Is joining the military worth it?

Question

For females?
Overweight/Underweight people?
Long-term employment?
Can you be drafted/re-inlisted without consent?

Answer 1

I am a female and I was in the Air Force. (I got in 2004) I would not discourage or recommend that anyone join. I highly stress to be very cautious when joining. You have to stay in until your contract is up so don't go into basic thinking that they will let you out if you ask them to IT WON'T WORK!
You WILL deploy several times during your enlistment and don't let anyone tell you that you won't!
Know EXACTLY what job you want before signing any contracts. NEVER GO IN WITHOUT A GUARANTEED JOB!!!!
After picking a job go to the nearest base of whatever branch you want to join and talk to people who do the job. I don't care if you don't know anybody at that base or if the base if far away.
DON'T SPEAK TO A RECRUITER ON THAT BASE!!! ONLY speak to people who are doing that job. Trust me they will tell you the truth. If the job turns out not to be what you expected don't go into basic! Don't let your recruiter tell you that you can't switch jobs, it’s too late, or that you can change jobs in basic THAT IS A LIE!!!
You can decide not to go into the military up until the time you actually leave to go into basic.
As for long term employment yes you can have long term employment in the military, HOWEVER not too many jobs are the same as the civilian sector so therefore you could work in the military as a computer programmer or whatever job you choose and not be qualified to work in the civilian sector.
Also unfortunately I learned this the hard way that not many civilian employers respect that you were in the military. I got out and tried to get a secretarial type job, but because I had not had a secretarial type job while in the military they thought I wasn't qualified because it had been four years since I worked in the field even though I am very qualified.
Yes, you can be reenlisted without your consent it is called stop loss. I seen it happen many many times. Someone will be ready to retire or separate from the military and because they are short on people the military won't let them leave even though their enlistment is up. Your recruiter will not tell you about this.
In addition after you serve your term you are automatically in the inactive reserves for 4 years which means that if the military needs people they can draft you back in the military.
My advice is to talk to as many military people as possible NOT THE ONES YOUR RECRUITER INTRODUCES YOU TOO!!! And make sure your recruiter is not around when you talk to them. They will tell you the truth and what to expect.
As for being a female anyone who tells you that females have limited duties in the military is telling you a HUGE LIE!!! They don't give special jobs or treatment to females. I was severely misled about my job and indeed up being a plumber which I absolutely hated!!! When it was 20 degrees outside I had to be outside working, getting dirty, lifting heavy things just like the guys and I won't get into the rest.
The military don't have weight standards anymore, but they have physical fitness standards you have to meet and if your not in good shape your not going to past.
Sorry to have written a book, but I don't want the same things that happen to me to happen to others. I did a lot of research before entering the military and still got screwed. Make sure you know all of the little details and ask yourself if you are o.k. with it. If you are then join, if not then you will make a big mistake if you join.

Answer 2

I think that is well worth it, for females or males. I spent 8 years in the submarine service in the Navy, and loved going to sea. I was overweight going into it, and just about all the way through it. That did make things a little bit more difficult, but not too much. The military has many great benefits to take advantage of, while you are in and for the rest of your life. You cannot be drafted or reenlisted without consent as long as you go to your 8 year mark. Like any other thing you do, you get out of it what you put into it. I was content to leave, but I would never trade the last eight years for anything. The maturity I gained, the responsibility I was assigned with, and the friendships I developed can never be compared to any other experience in life.

Answer 3

(1) If you want to pay for college or acquire a trade skill, done right it is worth it. If you are in the least bit patriotic, it is a non-issue.

(2) If you are overweight or underweight, they will work with you so you achieve a good level of fitness. It's harassment really, but with your interests in mind as well.

(3) For long-term employment, if you have a good technical skill, it bears leaving the service early - before the 6 year mark. You can do 20 and get the retirement benefits, but you will lose out on potential income earned out in the civilian sector. You have to balance out what you gain by staying in 14-15 years more, with health care, the pension benefits, vs. what you would be earning at a corporation for the same skills at a better rate of promotion.

(4) You can be brought back into service, but for the enlisted, this is limited to 8 years after you sign the dotted line. An officer can be called back into service at any time. Mind you, this is still fairly uncommon.

(5) Read on the subject of women in the military (sexual harassment, glass ceiling) and what each of the service branches offers, as each offers a very different work environment. You'd do better to have a few potential choices on what occupation you'd like to pursue and then contrast that with what you'd pay as a civilian to get into that field.

Good luck.

Answer 4

You really need to elaborate more. For some people it is, but some it isn't and that applies to the first two parts (females and over/underweight people).

For long term employment the military is a quality option because you have very definite job security barring any injuries or medical discharges. I don't forsee the US government having to declare bankruptcy any time soon. :)

You can NOT be drafted, nor can you be forced into service longer than your contract stipulates with the exception of what I am sure are very specific and rare circumstances.

Answer 5

Absolutely.

Females have the best of all worlds in the Army. Limited duties but the same benefits and pay.

If you are overweight, you will be at weight when you complete basic. If you are underweight, that is equally not a problem...you will build muscle mass in basic.

In most cases, the job is yours as long as you want it. 20 o 30 years if you like.

You cannot be "drafted/re-inlisted" outside of your contract.

Answer 6

Speaking as the mom of a Guardsman, here are my thoughts. My son, who's in the Army National Guard, definitely believes it's worth it. He's been in for a little over a year and is currently at AIT. If all goes well, he'll be a Combat Engineer (that's explosives) on 15 September. The Guard has matured him, and made him more grateful for things he used to take for granted. Although he's missing his freedom a little bit at AIT--he says he misses his truck, his friends, and home cooking--he doesn't regret his decision to join the military, even though he knows it's highly likely he'll be in Iraq or Afghanistan before this whole mess is over. As a mom, of course I worry that he'll be deployed, but I also understand that's his job, and I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. My worrying about it now won't change a thing.

My daughter, on the other hand, cannot join at this time because she doesn't meet the physical requirements--she's overweight-- and she thinks her brother is crazy for joining. (Even though it's something she herself briefly considered.) Females have separate physical standards to meet than males--fewer pushups, fewer sit-ups, more time to run a 2-mile. If you are seriously overweight, you aren't eligible for enlistment. You have to "make weight" in order to join, and my daughter was unwilling and/or unable to do that.

You'll sign a contract of several years, so unless you do something to get kicked out, you'll have a job for at least the length of the contract.

There is no draft at this time. However.....a so-called "back-door draft" does exist. If you're deployed at the time your contract's up, and your job's considered a critical one (in other words, there's a shortage of people qualified to do your job) then, yes, you can be re-enlisted.

Hope this answers your questions.

Answer 7

For most people the military sucks. Some like it. If you don't mind taking orders and risking your life, it's a decent career. I'd go to college first and take the first two years of ROTC and if I liked that, I'd go in as an officer. They have all sorts of regulations where they can reenlist you without your consent. What the contract says means nothing because there is a clause that can be invoked that will screw you. Something like in times of national emergency.

Answer 8

TheFreshMaker is 100% correct. Dont join for the benefits or as long term employment. You will be miserable if you have other people make your decisions.

Dont forget this isnt a regular job. Once you sign the papers your no longer the one in charge of what you do.

Answer 9

If the Government wishes to exercise "the draft", Yes. But males are the ones to get Drafted first. Women can volunteer when a draft is in place... Call the local requiter in your area and ask specific ??... But if you are over weight,nope you have to drop the weight in order to in-list.. And the Military can "prolong " your release date, which is kinda like being re-in-listed. So when you join, they tell you, what, when, where, who.... they own your rear end,,,,hope this helps a bit

Answer 10

drafted has not happened for over 30 years and wont ever happen. i know. and joining the military is worth i think b/c you take with you life long lessons and places that you think that you may never see and people and places and also meet people from all walks of life. and you have a great experience. and you see different parts of the world. depending on your job of course. and doing it b/c youwould want to do it and knowing you are making the right decision to better yourself and everyone else that you meet in person.