Should I be a chef or should i join Military Intel?

Question

I have been apprenticing in small bakery's and High end restraunts for the last 2 years. However I took the Asvab and found that i could go into Military Intel and later into the intelligence agencies, what should I do?

Answer 1

As a Chef who is ex-military, I can tell you that my passion is my cooking, but I regret every day that I didn't make a career out of the military. I would be retired already, and I would have some security to fall back on.

Military is not an easy life. You have to be able to put up with a certain level of crap. (Just like in a kitchen) But the job is rewarding, and the benefits are really good.

I used the GI Bill to go to Culinary School. That was 6 years after I had a great career in electronics working for a very good company. After 5 years active duty and 6 years in the corporate world, I decided that electronics wasn't making me happy and that what I loved was cooking.

What I know after being a Chef for 14 years, and working my way up to Executive Chef, is that ANY job has it's down side. Work is work. If I had known then what I know now, I would have stayed in a very successful military career, taken that re-enlistment bonus, and stayed with it until I retired. THEN I would have gone to culinary school with no stress on making ends meet.

I talk to old service friends who are basically in charge now, or retired. It's a strange feeling. They admire me for my choices. I admire them for theirs. There is an old saying in the Coast Guard: The two best places to be stationed are the place you just came from, and the place you are going to next. What that means is there is always some kind of job satisfaction issues, but when you look back on it the job is good.

I feel like I missed out on an opportunity. I will probably be working for the rest of my life.

Good luck with your choice. I hope I helped in some way.

Answer 2

HOOAH, MI!! You hit my soft spot friend. I am in Army Intelligence. I'll tell you that MI (military intelligence) is an awesome job - much better than a cook. Don't get me wrong, we need cooks, but from what I've seen, my job is much cooler.

To quell the slanderous idiot above, my primary job as a 96B (Intelligence Analyst) is to receive, safe-guard, and analyze intelligence reports from a war-zone. Then, you put your conclusions together to brief the commander of changes on the battle field. If you work in an infantry unit (the job is very versatile, so you can pretty much choose whatever unit you want since almost every unit has a couple), you can actually get in on the action while collecting intell for higher echelons if that's your thing.

Just so you know, even with history in MI and a security clearance, your chances of making it into a three-letter agency (FBI, CIA, DEA etc...) are slim. I hope you get it, but don't put all your money on that chance. However, those are not the only places a security clearance is good for. Check out this link to see some jobs that require a security clearance.

http://www.military.com/clearance

If you join the Army, I will also tell you that Ft. Huachuca is a really nice place to train. It's in Arizona, but because it's in the mountains, it doesn't get too hot during the summer.

E-mail me for more information. Good luck.

Answer 3

I tried to enlist as a cook, it's been in the family for over 100 years. Got way to high of a score and ended up in Signal School as what is now 94L.

My plan was to use the GI bill to go to a good cooking school.

You can always go back to the kitchen if you don't like spook stuff. You will have the GI bill to help too!!

Choose wisely young Luke!

SSG US Army 73-82

Answer 4

Military intelligence is a oxymoron. Like jumbo shrimp. It does not however suprise me that your skills as a chef qualify you for military intel. Considering how mucked up their info generally was, I would have preferred for most of them to be in the kitchen fixing a nice dinner. Do something useful, become a chef. Being a cook may not be an "elite" job, however, without the cooks the elite dont eat!

Answer 5

military intel. 20 years government service,

then go work for federal government

get double retirement benefits.
like the other guy said, you can be a chef in the military.

lots more up side potential

Answer 6

I'm not going to tell you what to do. You need to figure out what you want for yourself.

I do have one piece of advice. If you decide to go into the military, make sure you get it IN WRITING that they will put you into an intelligence job. And make sure the writing also says that if they don't, you can leave the miltary.

Answer 7

The Army is the last thing you'd want to be in.
They are lying to you...The Asvab is only for Army needs.
M.I is way different than Agencies in the civilian life.
You will start off making way lower than minimum wage....
work long hours...(somethimes 24 day shift, and that really sux)
Trust me, I am in the Army and it bites man.
Im getting out this year,..

Not worth it.. Your probably making way more money at that bakery than you would in the army.

Answer 8

simple.......................join the military

be a cook in the military

or later...be a cook in the military

either way

saounds like a good cover for a spy

a cook

in the military

good luck.............

Answer 9

You realize the second you join the military is the second you go to Irqui

Answer 10

Why don't you cook and enjoy the food?

You will not enjoy the food you cook in the military, after seeing all that carnage.