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So I am joining the military
Spawnbroker
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Registered User regular
I talked to an army recruiter a few days ago, and I am scheduled to take that test that is full of 6th-8th grade stuff to make sure I'm not a complete dumbass next week. I was wondering, for those of you in the armed forces that know about how the army works, if you could help me with a couple of things.
First off, the enlistment bonus vs. the college payment thing. My recruiter said I can either get a large bonus, or a large college payment plan, or go middle of the road. I'm thinking I'll just get the max bonus I can get and stick it in a mutual fund along with most of my paychecks until my service ends, but I am unsure if that's the best way to go.
I am also still on the fence over whether I want to go into Armor, Combat Engineers, or MPs. MP is what I am leaning towards right now since I want to be a cop when I get out, but Armor sounds like a lot of fun. Are there any of you that know about these MOS's that can help me out?
Oh, and please don't give me advice on whether or not I should join the military, I've already made THAT decision.
First off, the enlistment bonus vs. the college payment thing. My recruiter said I can either get a large bonus, or a large college payment plan, or go middle of the road. I'm thinking I'll just get the max bonus I can get and stick it in a mutual fund along with most of my paychecks until my service ends, but I am unsure if that's the best way to go.
I am also still on the fence over whether I want to go into Armor, Combat Engineers, or MPs. MP is what I am leaning towards right now since I want to be a cop when I get out, but Armor sounds like a lot of fun. Are there any of you that know about these MOS's that can help me out?
Oh, and please don't give me advice on whether or not I should join the military, I've already made THAT decision.
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As for your choice in MOS you should pick one that will help you the most when you ETS. If you plan on being a cop then MPs is the obvious choice. If you really want to be set after you ETS then pick the most high tech MOS available. For example, I went Mobile Subscriber Operator (31F) which is basically setting up a phone network in the field. When I got out I found tech jobs easily and they pay very well.
One thing I will harp on, that cant be emphasized enough- Don't sign a thing if you arent 100% sure what it says. If a recruiter swears upon his twin brother's grave that hes gonna set you up with something, then he can also get it in writing. You will get S'd in the B right through the P's if you expect to receive anything that isnt in writing.
Beyond that- good luck, take your time, and here's hopin' you get something out of it.
I was actually really worried about that too. But the army is apparently the only branch of the military that guarantees you your choice of MOS. They give you a list of MOSs that you qualify for or something, and you pick one...and that's that. This is before you've signed up or committed to anything, too.
Edit: The way they get people to join what they want is by throwing money at you, apparently...I've heard of people getting 40K+ bonuses for signing up to another MOS that they didn't necessarily want.
No, the recruiter told me I sign a form declaring that as my MOS, and nobody can change it but me (i.e. I get a felony conviction before I ship out and I'm trying to be an MP, etc.)
The Navy also had the Navy College Fund, which you could choose instead of a bonus and it effectively doubled your GI Bill. I have heard that since then, they offered it in conjunction with an enlistment bonus. I do not know if the Army has a similar program.
Ask.com usually has really good information on these sorts of things.
Don't forget to research the Sailors and Soldiers Civil Relief Act if you currently have debt. You can get all your interest rates reduced to something like 6%
Here's the catch - you have to score well in your ASFAB to be able to take a specific MOS. That recruiter can swear up and down you'll be whatever you want, but really, he has little say in it, neither does the document you sign. Don't be a sucker.
Edit: As for the poster above me saying I have to score well on the ASFAB...that is definitely not a worry, which is why I didn't mention it. I routinely scored 99th percentile on pretty much any standardized test I've ever taken, and I'm a national merit scholar.
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
PS Only thing I know about US military recruitment is under no circumstances trust the recruiters.
There is no fitness test to join the military besides the physical. It consists of turn-your-head-and-cough, checking to make sure you don't have a heart murmur or other chronic diseases, and you can't be morbidly obese or deaf or blind. Boot camp pretty much fixes any 'fitness issues' you might have going into it.
For example, I'm fairly sure if you take EOD as an enlistment MOS, and wash out of their school, (And it has like, a 70% failure rate) that you're going where they want you to.
The ASVAB is easy. I scored a 96 and rushed through it. I think the most complicated thing I used in that was the pythagreon theorom which I'm sure isnt spelled like that, but I'm too lazy to google it, even though I couldve googled it in the time I explained that.
Yeah, I got a 96.
Rangers are a unit, not an MOS. Though last I heard, there was a fast track option that you could take if you're going 11X, that sends you straight from AIT to Airbone and RIP (Ranger Indoc Program)
MOS is entirely based off of your ASVAB score, I scored high enough to take any MOS, which isn't that tough to accomplish. I'm not sure about active, however, I did know my MOS before I signed any papers, I also knew what my signing bonus would be and pretty much everything else. Some recruiters will be less than honest with you about your enlistment, however, I got lucky when I joined (I've been in for over 3 years now...)
Another thing is that yes, there will most likely be a fitness test besides the physical, they do have a minimum standard (it was very easy and not even a good representation of the APFT which you'll get all sorts of chances to take), however, that will most likely be administered by your individual recruiter.
Overall though, joining the army wasn't a mistake by any means, so I'm glad that you're considering it and most likely going with it, hopefully it'll be for you what it has been for me.
Keep in mind, too, the required time of service is different for each MOS. My dad joined way back when as Infantry because it was the shortest and he wasn't sure if he'd like the military (EDIT: he also ended up switching MOS four or five times during his career) (ended up serving 22 something years). I believe the MPs have a five year minimum, so you may want to take that under consideration.
Other than that, I'd agree with the other advice and look to pick something that will have use outside the military. Then again, there's always the option to do what's fun and rank up to get leadership experience, which every company is always looking for.
In general, a recruiter will say just about anything short of outright lying to get you to contract. He has NO say in your MOS, and neither do you.
Sorry to say it, but you go where they want you. Yes, it's true, if you want 94A (or whatever the hell you pick) and there's a slot, you might get it. However, if you show high potential in one area, and you want to be something the Army thinks you'll suck at, well, guess where you're going!
Sorry if it sounds like I'm raining on your parade, but thats by and large how it goes.
I just put in my Air Force ROTC dream sheet (job picks, the Army has MOS the AF has AFSC, I put in for Intel!), so we'll see how that goes.
Good luck to you, and welcome to the family!
And yes I've heard of people who get bonsues for taking unpopular MOS. Stuff that's particulry demanding like submarine service in the Navy and stuff. Not sure about the army.
I love being a combat engineer. We take a ton of pride in our work and in each other. I scored extremely high on the ASVAB, and was qualified for almost literally any job in the Army, but chose combat engineer for the excitement, pride, and high speed attitude of every engineer I met. On the other hand, it is a very physically demanding job. Any good unit expects you to be in top physical condition, a high order of discipline, and be an expert at your job. We are also known to be some of the hardest partiers at the same time. We do great at policing our own though, so there are rarely problems with our engineers getting disruptive.
On a final not, if you do choose combat engineer, you will literally salivate at any chance to destroy something, blow something up, or generally cause a big commotion by the time you do your first demo range.
And to respond to nexuscrawler. You are incorrect. Before you join the Army, you sign a legal binding contract, for you and the Army, for you to get the job you signed up for, as long as you are physically and mentally fit to perform that duty.
I'm not saying that to sway or scare you, I'm just letting you know how it is.
If do choose to join the Armor, hats off. There's few better sites to see in violent area of a city than a Tank or Bradley sitting there providing overwatch. Hell, seeing them anywhere outside the wire makes you feel safer.
As long as you get an Honorable Discharge you can get the GI bill, but they're probably offering you something equal to the Navy College fund my wife collects, which is a supplement to the GI Bill money you'll get if you enroll in college after you seperate. Depending on the size of the enlistment bonus, I'd say take the bonus and put it in the bank.
Like someone else said, unless it's written into your contract you will not get anything your recruiter is promising you. Your MOS should be written in, but make sure that you ask as you're signing the documents. They may tell you that they don't have any spots available in an MOS, which is what they did to me. Make sure you research everything before you make your decision.