I'll join the military if I don't find a new job soon (Blog post)

I've always been very patriotic and always had the mind of a militarist. In fact, the only reason I didn't enlist in the military in the first place is the fact that I'm already in college and enlisting right now wouldn't fit into the over-arching plan that I have for my life.

Unfortunately, I was recently laid off and have been searching for a new job ever since. So I have decided that if I do not find another job by the end of the year, I will enlist in the United States Armed Forces.

What does having the mind of a militarist mean exactly?

Also, cool decision if that's what you arrive at, but have a good think about your reasons, especially of you do have a five year plan or whatever that you are working toward

Remember no respawns brah

@Tim_the_Corsair said:

What does having the mind of a militarist mean exactly? Also, cool decision if that's what you arrive at, but have a good think about your reasons, especially of you do have a five year plan or whatever that you are working toward

I've always had a great deal of respect and interest in topics pertaining to the military, national defense, and foreign policy. I'm also a neoconservative, which is always good.

My plan will be wrecked if I don't find a new job, since I won't be able to pay for another semester of college.

Just be careful. As far as I'm aware, a career in the armed forces is not the sort you can get out of easily once you're in. If you've already got a plan that doesn't involve military, try and get it to work out first.

Also, considering going into an area where you'll learn a trade. In many places, mechanics are in much larger desire than soldiers, for example.

What does having the mind of a militarist mean exactly?

I don't know how anyone can look at the shit our country has been doing over seas and how the troops have been treated, going on tours over and over again in Afghanistan for instance, and look at signing up as a smart and good thing to do.

I am kind of in the same position. I graduated from college with a degree in actuarial mathematics and went on to law school, but I didnt like it and decided that finishing law school wasnt worth the money it would take. Now I am studying to take my actuarial exams (which I have heard are difficult). If I do not pass any exams and job prospects are not good by next summer, I am probably going to do the same thing.

Okay.

@TheHumanDove said:

Remember no respawns brah

Yes, a highly fracking relevant detail right there!

@redbliss said:

I am kind of in the same position. I graduated from college with a degree in actuarial mathematics and went on to law school, but I didnt like it and decided that finishing law school wasnt worth the money it would take. Now I am studying to take my actuarial exams (which I have heard are difficult). If I do not pass any exams and job prospects are not good by next summer, I am probably going to do the same thing.

I really hope you pass your actuarial exams. Good luck, redbliss.

@TheHumanDove said:

Remember no respawns brah

A+ post, would read again.

Every time a military discussion gets brought up on Giant Bomb, I always enjoy them.

Lots of misinformed, Holly Wood based assumptions on what being in the military is. Always fun to read

@takayamasama said:

Every time a military discussion gets brought up on Giant Bomb, I always enjoy them.

Lots of misinformed, Holly Wood based assumptions on what being in the military is. Always fun to read

nice job giving the other side of the story then. or explaining what you mean to begin with.

Good luck if you end up in the military.

Good luck with joining the military now. Because the economy is down, military enlistment is way up and they've already met their recruitment quota. Even if you are qualified and score good on the ASVAB, you might not even get the chance because they don't need you yet.

At least not in anything with a good career path. For the most part, you're looking at a 3 or 4 year enlistment in an Infantry MOS without the possibility of re-enlistment even if you wanted to.

Think long and hard about what service you join and what you want to do. If you are going into Army or the Marines, YOU WILL get deployed. YOU WILL fight. YOU WILL see your friends get killed. That's just the way it is.

@CrazyBagMan: I do what I can :)

@takayamasama said:

@CrazyBagMan: I do what I can :)

Well, actually you didn't. That was kind of his point.

Go for it cuz. One of my buddy makes shit ton of money in the national guard.

@Stonyman65 said:

Good luck with joining the military now. Because the economy is down, military enlistment is way up and they've already met their recruitment quota. Even if you are qualified and score good on the ASVAB, you might not even get the chance because they don't need you yet.

At least not in anything with a good career path. For the most part, you're looking at a 3 or 4 year enlistment in an Infantry MOS without the possibility of re-enlistment even if you wanted to.

Think long and hard about what service you join and what you want to do. If you are going into Army or the Marines, YOU WILL get deployed. YOU WILL fight. YOU WILL see your friends get killed. That's just the way it is.

This is important. If you do join the Army, you want to join in a position which will teach you a communicable skill. They will try to steer you away from that, tell you it's unlikely you'll get called up anytime soon, if you want the call you'll have to go Marines etc. If you do join infantry, you will almost certainly get deployed, some soldiers have easily done 7-8 tours. This is insanity when compared to previous Wars FYI.

I'd read Gwynne Dyers book called "WAR" as well.

join up. i grew up in fort hood. nothing wrong with the military.

We need more people like you, otherwise they start to draft people. Don't discourage him duders!

@Trains:

@DarthOrange said:

We need more people like you, otherwise they start to draft people. Don't discourage him duders!

We need more people who can't find jobs so are forced to join the military?

Good luck! Just make sure it's what you're really committed before joining

Patriotic? what the fuck does that even mean? Do you love your country or do you love the people in power. Do you even know what your countries military is truly up to? Do you even know what you would be fighting for? if you dont and trust me you really dont even if you think you do, its not worth your life. I dont feel that soldiers are evil in fact i do believe that they went into this direction believing that they were doing the right thing but time and time again we have been shown that what we are told is not always the truth and honestly who wants to die for a lie, a lie made by greedy businessmen for their own gain. Dont join unless you are sure your ideaoligies are aligned with the military.

@DarthOrange: You need more people to go off to the middle east and kill people trying to defend their families and their oil? That's not very nice now is it!

As a wise man once said to me on top of a mountain in the Himalayas, in a Buddhist Monastery: "War, hua, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! Say it again!"

Do want you want to do, if you want to do it, but I'd doubt you'd be talking to strangers about it if you didn't have any doubts. If you join the military you'll be signing a huge chunk of your life away to them. If you have to wait a while before going back to school or finding a job at least you can get out of that situation if you find a better option.

Shoot that guy(s)

@Stonyman65 said:

Good luck with joining the military now. Because the economy is down, military enlistment is way up and they've already met their recruitment quota. Even if you are qualified and score good on the ASVAB, you might not even get the chance because they don't need you yet.

At least not in anything with a good career path. For the most part, you're looking at a 3 or 4 year enlistment in an Infantry MOS without the possibility of re-enlistment even if you wanted to.

Think long and hard about what service you join and what you want to do. If you are going into Army or the Marines, YOU WILL get deployed. YOU WILL fight. YOU WILL see your friends get killed. That's just the way it is.

Pretty interesting and informed post, thanks Stonyman.

What is most disappointing is that you've got military endeavors which have contributed directly to the downfall of the US economy and loss of jobs. (I personally stopped paying attention when the War on Terror bill surpassed $3 Trillion, which was many years ago now.) And because of that you've got young men and women who believe their only hope of a good future is through the military and being involved in those very same endeavors, because their life opportunities in other areas has been drastically cut. But by getting involved they're effectively contributing to the very same factors which has gotten the US to this predicament. It's the war economy eating itself. A cycle of destruction, that's got to be broken, or it collapses everything around it. If you believe in the military and wars you have every right to join. That's your prerogative. Feeling hopelessness is not a good reason.

@McGhee said:

I don't know how anyone can look at the shit our country has been doing over seas and how the troops have been treated, going on tours over and over again in Afghanistan for instance, and look at signing up as a smart and good thing to do.

I would say people usually only do it for economic reasons (coupled with some degree of "patriotism"). You see plenty of recruiting offices in places where there are no jobs etc.

Enlisting is great and we always need more people, but if you are really interested in putting yourself in a good position for a military career or any other future career consider finishing college and trying for Officer Training School or something. Even if you just do the minimum time and get out it will still be a great experience and an excellent way to network and have a better shot at a good job when you leave. Enlisting will do a lot of the same things for you, but officership will definitely be a better help if you're looking for other work further on down the road. Either way, good luck!

Just to clarify I am currently in my third year at the United States Air Force Academy and grew up in a military family with two career officer parents, so I may be a little biased.

@Stonyman65: Been in the Army for three years with one more to go. I've never been down range or known anyone who died. Stop making assumptions.

@Groker said:

@Stonyman65: Been in the Army for three years with one more to go. I've never been down range or known anyone who died. Stop making assumptions.

I'm just going by what people I know who have been there have told me.

As someone currently serving Active Duty Air Force, I would suggest it. The military lifestyle isn't for everyone, but if you can handle it, you've got yourself a good career ahead of you. What branch are you thinking of joining? Any jobs you thinking of? If you have any questions about it, don't hesitate to ask. I love helping out.

@Trains said:

You need more people to go off to the middle east and kill people trying to defend their families and their oil? That's not very nice now is it!

If the family they're defending is in the business of killing Iraqi, Afghani, British, American, Iranian, etc., etc., civilians, then it is very nice.

If it is their own family, then it certainly isn't very nice.

Unless, of, course, their own family is in the aforementioned business. Then it's nice again.

@Trains: It's not very nice of them to just not give us whatever we need/want. Conflict is just a part of human existence. It always has been and always will be.

@Groker said:

@Stonyman65: Been in the Army for three years with one more to go. I've never been down range or known anyone who died. Stop making assumptions.

I'm gonna guess you were put into a TRADOC unit? Or did not pass SRP?

Cause I've been in for only 7 months and I'm leaving in at most a year but that odds are I'll be leaving earlier since they will need medics for one of the brigades that is deployed right now.

Please don't think I'm dissing or anything I'm just really curious since I've heard that not deploying in 2 years in most active units is very rare.

@baconbits33: No I'm in a medical brigade that deploys in small groups here and there constantly. Just for whatever reason most people in my company have never deployed.

@Groker said:

@baconbits33: No I'm in a medical brigade that deploys in small groups here and there constantly. Just for whatever reason most people in my company have never deployed.

Oh alright man, yeah that makes sense I have friends in a Field Medical Hospital Unit and they're the same.

@SwaziSpring: If the military is your last resort, but you say that you've always been interested in the lifestyle and duties of them, why don't you just enlist now? It's a wonderful career path that opens up endless opportunities as long as you don't sit stagnant in your given field. I know that as soon as I achieve my Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering; I will be moving forward and becoming and Officer for the Air Force. I didn't want to join enlisted due to my newly formed family, but something tells me military is just in my blood.

Money is a pretty cold-hearted thing to go out and kill people for. Are you really okay with that?

Good luck. Biggest thing is knowing exactly what you want to do, and if you plan on enlisting, getting the requisite ASVAB score to get you into whatever rate/MOS/AFSC you want. Don't let the recruiters bully you into taking a job you don't feel comfortable with, and always ask to see anything they promise you in writing, whether that be a bonus, or extra rank and what not.

Be sure you're joining for the right reasons, and know what you want to get out of it.

@SwaziSpring:

If you have any specific questions, PM me. It's apparently getting difficult to get in the armed forces now. Just the Army alone is getting rid of 80,000 soldiers in the next 5 years, let alone the other braches dramatically downsizing. It isn't like in the old days when you can walk in a recruiter's office, get a big-ass signing bonus and walk away with whatever job you asked for.

All you guys bringing up the misguided strategies behind many of our military exploits certainly have a point--I'm a huge fan of Bill Hicks and George Carlin and all--but all that's still ultimately trumped by the fact that we still need a military, we still need people to sign up for it in wartime if we want to avoid a draft, and it would be best for everyone if our military is stocked with people who are enthusiastic about it like the OP is. So go for it dude. I hope you get what you're looking for out of it.

@Groker: Your government are war criminals, they subliminally deceive you everyday, they feed you entertainment through a filer on your televisions, newspapers, billboards, magazines etc. to keep you entertained while they are behind the scenes fucking you over, the middle class get the shit jobs, the shit salary, while they get all your hard earned money through taxes and tell you it goes towards social security and services, healthcare and helping the country, but most of it goes towards personal luxuries and war assets, America love to murder people and blow things up, that's why action films and mindless shooters sell like hotcakes over there, the population is a bunch of mindless, violent, rapture hungry drones, also I don't mean to generalise, but to judge my the vast majority!

Also conflict is a human weakness, we are no longer animals, we don't have to kill each other for scraps, we now have advanced emotions and the ability to empathise with each other, we could leave the conflict in the past if we chose to, we should be working together as a race, we should be exploring the universe, we should be helping each other instead of killing in a world where the headlining motto is 'survival of the fittest'. Your scum filled government, the many rich businessmen who own the president, the people behind the NWO program are the biggest threat on this earth right now, if only your country would turn off your televisions and realise this, but nobody cares about reasoning any more, nobody wants to give up their free times to help societies bigger issues, it's only a matter of time before your government goes too far and pisses off the east, your comment is just fuel to the nuclear bombs that will soon drop over your nation, all at the cause of the biggest problem known to humanity, greed.

@Trains said:

@Groker: Your government are war criminals, they subliminally deceive you everyday, they feed you entertainment through a filer on your televisions, newspapers, billboards, magazines etc. to keep you entertained while they are behind the scenes fucking you over, the middle class get the shit jobs, the shit salary, while they get all your hard earned money through taxes and tell you it goes towards social security and services, healthcare and helping the country, but most of it goes towards personal luxuries and war assets, America love to murder people and blow things up, that's why action films and mindless shooters sell like hotcakes over there, the population is a bunch of mindless, violent, rapture hungry drones, also I don't mean to generalise, but to judge my the vast majority!

Also conflict is a human weakness, we are no longer animals, we don't have to kill each other for scraps, we now have advanced emotions and the ability to empathise with each other, we could leave the conflict in the past if we chose to, we should be working together as a race, we should be exploring the universe, we should be helping each other instead of killing in a world where the headlining motto is 'survival of the fittest'. Your scum filled government, the many rich businessmen who own the president, the people behind the NWO program are the biggest threat on this earth right now, if only your country would turn off your televisions and realise this, but nobody cares about reasoning any more, nobody wants to give up their free times to help societies bigger issues, it's only a matter of time before your government goes too far and pisses off the east, your comment is just fuel to the nuclear bombs that will soon drop over your nation, all at the cause of the biggest problem known to humanity, greed.

Why do you like video games?

@Trains said:

@Groker: Your government are war criminals, they subliminally deceive you everyday, they feed you entertainment through a filer on your televisions, newspapers, billboards, magazines etc. to keep you entertained while they are behind the scenes fucking you over, the middle class get the shit jobs, the shit salary, while they get all your hard earned money through taxes and tell you it goes towards social security and services, healthcare and helping the country, but most of it goes towards personal luxuries and war assets, America love to murder people and blow things up, that's why action films and mindless shooters sell like hotcakes over there, the population is a bunch of mindless, violent, rapture hungry drones, also I don't mean to generalise, but to judge my the vast majority!

Also conflict is a human weakness, we are no longer animals, we don't have to kill each other for scraps, we now have advanced emotions and the ability to empathise with each other, we could leave the conflict in the past if we chose to, we should be working together as a race, we should be exploring the universe, we should be helping each other instead of killing in a world where the headlining motto is 'survival of the fittest'. Your scum filled government, the many rich businessmen who own the president, the people behind the NWO program are the biggest threat on this earth right now, if only your country would turn off your televisions and realise this, but nobody cares about reasoning any more, nobody wants to give up their free times to help societies bigger issues, it's only a matter of time before your government goes too far and pisses off the east, your comment is just fuel to the nuclear bombs that will soon drop over your nation, all at the cause of the biggest problem known to humanity, greed.

Yeah, but what if you apply that to star wars.

Think about it.

Always think of this clip when I see kids bashing the military. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j2F4VcBmeo