I am currently in a perdicament. I a joniour in highschool but I have the chance to go thro bootcamp this summer . Should I do it an go thro boot camp this summer or wait to go thro till I graduate?
I would wait for three reasons.
If you are not yet 18 and you have the opportunity to go through boot camp, then do it. You can legally get out of the contract at 17, and a lot of people decide the military is not for them about 1/2 way through boot camp.
Assuming you will be 18 this summer, then wait for 3 reasons:
1) If you decide you hate it, you won't have a year of regret and dread waiting while you finish up high school.
2) We are currently at war, and odds are high you'll be shipped off to Iraq as soon as you finish boot camp. The longer you wait, the more likely the conflict will have been resolved
3) Part of what boot camp does is physical training. If you do it early, you might be out of shape later when your service commences.
toadaly and mjax1979 make excellent arguments. please wait. AND have your parent(s) or another adult with you when you speak with your recruiter. many recruiters promise the moon and deliver far less. what they tell you and what is reality once you sign the dotted line can be entirely different. and if you decide that the military is for you, remember that you are signing a contract. negotiate and ALWAYS have everything in WRITING. what they "tell" you doesn't count. Make sure you get a generous signing bonus and an additional bonus for your specialty IN WRITING.
remember it is in THEIR best interest to keep the numbers up. enlistment is down and they might say anything to get you to enlist.
That's interesting, I didn't know the National Guard gave people this option.
Either way, I would say wait. I agree with toadaly's reasoning, and besides you at least want to finish high school and have your diploma before you join the military. Promotions time should not be a factor, the Army promotes faster than any other branch (I learned this while I was in the Marine Corps :) ) There's no need to get a "head start" on other people shipping out, because you won't go from boot camp to the front lines, there is quite a bit more training you have to do, like school for your MOS. You have every reason to wait.
my ex is in the National Gaurd and he is a junior in high school he will go to SC for 10 weeks for boot camp this summer and then next summer he'll go somewhere else for 6 weeks. I know in the national gaurd you have to be in it for 6 years and if you want to go to college too they will pay for it. and you get like $20,000 or something like that after boot camp. It's a tough choice to make. I would sit down and think about it long and hard.
ha im in pleanty good eoungh shape to join the marines I can do there pt test and past with flying colors; the marines was my first choice but I have discovered I get maymore chocies with the army I really want to be a ranger. I have discussed it with my girlfriend and im going to allmost deffantly wait. thanks all!
I would think long and hard before making any decision to join the military. Either way, you should make sure your graduate first.
Sooner you start the better - you'll be glad you did plus you'll be ahead in 'time in rank' for promotion purposes...Good luck !!
my son was an airborne ranger. fun mail me if you want more info.
