Obstacles/Roadblocks when entering active duty?

Honestly, being the cherry on the block and not having anyone to properly show me the ropes and let me turn and burn through trial and error because that is how they learned.

There's always the money debacle--it takes a while for Finance to get a profile built into the system for the first time--so I had to go my first few weeks without pay; but thank God for a good sponsor, who set me up with a lodging room and a fully stocked fridge.

If you get the chance to pay it forward, be THAT guy, and the new person you sponsor in shouldn't soon forget it.

I was not immediately assigned to permanent housing. I was not well-briefed about the surrounding area, so I was lost and feeling at loose ends. I was just 18, and far from home. I mean, it was not a shock that I would be far from home when I joined the service- in fact, I was COUNTING on it! It is just that the lack of immediate support left me open to hazing and predatory behavior.

Now, things might have changed A LOT since then, but in retrospect these are the primary problems I faced.