, or the Coast Guard? What ever you decided to do with your life, MAKE SURE YOU OBTAIN SOME SKILLS THAT YOU CAN SELL. I'm hoping the navy can help me break free from the average/boring life I'm living now. Want to learn about deploying, finances, mental health, cross-rating, and more? History of the U.S. Navy . Edit: I am 27 years old. Preferably county or state. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/newtothenavy/comments/6mxv7c/links_to_official_information_on_every_enlisted/. 1. I am graduating high school early. Sure, if you want to give up 2-5 years of your life. I have friends who chipped paint on ships and did all sorts of undesirable work. Worth what? Why do you stay enlisted? The military, in general, only seems to want engineers. The goal of investing your time doing things for other people is to get some marketable experience out of it. The pay scale for enlisted personnel the Navy, as in all branches of the military, depends on a sailor's rank, or as it's called in the Navy the sailor's rate, as well as his years of service. Have you seen Carrier? The Air Force has more of a relaxed, tempered, and less desperate climate. For information regarding Navy enlisted ratings, see [Twisky's Rating Information Guide] (https://www.reddit.com/r/newtothenavy/comments/6mxv7c/links_to_official_information_on_every_enlisted/). 10 Cons of Serving in the Air Force I asked him just what the hell he expected of me. Be it ever so humble, the Navy forces you -- just forces you, Dear -- to live near an ocean. Each branch of the military has specific training parameters, and we'll find out if you are best suited for the Navy or another one of our finest fighting forces. ROTC was annoying as fuck and I ended up dropping out of college and enlisting anyway, and while I found it doesn't "give" you any qualities you didn't have before, you will have plenty of opportunity to learn things about yourself and gain better opportunities to self-assess. A forum to discuss Navy Recruiters, processing at MEPS, Delayed Entry Program, Enlisted Ratings, "A" Schools, Officer Candidate School, Recruit Training Command, and transferring to your first command. I believe most, if not all, of the branches offer a system for the enlisted men to get into the schools during their active status. While most future enlistees dream of becoming a Navy SEAL or Naval Aviator, the simple truth is this… The Navy is absolutely enormous. He straightend out his life and learned vaulable things that he can apply to everyday life. I would be joining the navy for the travel and the experience. It is a means to an end. It offers quality and free education, as well as training. The Navy created A.S.F. That equals respect and combat Why should I join the (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines)? Those r both paid for. It’s common for military recruits to join the military right after high school. Thanks in advance. Top 10 Reasons the Navy is the Best Service. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. There are a few things you need to be prepared for if you wish to go down this route. You will most definetely be a grunt in some term of the word, probably see some amazing things and make really good friends. Hope someone is able to help! For out-of … No matter what I decide. If you wanna be a cop be a cop, why beat around the bush. Afterwards, if you choose to do so, you can go to college and have the government help pay your way. By 'It' I mean worth the trouble of joining/training/all around experience. No personally identifying information (PII). What's even worse, there sometimes isn't enough room in the budget to pay civilians to defend those iron fences either. This is something that I have discussed with them numerous times. I'm going to community college and wondering if I should finish a couple years of community college then go to navy or just see how life is going after a couple years? OFFICER OPPORTUNITIES FOR CURRENT ENLISTED SAILORS While most Officers possess a college degree, there is no degree requirement to become a Chief Warrant Officer or a Limited Duty Officer. Don't get a criminal justice degree if you want to be a cop. In my experience, this is what the vast majority of the enlisted corp is made up of. The average Navy enlisted person can spend a significant amount of time each year at sea. Why he didn't go commissioned, I don't know. There are also differences in education benefits, assignments, job guarantees, education programs, and enlistment/re-enlistment bonuses. Pay rates taken directly from 2011 military pay tables. I have friends who went to Iraq and Kuwait, some liked it some didn't. Some require it be specifically in criminal justice or criminology. Posts Rating Information Wiki. That being said, many join for the opportunity to experience a deep feeling of comradery and teamwork or to even better their ability to work with a team since it is such an essential life skill. For many, this is the only path to getting professional status. Related Article: Top 20 Reasons To Join The Military. My step dad was forced into the navy after trouble with the law. Most of them. All the additional duties. I was Navy, the few Marines that were on our base were better service men then 5 navy guys combined. It’s just not in your best interest. Both organizations are tier 1 special ops organizations which is the top level of the special operations organizations. College is 100% paid for already. My dad joined the Air Force after law school and it provided a good opportunity for him to start his legal career. I dont know why I didnt, but maybe thats the experience I need. Don’t join the military. The Navy, while not as "rigid" as the Marines and Army, has many deep-set customs and traditions. screw that. It depends on the lifestyle, advancement prospects, and job you wish to pursue. When you join the military after college, you may gain the ability to fly through the rankings. This is one of the biggest reason I personally am joining the Navy Reserves, and I know many others have too. much like anything, you get out what you put in. what do you want it to be? BAH values from 2011 BAH calculator for a large military medical center. They may eventually make it to commissioned status, but the majority of NCO's stay grunts. Also, while you wait for a reply from a subject matter expert, try using the search feature! It is available from Netflix and on Hulu. There are too many kids with degrees out there right now without jobs and the military is being swamped with applications for those positions. So my parents work at the college that I would go to and I get free tuition because of that. If you want to join the armed forces, do it as an officer. Yes, I took some time and researched that and thought about it and decided that if I went reserves I would not get what I would want out of it the most which is travel and see different countries. Otherwise, you'll be like the rest of this "lost generation", spinning their wheels obtaining a bunch of accolades but lacking any value that people want to pay for. No seriously. My end goal is to be a police officer. However, there may be some very big benefits to waiting. Somethign you can take with you and use later. However, like everything else, what you get out of it will depend wholly on what you put in. After all, you’ll be spending the next 4 – 20 years of your life if you decide to commit to a branch. Your peers in the Navy will be less than the average redditor, as far as mental awareness and presence of mind goes. 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