| Author | Message | ||
     Cataract2 |
I just got accepted a new job. Someone who's a family friend works out at Space Coast Truss and they're hiring. So, I went out and talked to the yard manager today and accepted the job offer. I'm still sitting here wondering if this was the right decision. On one hand, I'm working on losing weight now because I want to get into the military and feel that this job will help in that quest. Plus, the pay and hours are better. I can get off of working nights and onto working days again with weekends off. So... Wish me luck. | ||
| Daves |
Good luck! | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
yes. Good luck. | ||
| Blackbelt |
Good Luck to ya | ||
| Wardan123 |
What branch of the military do you want to get into, what MOS (specialty) do you want and why? | ||
| Henrik |
Good luck Ryan. Henrik | ||
| Cataract2 |
Wardan, on the military side, I'm looking at either the Air Force as a Flight engineer or one of the electronic fields in it or in the Navy as an EM in the nuke field (Brothers in this.). | ||
| Ingemar |
Good luck to you! | ||
| Wardan123 |
I'm former Army (Combat Engineer) and given the current world situation I suggest to those I care about (students, family, Buellers) to consider the safest situation possible for your self and family's sake. | ||
| Cataract2 |
War, kinda why I'm looking at the Air Force and Navy. I know that any branch could end up in war, but if it comes down to it, no one will be safe if someone decides to invade or attack us. On top of this, I'm out of options for what I can do right now and either the Air Force or Navy will allow me to get the education I need and want to succeed. All I'm doing right now is BS jobs. I want a career and while I will have to sign my life away for some years, I feel this will help me become successful in life. Seeing how it worked for my brother so well I feel it can work for me. My own brother admits, had it not been for the military, he would be on the streets in drugs or something else by now. | ||
| Dave |
As far as AF. Look to see what AFCS (job) is offering enlistment incentives...AND..look to see how applicable that job is on the outside. 3C0X1 - Computer Ops and Networking as getting about $60k to reenlist for 6 years (about 4 yrs ago) I'm sure EOD gets a bonus too...  DAve AFSC 306XO, 2E3X1, 3C0X1 USAF: '83 -'03 | ||
| Tramp |
"I'm sure EOD gets a bonus too... " yeah- bring 9 or fewer fingers home and you get a ruptured duck | ||
| Tramp |
cataract- why not go USMC? high motivation, you'll be in great shape, and you'll find most jobs, afterward, to be a cakewalk, or at least guys I know who were with the corps seem to attack life that way. lotta AF and Navy guys with technical rates/MOS' seem to come back to civilian life with nice headstarts on their beerguts.... which can be a cool thing, on one hand  | ||
| Gomo |
Here is how a friend of mine describes military branches that he teaches (He is military himself) Marines - Only need to be told once and they do it correctly every time ARMY - Have to draw them pictures - enough said NAVY - Need to be sure they are not Drunk (that was my branch; Submariner) Air Force - Doesn't mater, they just do what they want anyway. PS - he is not a Marine | ||
| Cataract2 |
Well, in the marines, unless you take advantage of their education benefit to go to college, you don't get any training for the outside world. Not to mention I'm not interested in being on the front lines. Air Force and Navy both have jobs inside that I want to do and both have jobs with training that can be used on the outside. So.... Oh, and here's another reason why I don't want to be in the Marines or Army.  Try not to jump down my throat to much guys, it's only a joke. | ||
| Ryker77 |
Good with that attitude you don't deserve to bear the Title US Marine. The Corp sent me though 8 months of tech school. I am able to troubleshoot, repair, and operate : diesel engines, diesel powered A/C, A/C units, cryo units, tractors, hydraulic pumps-jacks-lines, generators, etc etc etc. When I left the service I had posted my resume on the net monster.com. That resume hasn't been updated nor am I looking for a job but 19 months later I still get about 1 job offer per month. Not to mention the corp has taught me leadership skills, markmanship skills (500 yards without a scope), martial arts, combat etc etc. I've been to 9 countries. Going the militray is a great idea. But learn the truth. Talk to vets. Let the vets or active duty members give you good advice. Stop playing into the sterotypes of each branch. Think the Navy is lazy. I hate the navy. But those guys work 12 hour shifts when on the boat. Plus have numerous other duties. As a Marine on a ship I ate, slept, and hit the gym. I got at least 8 full hours of sleep plus 1-2 naps per day. LOL. Think the AF has it made. Other brances of service laugh at them. Plus they have a hard time getting promoted.. becuase most of them like the AF and re-enlist thus they have a good supply of people and don't need to promote fast. JOBS-- all braches have nearly the same type jobs. About the rare few is the nukes with the navy. When you sign those enlistment papers you are NOT 100% for sure that you will get an excat MOS. You sign up for a field. This is for all braches. 1 method around this is to sign up in the reserves. Reserves has to have an open slot or need for that MOS spot to be filled. Thus you sign up for that exact MOS. I can go on. Please talk to as many younger vets as possible. Don't let some 1970's vet give you advice. Things and times change. | ||
| Ryker77 |
and that picture of the marines sleeping outside is pretty true. We flew in at night to Jordan. Dropped off and some idiot forgot the tent poles. So that night we slept on a folded up tent. And yes it gets cold at night in the high desert. But how many people can say that they have slept under the stars in Jordan. | ||
| Kevyn |
...how about along an improvised flight line in northern Afghanistan? The best enlisted job in the AF is Load Master. If you're into action, C-130 Spectre 'funship'. If you like longer flights think C-17 or KC-135. AF life is good. The troops are motivated, disciplined, well trained. There are many opportunities to get down and dirty, you'll meet plenty of 'interesting' people along the way and have opportunity to work alongside people who 'think' versus just doing what they're told to do regardless of outcomes. You won't have to shoot anyone at 500 yards unless it's something you want or need to do at the time you're doing it... God has a way of putting you where you need to be to get where you need to go... AF Air-Evac Medical Specialist 1976-1999. P.S. That pic about the AF is on target!! Work then play. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Ryker, little info before you jump on me any more. I have no problems with either the Marines or Army. I JUST DO NOT WANT TO BE IN THOSE BRANCHES! I find there are more technical positions in the Navy or Air Force. End of story. That picture was meant as a joke. Now, if you don't have enough of a sense of humor to just laugh at it then I suggest you work on that. Nor do I care whether you feel I deserve to wear the Marine uniform or not. Because I have no plans on entering it. Quite frankly I've never wanted to be in the Marines or Army. I know full well about the promotion situation in the AF and about how it gets looked down upon by the other branches. I DO NOT GIVE A F***. Nor do I care about how well I can aim a rifle. I'm more interested in what technical skills I can learn and do while I'm in that I can use when I'm out. Oh, and for your information. I never said the Navy was lazy. My brother is in the Navy, is a Nuke and he works his ••• off. He's the reason I'm even thinking about the military in the first place because I saw what it did for him. I also know that your never guaranteed a job in the military. If they have an opening you can get it. BTW, I've talked to vets from all branches. Guess which ones impressed me the most. Navy and AF. | ||
| Hardcorps |
To each there own, but the USMC made me the man I am today. I think you get out what you put in, but the Marine Corps has a way of motivating you to put it in. Each service has its good and bad, but there is definitely a certain respect you get after being in the Marine Corps. Hard Corps 0331 | ||
| Cataract2 |
Agreed Hardcorps, each branch can make you into a man. Each has it ups and downs. I have looked into each branch and feel that either the AF or Navy will be what's best for ME. | ||
| Sspazz |
The Marine Corps sent me to an MCSE training course. I have that certification plus Network+, CIW-A and am working on my Exchange certification. I paid for none of them. there is plenty of technical aspects in my job. but you are absolutely right.. it is not for everyone. I would suggest the Air Force. | ||
| Ryker77 |
I was just trying to help you out.  Promotions is what the militray is about. PERIOD. If your not moving up then you must move over. training and picking your MOS. Once you narrow things down. come back to this or other chat boards. Vets will help you out. I'll use a for example- Marines when you sign up for a job you actually sign up for a field. I had signed up and was told I would be combat engineer MOS of 13-- I forget the last to numbers. The paper work I signed was for 11XX and 13XX. notice the XX. I asked the recruiter and he made a phone call (i doubt there was anybody on the other end) and he assured me I had a 13--. I leave for boot camp then combat training. 4 months later I was told I was 1391 bulk fuels. Pumping gas!! Its more than that. all branches of service have them. Basically when I signed onto a field I could have gotten heavy equipment mech, water system, electrical generations, combat engineer, or bulk fuels. All but the one I got stuck with is great demand in the civ world. My luck. Also if you flunk out of one of the tech schools you are free meat. You will be tossed into what ever MOS they choose. Could be post office, admin, or just a truck driver. Even the AF has those jobs. sorry if I came off to harsh- just trying to help somebody becuase I wish somebody had helped me when I signed up. All my dad told me was stay away from infantry. | ||
| Tramp |
cataract said : "Agreed Hardcorps, each branch can make you into a man. Each has it ups and downs. I have looked into each branch and feel that either the AF or Navy will be what's best for ME." ummmm.. cataract- please attempt to refrain from speaking, in knowing and experienced tones, about the various branches of the military and what they'll do foor you. clearly, you haven't 'looked into each branch', at least not from the perspective of speaking to vets who are NOT recruiters (recruiters are usually shorties who have a quota of young fellas to sign onto misleading dream sheets before they can get their own discharges). seems a few have piped up, here, and you've chosen to ignore them. some of us have ven participated in interbranch ops and training such as the 1980s iteration of SOG, known as RDF. some guys on this board might have just come back from a sandbox tour, and might be able to enlighten you further. I met 3 badwebbers last week, at least two of 'em were prior service. seems like you ahve a great resource, here, from which to draw advice.... utilize it. | ||
| Light_keeper |
Ditto. Each service has it's ups and downs. I can't really speak for the other services be cause of the limited time spent going to their schools. (Or attached to the Navy underway haze gray) What I did find was that each service what ever it be has something good to offer the man or woman who wants to work for it. There are no true free rides. There is a lot of fun poking at the other rates (jobs) but everyone has a job to do and in the end it is important to the big picture. It doesn't matter if you are pumping gas or fixing nav gear, flying the plane or just fixing it, it all needs to be done. As for the poking fun. Try being a coastie underway on a frigate or destroyer. Until you do the first boarding in $#1++y conditions, you get called all sorts of things. All in good fun. I have nothing but the utmost respect for anyone who joins up and does their time. One hitch or a life time.  | ||
| Crashcourse411 |
Just a thought from the civ world. I'm just out of college. 10 years ago in high school the military recruiter told me he thought he found the ideal spot. I wanted to be a mechanical engineer(blow things up), he told me they didn't need any mechanical engineers. At the young age of 18 I knew he was either ignorant or he only could meet his quota with enlisted personnel. Now I know after attending 5 years of college and getting my engineering degree I probably won't get to blow things up, but I still have a degree that will get me pretty much a job anywhere. I also feel that you should not purely want to go into the military with the thought of getting an education for free. If your not prepared to take up arms and spend time in the trenches, if need be, you don't belong there. You should go into the military to defend this countries ideals and beliefs, not a free hand out and job placement. | ||
| Tramp |
Cataract- please peruse this genuine Oath of enlistment, classified by branch, prior to making any rash decisions: All persons, upon entering the Military Service and upon reenlistment are required to take the Oath of Enlistment. At one time the Oath of Enlistment was the same for all services. Due to changes in both society and the differing Military Branches, the Oath has undergone marked change and has been specifically tailored to each branch of the Military and their specific function. Here are the latest versions of the Oath of Enlistment as recently released by the Joint Chief's of Staff: US AIR FORCE OATH OF ENLISTMENT I, (State your name), swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES AIR FORCE because I know I couldn't hack it in the Army, because the Marines frighten me and I am afraid of water over waist deep. I swear to sit behind a desk. I also swear not to do any form of real exercise, but promise to defend our bike-riding test as a valid form of exercise. I promise to walk around calling everyone by their first name because I find it amusing to annoy the other services. I will have a better quality of life than those around me and will, at all times, be sure to make them aware of that fact. After completion of "Basic Training" I will be a lean, mean, donut-eating, lazy-boy sitting, civilian-wearing-blue-clothes, Chair -borne Ranger. I will believe I am superior to all others and will make an effort to clean the knife before stabbing the next person in the back. I will annoy those around me, and will go home early every day. So Help Me God! ____________________ Signature ____________________ Date US ARMY OATH OF ENLISTMENT I, Rambo, swear to sign away 4 years of my mediocre life to the UNITED STATES ARMY because I couldn't score high enough on the ASVAB to get into the Air Force, I'm not tough enough for the Marines, and the Navy won't take me because I can't swim. I will wear camouflage every day and tuck my trousers into my boots because I can't figure out how to use blousing straps. I promise to wear my uniform 24 hours a day even when I have a date. I will continue to tell myself that I am a fierce killing machine because my Drill Sergeant told me I am, despite the fact that the only action I will see is a Court-Martial for sexual harassment. I acknowledge the fact that I will make E-8 in my first year of service, and vow to maintain that it is because I scored perfect on my PT test. After completion of my Sexual.....er....I mean "Basic Training," I will attend a different Army school every other month and return knowing less than I did when I left. On my first trip home after Boot Camp, I will walk around like I am cool and propose to my 9th grade sweetheart. I will make my wife stay home because if I let her out she might leave me for a better-looking Air Force guy. Should she leave me twelve times I will continue to take her back. While at work, I will maintain a look of knowledge while getting absolutely nothing accomplished. I will arrive to work every day at 1000 hrs because of morning PT and leave everyday at 1300 to report back to "COMPANY." I understand that I will undergo no training whatsoever that will help me get a job upon separation, and will end up working construction with my friends from high school. I will brag to everyone about the Army giving me $30,000 for college, but will be unable to use it because I can't pass a placement exam. So Help Me God! _____________________ Signature _____________________ Date US NAVY OATH OF ENLISTMENT I, Top Gun, in lieu of going to prison, swear to sign away 4 years of my life to the UNITED STATES NAVY, because I want to hang out with Marines without actually having to BE one of them, because I thought the Air Force was too "corporate," because I didn't want to actually live in dirt like the Army, and because I thought, "Hey, I like to swim...why not?" I promise to wear clothes that went out of style in 1976 and to have my name stenciled on the butt of every pair of pants I own. I understand that I will be mistaken for the Good Humor Man during summer and for Nazi Waffen SS during the winter. I will strive to use a different language than the rest of the English speaking world, using words like "deck, bulkhead, cover, gee dunk, scuttlebutt, scuttle and head," when I really mean "floor, wall, hat, candy, water fountain, hole in wall and toilet." I will take great pride in the fact that all Navy acronyms, rank, and insignia, and everything else for that matter, are completely different from the other services and make absolutely no sense whatsoever. I will muster, whatever that is, at 0700 every morning unless I am buddy-buddy with the Chief, in which case I will show up around 0930. I vow to hone my coffee cup handling skills to the point that I can stand up in a kayak being tossed around in a typhoon, and still not spill a drop. I consent to being promoted and subsequently busted at least twice per fiscal year. I realize that, once selected for Chief, I am required to submit myself to the sick, and quite possibly illegal, whims of my newfound "colleagues." So Help Me Neptune! ______________________ Signature ______________________ Date US MARINE CORPS OATH OF ENLISTMENT I, (have someone recite your name for you), swear.. uhhhh....high-and-tight.... grunt... cammies.... ugh...Air Force women....OORAH! So Help Me CORPS! X____________________ Thumb Print | ||
| Tramp |
crashcourse411 said: "I also feel that you should not purely want to go into the military with the thought of getting an education for free. If your not prepared to take up arms and spend time in the trenches, if need be, you don't belong there. You should go into the military to defend this countries ideals and beliefs, not a free hand out and job placement." dang, CC!  | ||
| Ryker77 |
I did 7.5 years active Marine. Trained on Army bases. 7.5 months sea duty on the USS Bataan. Stationed on a Naval Air Base for three years. And did 1 year national gaurd duty. So I've seen alot of the branches. Don't count on getting an education while in the military. Even the cake walk AF has units thats stay deployed and make it hard to get a "real" degree. But all branches allow for your school training to be figured under ACE for college credits. I had almost 80 credits in tech fields. Didn't do me a damn bit of good sense I am going to school for medical stuff. But I am getting a nice disabilty check from a bike wreck 98 s1w. Any thing that happens to your body while on active duty is covered by the VA. Get fat and get high blood pressure and you get a monthly check from the VA. Get in a bike wreck and have a plate in your arm - get a monthly check from the VA. Go to war and loose a leg - get a large check from the VA. Also I get my GI bill of 1150.00 tax free each month and my home state has free college. So I pocket ie pay the house payment with my GI bill. The armed services is a good thing for low to middle income kids. I would have not made it this far in life had it not been for the benifits of the military. | ||
| Kevyn |
I told my Dad I wanted to join the Marines...he looked me in the eye and said "like hell you'll join the Marines...you'll wake up in the morning with your legs cut off" ...Father dear survived Pacific island fighting and carried the scars and shrapnel to the end. I have his brown wool dress uniform hanging in the closet. One of my older brothers mucked it out in the highlands of VN for 2 years, went on to be one of the greatest humans I've ever known. Another older brother made it through one tour aboard ship and spent the rest of his life in Las Vegas and Phoenix with a serious passion for boats and Porsche autos. Any formal education I gained in the AF was on my own time. Fortunately, I entered the medical field and spent my military years cavorting with Doctors, nurses, pilots, flight mechanics and 'loads'. Time well spent. If you want to get a foot in the door, consider a reserve component since they are presently the most active components of the military... |
