I have seen a lot of 'joining the service' posts.
I am a lawyer, I practice employment law (legal BS: I am not your lawyer, consult your own lawyer...I am likely not a lawyer in your state...check out what I say...)
Anyway. If you are joing the service and you have any sort of decent civvie job do not quit it. You don't max out until a voluntary enlistment of over 5 years.
DO NOT QUIT A DECENT CIVVIE JOB!!
Send your work a letter with your ship orders, telling them you are going in the service and will be back when you get out.
The job waits for you then.
Better, if your job has senority at all you get it when you get out.
EVEN BETTER, many states are adopting their own military job bills that are much better than the federal law.
In Michigan, not only does the employer have to hold the job, but if he promotes based on years there he has to promote the military guy while he is gone.
EVEN BETTER, in Michigan if they provide a benefit to anyone on any leave at all (jury, sick) they have to give it to you while you are gone.
Join the guard and gone for a year from the new job? Come back and you are vested in the 401k and pension plan. If they give people on jury duty health coverage, guess what? Your wife and kid is still covered.
Working in a factory and you need two years there to apply for skilled trades training? You just did a year of it in the service.
DO NOT QUIT YOUR CIVVIE JOB!

BTT

Nope, any enlistment(s) under the five year limit, active or not.
You can get that dream job at GM or Ford, join the service, and come back 4 years later as a line guy with 4 years senority.

very good advice and worth verifing in your neck of the woods!

How about the guranteed contract for SEAL, or Recon, etc.  I have had a lot of food served to me by Navy cooks who signed up guaranteed Seal. The way the scam works is that the first evaluation or test that you fail you are no longer guranteed anything.  It could even be an oral interview. They can sign up 5,000 people and then get the top 10 that they were really looking for in the first place.  The other 4990 people are now cooks.  

There is no guaranteed contract for SEALs.  If you wash out of the SEALs, you return to work in your previous rating/field.

Excellent advice that is well worth checking in to.  Good job HappyShooter.

Sgtar15

You're right, but there is something like guaranteed Buds training... I remember seeing this 'cause my buddy got it when he went in the delayed entry program. (BTW the ass chickened out and never went to MEPS)

This is more of a break than some people get... I was an OS and had a friend who wanted go to the Teams, I think he'd have made it, too. But as an OS he was too valuable to be released to buds, so sayeth the detailer.  He couldn't get in to save his life, even with his CO and an MMCM (Current Seal) backing him.  He got out same time as me and is now a commercial diver.