so i recently finished school (got a BA in psychology, minor in education) and can't find a decent job anywhere, thanks to this lovely economy. i got hired as a substitute teacher and the orientation was this Wednesday, but today the district informed me that they are cancelling the orientation due to the recent budget cut. i also passed the written exam for the Sheriff's Dept. but missed the last physical agility because i couldn't run due to a knee injury from stunting; and now they have already completed their hiring and aren't taking anymore people.

i'm going to keep looking for teaching related jobs, but the california budget cut on the education system is not making it easy. i figured if all else fails i can always join the military. but i have no idea what branch would be the best to look into.

my older brother is a coreman in the navy (he went to iraq twice, he was placed with the marines the 2nd tour, and has been enlisted for like 11 years now) so obviously he is biased towards them. he told me that the army is the worst because they have the worst officers, that the airforce is for college kids who don't know what to do with their lives (hey sounds like me! haha) but that they are seen as the "pansies" who just blame mistakes on others rather than taking responsibility, and the marines are the most respectable but they go through a lot harder training. (i'm not saying i agree or disagree with any of this, that's just what i've heard from my bro and his navy buddies. i just want to know what other people with military experience think.. )

i also heard that since i have a college degree that i could go straight to officer school, but that i probably won't get much respect since i would still be a newbie to the military.

any help / tips / advice / opinions are appreciated!

 

if your going to join, go AF, you wont regret it. also, since you have a degree, GO TO OTS!!! (officer training school) and stay away from any type of Militay police, infantry, etc. when you talk to your recruiter tell them you are looking to use your degree as much as possible with your career choice.

 

Im assuming your knee is good to go now? If you couldnt do the sheriff job, military is probably out of the question? What kind of injury was it?


Anyway, definitely become an officer. I hate officers because they often think they get respect because of their rank. Youll catch **** for being a 'newbie' no matter which route you go so whatever. Its probably the worst in the marines, dont know about other branches. But officers make bank, dont have to deal with the REAL gay ****, and obviously get to kind of do their own thing with their troops.

If you want to teach, why not look into a federal teaching job like on a base?

 

+1 air force is the way to go. im an army grunt and proud to be but if youre looking for a more professional branch to have a career with AF is where its at. marines (and i have many friends in) are the most narcisistic bunch of self righteous ******* i ever been around. they always think everything they do is hardest or more respectable blah blah blah. yes the AF is not as combat related so its going to be lighter physicaly, doesnt mean it deserves less respect and trust me infantry training with the army is no easier than infantry training with the marines. marines just think their training is harder cuz if ur not army infantry then you go to a ligther basic trainign thats only 9 weeks.

 

thanks for the input guys. so far it sounds like air force is the best option.

i never really thought of the federal teaching route, will any credential work or do you need a special one to do that?

i hurt my knee from looping a seat stander (no HB), i landed on my right foot wrong and i don't know if i compressed or twisted my knee, but i couldn't put any weight on my right knee for weeks after that, and months later it only bothered me when i ran (like sharp pains in the sides of my knee). i have been riding bicycles and power walking a lot to rebuild some strength in it though.

 

First of all Im a Marine Grunt. Dont listen to sdfkillz. Even Lois from family guy knows that you should **** a marine because they are the real men. Theres a reason why marines dont have to do bootcamp if they move to a different branch! Theres also a reason why the marines are needed to restore stability in Afghanistan!

The whole grunt talk doesnt matter anyway, were talkin about a girl here..unless the Army lets girls in their infantry ranks..

As far as the teaching job goes, I have no idea. I just know they exist and have the federal benefits...

 

yah dont listen to me what would i know about marines being narcisists........listen to him^^^^^^

 

Haha funny thing though, I didnt say shiiiit about any branch. I even dogged the Marines for bein the biggest ******** to the newbies. Seems like someones butthurt about bein 'Army strong.'


Speakin of army strong, I looked something up..

The intial PT test...No not a set during a workout, but the actual physical test.

I was reading (this is genuine curiosity not bashing) and it seems like your bootcamp is also your combat training. Is there any combat training after basic, or is it straight to job training? I assume based on what ya said its the same for grunts, just longer. For us it's 13 weeks bootcamp (3 months just thrashing), then the non grunts go to a month of combat training, then whatever school they need for their job. For grunts we go onto 2 1/2 training after boot... Oh also, do you guys really get libo on the weekends in basic?

 

i dont know where you got that information from but its completely incorrect. for the final pt test to graduate basic or advanced training it goes based on your age group. for instance im 29 so i need a minimum of 40 pushups in 1 minute, 45 situps in 1 minute and a 2 mile run time under 17 mins. the younger guys requirements are a little more. but that is the bottom and you wont be seeing any promotions if youre barely passing your pt tests. regular basic training is 9 weeks for everyone thats not infantry and then they go on to ait which can range from 6 weeks to a year depending on the job. infantry does 15 weeks osut and then to your unit where you continuously train. i dont know what libo is but no u dont get any passes in basic training until you graduate and then you have a family day before you ship to your next unit. i am not "butt hurt" about joining the army, i love the army and i love the marines as well as all branches of the military. i was just as qualified to join the marines as i was the army, but for me ive always been a fan of the army. i said before i have many marine friends and as much as i respect what they do, the marines teach the "we are greater than thou" bullshit. and thats just what it is bullshit, were all doing the same job, were all losing friends over bullshit and you sir are no better than me just because you call your Drill Instructo sir and i call mine drill sgt. soo in closing....get over yourself.

 

It's Corpsman and use a capital M in the future when you write Marines.

 

See all butthurt cause I guessss you realized army sucked when I was just asking. If ya see I said GENUINE CURIOSITY. Your horrible at reading, cause I said that AND I said initial pt test.

If you wanna get serious about it though (which is apparent), youll notice your COMPLETE training, including your training as a grunt is all of 2 weeks more then our bootcamp. So maybe it is pounded into our heads to be 'better greater than though,' and we think it because its pounded into our head for 3 months. Your complete grunt training is as long as complete training for MC pogs. With all due respect your total training for pogs, is 2/3's as long as MC bootcamp. No wonder you have people like Jessica Lynch. Dont worry though, ya got all the patches to prove how army strong ya are.

EDIT: And before ya get even more butthurt, Im not all semperfi oorah Marine Corps. I dont really try to bash the army or any branch, and dont eat sleep breath Marine Corps. Personally I cant wait to get out, but Im not all about someone trien to get down on the Marines. I do have HUGE respect for the Army, at least ODA, delta, and heck even the rangers. Theres only two things Id do in other branches..navy diver, or Psyops in the Army. That **** is sick, just ****** with peoples mind!

 

you contradict the **** out of yourself. i dont see how im being "butt hurt" im just stating the facts. youre the guy who's gotta tell everyone your dick is the biggest. how would u guess that i realized the army sucks, when i just told you that i love the army? you dont really make much sense, just babble. only negative thing i said about the marines is exactly what you are portraying which is a huge ******* ego. there are certianly downsides of every branch including the army. doesnt make anyone better than anyone else and thats the bottom line, keep thinking youre better than the army but youre not, you are one in the same. same job, same cause. again get over yourself.

 

Alicia what do you want to do in the military? Do you want to travel alot or do you want to just stay in the U.S?

 

Dude, you still have yet to get the point.

Let me try to put it in the most SIMPLE form ever.

I said NOTHING bad about another branch. I said NOTHING 'amazing' about the Marines. I am a Marine.

YOU said Marines are all about themselves, even after a Marine said nothing of that. Your first post sounds like the most anti Marine 'I can do it too!!' type bullshit. You sound like a girl trying to prove herself in a football game amongst a bunch of men. Then I ASKED questions and you told me to get over myself. So if you want to tell me to get over myself and have that little dog big bark type ****, then I'm going to pull out the facts. And the fact is, the Army ISNT the Marines. If they did the same job to the same level then don't you think there would only be one or the other? Is there a problem with this? **** no, but dont try to make it seem like it's all the same. You know why Marines get pissed when people compare them to the Army? Because it's not the same. You DONT go through the same training and you dont go to the same level of training. Your sitting here trying to tell me you do when you clearly dont. Maybe you saying you do the same **** is why you think Marines are trying to 'prove the size of their dick' when they're actually just pissed you think you do the same ****.

At the end of the day it doesnt matter, because we are fighting the same fight and serving our country. But dont be so quick to jump on the Marines backs trying to say your the same, because your not. You wouldnt say your a ranger would you?

 

how did i know this thread was gonna end up like this...I guess im the lone AF guy...lol well since were all in here, what was/is everyone's AFSC/MOS?

I was Security Forces, and a 50 gunner for 3 middle east tours.

 

i just thought i'd try to learn more about it. i started stressing out after being informed that the district i was supposed to start working for next week decided to go on an immediate hiring freeze due to the recent budget cuts. so i started thinking of alternative back up plans in case all else fails, and the military was one of the things i thought of. my bro has been in the navy for a while now and seems to like it, and he does really well financially, so that's what sparked my interest. i'm not about to sign my life away quite yet, just trying to get informed

as for traveling, i have never been outside of north america. i'm not tied down by any means though. all i really have that i would hate to leave behind are my pets and bikes! haha

 

my bad, not trying to offend or disrespect anyone. i could have swore he said he was a "coreman" though. maybe that's just how it's pronounced? whichever it is called, he's basically a medic.

 

i wuld say the chair force......hooah

 

I figure T-NECK IS THE LONE AF guy... ANd I totally agree with T-Neck AF is the BEST!

But here it goes... I spent 8 years NAVY... I would reccommend Air Force to everybody and ANYBODY who asks me. I was assigned to SOCCENT for 6 years and experience every branch of service. Being assigned to SOCCENT I was able to work with many different branches and units at different times for different reasons and was able to work with many outstanding military personnel.

I first would say tell your recruiter I want a Top Secret clearence utilizing my degree like PSYOPS. Psyclolgical Operations! It's real cool stuff and the clearence of ts or higher means killer cash when you get out!

 

Well I think that if u are going to pick one dont go army because when u get to IRAQ/AFGAN u may not do your job u singed up for. Also the deployments are 12 to 15 months versus 6 months. I would also go OFFICER because they make more money. As for bring the newbie its going to happen no matter what, just think about it before u chose and DONT lissen to recurters they LIE. As for me iam an 11B Infantry and iam on my 3rd deployment about to get home in a month or 2. And as for Mariens who baild your asses out of Falujah. lol not hateing.