I was going to tag a few people to ask but I thought this would cast a broader net and the more information I can get, the better. My son is asking my opinion on military service. I have little to no experience with this area. He wants to go to college for nursing. I want to know what his best option would be. Where would give the best career opportunities? Will they pay for college if he goes to college first and joins as an officer? That’s a thing right? You can join as an officer with a college degree? Do all branches pay for school? What questions should I be asking? I would appreciate any input you could give me. I don’t mind talking to a recruiter, but I feel like they might not be quite as honest as I would like since their job is to get you to sign up. I would like an honest opinion on what is best and I feel like most of you guys will give that. Thanks in advance for your input.
I’m many years removed, but happy to share my thoughts.
Yes, they’ll pay for college, but get that done first. Don’t try to go to school and then get reimbursed. It’s possible, but iffy. He’ll want to get good grades and get assigned to Medical Services.
They want nurses, all the time in all services. How long does he want to stay in? If he wants to retire, they’ll even pay for PA up to Med School opportunities (while in and getting paid!). I should have done that.
The Air Force has the best living conditions, hands down. The USMC gets all their services from the Navy… so don’t try to join the Marines for something like this; very reduced opportunity. The Navy is the biggest and the Army the worst living conditions… meaning both are probably lower-end on competitiveness for these roles.
I do think they try to be more honest than they used to be: shocker, it’s a better retention strategy. That said, just like the real world, there’s no such thing as a “forever” promise: the needs of the service can always drive change. That’s not as big a deal for medical services, though; they’re always in need and it’s hard to replace skilled workers.
Thank you for the input!
I believe my Aunt told me something similar years and years ago.
This is the Navy…
I was drafted during the Vietnam war upon graduation from college in 1970. I neither encourage nor discourage anyone thinking of joining. I do not think money should be motivation to join, though my GI bill benefits fully paid for law school later in the 1970s.
If your son is intelligent, he should first get a 4 year degree. There is other nonmilitary financial assistance. His outlook could change after he graduates. Air Force has best living conditions; Navy has the best food. Good luck.
Ha you are correct. Didn’t realize. And I have seen top gun maverick over 40 times
Hell yeah
Talk to a healthcare recruiter, not one of the strip mall guys. Army is AMEDD. I don’t know about the other branches.
My son did Army ROTC in college. He had an ROTC scholarship all the way through that paid for his way at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He graduated with an engineering degree and was commissioned a couple of years ago.
I don’t think you can use the GI Bill to pay off loans if you take them out before you enlist.
That’s about all I know.
I’m honestly not completely sure what his motivation is. I think he is looking from the side of what would be best for him financially and looking at his future. He is looking for something that he will be able to easily find a good job and benefits. I’m fairly certain that is why he has moved toward the medical field. As far as the military goes, he has been contacted by recruiters and I think he is unsure and came to me for my opinion. With the current geopolitical climate I would prefer he take a different path, but I wanted to gather as much perspective as I could so he can make a better decision.
Not to be purposefully argumentative, but I think motivation is your own. Much of my own was just to find an opportunity to leave a small town (pretty analogous with a financial motivation). As long as you’re open-eyed about what you’re getting into, it’s up to you to weigh the cost-benefit
That’s what I’m trying to help him figure out. I figured that there were lots of people here who have had lots of different experiences so it would be a good place to gain insight.
My next older brother was a corpsman in the Navy. He was assigned to the Charlotte naval hospital for the majority of his term, and had a blast. He was scheduled to go to the Persian gulf (the first one) but it was over before that happened.
He used his housing alotment and along with a whole crew from the hospital had a pretty nice apartment near the hospital & base, which by no coincidence is where my other next older brother lived.
There were some problems with matriculation from naval school to universities, and he wasn’t interested in continuing with nursing as a civilian, but I think he’s an anomaly in that regard.
Another friend was a medic in the army, but the last time I saw him was shortly after the Berlin Wall came down.
That was many moons ago.
Without trying to overly identify myself, I got to spend significant time in places like Hawaii, Germany, much of South America, and the UK, and all over the continental US. The Middle East, too, of course, but I also appreciated that. Prior to the military I’d only been out of my home state a couple times. It gave me exactly what I wanted out of it.