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Military service - when is it valuable?
Putting this in flamewars since it is likely to get fairly heated.
When is military service actually valuable? At this point, I'm of the opinion that the military is good in two main scenarios:
1. You want to be in the military, meaning that you desire an incredibly structured life and love the idea of being in the military.
2. You have no other options, meaning that your grades/attitude/aptitude won't let you get into a college or into a decent trade any other way.
Aside from that, it falls into the realm of being a Terrible Life Decision since (after you strip away all the romantic notions and get down to practicality) you're risking your life for a pretty lousy paycheck and some mediocre training that may not be applicable to anything outside military service.
Convince me otherwise, though. I'd be happy to revise my opinion.
When is military service actually valuable? At this point, I'm of the opinion that the military is good in two main scenarios:
1. You want to be in the military, meaning that you desire an incredibly structured life and love the idea of being in the military.
2. You have no other options, meaning that your grades/attitude/aptitude won't let you get into a college or into a decent trade any other way.
Aside from that, it falls into the realm of being a Terrible Life Decision since (after you strip away all the romantic notions and get down to practicality) you're risking your life for a pretty lousy paycheck and some mediocre training that may not be applicable to anything outside military service.
Convince me otherwise, though. I'd be happy to revise my opinion.
Comments
Also
I've thought about military service a lot, probably far more than an average person, since I deal with a lot of ex-military and current military people on a semi-daily basis. As well, when I was growing up the military was always an option I was looking into, even when I was in college. So I'm probably just not defining the question properly or explaining my view succinctly.
Basically I'm hoping to get a discussion going about when military service is valuable. Right now it's looking like the main times people go into it are when they have no other option or when they are really "gung-ho" about being in the Military (ie. driving tanks and shooting M-16s).
Funny you should mention flying jets, as that is one of the few professions I know where military service is incredibly valuable. If you can manage to make the cut and get into the seat of any military aircraft as a pilot, you gain huge amounts of experience that will easily land you a good job outside of the military world. As well, with pilots being officers they tend to draw decent pay, housing allowance, benefits, and are usually held to a different standard of conduct.
The reason I made the post stems from something on Facebook that someone said, that he wanted everyone to have to go into the Marines. Does anyone here think that's a good idea? If so, why?
What about places like Israel that do have mandatory military service? Does anyone have any information about how that has impacted people's lives?
As well, we have a pretty diverse (geographically) group of people. Churbs, what do people around you think about military service?
Exposure to people outside of your own socio-economic background.
Physical fitness.
Personal responsibility.
Learn a trade/skill.
See the world on the cheap.
Like most things military life will amplify who you already are. If you are a dumbass military life can make you more of a dumbass. However, if you are a good person in a bad situation the military can set you free.
Personal responsibility is iffy, as you said it will simply amplify who you already are (much like anything else you do in life that is a growing experience..). If you're personally irresponsible you'll come out just as irresponsible.
Physical fitness is something I think the Marines would do, and probably the Army, however I have seen my share of overweight Air Force and Navy dudes.
Do you really get to see the world on the cheap? Or do you get to see the same sort of military town replicated throughout various ecosystems? You get to see a shitty military town in a desert, or a shitty military town in a temperate ecosystem.
I will absolutely agree that you will be exposed to people outside your socio-economic group. That is a definite bonus, but I can think of other ways to get that too without having to risk your life (as much). Like the Peace Corps, volunteering for some sort of foreign aid mission, or even some religious missions.
As far as a skill you learn in the military that's applicable outside the military, there is learning to fly an airplane (though this is isolated only to officers and not enlisted people) if you meet the qualifications. For enlisted people, you can learn to be an airplane mechanic. The basics of jet engines are the same whether or not it's in a fighter jet or an airliner.
Finally, if you get accepted to the military academies, which are all top-notch universities, you get free tuition, room, board, and even a small cash stipend, though you have to also spend a certain amount of time serving after graduation. However, you would be serving as an officer, which is a nicer role than that of your average grunt.
So what I'm understanding is that if you go in as a douchebag you'll come as a douchebag but possibly with job skills. Otherwise, as a calculated career choice it may not be a Terrible Life Decision as there are a lot of bonuses that are hard to match outside military service (vet benefits, GI bill, the ability to kill another human being).
It's a necessary part of their job, but not one that is looked upon as some gift. The Army takes careful steps to ensure it's not recruiting people who actively enjoy killing.
I guess I'll try not to take a lot of this personally considering I'm former active duty and working on my application for a commission in the reserves as an Information Warfare officer.
First of all, KNOW WHAT THE FUCK you are getting into. UNDERSTAND that no one must live with the decisions you make for yourself for the rest of your life but you. RESEARCH the best fitting options for you and what you want to accomplish in your life. DON'T DO IT solely for the benefits or if you are trying to finish a bachelor's degree while enlisted and active duty.
That being said, being in the military can be a very rewarding experience. There is a certain mindset that lends itself to success in the military. You must understand that every good leader is also a good follower. Understand that you must strike a balance between conformity and authenticity to be successful. You need to be able to take direction and give it.
Personally my military experience has been very useful to me. I have a ton of "Domain" knowledge regarding Intel systems and DoD policy that makes me very competitive as a software engineer for a major defense contractor. There are a ton of other personality modifications that most people end up absorbing that can very positive for their careers. Not all do though...
Either way its what you make it. If you make it the worst decision in your life then it will be that.
and yeah... we don't want psychopaths so get take hike if want to kill people.
I think generally what has given me a bad opinion is that many of the people I know who went into it didn't put any thought into it (or very little) and thus didn't get a whole lot out.
Think - for every pair of boots marching into combat, the US army has seven soldiers who are strictly support soldiers. Everything from cooks, to clerks, to cleaners, armorers, mechanics of every stripe, doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, all sorts of shit, and a hell of a lot of it translates into civilian life, nowdays - the Military has put a lot of consideration over the years into what happens to people after they finish their service.
Join the navy as a cook? You'll come out a well-trained, disciplined, and if you'll pardon the pun, seasoned chef, able to take your choice of gigs. Motor pool Mechanic? Once again, highly sought after in the trade. Armorer? You'll have gun-shops kicking down your doors. To employ you, not just for the fun of it. And so on, so fourth, with most trades within the army. If your trade is a purely combat role, that is when you have to stop and consider your future prospects - they're a lot thinner on the ground than if you step out with a Trade cert or a degree.
I'm not talking up the forces, mind. I'm just giving you the best information I can, so you can make the best decision you can, for you.
Wouldn't it be funny if I served with him?