I joined the United States Navy in the spring of 2000 and served an enlistment of four years. The first piece of advice I would like to impart on anyone reading this considering joining is know what you are getting into. A great many people in my opinion fall into the belief that joining the military is a job where you are required to call you boss sir or ma’am. That is not the case. Joining the military for all intents and purposes is a contractual agreement between you and the United States government.
When you go initially to speak to a military recruiter, have some kind of an idea of what you would like to do for your job. As I stated before, military service is a job like no other. Added to that, if you are a year or so in and suddenly realize that you do not particularly enjoy your job; it’s a tad difficult to change jobs. So when you go into your local recruiting office, it might be a good idea to know as much as possible.
A couple of things you should know about your potential profession in the military are about the same as choosing college courses. What kind of educational background will you need for a particular job? If it is something that involves a great deal of math for example you might want to take some courses to prepare yourself.
Another thing to remember is that you are signing a contract when you enlist in the armed forces, no different than any other civilian legal agreement you might sign in your life. If the recruiter promises you an enlistment bonus, read the fine print. Most enlistment bonuses stated in enlistment agreements do not normally come into play until after you have completed your technical school. For some of you, that may be a year or more into your enlistment.
Something of extreme importance to remember if you are considering joining the military is the grave reality that you are part of a fighting force. It does not matter if you are joining to become a postal clerk or a dental tech, you may be called upon to fight at any time. Do not go into joining the military hoping for a job that does not require strenuous labor on a daily basis with the thought that you will never have to be put in harm’s way.
My point in all of this, is that you have to do your research. Have a backup plan for if your intended job is not available when it comes time for you to report to the processing station. Some of you that join under the delayed entry program may find that in between the time you originally committed yourself and when you actually take the oath of enlistment that military requirement. So always have a second thing in your mind that you would like to spend your enlistment doing.
To sum things up, I would have to remind those enlisting to do your research. Get as much information as you can on your intended job. You will likely be stuck with it for four years. If you do not plan on making the military a career, try to pick something that you could see yourself doing in the civilian world. Probably the best thing about the military is that it is a paid on the job training program.
