Doug Burke Program Manager. Los Angeles, California. Military service can be a very fulfilling part of your life. No regrets. I look back on it as a formative stage in my life. It has paid many dividends self-confidence, leadership skills, travel, learning to work as part of a team.
If you have the mental strength and can handle the physical demands you may be that trailblazing first female SEAL. Research the heck out of this before you join. Make sure you know what happens if you enter but do not pass. Here's an inspirational speech from Naval Adm.
William H. McRaven, BJ '77, ninth commander of U. There are many ways to serve. Consider going to college and entering SEAL training after graduation.
Assess your options like any SEAL would do. Best of luck! Flag for review. Cancel Accept. Cancel Flag Answer. Thankyou so much! This made feel a little less crazy about considering this as an option — Lilly J.
Dec 03, Translate See original. Cancel Flag Comment. I admire you're considering this path. It's what makes our country and military 1 in the world. Vance Kernes Security Forces. San Antonio, Texas. Spend some time reflecting on your short-term and long-term goals before deciding on whether or not to enlist.
Enlisted members of the military branches are responsible for performing the technical aspects of their career field. As an enlisted member promotes and moves up in rank they will be required to perform some managerial tasks. Officers are the managers of the military and spend a majority of their careers managing people and projects.
If you have the option to pursue a prestigious education I would recommend achieving your education and joining active duty service as an officer.
Twenty years in service goes by extremely fast and you should pursue opportunities in the military that translate into the civilian job market. SEALs are well respected and are subject matter experts in their craft, however, many of their skills do not have civilian equivalents. Choosing a specialty in the Navy that allows you to be a SEAL and translates into the civilian sector would be extremely beneficial.
Sooner or later retirement from military service must come and you will most likely need employment once more. I believe you could be the first female SEAL, just be sure to think about life after the military as well. Of course it's not all bad, you experience situations and events that civilians will never experience. Your part of a team and will never be alone, you will make friends for life. Pros Unique experiences, part of the most professional fighting force in the world.
You really are part of a family. Cons Low pay, long shifts, leave cancelled with no notice. Very outdated, treated like a child, go away alot! Overall it isn't worth it, the only good thing is you can save a decent amount of money due to little outgoings. Pros Easy to save money. Cons Treated bad, low wage. When I first joined, I was happy and had a lot of job satisfaction.
Over the years the job changed and promotion became competitive as opposed to merit and qualification based. With this the culture changed and people stoped caring about those around them and would stab you in the back at any opportunity in order to boost their own platform. This for me was against everything a joined and I lost the satisfaction and admiration I once had. Pros Struggling to think of any. Cons Lack of worth, lack of appreciation, lack of care for ones personal life, Pay does not reflect commitments, no work life balance, dictatorship and not treated as an equal.
Typical Day During the first 12 to 18 months, basic and trade training there wasn't what I would describe as a typical day. Probably the hardest but most enjoyable and rewarding part of your career, learn lots about yourself and develop yourself mentally and physically. After basic and trade training depending on the unit you are posted to a typical day can vary depending on the unit's role and the management you find yourself working under.
Typical day at a busy unit with good management you will be kept busy and get hands on with your trade, go on exercise and deployments and obtain some excellent qualifications. Hard work but very rewarding. However, it is becoming more common to find yourself at a unit with no real purpose, poor management, ageing and broke equipment that needs urgent funding.
A typical day at these units consists of sitting around waiting for pointless tasks not related to your trade. Management The management you find yourself under can make or break your experience and career.
At the better units some great managers that care about their people, but these are a minority. The way the Army recruits commissioned officers is outdated, majority from priviledged backgrounds with absolutely no life experience with no understanding of their soldiers and Junior NCOs.
Too many senior NCOs at the end of their careers with a "not my problem" attitude due to having a couple of years remaining in service. The most frustrating aspect of this is the lack of accountability for those in management, and the fact they are aware that their inaction is negatiely affecting - more Pros salary and job security.
Cons poor management, lack of funding in equipment, don't do job you joined up to do. Great team mates, got to travel do things I never would have in civvy street. Driving skills and hgv license were given. Only left because I got too old. Honestly loved my time with the army. There will be good times and bad times but I can honestly say that I look back on all my memories of the army and I'm glad I joined.
Initially good as a stepping stone however wages not a fair reflection in the job and what you have to sacrifice Infantry Soldier Current Employee - Catterick Garrison - 11 June The last two things I have mentioned generally make for a rather mundane weekly routine of conducting some physical training in the morning then an afternoon of disjointed and disorganised training, hanging around the back of the offices or on bad taskings.
A lot to sacrifice for the same wage that a supermarket worker gets. Pros Good to use as a stepping stone to get you in your feet. I needed experience. I needed a resilient and upwardly trending source of revenue.
Perhaps most importantly, I needed my life to matter. All of these thoughts coalesced to drive me to the U. Truthfully, my reasons for joining the Army in the summer of at West Point were less than admirable - at the bottom of my list was patriotism or duty.
Understandably, many men and women join the Army, or any organization, believing they will be impactful, enduring agents of change.
My experience to date in the Army has built a professional and personal foundation, the likes of which I could never have predicted. Moreover, my story is not unique. Stories like mine have transpired across all ranks, regardless of the roads men or women take into the Army, regardless of the branches in which they serve.
I chose to join the Army, but the Army has been one of the biggest surprises of my life. Here are five reasons why I believe young Americans must not overlook service in the U. Army for any length of time, whether it is to build a foundation or to enjoy one of the greatest careers this Nation has to offer, all while serving honorably. In order to win, leadership is paramount.
The Army is a people business. There is much that could be and has been written about the opportunities for leadership in the Army from entry to retirement , and the countless ways one is tested on a daily basis as a leader. This is a Good Thing! Additionally, most soldiers, regardless of rank and branch, typically move every three years and change jobs every months. Many have condemned this as producing sub-optimal generalists, but the Army sees it differently.
The Army has always been aware of the need to foster adaptability. Well before it was trendy to point out that the world is increasingly complex, the Army recognized the power in adaptability.
It has been a learning organism since its inception. Since Washington crossed the frozen Delaware on a stormy Winter night in , with a ragged, pitifully-manned, pitifully-equipped army, to launch an audacious, surprise attack on a superior Hessian force at Trenton, NJ, the Army has been finding ways to adapt and win. You will be a part of that. You will jump out of planes.
You will learn to lead in harsh, austere conditions. You will deploy across the world, sometimes to fight, sometimes to train alongside allied forces, and sometimes to even stem the spread of disease. You will learn knew skills. You will be faced with your shortcomings and have to persevere. You will deal over and over again with steep learning curves not just in your twenties, but in your thirties, forties, and well beyond, depending on how long you serve.
Ultimately, you will serve at the will of the Nation. You will subordinate many elements of your personal autonomy to the good of the Army and the Nation it serves. Many young men and women fret over being accepted into a specific university or echelon of universities, in hopes that their hard work will land them in a thriving network, thereby securing a bright, financially stable future. However, I would offer that a network, like a good education, is a pull system.
You get what you pull out. That said, pull from an organization that transcends state lines, transcends races, transcends collegiate pedigree, transcends family lineage. To be a part of the Army is to join a lineage of leadership, service, and camaraderie that goes back to Veterans love to help other veterans.
Even non-veterans are honored to work with or support veterans. The Army and military by extension is a formidable network of men and women, of professionals, of leaders, that I would put against any other professional network in the Nation.
Additionally, everyday, service members are awarded ROTC scholarships for College, fully funded graduate school while being paid , and tuition assistance to earn an education while working. The list truly does go on. The GI Bill can even be transferrable to a spouse or child after a certain period of service. Stu, just do it mate.
No regrets at all, best thing i ever did. Best mates I ever had. Wish I could turn the clock back. I've had a great time, especially the first few years as a young singly living in the Mess.
Well, I know that I'd have been further on in my civvy career if I hadn't joined, but then again I wouldn't be the same person so swings and roundabouts. If I had to do it over with the knowledge of today I'd join again and either do a shorter engagement and get civvying earlier or fight tooth and nail for the full engagement.
It's something I look back on with pride. I joined as a fucked-up young teenager far too long ago. The Army turned around what could well have been a wasted life, and I had a bloody good time into the bargain, making mates that I'll never lose. I don't ever regret joining up - best move I ever made. Nutstrangler LE. I joined as an Army Apprentice when I was sixteen, was retired at 40, and then did a further twentyfive years in Civvy Strasse.
I missed it when I came out, but never regretted it for a minute. Crack on Stu, the mates you make will be yours for life. It's a personal choice and one only you can make. However if it helps, you need to put some things into perspective: Training will be hard, tedious, monotonous and to some completely pointless, but there's always a reason, you just won't see it, and when you do, you'll understand.
When you join your unit you'll be at the bottom of a very hierarchical system and you'll wonder what all the dig deal was about, passing out or completing your trade training.
It all gets better and soon you'll be stepping up that notional ladder, Respect has to be earned remember. The RA fight and play hard, so be prepared to always be on top of your game if you want to progress, and don't get sucked in by others who are disillusioned with Army life and always look for the negatives. No one will do if for you and it'll get you away from the monotony of barrack life and you'll experience some cracking things. Those who sit around in camp weekend after weekend doing the same things don't tend to last.
Lastly, you really get to understand the definiton of Camaraderie. You'll receive a different outlook on life that only those that have walked in your shoes can understand. Me, I joined at 16 and never regretted a single second of it. I also suspect that the majority of this site will concure with that too.
I left school with no idea of what I wanted to do, or who I wanted to be. I grew up as a pad brat, both parents were in the army, and decided that I'd give it a bash. I served 14 years and, as with any job, there were good times and bad. However, there is no accounting for the friends you make or the experiences you gain.
I wouldn't change a day of it, even the bad ones because they've shaped who I've become.
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