What advantage is there to joining the military after highschool instead of going to college immediately after graduating?

Sgt Matt Medhat — Tue, 06 Apr 2021 23:28:03 -0400

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 12:00 AM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 00:00:45 -0400

Sgt Matt Medhat Joining the military first provides the following potential advantages:
1. A break from school
2. Time to mature and gain needed discipline
3. A better idea on what major to choose, along with a tight focus on obtaining that degree
4. The G.I. Bill

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 12:03 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 00:03:24 -0400

college is expensive, entering your career field immediately and gaining real world experience, The pay and benefits are better than an job while going to college, if you change your mind about what you want to do you have experience that can transfer over( leadership, discipline etc) And you probably are in better shape after high school than you would be after college. That why is wish I joined after higher school at least SGT

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 12:48 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 00:48:16 -0400

That completely depends on the individual and what their goals are in my opinion. We all get the same benefits no matter when we enlist. The only thing that makes a difference is the age you’ll be when you ETS or retire. High school students are looking at retiring at 38-40 rather than retiring at 50. Everyone has different reasons as to why they joined when they did. But the one measurable benefit that I can think of is time. How old do you want to be when you get out.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 1:39 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 01:39:04 -0400

I think it's better to get a few years of experience in the private sector before entering military service. It gives you a real sense of the value that the military offers. The majority of kids who join the military come straight out of their parents houses, trading one parent for another. They don't realize they are starting a career. In my experience, people with prior service or prior civilian experience treat military service more as a profession with solid benefits and high school kids approach it as an adventure they are quickly disillusioned with.

However joining straight out of high school puts you way above your peers once you are a civilian. I left the Army at 21 and within less than a year I was assistant manager at a restaurant, a year later I was the shift lead at another restaurant. In the four years I spent after the military, I was constantly moved into leadership positions shortly after starting work at a new job because of the habits I picked up in the Army. Be on time. Do the job completely the first time. Fix problems before someone tells you to. Always say yes to a challenge.

Having been the kid that joins at 18 I realize kids really aren't capable of making life decisions at 18. Working with other prior service, I see that they approach the military as a career and a way to feed their families for the long term.

Response by Cpl Samuel Pope Sr made Apr 7 at 2021 1:48 AM

Cpl Samuel Pope Sr — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 01:48:54 -0400

Military: Training; Learning to Respect Yourself & Others, Love for America & The Constitution, Learning experiences from beyond your present age group. Wisdom.
College: Indoctrination; Selfishness, Hatred for all that is Wholesome, Hatred for America & The Constitution, Stupification.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Apr 7 at 2021 5:37 AM

CSM Darieus ZaGara — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 05:37:26 -0400

Not sure if it is an advantage or a disadvantage. I will say that from the start I saw a maturity difference in those who had experienced different things including college. This goes back to basic training. At sone point it tapers off and the lines become blurred as service progresses, but I would agree that life experience after school has its advantages upon service.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 6:49 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 06:49:05 -0400

The military will pay for a free degree while you get paid to work and see the world and meet new people.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Apr 7 at 2021 7:17 AM

LTC Kevin B. — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 07:17:18 -0400

While I fully intended to eventually go to college, I joined right out of high school to:
-Gain a marketable skill
-Mature
-Save money for college
-Travel
-Get a better idea of what I wanted to study in college
-Take a break from school

I have zero regrets for that decision.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 7:50 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 07:50:01 -0400

Experience, money for college and discipline.

Response by CSM William Everroad made Apr 7 at 2021 8:06 AM

CSM William Everroad — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 08:06:15 -0400

Lots of great responses here, to summarize so far:
Pros to join after high school: maturity, skillset development, and GI Bill seem to be the most common.

However, depending on the person, there may be an advantage to going to college first, especially if their goal is to be an officer or one of those cool guy MOS. Wait too long, and you retire as a LTC.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 8:38 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 08:38:53 -0400

I did college straight out of high school. Had a year of the most fun I've ever had at the time, wasted a lot of money, made a lot of friends, got out of Connecticut....and finished year one with a very bad GPA due to zero discipline.
I joined the Army and now have 2 degrees with high GPAs for both in a field I know I'm good at and interests me (and is actually useful - sorry philosophy or early Armenian literature majors...), was able to give my GI Bill to my kids, and now get to stack some professional certs before I get out in a few years.

So it depends on the person. Some people can do it right after high school, others not so much.

Response by SFC Jeff Wieck made Apr 7 at 2021 10:15 AM

SFC Jeff Wieck — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 10:15:05 -0400

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member hit it dead on. Plus the military will provide TA to pay for your classes while you’re in. Get your Gen Ed classes out of the way first.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 10:39 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 10:39:48 -0400

I went to college twice. Once right after high school, where I goofed off for two years and dropped out. I found the motivation and the discipline during my military service for college. My experience in the USAF was critical in getting me through two degrees.

Response by SSG Paul Headlee made Apr 7 at 2021 11:07 AM

SSG Paul Headlee — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 11:07:16 -0400

Here's one. If there is even a remote chance the person may wish to retire, get in there ASAP. If that person wants to commission, there are ways subsequent to enlistment. Either way, the sooner you start, the sooner you finish. Then you have four years or so head start on your second career.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 11:56 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 11:56:38 -0400

It depends on the person.

I joined after college strictly for college loan repayment. I planned to do 4 years and be out. I hit 17 years this year.

I did think about last year if I had gone in right after high school I could be retired right now lol. I think things worked out all right for me joining after college, coming in with a degree, etc. If I had joined after high school, I'm not sure I would have gotten the MOS I have. Granted, I wanted to have a journalism job since that's what my Bachelor's is in but it wasn't an option at the time so then I was offered intel analyst, mechanic or cook...I took intel.

It really does just depend on the person like anything else in life.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 12:20 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:20:47 -0400

Time.

Time is the advantage.

Employer tolerance. Yes, the military is tolerant of idiot young people.

Civilian Perspective: Oh late a second time, you're fired. Go live under a bridge.

Military Perspective: Oh late a second time, we'll just send your battles over and make sure you always get up on time, and while you're at it, for every second late we will add an hour of extra duty time on CQ or details.

Maturity:
I remember in basic at age 39 being surrounded by crying babies because they didn't get the expected weekly call home. I remember thinking, WHY ARE YOU CRYING, this is only 9 weeks. That's not even one fiscal quarter. My parents are lucky to get a call from me between Easter and Christmas.

*****
If the young person happens to have their act together they will be in a very powerful position before they hit 40. However, with the new blended retirement plan those incentives are much diluted. The Military has yet to fully experience the impact of losing competent mid career service members.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 12:26 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:26:10 -0400

Do both, I’m currently in the Texas Army National Guard and with our op tempo it has been a great learning experience for the youth enlisting into our program to learn how to be true multitaskers. I enlisted my oldest son into the Texas Army National Guard when he turned 17 as a Jr in high school, his whole mentality changed overnight from being a child with attitudes to meeting and speaking to Battalion commanders and High enlisted personnel. His hate of education changed over night by talking to all these experienced personal other than myself. He graduated early from high school and since he was a split option meaning he completed basic training his JR / SR yr summer I sent him to AIT in February upon graduating from AIT and returning home I volunteered him for the COVID mission that had just began, he did 7 months of that and then went on to providing security at the presidential inauguration in Washington for two weeks opened his eyes more, and now he’s currently on the COVID vaccination mission here in Texas and doing online college courses in the evening. In span of a year he’s gained experience, met senators, Congressmen and women, high ranking commanders who gave him great advice this kid now has requested help in enrolling into college programs that he does online while on mission. And All this from a kid who hated high school and was behind on his studies. The power to do both is awesome. Sorry for the rambling.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2021 12:39 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 12:39:06 -0400

OH!!!!!!!!!!!! there is one thing I did get out of the military that took me WAY TOO LONG to learn as a civilian.

There is soooooo much people just don't care about. Soooooo many things in life don't matter. Not every thing is a big deal. Fudging is OK. Most people don't care. Don't lie, but only answer the question asked. Don't be fixated on doing the right thing if it costs you the right thing for you.

I went too long in life worried about all the little things. Then I entered the USAR and right out of the gate found out that no one can survive a single day if that were the case. The system FORCES you to just blow things off. There is not enough TIME, there is not enough COMPETENCE in the system to do everything on the up and up.

If you are a PFC trying to get an admin thing done per the regulations and official policy and there is a SGT across the desk from you blocking that task and the SGT is ignorant of policy and regs then you do what the SGT wants, and just move on in life.

*******
In Basic I came to the army having learned many of these skills. One day a PVT in my cycle lost a blank ammo from his magazine (we were given three and had to account for them). We could do two things.
1) Tell the Drills, and face the consequences
2) Walk down the hall during Fire Guard and swipe an extra one from the supplies of an entire extra platoon not being utilized, and no one would be the wiser.

Option #2 was chosen, and that 18 year old PVT got an intro to those kinds of solutions much sooner in life than I did. The 18 y/o version of myself would have fessed up to the Drills.

Response by Maj John Bell made Apr 7 at 2021 4:14 PM

Maj John Bell — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 16:14:11 -0400

In my social circles, a bunch of the "Oh he/she is going to do great in college" kids got to college, got hammered, partied like there was no tomorrow and ended up being asked to leave. The class valedictorian didn't even make it to the Christmas break. He recovered nicely, but only after 5 or 6 years of tarring roofs in Tucson during the day and tending bar at nights.

I think the biggest advantage veterans have when they go to college is a serious appreciation of the opportunity they have.

Response by Maj Scott Lawler made Apr 7 at 2021 5:15 PM

Maj Scott Lawler — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 17:15:03 -0400

For those who aren't sure exactly what they want to do after high school, military service is a great option. It's also important to communicate to those high school graduates that it's not military OR college; you can do BOTH. Many of us enlisted right out of high school but took college courses part time to get a degree. Once you get a little life experience and learn what kinds of fields you want to move into, you can tweak your college courses to move in that direction. And, the government picks up most of the cost which is great.

Response by MSgt Thomas O'Rourke made Apr 7 at 2021 7:05 PM

MSgt Thomas O'Rourke — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 19:05:33 -0400

Most states offer tuition-free programs for National Guard members!

Response by 1st Lt Padre Dave Poedel made Apr 7 at 2021 11:17 PM

1st Lt Padre Dave Poedel — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 23:17:07 -0400

Numerous good arguments for either way. I did military and then college....my life interest changed 180 while on active duty. I was going to be a marketing major and went into medicine and ministry instead......I could have been happy doing almost anything, but am happy I did what. I did.

Response by PFC Daniel Starrett made Apr 8 at 2021 1:04 AM

PFC Daniel Starrett — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 01:04:56 -0400

1. You're already at good physical health (or should be)
2. Minimal debt
3. Fewer bad habits to break
4. You're still used to following orders rather than giving them
5. Depending on your mos, you may get your training and education "for free", as well as job experience
6. Its far easier to transition into military life straight out of high school, than after you've been living as your own boss
7. You can try out the job you're interested in to see if you would like it. If you don't, it didn't cost you a dime and you can try something else
8. An opportunity to "sow your oats" before settling down
9. An immediate income, with no living costs to speak of
10. A chance to simply mature and learn as you go

Response by SPC James Butler made Apr 8 at 2021 2:19 AM

SPC James Butler — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 02:19:46 -0400

You’ll be showing up to that college admissions office with a brand new Camaro at 29% APR

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Apr 8 at 2021 12:29 PM

SFC Melvin Brandenburg — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 12:29:59 -0400

If you don't know what you want to do with your life, it's a good opportunity to support yourself, build up some college funding, and mature a bit so you will have greater discipline. Generally, vets have a 1 grade point advantage over non vets in terms of GPA.

Response by SSG Shawn Mcfadden made May 31 at 2021 6:39 AM

SSG Shawn Mcfadden — Mon, 31 May 2021 06:39:58 -0400

I went into the Army after graduating high school. I didn't want to go to college but I knew I had to do something with my life. I started doing college when I was 23. I was on active duty, so I was able to use tuition assistance. Even though I didn’t have a degree plan at that time, every class I passed counted as promotion points. Even though my journey was longer than most as far as getting a degree, I didn't have to get any kind of student loan. One more thing, after I retired, I used my GI Bill for the remaining classes to finish my Bachelors degree.

Response by CW3 Charles Morris made Jun 24 at 2021 8:10 PM

CW3 Charles Morris — Thu, 24 Jun 2021 20:10:14 -0400

My son, a former US Marine Corps staff sergeant put it succinctly, he offered "that you need to give before you receive" and went into Marine boot camp immediately out to high school. Putting the nation or community before self is honorable, I don't care whether it is the Marine Corps, Peace Corps or the America Corps.

Response by SGT Robert Wager made Jun 25 at 2021 6:11 AM

SGT Robert Wager — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 06:11:31 -0400

It truly depends on what you want. If college is an option without going into massive debt then I would suggest going there first. If your goal is to serve in the military then I would further suggest looking into an ROTC program while in college and graduate and serve as an officer.

If you need direction in life and want to learn a trade and go to college without all the debt then by all means go enlisted first. There are pros and cons both ways.

First and foremost make damn sure you are joining with the mindset that it is service and not a job.

Response by Col Tom Duquette made Jun 28 at 2021 1:50 PM

Col Tom Duquette — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 13:50:33 -0400

Back in the 70's my dad told me he'd pay for college but he was only funding 4 years and so I'd better get it right. I had some older cousins in the late 60's/early 70's who were "finding themselves" in college and were 5-6 years in and still undergrads as they kept changing their majors and my dad wasn't paying for that voyage of self discovery.

I had uncles who were WWII and Korea war vets and my father had served a hitch in the Navy so I had a positive impression of military service. Despite having been accepted into a few colleges I decided to enlist in the Army (this is just a few months after Vietnam ended) as an armor crewman for 4 years. It was a great experience, I learned a lot about myself, earned some GI Bill money and selected a totally different major then I did in high school.

I graduated and accepted a commission in the Air Force and served for 27 years and highly valued my enlisted experience. I would recommend taking the break to grow up a bit, you'll be more disciplined and less distracted when it's time to hit the books...just don't get married as that will make school more of a challenge. Good luck!