*SERIOUS* HOMELESS, MILITARY SERVICE Questions (decent read)

[fox5kobe]

(also, Niketalk Fam... I wrote topics about my girlfriend and questions about me joining the military. Yeah, my life is a total wreck right now... I'm def currently at rock bottom. Please I need decent answers to this just to help me cope as of right now.)


okay, I've been reading up on yahoo answers and have come across other people's questions about joining the military. I have a questions of my own though... I haven't yet looked at the jobs each service offers but I am decent with computers. I type 70 per words per minute and on my civilian resume I have had experience in office settings, warehouse and retail if that helps my chances.

I'm looking to join the Air Force, Navy or Army in that particular order if one happens to fail the other.

My current situation is I am 25 years old. I got kicked out of my house the other day, I attended 2 years of college and received up to 62 credits and I am now living with a friend in his dorm room while i figure out if I'm going to go to a homeless shelter or do all my service stuff in Albany, NY.

Would the fact that I have so many college credits configure into the service and they would promote me at a higher rank? How long does it take for you to hear back before you are deployed somewhere?

Please someone who has experience with this kind of thing help me. I'm in serious need of help and I am about 150lbs in weight and 6'2 so I'm not sure how much of a physical demand and strain they would put on me because I'm small in body.

A lot of people have been saying Air Force, Navy and leaving the Army last in thoughts of joining. I'm thinking about the Air Force, Navy and Army although no Marines because I'm not sure if I would be able to handle that 12-13 weeks of hell on earth, I'm mainly concerned with the amount of pushups they would ask me to do... I feel every other thing I might be able to pull off for certain.

 

[nikeairsncrispytees]

Originally Posted by Fox5Kobe


A lot of people have been saying Air Force, Navy and leaving the Army last in thoughts of joining. I'm thinking about the Air Force, Navy and Army although no Marines because I'm not sure if I would be able to handle that 12-13 weeks of hell on earth, I'm mainly concerned with the amount of pushups they would ask me to do... I feel every other thing I might be able to pull off for certain.

You're gonna get 12-13 weeks of hell on earth no matter where you go. My buddy's in the Air Force and just finished about 3 months of boot. He didn't have a phone or internet or anything like that for the first two months.

 

[popcornplaya]

Like dude said above, its going to be tough regardless of where you go, though the Marines and Seals are far worse I'm sure.

Your current credits will probably only matter if they're focused in a specific field (e.g. computer science.) Something like that would probably put you ahead of people with less/no college experience, making it easier to get a job that you could enjoy.

Good luck with getting into computers for the Air Force, though. Some of those guys do not play when it comes to technology.  Good luck in general homie.

 

[i3allistic]

Sounds like you need an !@# whooping...go join the Marines, they will break you down and built u back up

 

[6demonbag]

Theyll make you take the ASVAB if you havent already, Id say the Navy would be best for you if youre really computer savy. That many college credits may qualify you as an E3 but im not sure. No matter which branch you decide on its definitely going to be a tough road in the end will net you a career and not just another job. Good luck to you my friend!!!

 

[kicksnbeats]

Be prepared to wait close to a year before getting all your things processed and shipping off to Basic training.  Because of the economy, a ton of people are joining the military and recruiters are getting over their quota, making them more selective on who they choose.

Good luck, keep your head up.

 

[ben roethlisberger]

Don't be an idiot, JOIN THE AIRFORCE.

 

[bohrdom]

from what i hear, all branches are full for good while. especially army/airforce.
i believe you'll be going in as enlisted, so you do qualify for advanced rank.  breaks down like this:
army: E-4 w/ college degree/credits (most financial benefits)
air force: E-3 w/ college degree/credits
marines: E-2 w/ college degree/credits
don't know about navy since i never got to talk to them.

as for the physical stuff, its pretty much a wash with a few exceptions, because anybody could do it if they put their mind to it.
general consensus is that marines are most strenuous (crucible), followed by Army, Air Force, and Navy last.  although, Army is lowering standards while Air Force has steadily been upping the physical part. so in near future, they might be equal in terms of physical stressors. I think avg. pt standards are similar, you'll be good with 55+ pushups/min. 55+ situps/min. you also got to do like 3 pull ups minimum for marine corps. running varies from 1.5 miles to 3 miles.

did you get kicked out of school or did you drop out? you could go rotc with any branch and finish up your school. you could do reserves with each branch, or coast guard even.  just go walk into a recruiter's office, the normal setup has all branches next door to each other

first thing you gotta do, though, is take a test called ASVAB, which is pretty much a cakewalk. hell, even i got a 99 on it after a few days with that 'ASVAB for Dummies' book

.

Keep your head up dude. All branches are great in their own way, so don't base your decision strictly on 2or3 months of basic training. 

 

[fox5kobe]

Originally Posted by bohrdom

from what i hear, all branches are full for good while. especially army/airforce.
i believe you'll be going in as enlisted, so you do qualify for advanced rank.  breaks down like this:
army: E-4 w/ college degree/credits (most financial benefits)
air force: E-3 w/ college degree/credits
marines: E-2 w/ college degree/credits
don't know about navy since i never got to talk to them.

as for the physical stuff, its pretty much a wash with a few exceptions, because anybody could do it if they put their mind to it.
general consensus is that marines are most strenuous (crucible), followed by Army, Air Force, and Navy last.  although, Army is lowering standards while Air Force has steadily been upping the physical part. so in near future, they might be equal in terms of physical stressors. I think avg. pt standards are similar, you'll be good with 55+ pushups/min. 55+ situps/min. you also got to do like 3 pull ups minimum for marine corps. running varies from 1.5 miles to 3 miles.

did you get kicked out of school or did you drop out? you could go rotc with any branch and finish up your school. you could do reserves with each branch, or coast guard even.  just go walk into a recruiter's office, the normal setup has all branches next door to each other

first thing you gotta do, though, is take a test called ASVAB, which is pretty much a cakewalk. hell, even i got a 99 on it after a few days with that 'ASVAB for Dummies' book

.

Keep your head up dude. All branches are great in their own way, so don't base your decision strictly on 2or3 months of basic training. 

I kinda failed out of school. I failed a class and it caused my GPA to go down so I couldn't be in the HEOP program anymore... Since they pay for school that's a good thing because one of these days I def want to go back and finish it up totally. now if I do reserves would they give me some form of shelter? what's the difference between the active duty and reserves? does reserve pay for your on base or off base housing also?

 

[atlien seeko]

You're 25, though...

 

[suckafree85]

Dam bruh you're just flesh and bones. Im 6'0 198 and I thought I was skinny.

Anyways. Im in the process of joining the Army right now and Im 24. I'm going to Meps in like 2 weeks or a month.

Your college credits should get you in as an E-4. I think base pay for that is around $1600 a month. I think...

From what everybody says... Airforce is the easiest basic training. You need at least a 50 on the asvab to get in right now though. They're not giving any waivers from what recruiters have told me.

 

[fox5kobe]

Originally Posted by ATLien Seeko

You're 25, though...

what does that mean?

 

[ben roethlisberger]

Originally Posted by Fox5Kobe

Originally Posted by ATLien Seeko

You're 25, though...

what does that mean?

It doesnt mean **@%.

I'm 23 and I just joined the Air National Guard YESTERDAY. Got my asvab on monday and meps on tuesday. I didnt know there was a time limit for starting a career or if anything, self improvement

 

[bohrdom]

i;m active duty but if you go reserves, it buys you some time until you can get back on your feet. i'd say about half a year or longer, because it's 2-3 months of basic and then several months of classes that pertain to your job.  afterwards, if you don't deploy, you're on your own except for 1 weekend drill/month, which is hardly anything to live on.  so essentially, if you do reserves, you are getting shelter for your time in training and you'll be getting paid. for example, let's say, you go in as E-3, which is about $1,700 a month for half a year.  i'd say, that's plenty of cash to hold you over until you get yourself another job...
marines, army, and certain airforce jobs will indeed deploy, so keep that in mind, regardless of whether you are active duty or reserves.  most of
the branches will require a significant waiting period...i hear it ranges from about a half year wait for marines and up to a full year for air force in lapsed time when you sign your name right up until basic. also, you most likely will not have the benefit of choosing your job prior to signing, you'll have to go in open general, if you wish to go asap.

 

[arhymingape12]

damn son.....


but real talk, army is probably the way to go, you get promoted faster than any other branch. i had a 25 or 26 year old E-7 DS. especially if you're in an HHC unit you get promoted real fast

 

[fox5kobe]

from what i've heard just now. My aunts husband sent me a text saying if i go army national guard they might send me to afghanistan

 

[suckafree85]

I mean.. If you sign up, don't be afraid to go overseas to Iraq/Afghanistan.

 

[fox5kobe]

Originally Posted by SUCKAFREE85

I mean.. If you sign up, don't be afraid to go overseas to Iraq/Afghanistan.

yeah, that's why the army is third on my list. i'm not trying to deal with that Iraq/Afghanistan stuff right now. It's just too much for me to handle. I'm trying to get in and do my job without the extra curricular stuff I feel it'll be way to early for me to even go overseas to spots like that

 

[fox5kobe]

Originally Posted by SUCKAFREE85

Dam bruh you're just flesh and bones. Im 6'0 198 and I thought I was skinny.

Anyways. Im in the process of joining the Army right now and Im 24. I'm going to Meps in like 2 weeks or a month.

Your college credits should get you in as an E-4. I think base pay for that is around $1600 a month. I think...

From what everybody says... Airforce is the easiest basic training. You need at least a 50 on the asvab to get in right now though. They're not giving any waivers from what recruiters have told me.

What do you mean when you say they aren't giving any waivers? do you mean for like college or something like that?

 

[jga7189]

if you fail the asvab they give you a waiver, you sound like you need to go air force big dude

 

[datznasty]

Go in the Army and do ATC. School is longer, but once you get out you will make major cake. My ex roommate was ATC, got on at O'Hare Airport in Chicago and they're starting him in 6 figures. He wasn't very bright in school either.

 

[bohrdom]

Originally Posted by DatZNasty

Go in the Army and do ATC. School is longer, but once you get out you will make major cake. My ex roommate was ATC, got on at O'Hare Airport in Chicago and they're starting him in 6 figures. He wasn't very bright in school either.

damn, 6 figures? i should've done that...OP you need to just go and do what he said

 

[bohrdom]

Originally Posted by DatZNasty

Go in the Army and do ATC. School is longer, but once you get out you will make major cake. My ex roommate was ATC, got on at O'Hare Airport in Chicago and they're starting him in 6 figures. He wasn't very bright in school either.

damn, 6 figures? i should've done that...OP you need to just go and do what he said

 

[datznasty]

Yep

http://wiki.answers.com/Q..._traffic_controller_make

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos108.htm

Air traffic controllers earn relatively high pay and have good benefits. Median annual wages of air traffic controllers in May 2008 were $111,870. The middle 50 percent earned between $71,050 and $143,780. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $45,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $161,010. The average annual salary, excluding overtime earnings, for air traffic controllers in the Federal Government—which employs 90 percent of all controllers—was $109,218 in March 2009.


I want to say he is starting around 115k. I never asked him directly but I think I looked it up one time. O'Hare is the 2nd biggest airport in the US, so it makes sense. Dude is 26

 

[kicksnbeats]

My uncle is an ATC @ Logan Airport up in Boston.  I remember him telling me there's a cut off age for signing up to be an ATC for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).

Here's where it says.
http://www.faa.gov/about/...atc/hr_policies/emp_120/

Persons who have reached their 31st birthdays may not be originally appointed to ATCS positions in FAA.

Signing up for a government job is a long process as well (near a year) and OP is going to be cutting it close if he gets out of the military at 29.  You're not even guaranteed the job as well.  Consider a backup plan.