Does the Army Pay that Well?

Question

I'm 21 years old with a bachelor's degree and I am currently employed at McDonald's. I majored in something that I'm terrible in but my parents forced me. I hate McDonald's and I want to join the army. I will talk to my army recuiter two months from now. Which would give me time to think about the army.

I need some info from people with military exp. to help me make a decision. My question is the pay for a E-4 is almost $1700 per month, does this mean that I can expect that amount? I won't join and for example they ship me out 5 months and pay me for those 5 months, but as soon as I go back home they don't pay me for the rest of the year? I will have to go back to McDonald's?

Also I live with my parents in Hawaii, is it possible that they can station me in Seattle or something and give me $800 a month for living expenses? This $800 won't be enough to cover rent.

Answer 1

the people who join the military for money are generally the same ones who end up whining about having to go to iraq or actually having to do the job the government pays them to do.

Answer 2

Lower enlisted pay sucks. But, you have a bachelor's degree. Talk to the recruiter about Officer Candidate School. Officers get paid a lot more. You may also be able to get a decent enlistment bonus for having a degree; you'd have to talk to the recruiter though.

If you are in the Army you get paid every month. It's just like a regular job - you work every day, so you get paid for that, regardless of what country you are in. They won't stop paying you once you're not deployed anymore.

If you enlist as a single E-4, you will probably live in the barracks and eat at the chow hall, so you won't get living expenses (since they will give you what you need). If you are married (or if you go in as an officer), you can live off-post and collect Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS). BAH is determined by rank and duty zip code; it is loosely based on rental rates in the local area. BAS is a flat rate. For enlisted it is somewhere around $270 a month. (It's lower for officers since they get paid more to begin with.) BAS is supposed to cover your grocery expenses. Both of these allowances are on top of your normal pay. Also, you have to consider the benefits you get. Health insurance is free, which at any other job would take a huge chunk out of your paycheck every month. You can also save a lot of money by shopping at the PX and commissary. If you factor in what you would pay if you didn't have these benefits, the paycheck seems a little bigger.

Being in the military is tough, but it's a good job for the right person. (Certainly better than McDonald's.) The recruiter will be able to answer your questions a lot better than most people on here, but remember - if it's not IN WRITING in your contract, it isn't happening. It doesn't matter what the recruiter promised you, if it's not in your contract, it's like he never said it.

Answer 3

With a college degree you should be able to go in as an officer if you play your cards right. I would talk to all of the branches before deciding on the Army. Do not get pressured into to signing up until you have researched all options. $1700 a month is probably about right. Besides that, your housing would be paid depending on where you are stationed is how much you would get. The pay is not as much as in the civilian world but the benefits are good if you can hang in there long enough. Retire at 42, 43 and still be young enough for another career while getting your retirement check.

Answer 4

if you join the full time army and not the reserves you will get the ammount stipulated, you are paid even for your training time. they might ship you overseas for 5 mo and then back to the states but if you are in full time service you will go to an army post and thats where you will work daily and you are paid every month with one month of leave time{vacation} They will station you wherever they want you to be, you wont get any choice until you have served at least 4 years, and then if you make the army a career, you will eventually acrue enough time in grade to get the post you chose. living expense is not anything to worry about, you will live in a dorm situation for at least the first year and you can remain in bachelor officers quarters if you decide to go to officers candidate school, since you have a degree behind you , you would likely be elegible to become an officer. Military life is not a bad way to go, all of your medical is covered, you even get a life ins. policy though its not large, I would look into the Airforce too if i were you, no ground pounding, much more interesting jobs, navy you spend a lot of the year on ships no matter what your rank so its really hard on family life.

Answer 5

The Military pay is OK. It is not enough if you were to live on your own, but they provide all the basics. If you are thinking about the Military from a pay point of view, you had better go officer and be prepared to take advantage of every bonus they offer. They will pay for school. Get a better degree, on focused on what you will be doing. The higher ups make very good pay, but their are only so many of them. Oh, and for being stationed in Seattle -- good luck --- you will likely be stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Do not look at the Military as an easy job with good pay. Look at it as training for the rest of your life. It is your choice. It does pay better than McDonald's though.

Answer 6

Military pay in enlisted grades is adequate, but not great. With strong money management skills you can make it.

Since you have a bachelor's degree, why are you looking at enlisting instead of trying to go to Officer Candidate School? Officer's pay is much better.

If you live in Army housing, you will only get the base pay ($1700). If you are allowed to live off-base, then you would get the housing allowance for the area you are stationed at. Housing allowances are never quite high enough for the area, but at least it is something.

The only way you would be paid only for time sent somewhere is if you are in the Reserve or Guard. Then you are paid only for time spent deployed or in training (such as the one weekend per month minimum) If you are in the regular Army, you will be paid whether deployed or not because you will be working whether deployed or not.

Answer 7

If you plan on getting rich on a soldiers, pay, forget it.You get certain benefit while in the military, but there are also a lot of negatives. With the world situation the way it is, plan of being out at the war front dodging bullets. If this is the kind of life you want to live, more power to you. Even during a time when there is no conflict, you are still swamped by the rules and regs. of the military, and you can be re assigned to another duty station at any time.

Answer 8

If you have your bachelors degree you can go in as an officer, forget E4! lol
An E4 is a specialist, if you go in as enlisted you would only be a private sorry. You definitely want to go commissioned. As for being stationed that you would have to discuss with your recuiter, it all depends on your MOS and the need for it at that base. If you go in enlisted you will live in the barracks. So you don't get BAH. You wouldn't qualify for that unless you got married or ranked above E6.
I don't understand your question about being shipped out though. The military is a contract that you are fulltime all the time for a set amt. of years. You get paid every month, not just when you are deployed.

Answer 9

Use your degree to become an active duty army officer. It's the best way to go. You'll have awesome pay to start out with, and you'll be able to travel, and you can put Ft. Lewis on your list of requests.

They don't tell you this, but you can negotiate with your recruiter. They're desperate for people now, so you can negotiate all you like. Go in, act interested, ask questions, take the ASVAB (study and score super-high) and then walk out and say that you aren't satisfied with the MOS choices, the pay, something. Then walk out. Or say that if they can't guarantee Ft. Lewis as a first duty station, you're out. They'll crack and you'll see progress immediately. You can negotiate about anything in your contract. Make sure the recruiter signs it first, and then you sign it, and make SURE you get a copy of it. That's the only way it'll actually go into effect, or it will get "lost" or "unsigned."

Good luck. Trust me, the Army beats McDonald's in pay.

Answer 10

For correct advice, talk to your local recruiter. You are confusing two different programs.

Army Reserve- One weekend a month, two weeks a year. In exchange for a monthly pay check, you train part time. If deployed, you receive the full pay that others in your rank receive. Bonuses are up to $20,000

Army- You can travel any where in the world. Its just like a regular job, but with better toys. You would be a full time solder, deployed to various stations according to the needs of the military. In addition to a full time paycheck, you will also receive an allowance for living off base. Unfortunately, it is often exactly what they charge for housing off base. Signing and specialty bonuses of up to $40,000

OCS- Officer Candidate School. With a bachelors degree, you can attend training to become an Army officer. Depending upon your education, and MOS you could be leading anyone, anywhere. Its an option that is available to both Reserve (part time)and active solders. At the O-1 pay grade you could be making $42,000 a year, in addition to bonuses and allowances.

The short is that you need to make up yourown mind. Good Luck

Answer 11

The only way you'd get housing allowance is if you were married. You then usually move out of the barracks when you get to be an E-6 due to lack of room, I don't know if you then get BAH. And yes, $1,700 is broken up into 2 checks that you would recieve on the 1st and the 15th. You get paid the salary according to your rank and you get it the whole time you are on active duty... from basic training until your term is up. They pay and then deduct a food allowance from your check so you can get all your meals at the chow hall. The Army, Navy, Airforce and Marines all pay the same... the only way to get more pay is to go up in rank.