NationStates Jolt Archive

hey guys, for the past 2 years ive been thinking extensively about joining the US military (perferable the army or the marines). however, the problem is that i dont know much about it, so can you guys help me out

1. what generally pays more (i know that payments vary)?
2. if i join, will i be able to get a good paying job after im dont with service (i will have finished one year of bu)?
3. are the credits that you can get through the classes provided by the marines as prestigious as those you get at a regular college/university?
4. what is the highest rank through credits alone?
5. which would you prefer?
6. im 5'8 with 125 lbs. i know there is a weight restriction, as well as a body fat percentage restriction, so what are the chances that i wont be medically able?
7. im not a citizen, but i am a permanent resident expected to gain citizenship within a year. do non-citizens get paid less?

thanks

Don’t join the military.

hey guys, for the past 2 years ive been thinking extensively about joining the US military (perferable the army or the marines). however, the problem is that i dont know much about it, so can you guys help me out

1. what generally pays more (i know that payments vary)?
2. if i join, will i be able to get a good paying job after im dont with service (i will have finished one year of bu)?
3. are the credits that you can get through the classes provided by the marines as prestigious as those you get at a regular college/university?
4. what is the highest rank through credits alone?
5. which would you prefer?
6. im 5'8 with 125 lbs. i know there is a weight restriction, as well as a body fat percentage restriction, so what are the chances that i wont be medically able?
7. im not a citizen, but i am a permanent resident expected to gain citizenship within a year. do non-citizens get paid less?

thanks

I was in the Army, so I can only tell you about that.

1. The same pay grade pays the same. Look online for the DoD payscale. You may end up making more with sea pay in the Marines, but base pay is the same.

2. It depends on what job you take. Being an air traffic controller is a good idea, but it's a bit high stress. Being an infantryman or a scout (like me) won't help much.

3. Do you mean through schools that partner with the military? When I was in Fort Carson Colorado they had a partnership with the local community college. If you mean credits for training you've received, they generally count as transfer credits to whatever school you go to when you're done.

4. Do you mean credits before you go? If so its Specialist E-4 in the Army, but I don't know about the Marines.

5. I'm too biased to answer that one.

6. At 5'8 125 you should be fine.

7. Nope, everyone at any particular pay grade and time in service gets the same base pay.

1. what generally pays more (i know that payments vary)?

They don't

2. if i join, will i be able to get a good paying job after im dont with service (i will have finished one year of bu)?

Depends on what job you get into.

3. are the credits that you can get through the classes provided by the marines as prestigious as those you get at a regular college/university?

No..You get PE plus whatever your job training is worth. On the plus side military training is all hands on

4. what is the highest rank through credits alone?

PFC in the Marines
Navy will probably hand out Seaman
I think you can get Specialist in the Army
Who cares about the Chair Force

5. which would you prefer?

Depends on what you want out of service.

6. im 5'8 with 125 lbs. i know there is a weight restriction, as well as a body fat percentage restriction, so what are the chances that i wont be medically able?

They will take you as long as you don't have a medical condition...they can burn the fat off of you like nothing.

7. im not a citizen, but i am a permanent resident expected to gain citizenship within a year. do non-citizens get paid less?

Nope pay rates are dependent on the rank you earn and how long you have been in.

thanks
N/p

thanks guys, and i meant credits before you join the military

(im expected to have something like 28)

and i thought that you could take small classes while in training

thanks guys, and i meant credits before you join the military

(im expected to have something like 28)

and i thought that you could take small classes while in training

During initial training no freaking way. If you want to continue with college go Chair Force all the others are currently deploying like madmen. Not sure what the Navy is doing...but the Marines and Army are constantly going over to Iraq and Afghanistan.

During initial training no freaking way. If you want to continue with college go Chair Force all the others are currently deploying like madmen. Not sure what the Navy is doing...but the Marines and Army are constantly going over to Iraq and Afghanistan.

i wouldnt mind that... i am for this war, i dont like having other people, who may be against the war, fight for my ideas (it sounds cliche, but its true)

hey guys, for the past 2 years ive been thinking extensively about joining the US military (perferable the army or the marines). however, the problem is that i dont know much about it, so can you guys help me out

1. what generally pays more (i know that payments vary)?
2. if i join, will i be able to get a good paying job after im dont with service (i will have finished one year of bu)?
3. are the credits that you can get through the classes provided by the marines as prestigious as those you get at a regular college/university?
4. what is the highest rank through credits alone?
5. which would you prefer?
6. im 5'8 with 125 lbs. i know there is a weight restriction, as well as a body fat percentage restriction, so what are the chances that i wont be medically able?
7. im not a citizen, but i am a permanent resident expected to gain citizenship within a year. do non-citizens get paid less?

thanks

To touch on my own service time which may be a bit different as far as compensation goes. First off, no non citizens do not get paid less. Language skills open doors to specialized services that sometimes have considerable bonuses attached, above and beyond a regular enlistment bonus, depending on the need. Army Airborne/Ranger/Special Forces troops had other financial advantages such as Jump Pay and hazards duty pay along with TDY pay plus additional promotion points that raised your paygrade much faster than in other types of units.

As far as job prospests go for troops in these units, many private companies, governmental and law enforcment agencies recruit members about to seperate from service and it opens many doors regular prior service would not.

Your height and weight are not a problem and quite frankly your timing couldn't be better as there is a major expansion and reorganization underway with these groups just getting underway that will add several thousand troops to their ranks. Just be aware that when people tell you the military is just like any other job, it is for many, but in one of these units, it's a whole nother world.

I have provided long and thorough answers, enjoy

1. what generally pays more (i know that payments vary)?

A) Payments vary by rank not by service or job, however, you will gain rank faster in the marines and army, then the navy and last the airforce. Airforce and Navy provide better jobs for the civilian market though. Militaries really are socialist systems, its less about the pay and more about the benefits (healthcare, food, housing, eduacation). Starting ranks are about a thousand dollars a month, however the work hours are not guaranteed so you may end up working many more hours than someone in the civilian sector, bringing pay to below minimum wage. Like I said, its more about benefits and/or patriotism.
It's a good gig as a carrear for a person who wants to support a family (job security), or someone who wants to get in and get out for eduacation/training benefits

2. if i join, will i be able to get a good paying job after im dont with service (i will have finished one year of bu)?

A)Depends. If you are a trained AND CERTIFIED individual by the time you get out you may be. However, if you are in a combat oriented job, the answer is usually no. I was an xray tech while in and I remember talking with a special forces guy and he asked if the military had trained me and if it could be used on the outside, I said yes, he dejectedly replied, "all they trained me to do was slide down a rope and kill people." Those kind of skills will actually probably prevent you from getting a civilian job :)

3. are the credits that you can get through the classes provided by the marines as prestigious as those you get at a regular college/university?

A) They are real credits, however they usually don't have corresponding course equivilents in the civilian sector, therefore they are only good at helping to meet the minimum credit requirement for a degree, to be clear they are real credits but they are BLANK credits. They will count toward a military associates though, and that will be accepted everywhere as a true blue AS/AA degree, so make sure you get that before you get out. With the mandatory job training, there is usually only a few more classes to take before you get the degree. In example I only took like one class and six apptitude tests in my free time, and with my mandatory job training that was enough to gain my AA. Note my job training was a year and a half however, so if your a towel boy at the local military gym it will take more. Also to note: GI bill is over 30,000 (40?) now, which must be spent within 10 years of separation (quiting). College is also free while you are active duty, IF you can find the spare time, again this depends on your job.

4. what is the highest rank through credits alone?

If you have a certain amount of college credit prior to entry you can skip the first rank and go to the second after completion of basic training. Otherwise it takes a four year degree to get further recognition for academia, at which point your an officer, which means your a made man/woman.

5. which would you prefer?

Service? Navy or Airforce, they provide the best of.... basically everything. The army and marines recruitment tends to lean on a gung ho, Hoorah! mentality, and of course the longstanding proud legacy. For me it was a get in and get out situation (the Benjamins); I went USAF. A benfit which the USMC and the army offer that the others don't is shorter enlistments, 2 years instead of four. Note that you are still beholden to the government for a total of 8 years, so you may get out and they can recall you against your wishes without a draft, this is very rare, but if world events continue the way they are it won't be.

6. im 5'8 with 125 lbs. i know there is a weight restriction, as well as a body fat percentage restriction, so what are the chances that i wont be medically able?

These are retrictions on max weight/fat, as far as I know there is no minimum. The steriotypical marine in movies is huge and muscular, the truth is that often marines are the smallest and skinniest members of the four services, the reason being they run their asses off. Feel reassured, my dad who is a marine veteren of vietnam who is 5'6" has told me that it was the big guys who usually died first; more weight, slower, less cover (I'm a big guy). Size matters when you wielding a battle axe; not when your wielding an M-16, the military knows this.

7. im not a citizen, but i am a permanent resident expected to gain citizenship within a year. do non-citizens get paid less?

You will not be paid less, you will not be stopped from joining. However, depending on your country of origen (say Iran), you may not get a good security clearance (top secret, etc) which will prohibit certain job fields. Being in the military can in some cases expedite the naturalization process.

I hope that helped.

thanks for the help guys

im kinda upset now because i kinda used joining the military as a pplan B in case i cant go to BU anymore (my parents arent rich, and they wouldnt like having to spend 40,000 just to send me here to get c's). this looks like its gonna happen. its not that i didnt want to join the military, i initially planned on graduating and then joining so that i had a job security