Is an Army career outside of Rangers or SF, really just being a professional janitor?

2022-06-10T15:08:29-04:00

I have always wanted to enlist in the Army but always see on forums and various things like that saying unless you are doing SF of some sort you are stuck essentially being a professional janitor or maintenance is there any truth to this I try to keep in mind their MOS selection when it's specified but as I am enlisting as a 68w would this be something I should be concerned about.??

Response by Cpl Dustin Few made Jun 10 at 2022 6:56 PM

2022-06-10T18:56:45-04:00

As a Marine vet, I can’t personally speak for the army, but in the Marines, every junior Marine is a professional janitor regardless of MOS. Yea you’ll still get to train and do a lot of cool stuff, but the cleaning and the new guy work will always be there regardless of what you do. A lot of that fades away as you transition into a NCO but that just takes time and keeping your nose on the grindstone.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2022 7:02 PM

2022-06-10T19:02:34-04:00

you need to talk to all the Recruiters & take your best shot.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2022 7:14 PM

2022-06-10T19:14:05-04:00

Branden Hadley There is no truth to the idea that you are a professional janitor. Stop going to the websites that you are going to for this information. To succeed in life, work hard at your MOS or civilian job. Work on increasing your education. Be a planner and set goals. Live beneath your means, Save and invest for the future. Your future is what you make of it.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 10 at 2022 7:43 PM

2022-06-10T19:43:06-04:00

I was a professional janitor in this. My janitorial station weighed 70 tons, had a 1500 jet engine, could travel in excess of 45 MPH if the governors were tricked out, close to 50 large 120 mm main gun rounds, tens of thousands of 7.62 mm and 50 caliber rounds, could fire accurately while moving on a moving target because of the ballistic computer, it could hit a target 2.5 miles away in 2.5 seconds. It also had a dust-pan, broom, mop, and a vacuum cleaner. I had 4 of these. My platoon could engage close to 150 enemy vehicular targets in one battle. What other questions do you have? Perhaps you will ask why we don't have a buffer in my janitorial stations?

Response by MGySgt Rick Tyrrell made Jun 10 at 2022 8:00 PM

2022-06-10T20:00:30-04:00

Your career is what you make it. Plan your exit future while your in the service. College education, vocational certifications, and most importantly obtain points of contact based off experience and degrees. The best value is your dedication to service which displays loyalty to outside companies.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Jun 10 at 2022 8:39 PM

2022-06-10T20:39:33-04:00

No. Anyone saying that either has never been in the military or is trying to degrade others in order to feel better about themselves.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2022 8:44 PM

2022-06-10T20:44:53-04:00

I'm sorry, what was that again? Everything outside SF is professional janitorial work? That's a HUGE NEGATIVE. I hold 3 MOSs. I was a medic in a line unit and at a major army hospital. I was also a combat engineer, getting paid sick money to blow stuff up. Now I'm preventive medicine where I do health inspections, collecting water, collecting dirt, collecting air....and collecting bugs. I sure as hell ain't doing any janitorial work. Sounds like whoever says this either didn't serve or were stuck doing some menial job because they flunked out of the hooah hooah schools. Damn stupid people talking out of their ass.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 10 at 2022 9:24 PM

2022-06-10T21:24:30-04:00

I cleaned latrines, buffed hallways, polished baseboards and raked sand as an E4 in Ranger BN, and I cleaned latrines, buffed floors and mowed the parade field with a push mower as in E7, alongside E8s and O3s, in SF.
You get to do your real job a a lot, too.
But you'd be hard pressed to find a unit that contracts out janitorial and gardening services, good luck with that.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jun 10 at 2022 10:46 PM

2022-06-10T22:46:34-04:00

I think I understand. Were they SF saying that crap?

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jun 11 at 2022 8:34 AM

2022-06-11T08:34:19-04:00

Listen, you will be a professional Soldier. While you will have a primary duty you also have secondary responsibilities. The junior member of any Team including special ones takes on the brunt of whatever that secondary responsibility is. As time goes by another person is assigned being the junior. As that occurs the details go to others

We all picked up a toilet brush in our past, but never felt as a janitor. I served for multiple decades having literally 10s of thousands of Soldiers assigned and never did anyone want out because of the secondary responsibilities.

Response by Branden Hadley made Jun 12 at 2022 11:31 AM

2022-06-12T11:31:20-04:00

I really do appreciate all the information and advice I felt kinda stupid asking g the question but as someone that tries to plan and prepare I just had to find out others opinions and experiences, while I was sure my sources just had a negative experience with their time in service, regardless I look forward to serving this country as a combat medic and hope I exceed the standard tha k everyone again.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 12 at 2022 5:14 PM

2022-06-12T17:14:38-04:00

I hate to break it to you but the Army is more than just SF and Rangers. They are specialized units and people gravitate to what looks shiny. You really can't find a war that was won by SF or Rangers. They have their role but the rest of the Army is just as critical. If you look at Russia in their war with Ukraine, their "SF" really aren't a factor. I am sure they would rather have a battalion of professional logisticians.

Response by SSgt Christophe Murphy made Jun 13 at 2022 12:48 PM

2022-06-13T12:48:50-04:00

People struggle with expectations when they clash with reality. Having to field day, clean or get stuck on crap details like sand bags isn't limited to just non spec ops roles. At some point any MOS or unit will get jammed with crappy jobs they don't want to do which will not be what they expected in that job field. Something you need to understand is that the Military doesn't contract a lot of things out. You don't have a massive budget for people to clean everything, take out the trash or anything else. Somebody in a uniform will end up mopping the floors more times than not except for somewhere like Hospitals or major hubs like the Pentagon. There will be junior enlisted running out doing crap jobs and sometimes even Officers and SNCO's wlll be out there sharing the suck. Even spec op dudes get stuck with stupid stuff. You are putting them on a pedestal that isn't there

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2022 5:29 PM

2022-06-13T17:29:12-04:00

What forums are you on? I would definitely not take too much into things posted on social media platforms considering you don't know if half those people even did serve.

Yes you'll have to do some cleaning - whether around the unit area, the motorpool, staff duty/CQ. That's part of the job. Soldiers are the ones making the mess why should anyone clean it up? Hell I had to police call cigarette butts in the barracks and I have never smoked.

I'd bet SF soldiers have even had to do cleaning as well.

That's not ALL we do though. You're still going to do daily duties. It might be MOS related, it might not. Depends on what unit you end up.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 13 at 2022 9:54 PM

2022-06-13T21:54:30-04:00

Part of readiness is being healthy and a big part of being healthy is not living in filth.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 14 at 2022 1:43 PM

2022-06-14T13:43:23-04:00

I can tell you this... there are soldiers in my squad that are more janitorial then 12B.... but that is due to their actions and choices... not their MOS. Stupid games = stupid prizes.

On a side note, maintaining your gear and equipment will never stop and is essential to mission success regardless of ones MOS.

Response by MSG Chuck Pewsey made Jun 20 at 2022 3:36 AM

2022-06-20T03:36:11-04:00

"They" say everybody's basic MOS is infantry. Wrong! The first piece of Army equipment I saw (aside from but bus we rode in on) was a buffer. The basic MOS is janitor.

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Jun 20 at 2022 12:51 PM

2022-06-20T12:51:57-04:00

As a junior enlisted person in any Service, you're going to get stuck with some duties you may not like. Somebody has to do the mundane tasks needed to keep a unit or installation running. These normally fall to enlisted members in grade E-3 and below. You may be required to pick up trash on a parade field or shovel snow on a sidewalk in front of your barracks. It's just part of the job. You'll have to bear with it. It's not necessarily part of being a combat medic, but it's part of being in the military. BTW the Air Force has contracted out a lot of these types of jobs, like cutting grass and operating dining facilities. I'm not sure what the Army has done.

Combat medic looks like a good career field. You will definitely learn some valuable medical skills. After you complete your Army medical training, look into becoming a certified EMT and an ER Tech. If you can get these certifications from a local community college near your post, then it will help you a lot in getting a civilian job after you ETS. If you choose to stay in the Army, then the certifications may help you reclassify into those fields if you want. Also, it you find you like patient care, you can start on your way to a LPN certification or a BSN degree.

Keep a positive attitude and learn all you can.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Jul 15 at 2022 9:39 AM

2022-07-15T09:39:55-04:00

Yeah. Mopping up bad guys across the world.

In all seriousness though, like everything else, the military is only as rewarding as the effort you put into it. If you're a dirtbag you're going to spend a lot of time in the junior ranks pulling crappy details. If you're squared away you'll find find yourself in front of promotions boards and able to advocate for your career.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 4 at 2022 5:24 PM

2022-08-04T17:24:33-04:00

As a junior enlisted your going to do “janitorial work” for sure, but you also do your job. Depending on what unit you go to, whether you live in the barracks, etc., determines how much of this type of stuff you do. But we all do it, especially when your early in your career.

Response by MSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 22 at 2022 9:16 AM

2022-08-22T09:16:38-04:00

No. You should not

Response by PO1 Mike Wallace made Sep 5 at 2022 3:06 PM

2022-09-05T15:06:08-04:00

Simply said, that is a truly stupid question. No offense intended.