[soonerborn]

Well I guess I can chime in with my .02 and 10 yrs in.

If you do it, it had better be something you want to do. You need a plan, and not just go in blind and go wherever the military needs bodies.

Dont think about joining just a specific branch so soon either. They all have things to offer and each have specialized fields that will help land you a terrific job down the road.

I do not know your specific situation but your choices of what jobs you can do are directly related to how high you score on your ASVAB. You can study up for them and you can take them multiple times so if you really want a particular job but your first test score is a little low, dont let the recruiter strong arm you into accepting something else. Just go back at the next available time and retake the test.

Trust the recruiter about as much as you would a used car salesman. If he/she says anything that is swaying your mind then double check that info with people here and elsewhere.

Do not worry about basic training, its short. Really its more mental than physical, just keep your head screwed on straight and you will be fine. All the yelling and screaming is just to wake up the momma's boys and weed out the non hackers.

If I was in your shoes then I would think about what I wanted to do in the long run and look at what each branch can offer and work towards that. For instance if I wanted to do something in Aviation then the AF is a no brainer. On the other side though if you wanted to be an electronics tech and work towards an electronics engineering degree then all 4 branches offer solid jobs that will fit the bill so then it just becomes a choice of whether you want to pound sand or swab decks.

There are many many jobs in each branch that you probably have no idea about, so research it. I went in the Nav and became a nuclear electrician, the training practically gave me an associates degree in nuclear and electrical engineering. Not much was needed to turn them into BAs. I had good offers to work for civilian nuclear power plants after I got out. My brother is working some type of intelligence analyst MOS for the Army, he chose it specifically because of the great jobs being offered for ex military with high security clearances working in intelligence. I am not presenting these as viable options for you, just showing what there is out there if you go looking for it. Each branch also has specialized units that seem to me like a blast to work in. Example, the navy has SeaBees, they are construction crews and I see them doing some very cool stuff, building schools in some backwater third world country and other stuff like that. Here is what they did after Katrina "From Alabama to New Orleans, the Seabees have cleared more than 200 miles of roads, removed 3,500 tons of debris, delivered 170,000 gallons of water and fuel, and repaired more than 90 schools. They’ve worked to restore power, water and sewage to local communities. They also deliver food to more than 600 families a day." I like stuff like that and I can only imagine how it must feel to be part of something like that. I am sure the other guys here can add some info about units in other branches.

How much college help you get again depends on what job you choose. Some will give you 50% or more credits you need to get your degree. Some will barely give you any. Either way, you can take courses at local colleges with tuition assistance and they should have free CLEP exams available as well as full courses taught on the base. I know where I was stationed in CT, Oklahoma University was offering courses. You should be able to get a majority of your college work done in 1 enlistment, then use the GI Bill to finish out after you get out.

If you join there will be good things and bad things, just like anything else. For me the good things outweighed the bad and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The lifelong friend I have made and the places I have been more than make up for all the crap the military dished out.

I will also give a few cons here of joining.

Its hard to have a family in the military. It puts enormous strain on a marriage and its hard to watch a guy/gal miss so much of their kids growing up. I would strongly recommend holding off on the whole family idea until you are towards the end of your enlistment.

You will have to do alot of crap that makes no sense and seems a terrible waste of time, but thats the military way.

You will see dirt bags who do nothing but brown nose get the same pay and more recognition than you.

At times the food and living conditions will be terrible. Not always but there are times.

You will at some point have a terrible leader, who will make everyone under him miserable, and it will seem like he is never gonna leave.

You will get punished for the mistakes of others but everyone else will be there suffering with you.

I dont care what anybody says about it, you will lose some rights that you are accustomed to as a civilian.

Really though it all boils down to what you want to do, plenty of people go through the military, and you probably know several. Some like it, some dont. With a little bit of game planning you can make sure your one of the former.

As far as your mom and dad are concerned, its your life now. Just remember though that they will support you no matter what you do. It may take a few months for them to warm up to the idea but if you think through what you want to do and present it to them as a whole plan then I bet they will come around faster.