Hey guys, I’m trying to choose a branch and would like some insight on my options.

Some background: I’m a junior in college graduating with a math degree next spring. GPA is a 3.1, and I scored in the 90s on the ASVAB in high school and I’m confident I could repeat that. Single with no dependents.

I know that I want to serve in some capacity — I’ve always vaguely wanted to but I also wanted to have the normal college experience so I never did ROTC or anything. I’d like to sign with the intention of doing the 20 years — though if I got out earlier I’d like a career in either Aerospace or Law Enforcement of some kind. Defense seems like the natural intersection and is something I’m excited about.

Navy (Officer):

I never considered any other branch until recently. A flight contract would be the dream, and part of me is worried I’d be missing out if I didn’t at least try and fly fighters though I’d be happy to fly anything. I also think submarines are cool and have considered NUPOC or being a SWO.

Pros: Going to sea is something that excites me; I have family who were prior navy; I believe I have a decent shot of getting into OCS; high likelihood of travel; highest likelihood of flying.

Cons: Culture seems incredibly hit or miss; switching rates mid-career seems next to impossible; dealing with officer BS; more technical career/less ground combat focus.

USMC (Officer):

Leaning heavy towards this but it is also the least realistic option. My understanding is that OCC is very difficult to get into, especially trying to get a SNA contract. I am not in any team sports, though I run and lift and could do very well on my PFT. I have fully drunk the kool-aid and believe this would be the “coolest” option while potentially allowing me to pursue all my interests.

Pros: most difficult/most respected; combat training; potential for flight; California/NorthCarolina/Japan are all places I’d be happy to live; brotherhood

Cons: least realistic; less likely to deploy; less travel; I’m much more of a nerd than a jock; more likely to end up in a desk job as an officer

USCG (enlist -> officer):

If I were to enlist rather than go straight to officer I’d go Coast Guard. Law Enforcement is something I only recently started considering, and this is the most direct translation. I’ve been told it’s fairly common to enlist after college and then apply for a commission after 4 years, which I would be okay with.

Pros: highest quality of life/most likely to do 20 years; not as difficult to change rates mid career/could try and be a pilot later; decent travel opportunities; fairly likely to see action/feel fulfilled because of mission

Cons: sounds like the easiest path; zero chance at fighter jets; less international travel

Summary:

I have not ruled out any branches; these are just my favorite options at the moment.

Please correct me if I’m wrong about anything — I understand that I’m naive and it’s not going to be everything I expect. Ultimately, my priorities are sense of purpose, the brotherhood aspects, and the ability to do shit civilians can’t. It would be nice if I enjoyed it enough to do 20 years as well.

I need to get in contact with some OSO’s, however, I’m splitting my time between three states until December for college, an internship, and my hometown. I’d rather not waste an out of state OSO’s time when I’ll be doing my last semester from my hometown so it would make sense to recruit from there. For now, I’m just looking for all the insight I can get so I can make an informed decision down the line. Thanks for reading.

TLDR: 21M, single, no kids, bachelors degree trying to pick a branch for the most exciting 20 year career.

If I use my MGIB-SR while enlisted in the Navy reserves will that disqualify me from a conditional release and inter-service transfer to commission in another branch?
Also are there educational benefits for active duty and reserve officers and would I be able to transfer those to my kid?

Hello again, I took my ASVAB yesterday and scored a 68 with my GT being 111 so most jobs are open to me. My number one choice is 68P. The only issue is that my recruiter told me there is a color blind test for 68P. I was just wondering if any 68P’s out there had to do a color blind test before enlisting. Or maybe it’s just part of the physical? I would love some feedback. For those of you who are wondering my second choice would be 35L.

I’ve always wanted to be a pilot, I do have flight experience but it is too cost prohibitive to keep going. Going back to school for 4 years to commission is not feasible for me. Does anyone have any insight into how this process differs from regular enlistment? I haven’t talked to a recruiter yet, but I was planning to next week. Also will i get the choice between rotor and fixed wing?

Im starting my process with the army again after trying when I was 18. I am 23 now I was disqualified for self harm scars. I spoke to a doctor and he didn't send me through. 5 years later and I'm trying again my recruiter says I shouldn't have a problem but I'm worried. last time I sh was when I was 15 years old I've never been hospitalized no medical history of suicide nothing. My question is can someone tell me what's gonna happen. will I have to have a phsyc evaluation or will the waiver take care of that and how long will the waiver take it's been 8 years since the last time I sh so idk.

I initially selected Option 40 instead of the available Option 4 at MEPS but I am waiting on a waiver to pass, and I'd heard that failing RASP means you can be put any infantry MOS; is this true?

Depending on the answer, I may pick Option 4 since my main goal is to be in an Airborne unit if I don't pass RASP, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I want to be safe and know for sure since all I have seen regarding RASP fails were either old posts or people in a different MOS. Thank you.

I am planning on shipping off after I graduate. Went to MEPS back in August and have been in Marines delayed entry since then. I stopped smoking pot after I swore in, but recently I was searched by my school due to allegations of selling marijuana (not true but whatever).

They ended up finding an old baggy in my motorcycle bags that's been empty since before I ever went to MEPS, but they're still going to try to hit me with possession or at the bare minimum, paraphernalia. I'm going to do what I can to fight it in court, but I just want to know what my future in the military will look like now.

Basically I've been wanting to join the military for quite a while now, but I quite unsure on what exactly I want to do/ what branch to join. I still got time to think about it while I burn off this fat, but I was thinking that I could maybe go talk to some recruiters and see what they say. But like I mentioned, Im still a couple of months away before I'd say I would be fit enough to join up and have my affairs at home settled.

Either way, I've narrowed it down to Army, Coast Guard, or maybe even the Space Force if they think me is smarts enough. Though I dont really want to end up with a desk job, as good as they may be.

Happened years ago. Never charged for them, no criminal conviction. However, I did get slapped with a mental hospital record. I was getting bullied at school, where I was frequently getting pushed around, got my stuff stolen, and called names as I walked through the hallways just trying to mind my own business. I felt like I wanted to "get back" at the bullies a bit but I took it TOO far. To me, they were just edgy, dark jokes that I made to feel better about myself but it turns out that people took them more seriously than I had intended them to be. Should I go to a recruiter or have I completely ruined my reputation?

My situation is a bit different than what I can find online. I am a single father with full custody of my oldest 15. I have shared custody of my 12 and 6 year old as well. All 3 kids are from different women. I do not receive child support for my 15 year old even though he is with me 24/7 365. I will be enlisting as an E3 and from what my recruiter tells me, I will be receiving BAH and BAS ontop of my base pay. I’ve read that single fathers cannot enlist but my recruiter says we just need a good parent care plan and I can enlist.

Now with all this in mind, can anybody give me any insight/tips/advice on my situation regarding child support?

My fear is that I am going to go active and get destroyed in child support and be left with nothing at all. Not enough to save, not enough to pay for trips to see my other kids etc. you get the point. Going into this completely blind not sure how to handle this

EDIT: I am going active because I am currently not working and cannot get a good job without work experience. So going reserve wouldn’t really work as I wouldn’t be able to get a job regardless. I’m also looking forward to the home loan as well for my kids. Everything I’m doing is all for them if you can’t already tell.

I’m about to join the army, scored pretty high on the asvab (got a 78 percentile score) so I’ve been looking extensively at what job to get that’ll help me with civilian life afterwards.

94H mos is what I’ve mainly been looking at, at the moment and wanted to know the ins and outs of that job. Whether it’s actually worth it and will I actually learn things more in depth like electronic theory. I already have my associates degree and was wondering will I have enough to time to finish up and get a bachelors by the end of a 4 yr contract?

Other jobs I want to learn more about is the 94f mos and 25b mos and how those also translate to the civilian world.

P.s. I’d also like to know where the cheddar is at mainly post-military bc the whole goal of joining is for duh chedda

Hey folks, my recruiter's been bugging me to get my physical sorted. Turns out I'm five pounds over the military weight chart. Now, the recruiter says I can rely on the body fat measurement instead. How do I figure out if my body fat measurement is cool? And if I flunk the physical because of the weight, can I give it another shot?

So I report to my PDS on May 27th and I graduate April 26th. Can I just go home for like 10 days between these times and report midish May? Will doing that also use or be counted as leave? (Army)

I am trying to join the army but I found out today that I have a heart arrythmia it is a minor one and not dangerous at all. but I am scared that I will get disqualified. I am trying to join the US Amry

Stopped hrt. Im in the US.

So I tried something. Realized it wasnt for me. What do I do?

I started transgendered Hormone replacement therapy and it was from September 2022 - December 2023. Mostly stopped for financial reasons but started up again in November 2023 - March 2024 and realized it wasnt what I wanted.

I was never disgnosed with gender dysphoria or depression or any mental disorder. However I was prescribed the hormones by a physician (not a psychiatrist) at planned parenthood through their informed consent program.

It basically skips the doctor, therapy, diagnosis and months/years of time for trans people who are sure of their identity and dont want to have to explain themselves to multiple people for months.

So No diagnosis. Would I have to wait 18 months to be off of them (October 2025) to join? I tried going through the Air Force and after some research my recruiter told me that most likely thats what Im looking at and that I should try other branches like the army or navy which are apparently easier to get waivers in.

Is there any hope that the army or navy would take me? I already tried the marine corps and went to meps and swore into the dep however they told me not to bring it up then. That was in march 2023. However since leaving the DEP I’d still like to join the military howvever I dont want something like this buting my ass further down the line which is why I wanna be honest about it.

I’m getting on here because I need some advice I’m 17 almost 18 155 6’0 I’ve been preparing for sof I wanted to be a ranger but I had a bad experience with 2 recruiting stations one I got laughed at so I went to try the marines I felt like I fit in and started looking towards recon even though it’s not sof I’m stuck between the two, people are telling me the army’s way better especially with funding and schools which is true but I don’t know if I want to be in a environment like I saw at the offices ps I hit a 5 mile 37:20 ish average a 6:30ish mile on short runs 70-80 push ups 10 pull ups 4:12 plank I do kick boxing and jujitsu I have a cousin who attempted the marsoc pipeline and has friends in whose giving me advice but I plan on waiting after highschool for a couple months and train more but if u got any tips I’d be glad to take them

Hey yall I’m giving a lot of thoughts into joining the either the Navy or Air force. However, 4 years ago I was 17 and accused with a felony regarding about child sex abuse image. The case was dismissed due to lack of motive and proof that it was sent to me maliciously and I'm about to get my record expunged, now my question is am I or am I not eligible to join in the military

Hi all! I’m hoping to join the Navy as a nurse corps officer soon. I’ve read mixed things online about mental health diagnoses/waivers. I have a diagnosis of anxiety(social/generalized) and have been taking medication for about 1.5 years. No hospitalizations, no therapy/counseling, no panic attacks or depression/suicidal stuff. Symptoms are well controlled with the med and I have no other medical issues. I mentioned it to my recruiter and she didn’t seem to be concerned about it.

Would I likely pass/be cleared? Are you required to stop taking medication? Or do they allow you to stay on meds? Also considering reserves over active, not sure if that changes anything.

I understand everything is a case by case basis so it’s hard to truly know. I’m just starting the application process so any input or advice is greatly appreciated- info about military nursing/officer side as well!

Currently I am 16 years old and I am seeking to join the USMC either going through the enlisted or the officer route. Its been a dream joining the Marine Corps however I do have a nut allergy that has been with me since I was born. However my nut allergy is quite mild and when I do get a reaction I either take Zyrtech or Benadryl for all symptoms to stop. However I did have an anaphylactic attack at the age of 1 years old. I wanted to know if there is even a chance of me seeking a waiver or if I shouldn't even try

What are the differences in benefits, especially housing and food allowances? How often is it, and how does training differ, when you are active duty reserves vs reserves? Do active duty reserves have to live in the barracks? This is primarily asking about the army

I want to join the Army as a 56m. However, I heard the USAF is more family friendly. I just got notified that I’m being laid off (will happen in late July). Do Religious Affairs specialists get to spend lots of time with family? Should I consider the Army Reserves instead?

TLDR: Broke nose in 2022. Had a homemade fix getting it back in place. I suspect my septum is deviated. Has been causing me breathing problems. Will surgery bar enlistment?

Title says all. In 2022 I got my nose broken. X-Rays suggested everything was fine and the person who broke my nose and me were able to put it back in place.

Come 2024 and allergies have rendered my right nose useless and I can’t fucking breathe. Feeling up there there’s a big curve going to my right. Looked up and it looks like a deviated septum. Surgery moves it back to place (I firmly believe getting punched moved it out (no shit?!!!)).

If my PCP comes to the same diagnosis and surgery is on the table, will it bar enlistment? Is this something I should just wait for when/if I’m in service?

Note: I can randomly breathe out of both nostrils. Right one is primarily the one out of service though. Could really just be allergies but the deviated septum is still there.

Let me start by making one thing clear, I did NOT intend to omit my ADHD when I was filling my pre-screening forms in the office. I had no intention of being dishonest, but I should’ve thought about the situation better before leaving the recruiter’s office.

A bit of background info:

When I was little I got diagnosed with ADHD. I only took medication for bit and never adderall. Recently I got interested in joining the Marine Corps and knew this was potentially disqualifying so I went to get a reevaluation. The same doctor who supplied me the medicine wrote a note saying I was physically, psychologically and emotionally fit and ready to serve.

Based on this, when faced with the question on whether or not I had ADHD in the forms, I marked “No”. Stupid, I know. I thought based on what the doctor said, it was fine to say I don’t have the condition. After all, I function perfectly fine, have not taken meds for 3-4 years, have great grades, etc. My recruiter didn’t say anything on the subject, guess he wanted to send me right away…

HOWEVER, later I got very worried. Sure, I may be fine now, but I still had the diagnosis, so they would just see that I had it, and still marked no, and wouldn’t know that I was reevaluated because it wasn’t specified in the forms….Even if it doesn’t pop up at MEPS, I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder during my entire enlistment. Even if they don’t find anything, I don’t plan on starting my military career by being dishonest or anything less than truthful.

I intend to come clean the first chance I get at MEPS, tell them my mistake during the omission and my intent to be fully honest and cooperative. I never meant to be dishonest in the first place and I want them to know that.

All this leads to my question: what can I expect when telling them about this at MEPS? Will I get the boot and get sent straight back home? To my recruiter? Will they ask for more documents? Or get me in trouble?

I apologize for the long post, I just wanted you to have the whole context. Thanks for your time!

Hey so ive been a bit paranoid about getting my waiver denied. i went to meps and passed everything exept i have aspergers. I got a 89 on the asvab and ended up needing a asd waiver. i had to get a bunch of paperwork for the GS, and their giving me a phyc eval consult. if the evaluation goes well should they waiver get approved? Ive heard nothing but mixed things on reddit.

So I am trying to join the army reserves but I have a history of allergy induced asthma. (21 female btw) I havent taken the medication since around 2019 or 2020. I havent picked up the prescription since then. In the mean time I also got allergy shots and currently dont have any allergies so the asthma shouldnt face a problem. However I never cancelled the perscription. I went onto my mychart for a different reason and noticed that they were still popping up as active medications. I still had some left and it didnt need to be refilled yet. Because I havent picked it up in years, will I be able to explain that at meps? I was already planning on getting the PFT and also proving to them I don’t have asthma symptoms anymore. Currently really stressed out about this because I thought I had a chance but now I feel like I don’t. Please someone let me know!

I’m swearing in this Friday at MEPS for the Army and am getting a lot of flack from my veteran parents because my recruiter told me family isn’t allowed at my ceremony since it’s on base. He has no reason to lie to me about this but I am curious if there is anything I can do. Any advice?

I am 24f with a family and thinking of joining the coast guard or possibly even the Air Force. I wanted to join the coast guard when I was younger but wasn’t eligible and now that I am(just recently became eligible a couple of months ago) I’m interested in joining. Air Force is an option just because I hear they’re better with families. I have 3 kids, 4, 1 and 3 months and I’m married. Kind of wanting to see if it’d be a right choice for me or even possible. I’ve read the marines don’t let you join if you have a large family but didn’t know if this applied to other branches as well. Right now I’m working a job where I get $15 an hour and work roughly 35-40 hours a week. I’m going to school to study environmental science but it’s hard, also a reason I want to join bc of the GI bill so I can get my degree. Also another factor that would help me decide if I would even want to join would be pay. What’s the pay like? What’s all included in benefits? Anybody been in a similar situation? What do y’all recommend if you’re already in either branch. Also, how long is boot camp for coast guard and Air Force?

Thanks !

Is my recruiter being shady / untrustworthy?

I’ve been very upfront to my recruiter since we have met. I got diagnosed with a cluster of mental illnesses all on the same day by an inexperienced doctor, i shortly took medication and realized it was making me feel worse so i stopped. I consider myself rehabilitated as i haven’t had any symptoms since it was also towards the end of covid (everyone was depressed,) thats really the only disqualifying thing in my record. Fast forward about half a year and im trying to start my enlistment. When I bring up the mental illness diagnosis, he said he will check with his boss and we talked about how it’s nearly impossible to slip things past genesis and how i should work on meeting with my doctor to get a waiver. After about two weeks he talked to his boss and his perspective seemed to flip and on my paperwork he put down that i have no diagnosis. He told me not to bring it up at meps because “psychological issues rarely show up in the system”. Is he trying to fuck me over?? Would he not also get shit if my paperwork lied? Do i tell him to fix it? Since i already know genesis can see everything

I'm 20 years old, I have plenty of money in the bank, a good tech job, a stable living situation, and I could go to college if I wanted to. Basically the only reason I would enlist would be to go to Ranger School (I want to challenge myself), to make friends, do cool stuff, and to travel/go on an adventure. Once I get out, I plan on doing AFROTC and making a career in the Space Force. Currently I'm living in my hometown, friendless, and comfortable... but bored.
Currently I'm in the DEP for 35N Active Duty but after reading a bunch of posts in r/army and talking to some former and current Soldiers I'm really having second thoughts. I get the impression that people should only enlist if they really have no other options, and enlisting just to find friendship or travel is a bad idea and isn't worth the added aggravation. Plus travel/having a good unit isn't guaranteed.
What do you guys think? Should I enlist? I feel like the recruiter really rushed me into this. In March, he kept telling me "These jobs leave in two weeks, you have to sign up right now or you'll have to wait a year!" but lo and behold, when I go to MEPS, I find out they actually leave on May 7th.
I just feel like I'd be leaving behind so much, including a good career at an early age. Should I just go to college and do ROTC? Or maybe join the Guard/Reserves?

I have a couple questions-- i'm still in the DEP and am waiting to ship out. Currently signed and on track as a 74D (CBRN Specialist) but am considering changing my MOS to 19K (M1 Crewman). Is it worth it? How difficult would it be to change my MOS over, and when should I do it if I choose to?