I'm considering enlisting, what is the minimum term of commitment?

Question

I've heard it is 8 years but then I've heard of people getting out after 4 years with an honorable discharge. I think enlisting will be perhaps one of my best moves ever made, however, I do NOT want to make the military a life-long career and I want to get out after the shortest term possible. Also, what can I expect my annual salary to be?

I've also heard that having a certain amount of college credits lets you go in at a higher pay rate, can anybody elaborate on this too?

Answer 1

The minimum is 8 years. BUT, you can make your contract to where you serve 2 years active duty and 6 years inactive reserve(which is basically where you are out of the military, but in a time of need they will call you back into service.) You will be out after those 2 years, but you will be done with all commitment after 8.

The college credits. If you have so many college credits they can boost you in rank before you ship to basic training. It would only be to something like a Private First Class though. If you have a 4 year degree you are eligible to become an officer.

Answer 2

First off it depends on the Branch of Service, each one has there own minimum commitment. When I enlisted in the Air Force in 1991 I had to do a 8 year commitment. I did 1 year delayed enllistment , 5 years active, with 2 years inactive reserve time. Basically 5 actual years, and 3 years I didn’t have to do anything. However times have changed. Its a lot easier now to be "called up" from the inactive reserves.
I know for example that the Army has 2 year commitments. However time is not the only factor. One should think long and hard about what they want out of the military. They all offer the GI bill, they all pay the same, and they all take care of basic needs, such as housing or food(At different levels of quality). Each branch has unique experiences. If your not compatible with the branch you pick a year will feel like 1 million.
What branch to pick is probably the most important question. I of course loved the Air Force, and would naturally suggest that one. I t suspect you know someone who served in every branch. I think your best bet is to talk to them about there experiences. Most vets will give you the good and bad. If you don’t know a vet, I am sure a Veterans group like DAV, or American Legion has a post in your town.
Last point you should keep in mind that Military service is just that "service" to your country. It’s a job that is very demanding, and very rewarding. Go in for your own personal reasons, I am sure there all valid. Yet if serving your country isn’t one of them, then being in the military is rough no matter how long you serve.
As far as the other questions I hate to cop out, but it really depends on the branch. Your best bet is to talk to a recruiter. That is after you spoke to people who served, and did a little research online.

Answer 3

ALL initial contracts are for 8 years total. This can be a divided up into Active Duty, Reserves and IRR time. currently, the minimum time AD is 15 months( after all basic training and schools are completed) followed by a minimum of 24 Months in the Reserves. This is called National Call to Service. NCS has limited job opportunities available.

Bonuses and higher paygrades will depend on a few things.. what Branch you choose, What job you get, and successful completion of some things. These factors literally change daily.

For instance, a 2 year degree can net you E2 in the Navy. a 4 year degree will give you E3. you can get advanced paygrades by convincing others to join with you, for being an Eagle Scout, or for completeing the PQS manual while in DEP.

Answer 4

If you are really interested and don't want to go in for so long...look into your state National Guard. Same training with all the luxuries of being home (unless you get deployed of course). It isn't that bad.