is it worth it to join the military to pay for grad school?

[ricky409]

sup fambs...
i graduated college in 2011...

i'm seeing that its going to be hard getting into a top flight MBA program cuz only work experience i have is managing a retail store for a year...

plus its gonna be super expensive...

SOOOOO... waddup w/ that GI bill thing...

i heard the armed forces will help you out w/ ya loans, and you could have about 4 years paid for...

what's the deal with this?

i'm thinking about moving home, working for a year or two, then heading out to hunt for a great grad school program.....

or hit that military life for the min amount of years that it takes for them to start paying for stuff and come out clean of loans, and still get into them top flight programs cuz they love them military guys.

 

[odog24]

bad time to join the military if u dont wanna see combat.

but it would be better to talk to a local recruiter

 

[quik1987]

rip

 

[ricky409]

Originally Posted by odog24

bad time to join the military if u dont wanna see combat.

but it would be better to talk to a local recruiter

local recruiter won't keep it real. NT famb will.Plus I hear about people with degrees come in as officers.I wouldn't go after army... more like navy or air force...

 

[odog24]

Originally Posted by ricky409

Originally Posted by odog24

bad time to join the military if u dont wanna see combat.

but it would be better to talk to a local recruiter

local recruiter won't keep it real. NT famb will.Plus I hear about people with degrees come in as officers.I wouldn't go after army... more like navy or air force...

yeah you can probably land a desk position especially since you already got ur bachelors.
theres an official military thread they can prolly help you too.

best of luck

 

[atlsfinest]

Originally Posted by ricky409

Originally Posted by odog24

bad time to join the military if u dont wanna see combat.

but it would be better to talk to a local recruiter

local recruiter won't keep it real. NT famb will.Plus I hear about people with degrees come in as officers.I wouldn't go after army... more like navy or air force...

I just got accepted for Navy OCS last month and I can tell you, its a LONG process. I waited a year just to get accepted. Some have waited alot longer. Also, its not just as easy graduating college. You better be a good candidate with good recs, leadership, grades, etc. I read online that they only picked 40 or so out of 194 at the last board. I wouldn't do it if your sole reason is to get them to pay for your grad school.

 

[ricky409]

^^^

I was actually accepted tothe Navy OCS outta high school...

i just chose not to do it cuz i wanted to play ball at a better school, and the military life wasnt for me...

not sure if that matters now...

i just want to get into a good school, and i slacked off thru my first couple years of college.

 

[coolstorybro]

Join the reserves?

 

[johnnyredstorm]

with the possibility of another war looming, eh...

 

[the kid fiasco]

Originally Posted by ricky409

^^^

I was actually accepted tothe Navy OCS outta high school...

i just chose not to do it cuz i wanted to play ball at a better school, and the military life wasnt for me...

not sure if that matters now...

i just want to get into a good school, and i slacked off thru my first couple years of college.

Best Way. Go Military. I Did No Regrets... & Free College And Practically Free everything.. 

You MIGHT see combat.. its not as rapid as everyone thinks... Military takes care of you... I promise you that.

 

[coolstorybro]

Originally Posted by JohnnyRedStorm

with the possibility of another war looming, eh...

Being a degree holder, I would assume that OP has, at the least, half a brain.  He would have plenty of options if he joined the military, including several 'desk jobs.' 
  

 

[atlsfinest]

Originally Posted by ricky409

^^^

I was actually accepted to the Navy OCS outta high school...

i just chose not to do it cuz i wanted to play ball at a better school, and the military life wasnt for me...

not sure if that matters now...

i just want to get into a good school, and i slacked off thru my first couple years of college.

do you mean the Naval Acadamy? some type of ROTC program? You can't apply to OCS unless you're either in college or a graduate.

 

[balloonoboy]

Have you looked into any graduate assistantships? I don't think you should go the military route just to pay for school.

 

[thejrob]

NO

 

[ricky409]

Atlsfinest: you right bro... it was just the naval academy. They said I would be a slam dunk for OCS doe...

Thrjrob: why famb? Gotta give me some kinda info...

Kendrick Lamar doe...

Baloonoboy: never heard of that bro. Can you elaborate a little on it?

 

[credo]

I'm about to finish a BS in Electrical Engineering using the GI Bill.  In June I'll have a good job and no college loan debt...actually no debt whatsoever

More on topic, yes it's was completely worth it.  I joined before 9/11 and everything that followed, ended up in the sandbox twice, and almost did the Army as a career (see sandbox twice).

 

[wade187]

Originally Posted by The Kid Fiasco

Originally Posted by ricky409

^^^

I was actually accepted tothe Navy OCS outta high school...

i just chose not to do it cuz i wanted to play ball at a better school, and the military life wasnt for me...

not sure if that matters now...

i just want to get into a good school, and i slacked off thru my first couple years of college.

Best Way. Go Military. I Did No Regrets... & Free College And Practically Free everything.. 

You MIGHT see combat.. its not as rapid as everyone thinks... Military takes care of you... I promise you that.

My mans leg says differently. 

 

[g14]

Originally Posted by Wade187

Originally Posted by The Kid Fiasco

Originally Posted by ricky409

^^^

I was actually accepted tothe Navy OCS outta high school...

i just chose not to do it cuz i wanted to play ball at a better school, and the military life wasnt for me...

not sure if that matters now...

i just want to get into a good school, and i slacked off thru my first couple years of college.

Best Way. Go Military. I Did No Regrets... & Free College And Practically Free everything.. 

You MIGHT see combat.. its not as rapid as everyone thinks... Military takes care of you... I promise you that.

My mans leg says differently. 

word my hommie had a underground bomb blow right next to him


aint wake  up for 20 minutes he said death was dark


lucky he aint lose any body parts...

he could of got a purple heart but said forget it and is going back to deploy again ...sorry that woulda been my last call right there

 

[balloonoboy]

Originally Posted by ricky409

Baloonoboy: never heard of that bro. Can you elaborate a little on it?

Sure.

So there are different jobs around the university that you can apply for that will grant you a tuition waiver (most last for three years - enough time to complete your MBA) and give you a stipend so you can pay for rent/food whatever. They are first-come first-serve though so you have to jump on them around this time. You should be able to find more information on your school's website/financial aid office.

I'd look into that before undertaking a commitment like the military.

 

[ecruteakcityboy]

Op the answer is no . Only if you value money over your life . Besides I have heard horror stories on the the g.i. bill.

 

[jga7189]

if you dont want to deploy you dont have to pick a combat job just to join the military, my boy went in as admin and i went in as amtracks and we both get the same benifits except he enver deployed 

 and right now every branch is trying to cut back its numbers so getting in can take a long time, i know some Marine Corps recruiters are not sending people to boot camp for a year after signing, lol i was gone in a month when i signed up, but as far as gi bill goes, my boy uses his right now, getting 1800 (cali living expense) roughly every month THAT HE IS IN SCHOOL and everything else paid for but he's had to buy books, they're always changing the rules and adding new guidelines to it though, i still havent used my gi bill yet but im planning to this fall, but to me its worth it if youre joining just for school

 

[ryair max 1]

Originally Posted by ATLsFinest

Originally Posted by ricky409

Originally Posted by odog24

bad time to join the military if u dont wanna see combat.

but it would be better to talk to a local recruiter

local recruiter won't keep it real. NT famb will.Plus I hear about people with degrees come in as officers.I wouldn't go after army... more like navy or air force...

I just got accepted for Navy OCS last month and I can tell you, its a LONG process. I waited a year just to get accepted. Some have waited alot longer. Also, its not just as easy graduating college. You better be a good candidate with good recs, leadership, grades, etc. I read online that they only picked 40 or so out of 194 at the last board. I wouldn't do it if your sole reason is to get them to pay for your grad school.

I was working toward Navy OCS but had the board review for the job I was interested in closed due to budget issues. As ATL mentioned, the selection process is very drawn out and selections are very low. The Officer recruiters (the ones I've dealt with) won't talk to you unless your transcripts say 3.0 GPA or higher.

The only Restricted line officer spots they seem to be looking are  Intel (second most selective RL designation) and Supply (finance and accounting type positions). They are looking for pilots too.

Also, the loan assistance is only open to ENLISTED sailors. Officers receive substantially higher pay so that benefit is out the window.

Selection #'s are even lower for the AF from what I hear. 

 

[seasoned vet]

Originally Posted by ricky409

sup fambs...
i graduated college in 2011...

i'm seeing that its going to be hard getting into a top flight MBA program cuz only work experience i have is managing a retail store for a year...

plus its gonna be super expensive...

SOOOOO... waddup w/ that GI bill thing...

i heard the armed forces will help you out w/ ya loans, and you could have about 4 years paid for...

what's the deal with this?

i'm thinking about moving home, working for a year or two, then heading out to hunt for a great grad school program.....

or hit that military life for the min amount of years that it takes for them to start paying for stuff and come out clean of loans, and still get into them top flight programs cuz they love them military guys.

 
 
OP, since you're looking to get a degree in Business Administration, i cannot stress enough......DO NOT GO FOR AN ADMIN JOB. admin jobs are 'easy' and the schools are short but you never know where you will end up.
 
....try to think of an alternative career to pursue. something that pays well in the civilian world. something you wouldnt mind doing if you had to.
*Medical Field
*Computers
*Electrician
 
...or mix it up. a Medical MBA pays very well in the civilian sector. you could get your feet wet on the medical side while in the military and im sure the credits earned towards tech school can be used to earn a Medical MBA.
 
....you could do the same with computers and the IT field.
 
 
 
** one thing i havent seen brought up yet is.....
 
....sure, the military pays for school through your GI BILL once you get out. but while you're active duty there are programs that allow you to go to school full time and only report to work like once a month.....tuition and books paid for, and it doesnt evn count against your GI BILL when you get out.
 
 
 
 
....ive been wanting to make a real official military thread for years now. its some much good advice people leave out or just misinformation alltogether.
 
 

 

[atlsfinest]

Originally Posted by ryair max 1

Originally Posted by ATLsFinest

Originally Posted by ricky409



local recruiter won't keep it real. NT famb will.Plus I hear about people with degrees come in as officers.I wouldn't go after army... more like navy or air force...

I just got accepted for Navy OCS last month and I can tell you, its a LONG process. I waited a year just to get accepted. Some have waited alot longer. Also, its not just as easy graduating college. You better be a good candidate with good recs, leadership, grades, etc. I read online that they only picked 40 or so out of 194 at the last board. I wouldn't do it if your sole reason is to get them to pay for your grad school.

I was working toward Navy OCS but had the board review for the job I was interested in closed due to budget issues. As ATL mentioned, the selection process is very drawn out and selections are very low. The Officer recruiters (the ones I've dealt with) won't talk to you unless your transcripts say 3.0 GPA or higher.

The only Restricted line officer spots they seem to be looking are  Intel (second most selective RL designation) and Supply (finance and accounting type positions). They are looking for pilots too.

Also, the loan assistance is only open to ENLISTED sailors. Officers receive substantially higher pay so that benefit is out the window.

Selection #'s are even lower for the AF from what I hear. 

I initially thought about going Air Force. They told me they weren't having boards until the beginning of the 2013 fiscal year (and I had this conversation in December 2010)

 

[devildoc76]

Understand this......as a 2LT or an Ensign you will be treated as bad if not worse than a Private. You are usually paired up with a Senior Enlisted, whether it be a Platoon Sgt or a Chief Petty Officer who ultimately has to show YOU the ropes.  Most folks( especially in a Combat job) will scoff at the idea that a brand new officer coming in.....Trust me as a former Corpsman attached to the Marines, and now as ground pounder in the Army, it can get awkward......However whether you are in an Admin job or a Combat job, you are in a leadership position.  You are expected to make tough decisions even if it isnt the popular one.  Disregard anyone who starts their stories with this "Well, I heard......" crap.  Its not a first hand account.  People who are military members (present or past), spouses, or other dependents are your best source of  info.  Most notably if you're trying to do Officer, talk to an Officer from each branch if you can to find out what happens when enlisted personnel is not around.  There are also many individuals I know that have degrees (Masters and BS) that choose to go enlisted. Its on you to find out if its worth it.  Expect to be loved and hated by people here in the US and hell maybe even some on NT.
OCS, no matter the Branch of Service is much, much different.  Enlisted side of the house, you learn to follow, work as a team, then lead.  Officers, you guys are expected to lead from the moment you leave OCS.  If you go USN/USMC, expect that Gunnery Sergeant to get in your ***.  Same thing with the Army.  They need to know you won't fold.  A couple of my former Navy Commanders were Pilots and they absolutely loved it.  1 of my former Commanders in the Army worked for the FBI.  Another worked at the Pentagon.  Interesting jobs.  And if you automatically assume because you chose USMC or Army admin jobs, you won't deploy, nonsense. Somebody has to support the Infantry, Field Artillery, Cavalry, etc...... You are just less likely to leave the wire when deployed.  If you are Navy, Shore Duty, yeah, but if your on a ship, then anchors away.

I enjoy military life, I've been to Europe, the Mid East, all over the US from Jersey to VA,TX, WA, PA, MS, LA, IL, OK, KY, MO, NC and soon Hawaii.  My kids experience what it is to live in a few of those places now, not just visit for a couple of weeks.

All in all, weigh all the options, pros and cons and go from there.