Military + College- Need Advice

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All-

I’m raising three boys, two of which are teenagers. I’m a single dad with full custody, so I’m staring at looming college tuition bills.

The oldest (16) has average grades. The middle has good grades and is in GT math and science.

If any of you joined the military- either full time, or another option like the Air National Guard, Coast Guard, etc- and then went to college, I would appreciate a breakdown of the benefits you got out of the experience- tuition help, job skills , etc. Would you do it again?

I’m hot on them learning a practical skill before they go off to college, such as electrcity, HVAC, computers, etc. Our world and economy is changing- we can’t afford for them to go to a 4-year school, incur 100k in debt, and graduate with some vague liberal arts degree.

Thanks for any input.

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Check if the high school has any vocational programs they could start now, and possibly look into ROTC programs.

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Do they have any inclination re interests or a career path?

4

Read up on the post 9/11 GI bill. It pays tuition in full for any state school in your state plus there is a housing stipend. For my area it was about $1,900 a month.

Personally I think the benefit in experience is more of an intangible thing. The USMC on my resume got me my first job after I got out, but I think it was over looked once I got a degree and started looking in my field. 100% worth it though.

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If they are looking at going military, tell them to look at jobs in all services, rather than pick a service and then pick a job.

I earned my BA while active duty, using Navy tuition assistance. I paid a total of about $1500 for my entire undergrad. Granted, it took me 12 years because I didn’t get hot on it when I had plenty of time to, but I finished it. TA caps out at $4000 per year for Navy and I believe $4500 per year for the other services. Between that and getting credit for your SMART transcript (credit given for military training and experience), as well as CLEP testing (I can tell you a really good CLEP study site), it is definitely possible to get it done a lot quicker than I did - though you would end up paying more than I did. And I still have my Post-9/11 GI Bill waiting for me, to use for further schooling.

As far as job skills, I chose to go a rather specialized route. With my skill set I can make a very good wage, provided I can find employment in it. There are a lot of intangibles learned though - leadership, initiative, work ethic, etc. Though I will say if a person doesn’t already have a decent work ethic when they join, they aren’t automatically issued one at boot camp. Civilian turd usually equals military turd. With exceptions of course.

Just make sure that regardless what job they pick, they understand that as a member of the military, they will be put in harm’s way if necessary. The IT guy isn’t going to be the first one to go of course, but forward bases still need connectivity.

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In addition to the GI bill giving you some money to live on, it will pay up to 17,500 of tuition expenses. Many universities have programs to go above this if needed (google yellow ribbon program). Many colleges are eager to accept veterans/prior service. I would recommend not letting your kid go infantry. I was in the infantry and I regret not choosing something with more carryover into the civilian world.

The military has a plethora of possibilities in terms of jobs. Depending on your kids interests, they could get some basic experience in nearly all fields. If I could go back and do it again I would do intelligence, public affairs, or psychological operations. Good luck with whatever they may choose!

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not sure how much the military pays for college now. if regular college isn’t your desire you used to be able to use the education benefits, after you get out, to pay for an apprenticeship program(4 yrs) to become something like a master plumber. dirty job but if you’ve ever hired one you know what they make.

if you’re near one take a look at technical colleges. I brought them up in another thread that was more about community college than tech. a lot of the military around here go there.
they can get the majority of, if not all, pre recs there for a lot less. not sure of how your state assists but here the lottery pays for the majority of class cost, as long as you maintain at least a 2.0 and meet minimum semester hrs, but doesn’t cover books. some students also get a Pell grant to cover books and have extra cash on hand.

if they choose they could take some tech classes as electives to see if they find something they like. HVAC, welding, CNC(friend of mine made some nice side cases for his H-D as a class project), E.M.T., aircraft maint, CAD, computer game design, and culinary arts to name a few.
there are also specialty transfer programs to various colleges, which here would be some such as The Citadel, Medical Univ of SC, Clemson, and USC. includes programs such as nursing or electrical/chemical/civil/mechanical engineering.

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This is only related to the experience portion, since my dad actually went to college before joining the Marines so obviously he didn’t get financial support from them for his education.
Anyway, my dad got a great job as a project manager at a national security complex basically solely on his military record and experience. There are definitely still places out there who appreciate the kind of leadership skills you can gain in the military.

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Thanks, all. Love this advice. Keep it coming.

The oldest is not what you would deem a military candidate. He’s very tall and thin, and loves computer games. But, he is getting a black belt and has been taking boxing lessons, and is now running for his HS track team, so he understands competition. He hasn’t missed a full contact sparring class in two years . He loves writing and has been winning some writing contests at his high school- he’s clearly a liberal arts kind of major. But his other grades have been so-so, thus we’re looking at all options. He is a high school junior.

My middle son is the opposite. Very organized, taking GT math and science, solid grades, and is tracking to be an Eagle Scout. I would love to see him apply for an academy, but I kow they’re tough.

What about options such as the Air National Guard?

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[quote]ProRaven wrote:
Thanks, all. Love this advice. Keep it coming.

The oldest is not what you would deem a military candidate. He’s very tall and thin, and loves computer games. But, he is getting a black belt and has been taking boxing lessons, and is now running for his HS track team, so he understands competition. He hasn’t missed a full contact sparring class in two years . He loves writing and has been winning some writing contests at his high school- he’s clearly a liberal arts kind of major. But his other grades have been so-so, thus we’re looking at all options. He is a high school junior.

My middle son is the opposite. Very organized, taking GT math and science, solid grades, and is tracking to be an Eagle Scout. I would love to see him apply for an academy, but I kow they’re tough.

What about options such as the Air National Guard?

[/quote]

Your oldest son would fit in just fine, believe me.

My brother in law is Air National Guard (I think, he’s some kind of National Guard). Anyway he loves it. Nothing but good things to say. I’ve also heard good things about the Coast Guard for what it’s worth.

I am obviously pro Marine Corps.

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Join the military because you want to be in the military. If you join for college benefits without considering what may be expected from you, like getting killed or doing push ups, then you will be miserable and end up a shammer.

There are plenty of ways to pay for school that don’t include joining the military.

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And do people actually know what liberal arts means? It seems to be no.

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[quote]ProRaven wrote:

The oldest is not what you would deem a military candidate. He’s very tall and thin, and loves computer games. But, he is getting a black belt and has been taking boxing lessons, and is now running for his HS track team, so he understands competition. He hasn’t missed a full contact sparring class in two years . He loves writing and has been winning some writing contests at his high school- he’s clearly a liberal arts kind of major. But his other grades have been so-so, thus we’re looking at all options. He is a high school junior.

[/quote]

Can you define what you mean as “not a military candidate”? He seems like he is aggressive and competitive (with the boxing) and is a person of achievement (winning writing contests) and still has another year to bring his “so-so” grades up. He is only a Junior, just because he has not found that career path or field of interest yet, you should not be worried.

The question is this:

You say he boxes, I assume he works with coaches, so he is able to take instruction? How does he react to discipline? How is his behavior?

Can he survive/thrive in a structured military environment?

Does he like to challenge authority?

If he does not, he will do just fine, and the military is a GREAT option for college. Don’t worry about average grades, he has a year to work on that. Get him assistance if needed. As long as he does well on the tests, he will be fine.

With the military, it with give your sons and opportunity to experience the world and to experience life and to serve their country and to take a few years to find out what they would like to do. No need to rush in a choose a major at 18 when you don’t know, and then repay a loan for the next 20 years! Take your time to find yourself.

I was in the Air Force, I would recommend it highly. Your other son may want the Marines or the Army for a more true military experience, esp. if they wanted to be anything associated with combat arms. Coast Guard is excellent too. Navy is unbeatable for technology/electronics.

Do they have Jr. ROTC in your area?

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I recently retired from the Air Force and looking at the experience as a whole, I loved it. As far as educational opportunities, I am not sure about all states, but Oklahoma picked up the tab for my undergraduate, as it does for all active duty military members assigned in their state.

I am not sure if it covers online courses or about Guard units. I was then able to use my GI Bill to finish my masters when I retired. If I had to do it all over again, I would still join but pursue my degree more aggressively and hopefully have a four degree by the end of six year enlistment. I joined straight out of high school with zero college credits.

One thing to remember, current ops tempo is high for many of the career fields and it can be a challenge to go to school while deployed or scheduling classes around deployments. I agree with what another poster said about choosing a job or skill and then picking the branch of service.

I am biased toward the Air Force, but all of them offer great opportunities to learn a skill and receive college credits during tech school and future training…not all of the credits will transfer and it differs how many will transfer depending on the school. I found a junior college that took the most credits, took a couple of classes to receive my associates, then transferred to OU to complete the bachelors program. OU made me take two extra classes but I finished my Bachelors.

My out-of-pocket expense was probably less than $1000 for the two and four year degree. I finished my Masters using the GI Bill (post 9/11 GI Bill) and still had a year left over. I had to pay a one-time registration/administrative fee of $150 dollars (which you can receive a tax credit for the entire cost). So to go from high school degree to a Masters degree cost me less than $1200. I didn’t apply for any, but there are still many grants the military member is eligible for even if the state picks up the tuition. The great thing about the GI Bill is that it gives you a monthly stipend for books (around $100) and a monthly housing allowance (around $950).

On a little bit deeper level, The U.S. is no longer a major manufacturing country. Don’t get me wrong, we still manufacture quite a bit, but the bulk of the job market is related to providing some sort of service. This means companies need workers with specialized skill sets, such as IT or electronic technicians…or administrative skills…etc. Jobs for general labor with good pay and benefits are declining. If general laborers are enjoying good pay and benefits, then they are usually working very hard or there is a sizable risk with the job.

My father told me when I was very young that you would enjoy life more if you work with your brain and not your back. The military provides a great foundation for the skill sets in demand. The downside is, there is always the possibility your child will be put in harms way. There is no job that I can think of that is immune. There might be a few, but none that I know of…but there are many to where the chances of seeing action are minimal.

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[quote]Rhinofunk wrote:
My out-of-pocket expense was probably less than $1000 for the two and four year degree. I finished my Masters using the GI Bill (post 9/11 GI Bill) and still had a year left over. I had to pay a one-time registration/administrative fee of $150 dollars (which you can receive a tax credit for the entire cost). So to go from high school degree to a Masters degree cost me less than $1200. I didn’t apply for any, but there are still many grants the military member is eligible for even if the state picks up the tuition. The great thing about the GI Bill is that it gives you a monthly stipend for books (around $100) and a monthly housing allowance (around $950).

[/quote]

That is awesome. I wish every veteran took advantage of this amazing benefit.

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Rhinofunk and Bret620- great posts from each of you. Thank you. Bret, he does just “ok” with coaching. He has a hard track coach (in track, of all sports), and is having a difficult time dealing with the guy.

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I went Marines at 26. I’ve had a lot of fun. Decent pay. Stupid easy life. GI Bill pays for school, nuff said.

On the other hand, EVERYONE I know in their first contract is on the countdown to get out. If you even THINK of reenlisting, you’re a “motivator.” For the record, I reenlisted. And I’m an actual motivator, not the bull-shit oo-rah crap. I love it, and I see the reason behind rules. I swallowed the blue pill on the yellow footprints, and never looked back. That is, until I slipped up. Golden boy goes down hard. There is no love, no loyalty, especially in the drawdown. You’re a number, a body, they have a million more waiting to take your spot.

No one cares. No one cares you joined. No one cares about your kids lives. Think about that.

The military loves a workhorse. They will pile it on and high as you can handle it. And a shitbag? They will skate. They will get yelled at, but that’s about it. Funniest part about it, they both get the same check.

If your kids want to die for their country, take them to the recruiter’s office. If they don’t, watch “Generation Kill” a few times and think about it.

If you want some more down-and-dirty, inside look at it, let me know; I’m here all day.

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Bumping this to get more input. Thanks to all previous replies. My son is talking to a few Air Force friends of mine this week to get their input. Any other input on your experience of combining the military with college is appreciated. Thanks.

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I got a full ride from the Air Force through AFROTC. It included room, board, books, tuition, and a stipend to go to a private school for electrical engineering. I got to go to college straight out of high school and graduated $3000 in the black. It might be more competitive now with all the cutbacks, but I know those scholarships are still out there, especially for electrical/computer/environmental engineers and nurses.

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[quote]ProRaven wrote:
Bumping this to get more input. Thanks to all previous replies. My son is talking to a few Air Force friends of mine this week to get their input. Any other input on your experience of combining the military with college is appreciated. Thanks. [/quote]

I’m not sure if it was mentioned or not, but the Marine Corps (I assume all branches) offer tuition assistance while on active duty that is completely separate from the GI Bill. Your son would just have to fill out the paper work with his command. There are often colleges right on base.