alright im graduating from high school in june. these past couple of years ive been trying to decide between the Coast Guard the Navy and college. my parents want me to go to school. right now im accepted to vally forge military college. i took a look at it today. and im startin to think school aint for me, we'll atleast not right now. now with the navy i want to do VBSS, or as much as some may be like yeah bull shit, its been a dream of mine to be on the SEAL Team's. i dont care what anyone says, i really want to try. if i go CG i want to be on a law enforcment detatchment out in cali or FL, or search and rescue. after that im looking to be a police officer. but as of right now. this is so hard to figure out. i dont think there is a harder time in someones life, then right as they are about to graduate from high school. so give me your input on all of this. want to know what you guys think.

thanks

Charlie

Putting off your college education for military service is a good option to explore, but I encourage you to make sure you do both!  Make sure you do your research on the military, and see maybe if school will do some form of deferment for a later date.  The best officers have enlisted time under their belt.

Citizensoldier
Baghdad

The military will pay for college. You can always go to school. But I guarentee you will only be young once and any special forces school will kick your ass. The older you get the more of an ass kicking you will get don't wait. I hope your in good shape and very comfortable in the water. If you don't try you will always wish you did. I waited 7 years to go to SF school and it kicked my ass. Don't wait on service, college will always be there. The military disciplain is helpful in college also. I was a lousy high school student D's and F's barely graduated. I got straight A's in college after several years of military service. I was in the same boat you are in. I was accepted to a tech school (DEVRY L.O.L.)and knew I was gonna through away alot of my parents money and my time. I enlisted while my father was in California on vacation. He was pretty pissed when he got home but when I told him how I felt and why I did it he got over it.

If you want to see the world some, the Coast Guard ain't it. No offense, their folks have balls going out in storms for rescues & all that, but they don't travel the world as the blue water Navy does.

As the others say, college will always be there. A bit of maturity in the military goes a long way in skipping keggers & doing homework as a freshman, IMO. Not to mention the stories you can tell the girls about the time you swam 50 miles in shark infested waters....................      

My .o2

If you want to be in the military, now is probably the time. This war might be over in 4 years, and you never know when the next one will come around.

If you are serious about becoming a SEAL, make a decision ASAP and start getting ready. BUD/S is a ball buster. This is a good site for PT info: BUD/S warning order-PT

Work on endrance and mental toughness. All the PT in the world won't help you if you quit when things get tough.

I recommend if you have the resources and grades to enroll in college and if you truly have military goals to see a Navy or Coast Guard Reserve Recruiter.  

I do not know whether the sea services will allow you the flexibility, but several friends and I enlisted in the Texas Army National Guard while in college.  We went through One Station Unit Training (Navy and Coast Guard equivalent would be basic and A School) and jump school in the summer between freshman and sophomore years (others enlisted in the Marine Reserve and took the same type of summer option).

Military, scratch the itch.

You'll either be Coast Guard now - or later.........just a thought.

Prior Army signing in

mil first if you are inclined. It will help you in college if you decide to do so later and I, also, recommend both.

Good luck in your decision.

Quoted: Follow your dreams.

+1

Quoted: alright im graduating from high school in june. these past couple of years ive been trying to decide between the Coast Guard the Navy and college. my parents want me to go to school. right now im accepted to vally forge military college. i took a look at it today. and im startin to think school aint for me, we'll atleast not right now. now with the navy i want to do VBSS, or as much as some may be like yeah bull shit, its been a dream of mine to be on the SEAL Team's. i dont care what anyone says, i really want to try. if i go CG i want to be on a law enforcment detatchment out in cali or FL, or search and rescue. after that im looking to be a police officer. but as of right now. this is so hard to figure out. i dont think there is a harder time in someones life, then right as they are about to graduate from high school. so give me your input on all of this. want to know what you guys think. thanks Charlie

You've got lotsa learning to do, Charlie.

You'll look back on these days 20 yrs from now and wish life could be that simple again

listen to your parents

Quoted: Quoted: alright im graduating from high school in june. these past couple of years ive been trying to decide between the Coast Guard the Navy and college. my parents want me to go to school. right now im accepted to vally forge military college. i took a look at it today. and im startin to think school aint for me, we'll atleast not right now. now with the navy i want to do VBSS, or as much as some may be like yeah bull shit, its been a dream of mine to be on the SEAL Team's. i dont care what anyone says, i really want to try. if i go CG i want to be on a law enforcment detatchment out in cali or FL, or search and rescue. after that im looking to be a police officer. but as of right now. this is so hard to figure out. i dont think there is a harder time in someones life, then right as they are about to graduate from high school. so give me your input on all of this. want to know what you guys think. thanks Charlie You've got lotsa learning to do, Charlie. You'll look back on these days 20 yrs from now and wish life could be that simple again

im sure i will. but right now is such a pain in the ass tryin to figure this out

Quoted: listen to your parents

they just want me to do what i want and be happy. they are pushing towards school thou

COLLEGE
You can be an officer instead of enlisted.

I can say the following regarding military service.

I was interested in the military when I was in highschool, but had it ground into my head that the military was for people who could not get into school - thanks mom .  I love the woman, but that still gets to me.  Partly because it was pounded in, prolly mostly though because I beleived it.  It is something I regret to this day.  Then I was ready again once 911 rolled around but I was recently married and wifey was about 3 months along.  God bless her (wifey), because she gave the blessing, but I just could not do it to her.  She would have taken it really really bad, it would have been extremely rough and it would have torn her up.  So I had to pass again.

(Cut to the past pre Wifey) Anyway, long story short, I sucked it up, got a series of jobs after school.  Then Wifey came along about a year out of school and I was in the carreer I thought I had wanted all along.  But I ended up hating it, and am currently working to get out of it.  Yet, options were short up untill about 6 months ago so I did the next best thing - sucked it up and supported the family.  

But now, I am in a place I can pursue a carreer change.  Looking at being a Cop.  Boils down to wanting to do something important.  Many would argue my career now is important, but those who are honest about it and actually do the work know that is crap.  In actuallity, there are really precious few truely important jobs.  Jobs that really mean something.

Anyway, in my current  state I  have more than most,  not as much as some, and only those who preserved this country over the years and preserved for me the opportunity to earn the things I have to thank.  Maybe out on the street one day I will be able to help one of those guys, or hopfully a number of them, and in this way be able to say thanks.

I am not trying to influence you one way or the other...this is just my experience and perspective.  If you do go....a big thanks from Yoss.

Quoted: COLLEGE You can be an officer instead of enlisted.

can always work my way up

Quoted: listen to your parents

yup, go to school.

Join Military now, get a few years under your belt, get to know what really interested in. After tens years of graduating from college %80 of the people are not working in a field related to their education......

Have some fun, SAVE some money and go to college while in the military and right after. You should never stop learning anyway, thats how you get better paying jobs...., But you won't always be able to serve in the military...after you graduate settle down have 2.3 kids and a 200,000 mortage, your wife would

Also when considering which branch, a picture is worth a thousand words....




Just for fun, yet true.


Also some related discussion about this here...
ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=444729&page=1

Buddysblackrifle,
   Look at your posts, you've made up your mind!!! Go military, college will wait. I can tell that there are so many guys I know who never enlisted and regret it. If you want to step up, do it. Your parents are rightly trying to protect you, can't blame them. Best of luck, which ever way you go

If you choose school, look at 2-year technical degrees.  Unless there's some real field or profession you want to go into that requires a 4-year degree.

For such a long time, 2 year technical degrees had some kind of stigma. So a surplus of people got their 4 year degrees which were seen as "better".

Result being, there are plenty of well-rounded and educated people out there with 4 year degrees but no specific skills.  Meanwhile, there's a shortage of people with specific technical skills obtainable through 2-year degrees.  Result being, people who paid a lot more in time and money for their BA are making less than people who paid less for their AS.

Keep that in mind.

thanks for all the replys. keep em coming. i was talking to my parents during dinner tonight. and i really think im going to put school off. not a 100% sure yet. but i know i wont get younger, so id rather do the military while young. i could always go to school. but between the CG and the Navy. i have no idea. still trying to consider all 3. but i think school is just going to have to wait.

thanks again guys

I'd go to school. If you go to college and decide you still want to be in the military, you can be an officer. Yeah, you can work your way up, but when you get out you still have no education. I recommend getting a Bachelors as well. If you go to look for a job and the two people applying are you with an Associates, and the next guy with a BS, who do you think will get it?

I've seen a million threads like this and every one of them is people telling someone else what to do with their life. Not your life as in your daily routine, your life as in your heart still pumping blood. Go with your heart bro.

I'm going to take the opposite tack.  Don't go into the military.  Why not?  Because it won't be what you think it will be like.  You're going to be sitting around cleaning toilets and doing bullshit details about 90% of the time and doing interesting things maybe 10% of the time.  That is unless you go to Iraq, which probably isn't all that fun either.  Most guys in the military don't get into the special operations stuff.  You think you'll have time to go to school if you are active, or even guard?  Not likely.  You'll be kept busy or deployed most of the time.  If you can get 3 credits in you'll be lucky.  Sure you'll have money to pay for college when you get out, but who is to say you won't be married, have children, or just never get around to going.  Plenty of people never do get around to going to school after they get out.  Plus, it gets a lot harder to get back into the rhythm of learning in a classroom if you take 4 years off from school.  Military discipline?  If you can't do it before you went into the military, you aren't going to be able to do it once you get out and don't have someone standing over you making you do it.

College is the best thing in the world.  People in college don't know enough to realize it.  You can take your time to figure out what you want by taking general education requirements your first couple of semesters and then choosing a major.  Just don't major in criminal justice.  It is the most useless degree out there.  Go into business or something technical if that's what floats your boat, or psychology or history or something like that.

If you want to go into the military after college, it will wait.  You'll only be 21 when you get out.  That is not old.  You won't notice any significant difference between 18 and 21, except you'll be more mature and better able to handle the mental part of it.  Physically?  It's about the same.  Hell, use the campus gym and get yourself into even better shape by the time you graduate.  Plus, with a degree you have the option of OCS or enlisted.  If you go officer and put in your time, the military will often pay for graduate school and give you time to actually do it.

anyone else got anything? im starting to think about the CG and then after my 4 years see if i want to stay, or go to college or switch and go navy. but right now i really think the CG is a good place. i love being around the water. so why not get payed for something i love.

thanks again guys.

Quoted: anyone else got anything? im starting to think about the CG and then after my 4 years see if i want to stay, or go to college or switch and go navy. but right now i really think the CG is a good place. i love being around the water. so why not get payed for something i love. thanks again guys.

Let me put it this way - I'm active duty CG and look at where I am right now.....Here

The Citadel

Quoted: anyone else got anything? im starting to think about the CG and then after my 4 years see if i want to stay, or go to college or switch and go navy. but right now i really think the CG is a good place. i love being around the water. so why not get payed for something i love. thanks again guys.

What about going to college now and sign up for NROTC?

Tag

College first, go to the military as an officer.  When you're out of the military, going into the workforce with military officer on your resume will open more doors into management and better pay.

I never was in the millitary and started college right out of highschool. My advice to you is if you want to try the millitary do it and do it first. It will pay for your college if you decide to go to school. Do what you want to do because it is your life not your parents life. If you want to be a seal go for that too. Don't let anyone talk you out of doing what you want to do.

Quoted: Quoted: COLLEGE You can be an officer instead of enlisted. can always work my way up

That's a pretty rare occurence.  If you just want to enlist and serve, then I'd say do it now and let GI pay for college.  If, on the other hand, you want to make a career out of the military, go into ROTC or an Academy if you can get in and go through that angle.

Quoted: Quoted: anyone else got anything? im starting to think about the CG and then after my 4 years see if i want to stay, or go to college or switch and go navy. but right now i really think the CG is a good place. i love being around the water. so why not get payed for something i love. thanks again guys. Let me put it this way - I'm active duty CG and look at where I am right now.....Here

i know, flame away. but im not really sure on what your trying to say.

By "here" I meant surfing on arfcom - not cleaning some shitter somewhere

Go into the military now or you will find yourself getting together with your fat friends from "training"  and sewing homemade ghillie suits on the weekends.

I would suggest that you go to school.  If you are really interested in joining the military, you can go to a college with a good ROTC program.  That way you can still have some experience with the military while you are in college, you will go in as an officer, your college tuition will be paid for, and you will always have a college degree to fall back on.  Plus, ROTC programs will have physical fitness requirements that you will have to meet so you will be able to stay in shape during college.

The way the country is going, it is getting more and more difficult to find good jobs without a college degree.  Even if you have good experience, there are some places of employment that will not even consider you if you do not have a degree.

Quoted: By "here" I meant surfing on arfcom - not cleaning some shitter somewhere

yeah. thats what i thought.

do you really like it? do you regret going in. i really think its the path im going to take.

buddysblackrifle,

You're in a similar situation I was in a couple of years ago. What I did/am doing is first going to college (I will graduate with a BS in Computer Science this May), then going into the military. I will only be just turning 20 when I graduate, so I will still be plenty young enough. Then, I will probably go to OCS (officer candidate school), then become a Naval Officer in hopes of one day becoming a SEAL.

This way, I will still be able to serve while young, and I will still have a career when I get out of the Navy.

However, if you plan on going to an expensive college and don't have parents that will pay for it like I do, why not get the .gov to pay for your education? Whatever you decide, good luck!

Quoted: Quoted: By "here" I meant surfing on arfcom - not cleaning some shitter somewhere yeah. thats what i thought. do you really like it? do you regret going in. i really think its the path im going to take.

I don't have many regrets with the Coast Guard. I have a few with my Army time - but that's basically because our entire Division was a giant frat party which wasted its life away at bars when not deployed or in the field. (Germany - if you've been there you understand.) The USCG isn't perfect but I recommend it if you want a healthy military lifestyle - still isnt "perfect" but its a lot better on families and your well-being - shit I didnt appreciate when I was 19 and "young, dumb, full of cum". Looking back is 20/20 - either go to college or carefully select your military options - but don't let some recruiter tell you that you are going to be a superhero killing terrorists and saving maidens in distress - that shit rarely happens. If you want to be enlisted, go enlisted now but make sure your GI Bill and/or bonus is squared away and they dont fuck up the paperwork.  If you want to be an officer, go to college then a military academy - or just a military academy and get commissioned. If you go to college then join the military, you'll have that behind you but you'll be a baby to the military way of life. Give it a LOT of thought. Ultimately - do what you want to do and don't let others control your decision (if that's a concern even).  

alright. ive made up my mind. right now im not going to school. that just not where i want to be. so im going with the CG. this also keeps my parents happy. how hard is it to get in thou. and now i have a little problem. when i called yesterday, they didnt call me back. so my dad was not happy with it. and called them and left a message saying it was me, in an irritated voice. so when they called me this morning they said something to me about it. do you think that is really going to hurt me? i didnt want to be liike oh that was my dad. so i just appologized for me being in a bad mood. but do you think it will affect me being accepted. and how hard is it in the first place to get into it???

thanks

It is definately a personal decision.

If you are "ready" to suceed in college, then I suggest that you do that.  Don't let anyone give you any crap about "not serving your country".  You serve your country by being a productive citizen.  You can do that inside the military or out.

Quoted: It is definately a personal decision. If you are "ready" to suceed in college, then I suggest that you do that.  Don't let anyone give you any crap about "not serving your country".  You serve your country by being a productive citizen.  You can do that inside the military or out.

its not that im nto ready to suceed in college. its just i dont want to go. everyone of them i looked at makes me not want to be there more n more.

I  had to choose grad school or military and I chose grad school.  now I'm too out of shape to even consider military.  biiiiiig mistake.

I'm gonna advise you to go military first.  You don't know where you'll be after four years of screwing and drinking.

Quoted: alright. ive made up my mind. right now im not going to school. that just not where i want to be. so im going with the CG. this also keeps my parents happy. how hard is it to get in thou. and now i have a little problem. when i called yesterday, they didnt call me back. so my dad was not happy with it. and called them and left a message saying it was me, in an irritated voice. so when they called me this morning they said something to me about it. do you think that is really going to hurt me? i didnt want to be liike oh that was my dad. so i just appologized for me being in a bad mood. but do you think it will affect me being accepted. and how hard is it in the first place to get into it??? thanks

I would tell your dad thanks, but you're a big boy and don't need anyone making calls for you.  Hopefully it won't effect your chances - but for God's sake, keep him off the damn phone!

Quoted: Quoted: alright. ive made up my mind. right now im not going to school. that just not where i want to be. so im going with the CG. this also keeps my parents happy. how hard is it to get in thou. and now i have a little problem. when i called yesterday, they didnt call me back. so my dad was not happy with it. and called them and left a message saying it was me, in an irritated voice. so when they called me this morning they said something to me about it. do you think that is really going to hurt me? i didnt want to be liike oh that was my dad. so i just appologized for me being in a bad mood. but do you think it will affect me being accepted. and how hard is it in the first place to get into it??? thanks I would tell your dad thanks, but you're a big boy and don't need anyone making calls for you.  Hopefully it won't effect your chances - but for God's sake, keep him off the damn phone!

oh im going to. i didnt know he was going to call.

Quoted: You don't know where you'll be after four years of screwing and drinking.

The exact same argument for staying in school.

I'm not trying to talk anybody into or out of the military.  I'm just pointing out that for every college dude who wishes that he had joined the military, there is a military guy who wishes that he had stayed in college.  

Personally, I regret not persuing a budding career as a topless bar DJ.  Every time I'm walking down the street in my Dress Blues, I wistfully think of what could have been...

Whatever he decides, he should make peace with his decision.  No man can do every cool thing there is to do.  Not even Chuck Norris.

Quoted: Quoted: You don't know where you'll be after four years of screwing and drinking. The exact same argument for staying in school. I'm not trying to talk anybody into or out of the military.  I'm just pointing out that for every college dude who wishes that he had joined the military, there is a military guy who wishes that he had stayed in college.   Personally, I regret not persuing a budding career as a topless bar DJ.  Every time I'm walking down the street in my Dress Blues, I wistfully think of what could have been... Whatever he decides, he should make peace with his decision.  No man can do every cool thing there is to do.  Not even Chuck Norris.

haha. thats pretty funny. the way i see it. is i can always go to school. you dont have to be in shape to sit at a desk. and you dont have to be young. im only goin around once, and im only going to be young once. the military would do more for me now then school could, i feel.