What are the chances of enlisting as an accounant in the military and ending up in infantry?

Question

As the title says, what are the chances of being perfectly qualified for and enlisting as an accountant in the military and ending up in infantry (even though you were told from the very beginning when you signed up that you don't have to see actual combat if you don't want to)?

Answer 1

Never believe ANYTHING a recruiter tells you. No matter how nice he seems, and how much you have in common. Don't believe him. Are you joining the Army? If you are joining the Army, don't kid yourself. As a buck-private you will have no rights or responsibilities for a couple of years. Once you get to your initial unit, you will be the lowest ranking person there. Literally. So out of 200 or so people, they will all out-rank you. Of course this will change with time, but if you are joining the Army, there is a VERY LARGE probability you will see Combat. Trust me, once you go through boot camp, the detailers won't care what your recruiter told you. Besides, if you join the military to not see combat, you are joining for the wrong reasons and you will be miserable and you will make everyone around you miserable. Especially if you ever use the phrase, 'but my recruiter told me...' The smart ones learn early on that phrase won't get you anywhere, the ones that continue to use it just highlight themselves as not being able to learn. Trust me- if you are going to join the Army, find a vet who is NOT a recruiter to get the real scoop. I'm a Naval Officer, and I'm still pissed at my recruiter for his lies after 5 years.

Don't get ANY information from a recruiter. Get all your information from veterans (recent ones) or current active duty personnel. Before you sign on the dotted line, YOU are the one in control. YOU make the decision, YOU make the calls. And once you sign on the dotted line, as an enlisted person, YOU are the one who follows orders, YOU are the one who has decisions made for you (until you advance significantly in rank) and YOU will not be making the calls... for a while. Remember that. Take some time to cool off from your recruiter if you have developed a friendship of sorts with him. He doesn't care what becomes of you, I don't care how nice he seems. Serving in the US military is an honorable profession, but unfortunately, the recruiters out there that have a mandate to recruit so many soldiers/sailors a month, don't care what happens to you. All they know is they want you to sign on the dotted line, so they can mark you off as an 'X' on the number of 'X's' they have to get each month. From there, it doesn't matter to them.

The only reason I'm pretty vocal about this, is because I see sailors all the time that didn't realize what they were getting into when they signed up. Because the recruiter painted a picture different from reality.

If you are going to sign up for Military Service, be prepared to die for your country. If you can't stomach that, go to college and get a job as an accountant at a big 6 firm. Just don't cheat on your taxes. (or lie about your company's earnings)

All in all, I'd recommend going to college first if you can hack it.

Answer 2

Let me put it this way - if you're an actual MBA they have a lot less of those (compared to their needs) than people looking for infantry. As things stand *today* you'll probably be a bean-counter, especially if there is an open accession slot (ask your recruiter). On the other hand, when the ground war with Iran breaks out, they're going to need a lot of 11B in a hurry, and all bets are off. If you're going to sign up, do it now while you can get a slot settled in.

When you're in the military there are never any promises. If you don't want to take the risk of being sent into combat - in any capacity - don't sign up at all.

Answer 3

Since you are asking about "military" instead of any particular branch, I'm assuming that you have talked to a recruiter, but not signed the paperwork.

With the US Army, your contract specifies what job you have chosen. That means that you have a legal and binding contract that states you will be trained in a job, and provided you finish the school, you will be assigned to that position. If you DON'T finish the school (through no fault of the Army), the Army can, and will, send you to another school for the "welfare of the Army". (Kind of gives you incentive to pass the school, huh?). If you are trained as an accountant (DFAS), then that's where you will work.

BUT, anybody that says "you don't have to see actual combat if you don't want to" is misleading you. Soldiers still need to be paid, and have pay problems. You may be sent to a combat zone. If this happens, you will be WAY back from the front, in the middle of an installation, and very safe, but it is still a combat zone. So, you won't see "combat" unless you go to the front. That doesn't mean you won't/can't deploy to go to those areas, just that you won't be up front fighting.

The other branches MAY have changed their rules since I quit being a recruiter in 2000, but I doubt it. To the best of my knowledge, the Army is the ONLY branch that will guarantee you a job.

Answer 4

If you where told that you will not see combat, who ever told you that was lying. But that type of job normally you want see as much combat. It is more of an inside type of job. From the Army point of view and most of the other branches, when you pick your job and sign a contract for it, that is the job you will train for as long as you stay morally, physically and mentally qualified. This even applyies to soldiers that are in the service as well.

Answer 5

an accountant, next to none, all you need is a good score on your asvab if your enlisting, and if your commissioning do good in officer canidate school and if you want you'll serve as a accountant, though the infantry gets a lot of publicity there is plenty of other things to do, there's thousands of ways to be a soldier and being in infantry is only one

Answer 6

Recruiters are essentially salesmen. Salesmen never lie, right? However, the US Army used to have 10 support troops for every combat infantryman when I served in the nam. That ratio is probably still about the same. Good luck.

Answer 7

It'll be time to pack up and go home if they ever start pulling accountants to take the place of highly trained infantrymen...

Hey Air Force Recruiter... so what's up with the Air Force people on the ground doing convoys? I bet their Air Force Recruiters told them they'd be relaxing on an airbase, chilling and watching TV, and sleeping in bunks...

Answer 8

Do you mean enlist as in enlisted soldier or a more generic term of enlist that could be applied to being a commissioned officer?

Answer 9

Well, that depends....

What the recruiters don't tell you in the Army and Marines is that you have a second MOS...infantry. You can become an accountant. And a soldier. You can become an engineer. And a soldier. You can become a mechanic. And a soldier. You can become whatever you want. And a soldier.

I'm not sure about Navy, but the Air Force does NOT have a hidden MOS, or AFSC as they call them.

Answer 10

Your MOS doesn't matter. They will teach you that you are a soldier first and foremost.


If your contract says you'll be an accountant - I'm not sure they can make you infantry. Doesn't mean you won't have to pick up a weapon and do what you have to do to protect yourself and fellow soldiers though.