im looking for an unbiased opinion

[gijoeyl33]

You can also negotiate Enlistment bonuses (cash), college funding options and how much, specialtiy schools to include...airborne school and so forth, duty station preference, job, thats prolly about it

Thats it. Job and ( maybe ) location. No condo's on the beach are included.

I got a base of choice after I served 1 year at a remote base overseas.

I saw in today's paper that the Army is going to start keeping soldiers at bases for 6 yrs before they rotate them.

[EXCOP2000]

My calculations for the pay grade website says that as an 0-1 (2nd Lt) you would make $27,168...so I am not sure where you got the $17,000 for officers??? I remember when I went into the USMC a 2nd Lt. made around $22,000 (1992) but I still decided to go in enlisted to learn the ropes and not be the platoon commander from "Platoon". Good luck with your decision.

[cecilVA]

well put it this way, USA. Officers branch, they don't have 'jobs' or specific MOSs like enlisted soldiers have. Purely managorial.

Not true, officers also have specific MOSs or AFSCs just like enlisted, only the codes are a little different. But an officer will more of a role as manager vs. worker. But don't be mistaken, an officer has every opportunity to work his butt off as much as his/her troops.

Family life is tough in the military, no doubt about it. However there is also a good support network among the military. Units and their respective spouses really come together when a unit deploys. Of course relationships do turn south, sometimes nothing can be done about that.

Pay as an officer is not 17000 a year, that is just your base pay. You also get a nontaxable housing allowance that varies based on where you are at, your rank and if you have dependents. You also get COLA in some locations. Its hard to estimate your pay because the housing allowance is variable. But generally speaking, you won't be rich by any means but you shouldn't starve. Now enlisted troops get screwed in my opinion, their pay is too low considering the job they do.

All the earlier post about a degree and being an officer are true. Don't have to be an officer to have one. Heck some enlisted troops have PhDs!! They just love what they do and don't want to become an officer. As far as a good major, it doesn't matter one bit. Certain majors usually go into certain career fields however (engineering, meterology, etc.). I've known AF pilots who were History majors.

[CXT_180]

I'm pretty sure a new butterbar (2LT) in the Army earns about 30K a year. If you want good pay family life and the nicest bases join the Air Force.
I think the Army is starting to assign duty stations for longer periods of time to make family life easier. The military is accomodating to a point, (just like anything else) there are good things and bad things.

[sgtbear111]

Officer or enlisted, a good career. It's high performance and not a career for those accustomed to conveniences.

[ngcsubutterbar]

http://usmilitary.about.com/library/...officermos.htm

[EXCOP2000]

Why have you ruled out...The Few, The Proud, The Marines...?

[hokiepokie]

i live in oceanside, ca (home of camp pendleton). there are almost as many marines as civilians around here. literally every marine i have spoken, except two or three, have said they wish they hadn't signed up. i can respect their opinion and not let it make my decision for me, however the intensity and passion in which they told me they hated what they do-it just flat out turned me away.

[hokiepokie]

my main concern is being moved every single year. what are your guys experiences on being re-stationed over and over? can you ever object or make it a voluntary thing? once again, i am talking mostly coast guard but i would like to hear what experiences you guys have from all branches. thanks.

[gijoeyl33]

you can get stablization at a certain base yes, but understand there are so many ways to do so many different things it rediculous. but in the coast guard. they have very few bases, so they dont relocate that much, but dont forget you will be leaving for months at a time to go play on the boat in the water

my main concern is being moved every single year. what are your guys experiences on being re-stationed over and over? can you ever object or make it a voluntary thing? once again, i am talking mostly coast guard but i would like to hear what experiences you guys have from all branches. thanks.

[hokiepokie]

you can get stablization at a certain base yes, but understand there are so many ways to do so many different things it rediculous. but in the coast guard. they have very few bases, so they dont relocate that much, but dont forget you will be leaving for months at a time to go play on the boat in the water

Thank you for replying. I understand that i may have to go "play on the boat in the water" . that is ok with me. i just want my wife to be able to have a career at one place and my kids to be at the same school (im not married yet nor do i have kids but i plan on it).

thanks again everyone.

[EXCOP2000]

hokiepokie,
This is just a guess on my part but I would be willing to bet that the Marines you spoke with who hated it were junior enlisted and probably 03 Infantry Marines. I say this because I was an 0331 Machinegunner and AFTER boot camp and SOI when I went to my first infantry unit life did suck. When you are a PFC or junior LCPL in a Marine infantry unit the NCO's for some reason make your life hell and also just the nature of what infantry units do is hell (long "humps" or road marches up to 25 miles, long field op's in all climates and weather, ridiculous barracks and gear inspections at all hours, long deployments...etc....) but when you get to the level of Corporal or Sgt then you life will change. I admit that I hated MY LIFE in the USMC for awhile not because I hated the USMC, but I hated the a**hole NCO's and Staff NCO's who seemed to enjoy making life miserable for junior Marines. When I finally became an NCO and got to chance to lead Marines I enjoyed the Corps alot better (an also some of the a**holes went away) but usually on a 4 year enlistment you may not make Corporal until 2.5-3 yrs. in and for Sgt you almost have to reenlist. So...my suggestion is that if you are going to enlist, avoid O300 as an MOS. Look into the M.P.'s, Military Intel, Legal clerk, computers, avionics or something that is more "job" focused and not pure combat infantry focused. Also consider being an officer. If I could go back I would have gotten the USMC to pay my way through law school and I would have been a JAG officer. All branches of service have MOS's and ranks where you life will suck. Many people in the Navy scrape paint on ships if they did not get an MOS. I am sure jr. enlisted in the Army is similar to the USMC. Air Force they go to basic in "dorms" instead of barracks (and supposedly they have phones in the rooms) so most people in the AF probably like it. The USMC is definitely not for everyone due to the nature of what they do, but do some research, I wouldn't write them off totally, you JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW TO JOIN AND WHAT MOS TO TRY TO GET. The USMC taught me alot about myself and about life in general. It made me much tougher mentally and physically and I now look at the "bad" times with a grain of salt and take away the good things the Corps taught me such as leadership, taking the initiative, taking responsibility and being accountable etc... Good luck and SEMPER FI! :cool:

[SnowLeopard]

when you guys joined, specifically coast guard if it makes a difference, was there/is there a good chance of getting located at your first or second choice? (in general-i know there is never a guarantee).

So many different questions, I'll have to take them one at a time.

"Be careful what you wish for.......you may get it!"

Such was my situation. Two preferences sheets, wish lists, in five years and I got both of them. I asked for a certain kind of ship on the Eastern seaboard and got it. I asked for an intel/counterintel job in a certain region and got it.

Now, A and B. A, I almost didn't get the second one. They were ready to ship me out as squadron support to Cubi Point (Subic).....but that didn't happen. So the next slot they were looking at ended up being what I asked for.

But was it what I wanted? In the end, yes, but it wasn't the job I pictured. We'll focuse on that one since it was more police. I asked for a counterintel job in that region. What I got was being a law enforcement and security officer for a small naval station. Well, that is counterintel in that security, the measures of keeping your data your own, is counterintel. I pictured working in some office somewhere analyzing data but I got that instead.

You could very well get what you asked for but basically, you go where the needs of the service are, not your desires.
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("Well, I could have been an actor but I wound up here......."--(wtte), "Dirty Laundry" by Don Henley)

[SnowLeopard]

1. how hard is it having a family while being in the armed forces. my g/f of 4 years is currently working on her B/S degree in sports therapy and that isn't really the kind of career that can take relocations all the time. is it likely or possible (particularily in the USCG) to stay in one general location throughout a career.

Comme ce, comme ca. I had some friends where their wives would not have children till they got out of the military. I have friends in the military who are divorced and while I don't have the reasons, his career/her civilian career stands pretty well at the top of the list. And is it possible to stay in one place? I think I would bet on another horse than that one.

I'm a military brat. Lived in VA, TX, VA, Clark AFB, TX, Dhahran, TX growing up. My parents stayed together but Mom didn't have a career. But things you have to consider how things work. The military sends you where they want you. Generally, the person who goes where the military wants them is probably more open to promotion. And generally if not entirely, the military's needs come first. My father at one time was working on his PhD. Everything but the dissertation because before he could get that done, he got new orders and by the time he returned to the states, all the profs had retired.

Now, I have a brother who has a wife with a career. A lot of his time in the military has been with the family seperated. One has to consider what that does to one's living costs.

2. review.com says $12,000/yr-enlisted and $17,000/yr-officer. where i live, san diego, that is not a lot of money at all. however navy.com says: "...earn competitive pay...". what is the pay truely like?

Well, if one is single, one can make out like a bandit. As an officer, I never really starved, went thru a lot of money without problems. But then again, it depends on how one lives. If one has an expensive lifestyle, well.........

But let me put it this way. In 1988 on an O-2's pay, I was paying $800 a month for a one bedroom apartment....and I didn't have any problem doing it. Housing can be adjusted.......however, one must be ready that there may be some lag between the time one asks for allowances and they actually kick in. There are catches all along the way. Of course, sometimes, with a little thinking and iniative, one can speed those lags along. My requests for housing were in the distribution office on the ship. The distribution officer was in hack (grounded on the ship). I felt sorry for him so I lent him an eight pack of porn tapes.

3. i have received my aa degree in general studies. what would be a good major for my BA/S to go into the military?

Depends on where in the military. I couldn't get into the Navy without being an engineer. Plain and simple, they wanted engineers. But I know army officers who have degrees in library science.
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("I make maps."--Starman
"Make any money?"--driver
"No, just maps.", (wtte), "Starman")

[SnowLeopard]

Thanks gijoeyl33. I appreciate that information.
Does anyone know the difference in jobs between an enlistee and an officer? Are there differences or is it just the pay that distinguishes them?

Generaly, yes. That is saying it simply but if one got into details, the details would be massive.

What did I do as an officer? I took care of people. I saw that they were fed, that they were housed, that they had the resources so they could do their jobs, that they got the training they needed, that their accomplishments were recognized, that their morale was up, that their was someone there to look out for their interests when needed. I was their inspiration that they could turn to when they needed reassurance.

I estimated what the future problems would be, worked out a solution, implemented it, and in some cases, eliminated the problem before it occurred.

Did I ever get my hands dirty? Sure, lots of times. I was out there on a flight deck directing flight operations knowing that if that helo crashed on deck, I'd be under it. I've been out there fighting fires with the rest of the flight deck crew. I've gone out in very little boats to pick up Admirals and that's when you feel small, when you are in a trough and the stern of the other ship is on a crest and it TOWERS above you. I spent so much time on shore patrol in Gitmo that a chief from another ship wonder what the hell I did to get such.

I've conducted investigations, been involved in a fisticuff or two as part of official duties, had my bale of grass, watched a towing operation fail and the snapback whiz by my legs, and more.

Being a good officer does not mean one says in the office.

Did I have a speciality? Well, when I got out, I had a primary speciality as a law enforcement and security officer. One does not necessarily sign up for a certain speciality, though I suppose in certain cases it can happen. One gets the speciality thru the pipeline they have entered. Now, first of all, this is all old knowledge, get the updated version.

I was an 1100, general unrestricted line, which essentially means that they sent me where they needed a general use officer. Put me on a ship to handle certain functions like intel or electronic warfare, put me on shore for police work. Catch is, as time goes on, there isn't necessarily that much promotional room for a 1100 (that was then, who knows if they even exist these days). One wanted to be an 1160 which was a surface warfare officer or move off into one of the restricted lines such as an engineering duty officer (they work in shipyards), cryptology, or such. Had I stayed in, I might have ended up in a security branch but the Cold War was winding down and I wanted to study oceanography. But to tell you the truth, in the early years out of the Navy, there were those who were looking at me to be an EDO and if I had been physical oceanography, there might have been those too....but I degress.

Basic point: if you are going to be an officer, be a good officer. One who looks out for the troops, looks out for the mission. Don't be an officer just because you get more money, you get to eat in a nice place on the ship, that you only have to share your room with the most of 3 others. There have been too many of that kind of officer, who is looking out more for their interest, their comfort, than that of their troops, who won't stand up to take responsibilty when things go wrong, and the military definetly doesn't need them.
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("Surely not an officer. He's not quite human, is he?"--Trelayne
"My mother was human, my father is from the planet Vulcan."--Spock
"And are its natives predatory?"
"Not generally........but there have been exceptions.", (wtte), ST:TOS "The Squire of Gothos")