I am coming close to my ETS and I have no idea if I want to stay in or get out. For those who have ETS'd how is it?

This all depends on your personal situation. After retirement 23 years ago, I miss the control of the environment and the people I served with. It was somewhat of a shock working with non-military people who were less than committed to their coworkers. Don't expect them to be true comrades. The family separations I could have done without. If you do get out, I recommend any schooling assistance you can get.

I recently ETS'd about a year ago. My advice, if your thinking about getting out, and have a job lined up on the outside, then go for it. Start your ACAP and make sure that you're aware of all your benefits and take full advantage of them. It's good to start the process now with about a year left on your contract, and if you decide to go ahead and re-up at least you'll have some idea about the whole process to help out your Soldiers in the future. Also don't forget about the National Guard/Reserves. I'm glad I joined with a unit in my hometown, because it definitely helps to ease the transition back into civilian life. Good Luck.

I ETS'd a very long time ago; but here's my experience. Most Veterans that I have spoken to over the years, all say the same thing. They wish they would have stayed in. Returning to civilian life, where the average person has absolutely no idea of what it means to belong to the greatest military on the planet, makes things "meh" on the outside. Although we might have complained about the boredom, structure, etc., it's actually what we ended up loving the most - not to mention the camaraderie. Additionally, if I would have stayed in, I would have retired by now, had a pension and could have started a new career to further my financial security. My advice? As an E-5 - challenge yourself. Could you rise in rank and leadership? Finally - I think the mere fact that you are already questioning about not being able to imagine life without the military - says a lot. :) Good luck!

Unless you have a job waiting for you once you ETS, or plan on furthering your education, you should be concerned about a job if you get out. It's a very competitive job market on the outside, so give your decision some serious thought, and have a plan in place if you decide to ETS. I have lost count of the number of people that have told me over the years since I retired that they wish they had not gotten out of the military when they did. Whatever you decide to do, "good luck!"

SGT Baker, you could always consider the Army Reserves, then you would have both worlds...

1. Try to save a bit of money over the next year so you have a few months expenses in the bank. That will help you if/when the government checks stop coming and take some of the pressure off in deciding on a new job.
2. Pay attention to your first year's taxes after you leave. My first year after retirement included a bit of an unpleasant surprise when I paid my income taxes.
3. The government will store your household goods for up to one year and pay once to move them to your home of record. After that, it's on you. Don't let that go to waste.
4. Look around a bit to gauge the job market wherever it is you're thinking of living. You can also examine cost of housing and other living costs in prospective places to live.
5. Do not sell your leave back to the government; take advantage of your leave and use it. If you sell your leave you won't get BAH or any of the other entitlements above basic pay, which really add up to a tidy sum. Use your leave, don't sell it.
6. I don't know your marital situation, but if you are married and have a family, this must be a family discussion with everyone engaged in the discussion.
Best Wishes for whatever you decide and thank you for serving our country.

Regards,
Hugh Blanchard

I just spoke with an Airman about this a few months ago. I told him that the key to a successful transition is to have a vision. Those who fail once they get out are those who don't have a plan. If you don't know what you want to do when you get out, you are going to lose direction and end up miserable. If you know that you want to go to school, do a specific job, or work at a certain company, you'll do fine. Just know that there are a LOT of support groups that help veterans transition and schools also have a lot of support and education programs.

Also, use your family as support. Keep your family and friends close. Lean on them to help you transition. Try to build a second group of friends outside of the military so that you can be exposed to what "normal people" do on a regular basis.

Good luck and God bless.

Get your GI Bill use it and become a professional student. Explore and network in the civilian professional arena. Maybe stay in the reserves or national guard. There is more life after the military. You dont see life without the military and thats because you dont know any better. The military banks on your comfort zone in military life so you dont get out early. However let me tell you from experience there is another way and in my opinion a more ambitious way.
If you stay in the military for another 4 yrs... you will be a SSG or maybe a SFC at most. Thats it. However if you go to college you will be as much as you can be vs as much as the military lets you be. You get a 4 yrs education there is so much that you can be. Just from the exposure to other people that is progressive and goal oriented your eyes will open and you will see that there is another way and yes that there is life outside the military.
I am telling you from experience that your time to get out is now but you dont have to be all out. Go to school expand your horizons and just serve in a national guard. Make the military work for you to what you want in life. You go to school get a degree and commission as an officer. If you cant live without the military then you can go back in but at least you go back with higher rank and more pay that gives you so much more flexibility in life.
Look it seems to me that you dont have a concrete plan in the military and that you are up for grabs. There is people out there that I asked and they told me things like: I want to be a drill sergeant, my dream is to be a 1SG, I will be the first female CSMA or I want to be SF... those are all true stories from my Soldiers and they said it with determination and I knew that was what they wanted to do and they are doing or going for. You sound like you are more in discovery zone which is great because you are open to try something new.
I was enlisted and warrant too. Others in the military will tell you to have a solid plan that has no fails... no you dont and thats the beauty of it. The military is all structured but life outside of the military doesnt have to be. YES OF COURSE have a solid plan to pay your rent etc but also have a plan to achieve higher than the boundaries set by one system. Sing your own song however you like it.
Lastly, let me give you a solid plan for the next few yrs if you get out.
1. Pay all your current debt, have a car that is paid off, put some money on the side.
2. Take college courses english and math before you leave the military so you get back in the homework mode.
3. Enroll in state university wherever you going back to.
4. When you get out apply for unemployment (which you are entitled to when you get out of the military) This is 6 months of financial security if you dont get a job that you want. You dont have to take the first job at McDonalds or Walmart checking receipts out the store.
5. Apply for Pell Grant and Student aid. This can give you $2500 at the start of every college semester. Do not take student loans.
6. Do college and take 15 to 18 credits, be a full time professional student. As a full time student you will have your hands full and you can truly dedicate yourself to your studies and excel. Because you are not working you can concentrate in school, go to tutors after school if need to, be in fraternities and honor societies, college clubs and associations, do college sports and many other things related to a full college life and network for the future.
7. Use the GI Bill as a full student which pays about $1100 a month for every month you are a full time college student in good standing; meaning, you are passing all your classes with C or higher... aim for higher though.
8. You have the Obama GI Bill so you will get BAH on your zip code which is tax free; meaning, that you will get your money for rent and if you play your cards right this will pay for your living expenses every month!
9. (OPTIONAL) Join the reserves or national guard and get tuition assistance. That way they pay for your college credits. If you are in state school it will cover your whole tuition MEANING that you get to pocket and save your GI Bill monthly $1100!
10 (OPTIONAL) as a junior you can get in ROTC and this will pay another $350 monthly during school.

How do I know this works?

I DID IT! My friends did it!

Many people advises here have one thing in common... some didnt get out or some didnt follow through in college.

I got out and I was a single parent and I had my son half the week not just 2 weekends a month. I was that guy in college that sometimes brought his son and would sit in the back of the class. I was a professional student and I took 18 to 23 credits which I dont recommend unless you truly like school and can test good. I was triple majoring and you know why I did that? Because I wasnt working. I had a decent car good on gas and I also had a sport bike... both paid. I have a roommate and we shared an apartment so I was paying half the rent! So saving more money! I took care of my son just fine and never struggled. Also I was in the reserves so I took all the GI Bill money home and I went to drills once a month and got another few hundred dollars. While in the reserve I made it to E-5(P) and I went for warrant and I got it based on my college education, then a year + after I went for direct commission and I got it when I was still in school. I finished my college, completed OBC and BOLC and I was a 1LT. Nowadays I will pick MAJ next year.

If I had staid in I would be maybe a MSG maybe with a degree. Now I have a MBA. I am not an isolated case... my roommate was 11B SGT and did the same, also had a kid and single parent, he did the ROTC and went active but he is about to pick LTC. We had another friend did the same as he is also a MAJ and pilot. I have another friend that did it and he is a lawyer and does reserves because he likes it just like me.

Getting out of active duty was by far the best decision I ever made because I get to serve as much as I want to or not, but I get to actually decide what I am doing next. You can do as much active duty time as you want. For example you can go in deployments if you feel like it. You can do tours of duty where you actually pick where and what you do. I dont have a big brother telling me where I have to live like it or not. To me thats the most important thing because family is before the military everyday of the week. However other, respectfully, dont see it the same way and thats fine. Also I dont ever want to feel like I can only do what someone else wants me to do on their time and where they want me to do it. As a reservist I just came out of doing 3 yrs of active duty where I had two company commands. I picked where, when and what! Do you think is that easy in AC... not necessarily. However you do have to bring it and work hard when you do step up.

Also I have friends that got out and did everything else I did except the OPTIONAL. They went out completely and they are doing way better than me and my friends staid at least in reserves and national guard.

I honestly could not disagree anymore with those that are telling you to stay. In the end you have to have the courage and self discipline to get your goal. My goal was to get my degrees, be an officer, make as much money to give everything to my son and live wherever I want wherever I want. If you dont break now then you gonna be half way in and then your mentality would be: well I am half way in I might as well stay.... thats sad in my opinion. If you can only see yourself as big as the boundaries you let a system put you in and you are happy... good for you but that would have been straight up misery for me.

Always strike to be better, see yourself achieving, dont limit yourself, think outside the box and get paid for you and your family. You can be a sheep or a wolf. I am telling you I am and many others, living proof that there is more out there and yes you can still do military.

DO have your CAKE and also EAT IT!!! Whoever said that you cant have your cake and eat it is a moron and lazy.

I left for many reasons when I did get out - but the main reason was the lack of ownership. I have many friends and they traveled, they went to festivals, they did all that stuff that I couldn't do. I could never even join a boxing club, because I couldn't commit that I would be off duty every Tuesday and/or Thursday at 1900 hours. You know, like normal people. And that to me were the deal breaker. I wanted to experience more outside the Army than the 2 weeks in the summer block leave and the extended xmas exodus could provide me with.

That was me. But I had a plan. And if you truly want to leave, which I doubt, then have a plan. Without it you will be lost. With it you will be successful.

My suggestion is stay in and retire from the service. I have 8 years in Air Force and got out...Now I look back and wish I had stayed in and retired and started a second career. A wise man seeks counsel! Keep seeking til your soul knows. Praying for you! WM Byrd