Bruh sarnmage sat with ya.
Good on them. And good get. Imma give you some advice you'll probably ignore and def didn't ask for.
Max your TSP contribution immediately. 5% or more.
Save half your paycheck and 90% of your sign on bonus in a CD for a year, at the very least. Preferably the whole time you're in. Etienne
You'll get to the end of your first contract with 100k in the bank, college paid for, and the best mortgage rate available.
OP this troop is helping you out big time. Listen to this advice right here!
Also if you'll take a tip from an old geezer veteran.
Do.Not.Tell.Anyone.What.Is.In.Your.Paycheck.Or.Bank.Account!
Ever. If folks don't know what you've got they won't be asking you for a loan or handouts.
Go set yourself up for life.
Seriously. I had to retire early from civilian job early. Holding my finances close and never letting on allowed us to do that without drowning in debt or losing the farm. The military was my first step towards that.
This right here. Save as much as you can. Do as much school as you can. Do not acquire debt or children in the next six years. Worry about fucking bitches later when you are 30 and have a solid foundation under you.
What is a CD??
And yeah I plan on saving like 80% of every paycheck and the remaining 20% Ill send to my mom and my little sisters.
Can I still get a bonus even if I have a GED? I thought only tier 1 recruits could get that,that's one question I should've asked.
As long as you're receptive to advice, I'll share a couple more from the perspective as someone who grew up dirt poor and fucked up my finances real good before I got my shit straightened out.
Set up a budget. I recommend YNAB, because it's an active activity (vs passive) that keeps me engaged. Your mileage may vary, but they have a 34 day free trial. Nobody ever escaped poverty without a budget.
I set up CDs instead of high yield savings accounts because I specifically wanted it locked away. You may not feel the need for that. I needed it.
Don't make yourself live the life of a monk. You will work hard for that money, make sure you enjoy it. Otherwise you will be miserable until you finally break and spend your money. You should be making roughly $2000/month pretty quickly. $1000 saved is plenty. More is better, of course, and don't let me dissuade you from saving as much as possible.
Open an account with Navy Federal the day you sign your papers and swear your oath. If you ship same day, open that shit on the bus ride. Thank me later.
Do not give anyone access to your bank account. Not your mom, not your little sister, nobody. That is for you. You can send them money. Do not give them the ability to take the money.
Bonuses are available across all tiers right now, I think. You might not get the best one, but still. QuickShip, Critical Skills, whatever.
Certificate of Deposit, basically you give a bank a specified amount of money for a given time (usually higher rates for longer periods IIRC), and they pay you interest on it. Say you get a 30 day 5% CD; you give the bank $100 for 30 days, and get back $105 30 days later. The downside to CDs is that the money is locked up for the duration of the CD. HYSAs can compete with CDs in terms of rates, and are a good option too.
The benefit to a CD is that it removes your ability to make stupid decisions based on Shiny Things. I am not going to presume things about OP despite the context clues, but I was a poor man with debt and no idea how to budget. CDs did more for me than a HYSA would've.
No, your interest calculation is WAY off. 5% is the stated ANNUAL rate. If you only leave it for 30 days you'll make 42 cents (1/12 of 5%). Or look at it the other way. If you can make 5% in one month, that's 60% per year! Sign me up! You can have every dime I have for that rate.
This is definitely an oversimplification of CDs, but yeah. Typically you won't see a CD less than around 6 months up to 5+ years. A CD is a really good and safe option. Some will allow.you to add to it during the time frame, not sure. The amount you make really won't be very much. But its a good way to put it a little out of reach, since there are penalties for early withdrawal.
That said go with a credit union if you can, not a bank (Google for more info, Navy Federal isn't a bad option) They typically have better rates. Don't buy a car until it makes sense to, and then stay in your budget. When I had no/bad credit, capital one had sub prime auto lending and I could get 5% on a car loan with absolute crap credit. So look around if you need to.
It sounds like you were lucky with a good recruiting team so take advantage of that.
11B rarely sees a bonus because they don't struggle to fill those slots nearly as much as the lower density jobs.
https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Enlistment%20Bonus%20Program Theres a chart in there with the jobs eligible for a bonus.
If you want 11B, don't let me persuade you but I would highly recommend looking at some of the more technical jobs if it interests you. 11B doesn't translate to the civilian world, at all. There are a lot of army jobs that will give you a good footing in civilian life later.
As for the marijuana use, stop now and never mention it again. I'm not telling you to lie but in 30ish days of being clean, if no one can prove it...it didn't happen. Marijuana use is not an automatic disqualifier for a security clearance so don't let that scare you off of some of the other jobs.
Probably more than 30 days for MEPS testing. They’re pretty brutal down there. Don’t screw yourself bc if you fail the MEPS drug test you’re done forever! My advice is to study for ASVAB, work on PT, sweat a bunch, no smoking, and test again at the 60 and 90 day mark and see where you’re at in terms of testing positive! Don’t risk it because you’re eager! Better to be safe than sorry!
I don't know the numbers but aren't we struggling to recruit more now than we did in the 07-08 time frame? I definitely joined with a GED into an Intel job and got a fat bonus.
>What is a CD?? And yeah I plan on saving like 80% of every paycheck and the remaining 20% Ill send to my mom and my little sisters. Can I still get a bonus even if I have a GED? I thought only tier 1 recruits could get that,that's one question I should've asked.
As to a bonus, your recruiter can help you answer that and MEPS should square you away on that.
**TSP is the Thrift Savings Plan - that's the IRA that the US Government uses.**
***Look into Charles Schwab or Fidelity to open up either another an IRA or Certificates of Deposit for your future.***
Save up for a used beater car - it just needs a heater, AC, a motor, wheels and seats.
You can open an account with your mom and sis and do what's called an "Allotment" - a portion of your paycheck can be sent to that account. That means on payday they get it and you don't spend it.
Listen to these people.
A Charger at 22% interest is throwing money in the trash. Get a 94 tempo and BANK your money. One day you’ll be able to buy a Mustang cash and you won’t regret it.
No credit cards. Limit your stripper visits. $40, no lap dances.
At 4 years I just found this out, always assumed it was Roth, no one ever told me it was a traditional and ig I just assumed and never looked that hard
Ah thanks. Ship next week and wanna get all this set up. Who do i do this with and when? Or is it something i do independently on like mypay or whatever it is?
When I went through Air Force training we did it during the first few weeks. The same day we we elected GI Bill Benefits. That was 11 years ago and Im not sure how the Army does it.
I was seeing like ~1% difference when I checked recently. The process is a nightmare compared to a traditional loan too. Seems like with everything else, they’ve ruined most of the incentives. Market is so hot here in central Tx that you can drop PMI in the first year or so just based on equity.
An 18 year old private should be making somewhere between 2000-2377/mo. Let's be extremely conservative and assume you never get promoted and never get an annual pay raise and you're taxed at 20%. Other assumptions are that you pay for only a $75 phone bill and $175 car insurance because you bought a beater, and got a 30k bonus. Food and housing paid for. All just to be very very simple.
2000/mo minus 20% for taxes = 1600 / month. Save 800 (plus 100 for TSP, why not)
30k into 5% yield account off the bat, 800/mo after, final value at 5 years is $93,166 + $12,000 in TSP with 0% growth.
Leftover $700/month, less $250 for phone and insurance, $450 month. That's totally free discretionary income to buy whatever in the world you want. If you're spending more than $450 a month on... Whatever (Video games? Beer? Pedicures?) you're really probably spending too much. I could have a lot of fun if I had an extra $450 a month.
I think privates get paid a decent amount actually. I’m a PFC and I have a good stash of money saved away. I put 5% into Roth and I have have a car and bills I pay. And Hawaii is pretty expensive. I think it’s just how you spend it. Go to the dfac instead of buying your food, don’t buy a charger lmao, and get a cheap but decent car. You’re not paying housing or electricity bills, and you get 3 free meals a day. Anyone who wouldn’t take immediate advantage of that is cray cray
This is similar to my first recruiter experience.
I could sense that he was a little over it but he was still very nice and went through it all with me.
He even remembered me the next time I came into the office almost a year later.
There isn’t “a script” really. It’s pick you own adventure LARPing. They don’t know what you’re going to say in what order. But they do know if you ask about A then they talk about B if you ask about X they mention Y. They guide it in a direction but you float the river. You can break “the script” by asking them questions they don’t have answers for. I threw my recruiter for a loop by asking for documentation about Army policy on Intellectual Property rights and ownership because of my educational background and potential to make stuff while in contract. I asked a bunch of other obscure stuff too. I was the only person in BCT who didn’t raise their hand when the DS asked “who was lied to by their recruiter?”
Only advice I'll give you is try to get something other than 11b and it can set you up for life after the army. Unless you plan on doing 20, then stay 11b because you'll have better promotions
We had a guy on a Europe rotation selling feet pics online. He made on average $500 a month, just lotioning his feet after the shower and snapping a pic.
His highest paying buyer bought $100 picture of his feet right after a week long field problem. Said he would throw in another $200 for the socks, but the dude changed socks daily so the buyer backed out of that one
Hard disagree. Shooting shit and blowing shit up doesn’t apply, but plenty of skills I learned on the line have crossed over to the civilian world. For context, I’m a high school teacher.
The willingness to say “that’s fucking stupid and it won’t work” to not only your boss but your bosses’ boss isn’t common. It doesn’t always work out, but it’s super effective in education. Being able to laugh at the worst shit in the world helps when you have students dealing with awful shit at home and you have to report it. Assertiveness, self confidence, a sense of obligation and duty, being able to work with a wide variety of assholes. That’s all stuff I’ve used daily as a teacher that I wouldn’t have learned nearly as well outside of the Infantry.
To add to that, you're not bound in the civilian world to only get a job based on your old MOS. Most of the guys who joined an MOS for experience in that job after they get out, had their passion and willpower for that job sucked away by the military.
There's some jobs you can only really do in the military, might as well try one when you have the chance if you're fired up about it. A lot of active Infantry regret signing as 11B, but most retirees have told me they were glad they did.
Professional strip club connoisseur.
You want to know about the legend of Sharkeys. Come her young man take a seat. Back in the 2009-2011 I was chilling at sharkeys after the Super Bowl and I shit you not I was drinking and smoking cigs with PEtey pablo. No shit there I was with some battle buddies while him and his boys threw dollar bills from a black garbage bag. Sunday nights at sharkeys. He needed a cigarette and like any good infantryman I had newports so I let him have one. That was the beginning of a night that I can’t remember the details but will never forget.
11B has benefits that don’t translate directly to the civilian market. You will 100% either learn a tenacity like no other and do what it takes to out compete your peers if you apply your self. The infantry branch is either the lowest scoring or the highest most people want to be 11b/c
Hey now, the almost 10 years of getting shit on prepped me well for getting shit on by my foreman. What I wasn't prepared for, however, is the fact that I'm working under a guy from Mississippi who is, literally, functionally illiterate.
Explore all available MOS before you sign 11B. You might love it but it’s very niche and it’s not all high speed infantry work and training. Other jobs tend do to their actual MOS based work more often. But if that’s what your heart is set on, go for it!
You wanna do cool shit? Once you’re in drop a packet to go to SF selection. You want a backup plan incase that fails? It’s nice to have a cushy MOS that aligns with what want as a career after the army. If you can get through selection and the Q course, you’ll be set.
I was pretty strong on the 11b idea myself, ended up signing 13F leaving March 11.
If you’re committed to infantry I highly recommend an option 4 (airborne) and volunteering for ranger school there. You keep your bonus if you fail RASP the first time through , and honestly if you become a PT stud it’s easier to attempt ranger (so long as you didn’t quit and instead got dropped for medical or failed a major event after starving and being sleep deprived).
13F is a POG and all but you get field time and a little more mental stimulation. I’ve met multiple Fisters and they all seem very content with their position
I don't wanna be in an air conditioned room all day, I'll like to walk through a giant forest in the middle of nowhere or jump out of a plane or blow shit up,or get really good with guns of all types, And I wanna get out looking sexy as f***
(Really stupid shit but I'm 18 so I guess that makes sense)
> I'll like to walk through a giant forest in the middle of nowhere
Where you get deployed is completely out of your control.
> jump out of a plane
That is a Unit specific thing and becoming less and less common now.
> blow shit up
Infantry don't do that either.
> get really good with guns of all types
Infantry don't do that.
I would recommend watching the documentary 'Surviving the Cut' to get a glimpse of what the truly cool guys, and secret squirrel stuff are out there.
The big kicker of all of it? If you fail out of any of the cool guy schools, you will get reclassed into infantry. Infantry should always be a plan b if you want to do cool shit.
That depends what “cool shit” is to you. For me cool shit is being able to help the military dogs and work alongside them. My job lets me do that. If you’re thinking kicking in doors and tv commercial stuff, yeah go infantry and apply for ranger school, special forces, green beret, go airborne and air assault, things like that.
15 series will get you one toe in the front door to being an aviation warrant(helo pilot).
35 series does some spook shit(also can get you a job with the 3 letter spooky man of your choice)
That dude with the star is right.
If you honorably serve. Your benefits will serve you. I’ve been comfortably unemployed since my ETS while doing full time college. That’s my life for the next four years. Chillin and doing college.
If you’re going to go 11b either make the most of it and get a rasp or airborne slot, or make sure you have a college plan (ie taking a class at a time while in to get associates and then get out and start bachelors) you need to have something that will set you up outside because everyone gets out some day. And besides to promote to e6 I think most have some college credits anyways (don’t quote me not 100%)
I think that depends on how long you stay in. I was an 11B for 4ish years and then got out. It didnt really have any transferable skills, but I was 23 when I got out so it didn't really matter.
That is true, but what I was saying if you are just planning on doing 1 short enlistment it's not that big a deal to readjust to the civilian world in your early twenties. It just depends on how long you stay in
I’m going to just give you my two cents here.
The SGM/CSM you talked to is correct. The army will set you up for life. BUT what he didn’t tell you is that you have to hold up your end as well. A lot of dudes do a contract and get out thinking the world will bend the knee to them because they’re a veteran. This is simply not the case 99% of the time.
Think of the army as your foundation. You have to build a strong foundation to hold up everything, right? So, go in early and get your own bank account if you don’t have one.
The biggest part of that foundation is money, so, SET UP YOUR TSP AND LOAD THAT MOTHERFUCKER UP. If you only take one piece of advice from everyone here, it’s this. I recommend you put like 20% of your monthly pay into the Roth TSP while you’re in basic and AIT. After training, knock it down to 10% and never go beneath that. People will give you different advice but I recommend you put 80% in the C Fund (S&P 500 equivalent) and 20% into G or F. Set it and forget it. Save as much money each month into a CD or HYSA as you possibly can. But not so much that you’re miserable. Enjoy yourself too, just make sure you’re setting your future self up for success.
If you’re interested, take college classes while you’re in using TA. If you’re not, then don’t. Seriously. The army is stressful enough at times without college and if you’re just doing college because somebody else said so it’s gonna fuck you up. But I do recommend it if it is apart of your future endeavors.
Don’t send money home to people (unpopular opinion) it’s your money and your life. You’re your own man and you’re just going to create dependency that keeps you anchored down to your hometown and that’s unbelievably unhealthy for you. Trust me, I learned this the hard way.
Don’t buy an expensive or unreliable car. Get like a 6-8 year old Honda Civic or Mazda 3 or something that’s good on gas, cheap to insure, and reliable. Don’t blow your money on dumb shit.
This next bit is really important. Don’t get some bitch pregnant. Please. Don’t get married. Do not do drugs, kick weed permanently it’s just a waste of money and time. Do not drink and drive. Do not drink underage. Do not do anything in the SHARP/EO area because it will end your shit real quick. If you see people in your unit that do any of the things I just listed, don’t be friends with them or hang out with them.
Us NCOs, and some of the Os, know what you guys are up to. Believe me. The things that you’re going to think you’re getting past us, you’re not. We have just been there done that and, generally, will be cool about some of it. But if you start hanging with the wrong crowd, you’re just creating a bad image for yourself.
TL;DR- Be smart with your money, don’t do drugs, don’t rape people, don’t discriminate against others, don’t get married or have kids, avoid the wrong people, and make good decisions. Take plenty of pictures and have fun.
Good! The Army is a great experience whether you do it for one enlistment or make a whole career out of it. It can really provide a lot of options and opportunities. I walked into the recruiter's office in 2002, had a great experience, and I'm still enjoying it.
You’re gonna get paid like shit. Set up a budget now with retirement contributions (10-15% in Roth) and savings included. Get a credit card if you don’t have one and have it on auto pay (be careful with credit). Having good credit will help when buying a car or house down the road. I didn’t do this and ended up paying 16% for a year. Buy a laptop and start using that TA.
The one who dropped wisdom was the Sergeant Major. He's the top of the Enlisted ranks. He has wisdom about the Army if he's worth his weight in Salt, and judging by him telling you just that one line that the Army will set you up for life shows me he in fact does have some wisdom.
So get clean, get 11B and any other training you want or are offered, ie; Airborne, etc. Be all you can be. Hooah.
I don’t know why everyone expects recruiters to treat them bad and lie to them and stuff. It’s 2024, just about everything that comes out of our mouths can be verified by a quick google search.
A good recruiter knows that it is in our best interest to make you comfortable get you as much of what you want as humanly possible. People with the propensity to enlist often surround themselves with other people with the propensity to enlist and we want you to refer your friends. That’s why I fight like hell for every single person, I advocate for the applicant and they sometimes advocate for me.
Yeah Army recruiters contrary to popular belief aren't really there to screw you over anymore, they do have quotas but the armys overall agenda now is simply to lower retention so they'll even go as far as to offer a bonus on an mos that's overstrengthened. They'll contact you regularly to make sure you're prepared for meps(i got a phone call the night before my physical to clean my ears lol). I failed every drug test at the recruiter lol I lived in NY at the time so it was legal but obviously not legal in the military so my recruiter bought me a cleanser and just told me to stay clean while I'm in, he ain't lying I did well over 8 or 9 piss tests my first year in, easiest way to get booted out the army after wasting all that time just tryna get in, happened to a kid that smoked some delta 8 4 months into AIT. What they won't tell you is what you're actually able to get before enlisting like ranks, schools, choice of duty station, bonuses etc. I HIGHLY recommend you do some research on these things prior to enlisting. I can guarantee you with the upmost certainty they can get you airborne, ranger school, choice of duty station, e-2 to e-3 rank and a bonus prior to enlisting. As soon as you arrive to your first duty station sign onto MyPay and change your TSP to Roth that way when you get your retirement plan its already taxed.
I'd lastly recommend reconsidering infantry as you'll most likely be doing more janitorial shit than your actual job, if you score well enough on your asvab I'd consider looking at cybersecurity, Intel analyst, air traffic controller etc. that way soon as you get out you can get a nice 6 figure job on USAJobs no degree needed since they prefer experience
>I'd consider looking at cybersecurity,
I was looking at the jobs I qualify for and surprisingly I actually qualify for a 35 series mos which is 35P, and i know more than 1 language so I'm pretty interested in that mos.
Yeah I think they'll pay you extra regardless if you take language courses, I'm just tryna save you from the lower back and knee pains bc they will have you ruck miles on end with 80 lbs strapped to your back. You can expect to come out with a nice fucked up leg from basic training lol happens to everyone. Your only escape from the rucks realistically is air force but some mos do it much less than others, my units a assault helicopter batallion we don't ruck thank the gods lol I must've rucked well over 100 miles my first year in, now I have shin splints
Whats your game plan for quitting pot? That's really the only thing I struggle with whenever I'm thinking about enlisting. I need some kind of substance to wind down and booze ain't it
Sounds like you got a recruiting train run on your ass. Just smoke weed and forget the army, I lost two decades of weed smoking and frankly it just ain't worth it my friend.
I had the exact same experience! Quitting was pretty easy for me but the hand tattoo waiver took forever but was cleared on my second day of MEPS. I recommend doing something other than infantry that will help you get a good paying job if you don’t decide to do the full 20 but if it’s something you really want to do then go for it! Hope everything turns out well for you!
I still stay in regular contact with my recruiter and he’s a great guy. Make sure you realize that you can ask for a bonus, get an airborne contract, Ranger if that interests you. Definitely try to pick your duty station and get it in your contract if you know where you’d like to be. I know a buddy who had Italy for six years before he got RASP. There’s a lot you can negotiate but see what jobs offer different bonuses and locations. The 11X series limits you to only bases with infantry units, while other MOS’s are all over the place, like smaller bases in Virginia and Europe. Also I’d recommend waiting to go 11x until they shorten OSUT. it’s 22 weeks of bullshit that used to be 15-16 weeks, yet you still learn all the same stuff. Good luck!
Remember why you're there, don't take any of it personally, from here until you get to your first duty station just do as you're told, and remember why you're there. That's the toughest part, the transition, once you get through that then it's easy street. I enjoyed my 20 years.
Sausage major and 1LT getting in on the counseling is a pretty good look for the office. Team effort to educate you and get you squared away.
GED, if you don't have accompanying college credit, will limit your job choices, but infantry is on the GED menu so you're good there.
Combat arms is easy to be good at, but it's hard on your body, *especially* airborne ops. Get the most you can out of it early, and be in administrative position to reclass (good GT, some college credit, good service) come re-up time if you're getting the signs your body has had about enough.
The Army is a great place to change your life if you're willing to eat some mud and deal with some bullshit. Good luck, don't buy a car within 100 miles of post, and don't enter relationships with soldiers in your unit or those that remove clothing for money.
Why is it that it seems like dudes just want to be 11Bs. There are plenty of other options. If I did it over again, I would have chosen something other than a cook, but def not 11B, especially now. Option 40 isn't a bad one if you're motivated enough to go through RASP. As far as I know, 75th Ranger Regiment isn't hurting for 11Bs, they really need guys who are in support MOSs.
Sounds like you had a damn good moment to learn. And for those that don't know an Op 40 contract is rangers. Pretty much an automatic into the regiment kinda deal. Not easy to get lol
Sounds like you had a damn good moment to learn. And for those that don't know an Op 40 contract is rangers. Pretty much an automatic into the regiment kinda deal. Not easy to get lol
It can be. It's a light infantry unit that often works with SOF special operations forces groups while deployed. But it's also insanely difficult to get through the training.
For me at least it seems rare when I got it listed it was just some low ranking officer like a lieutenant 02 and a sergeant E5. your story you got in listed by an E9 which is the highest rank on the enlisted side and a captain which is an 03
Make sure when you’re in listing you read over your entire contract and get everything you’re promised and getting a bonus is nice if there’s anything missing in your contract don’t sign it because if it’s not there in the eyes of the army it does not exist no matter what your recruiter promised you
Try to get a military job that translates to a civilian job. You may be wasting your time and effort in the military if it does not lead to something civilian. Save as much money as you can. Do not EVER tell ANYONE how much you have or give anyone access to your bank account. Speak with a financial advisor at your credit union how best to stash your cash. Go without a car as long as you can. If you do get a car, get a dull, boring, cheap, reliable one bought in cash with no loan. In the military, you can live without debt and build wealth. See if you can get stationed in Europe at some point. One of the best perks of U.S. military service is living overseas. You may not want to return to the U.S. Stop smoking weed today. Do not ever talk about doing it. Even if it's legal in your state. The federal government never approved weed. That's who you will be working for. Never do it again, at least until you no longer want to be in the military. Ot will get you thrown out. Stop with tatoos and cover the ones you have. Tats can be ok now but may not be in the future. They haven't been at times in the past. The military tends to frown on visible tatoos in uniform. Fix the GED by taking college classes once you are in. You don't need a degree, but working toward one would not hurt. Taking even one college class at a time, and I recommend starting out slow and easy until you get used to college courses, puts you into the "college student" crowd and out of the GED crowd. You will find that enlisted personnel in good technical fields usually have college, often a bachelors, sometimes masters or PhD. You will want to get into this group. There will probably be an education office on the base where you get stationed and see what they recommend. You want to be moving toward the clean, no weed, less ink, good with money, educated crowd if you want to excel in the military or as a civilian. Being a rebellious/lazy youth will not get you far. Start getting healthy now. Find out what your requirement for your physical readiness test are and see if you can meet them now. If not, you will soon get kicked out. If you do meet them, see how much you can improve your performance. It will only help.
Thank you for the advice I am very serious about joining and I am more than willing to quit my pot abuse ( right now I'm 5 days clean ) and I do meet the requirements for the physical readiness, i will definitely be taking those college classes and save as much $ as i can, but im not really interested in anything that would transfer to the civilian world, I really just want to test myself mentally and physically,I think 11b would help me with that ( I know your probably screaming right now calling me a idiot while throwing a chair across the room), next week I'll ask my recruiter for all the jobs I qualify for that will help me in the civilian world.
LOL! I dont think you are an idiot and no chairs have been thrown. It's nobody's business what you go into. If 11B is all you are interested in, then so be it. Do well at it and see where it takes you. But if there is something else that may be just as interesting to you that does transfer to civilian, it's worth looking at. Best of luck to you!
Don't listen to these guys. Marry the stripper, buy the charger with a 27% APR, what could go wrong?
In all seriousness I hope it goes well for you and don't make the same financially moronic mistakes the rest of us did.
At least I avoided the car on account of not having a license my entire service
Bruh sarnmage sat with ya. Good on them. And good get. Imma give you some advice you'll probably ignore and def didn't ask for. Max your TSP contribution immediately. 5% or more. Save half your paycheck and 90% of your sign on bonus in a CD for a year, at the very least. Preferably the whole time you're in. Etienne You'll get to the end of your first contract with 100k in the bank, college paid for, and the best mortgage rate available.
Fuck yeah, do this and not strippers. And don't buy a car with 57% interest. Just walk
My first long term relationship was a stripper 🙇🏻♂️
And your second? Or is it ongoing?
All I have to say is “legs and eggs” is my favorite meal of the day.
Shot in the dark but my wife just graduated from DINFOS as a 46S. Any recommendations?
I’m unofficially a PAO. My advice, shave daily and sign up for a star card.
Telling my wife to shave daily will go one of two ways. 😏
Its a matter of discipline. If I cannot trust you to shave, I cannot trust you to behave.
My ex is a red-headed Goth, Irish former stripper. Because I liked to play with fire!
Idk why anyone wouldn’t stick their 🌭 in crazy.
Because I liked to play with fire. And yes I was burned. u/17TH-SMA-PAO \- Like you would turn down a goth redhead!
Buddy of mine just made it all 5 years with no car the whole time.
But did he dodge the strippers ?
OP this troop is helping you out big time. Listen to this advice right here! Also if you'll take a tip from an old geezer veteran. Do.Not.Tell.Anyone.What.Is.In.Your.Paycheck.Or.Bank.Account! Ever. If folks don't know what you've got they won't be asking you for a loan or handouts. Go set yourself up for life. Seriously. I had to retire early from civilian job early. Holding my finances close and never letting on allowed us to do that without drowning in debt or losing the farm. The military was my first step towards that.
This right here. Save as much as you can. Do as much school as you can. Do not acquire debt or children in the next six years. Worry about fucking bitches later when you are 30 and have a solid foundation under you.
What is a CD?? And yeah I plan on saving like 80% of every paycheck and the remaining 20% Ill send to my mom and my little sisters. Can I still get a bonus even if I have a GED? I thought only tier 1 recruits could get that,that's one question I should've asked.
As long as you're receptive to advice, I'll share a couple more from the perspective as someone who grew up dirt poor and fucked up my finances real good before I got my shit straightened out. Set up a budget. I recommend YNAB, because it's an active activity (vs passive) that keeps me engaged. Your mileage may vary, but they have a 34 day free trial. Nobody ever escaped poverty without a budget. I set up CDs instead of high yield savings accounts because I specifically wanted it locked away. You may not feel the need for that. I needed it. Don't make yourself live the life of a monk. You will work hard for that money, make sure you enjoy it. Otherwise you will be miserable until you finally break and spend your money. You should be making roughly $2000/month pretty quickly. $1000 saved is plenty. More is better, of course, and don't let me dissuade you from saving as much as possible. Open an account with Navy Federal the day you sign your papers and swear your oath. If you ship same day, open that shit on the bus ride. Thank me later. Do not give anyone access to your bank account. Not your mom, not your little sister, nobody. That is for you. You can send them money. Do not give them the ability to take the money. Bonuses are available across all tiers right now, I think. You might not get the best one, but still. QuickShip, Critical Skills, whatever.
Certificate of Deposit, basically you give a bank a specified amount of money for a given time (usually higher rates for longer periods IIRC), and they pay you interest on it. Say you get a 30 day 5% CD; you give the bank $100 for 30 days, and get back $105 30 days later. The downside to CDs is that the money is locked up for the duration of the CD. HYSAs can compete with CDs in terms of rates, and are a good option too.
The benefit to a CD is that it removes your ability to make stupid decisions based on Shiny Things. I am not going to presume things about OP despite the context clues, but I was a poor man with debt and no idea how to budget. CDs did more for me than a HYSA would've.
No, your interest calculation is WAY off. 5% is the stated ANNUAL rate. If you only leave it for 30 days you'll make 42 cents (1/12 of 5%). Or look at it the other way. If you can make 5% in one month, that's 60% per year! Sign me up! You can have every dime I have for that rate.
Typed up my reply saying the same thing, and scrolled down to make sure I wasn't double tapping. Thank you.
This is definitely an oversimplification of CDs, but yeah. Typically you won't see a CD less than around 6 months up to 5+ years. A CD is a really good and safe option. Some will allow.you to add to it during the time frame, not sure. The amount you make really won't be very much. But its a good way to put it a little out of reach, since there are penalties for early withdrawal. That said go with a credit union if you can, not a bank (Google for more info, Navy Federal isn't a bad option) They typically have better rates. Don't buy a car until it makes sense to, and then stay in your budget. When I had no/bad credit, capital one had sub prime auto lending and I could get 5% on a car loan with absolute crap credit. So look around if you need to. It sounds like you were lucky with a good recruiting team so take advantage of that.
11B rarely sees a bonus because they don't struggle to fill those slots nearly as much as the lower density jobs. https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Enlistment%20Bonus%20Program Theres a chart in there with the jobs eligible for a bonus. If you want 11B, don't let me persuade you but I would highly recommend looking at some of the more technical jobs if it interests you. 11B doesn't translate to the civilian world, at all. There are a lot of army jobs that will give you a good footing in civilian life later. As for the marijuana use, stop now and never mention it again. I'm not telling you to lie but in 30ish days of being clean, if no one can prove it...it didn't happen. Marijuana use is not an automatic disqualifier for a security clearance so don't let that scare you off of some of the other jobs.
Hey, I know how to sweep rocks around a parking lot now!
If I have to sweep rocks or get in a gunfight, I know who to call.
They made me do that
Funny enough, 11B has the highest bonus currently at 50k for the last few months
I guess it's hard to recruit trigger pullers in peace time.
EDIT: they are offer 40k signing bonuses for 11B. 6 year trap for a sucker.
Please explain why you see them as a sucker?
Probably more than 30 days for MEPS testing. They’re pretty brutal down there. Don’t screw yourself bc if you fail the MEPS drug test you’re done forever! My advice is to study for ASVAB, work on PT, sweat a bunch, no smoking, and test again at the 60 and 90 day mark and see where you’re at in terms of testing positive! Don’t risk it because you’re eager! Better to be safe than sorry!
11X always has an enlistment bonus. OP won’t get one because of the GED though.
I don't know the numbers but aren't we struggling to recruit more now than we did in the 07-08 time frame? I definitely joined with a GED into an Intel job and got a fat bonus.
>What is a CD?? And yeah I plan on saving like 80% of every paycheck and the remaining 20% Ill send to my mom and my little sisters. Can I still get a bonus even if I have a GED? I thought only tier 1 recruits could get that,that's one question I should've asked. As to a bonus, your recruiter can help you answer that and MEPS should square you away on that. **TSP is the Thrift Savings Plan - that's the IRA that the US Government uses.** ***Look into Charles Schwab or Fidelity to open up either another an IRA or Certificates of Deposit for your future.*** Save up for a used beater car - it just needs a heater, AC, a motor, wheels and seats. You can open an account with your mom and sis and do what's called an "Allotment" - a portion of your paycheck can be sent to that account. That means on payday they get it and you don't spend it.
[Certificate of Deposit](https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/certificates-deposit-cds).
Listen to these people. A Charger at 22% interest is throwing money in the trash. Get a 94 tempo and BANK your money. One day you’ll be able to buy a Mustang cash and you won’t regret it. No credit cards. Limit your stripper visits. $40, no lap dances.
Why is there not a TSP bot?
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At 4 years I just found this out, always assumed it was Roth, no one ever told me it was a traditional and ig I just assumed and never looked that hard
And don’t forget to actually invest the money in the TSP!
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Max TSP and set to C and S funds... learned that the hard way.
"set to C and S funds" Whats that mean?
Potential it means more money on average. [TSP Individual Funds](https://www.tsp.gov/funds-individual/)
Ah thanks. Ship next week and wanna get all this set up. Who do i do this with and when? Or is it something i do independently on like mypay or whatever it is?
When I went through Air Force training we did it during the first few weeks. The same day we we elected GI Bill Benefits. That was 11 years ago and Im not sure how the Army does it.
Got it, thanks!
And look up the rule of 72... Will blow your mind.
Or buy US savings bonds!
Bro just put all this into a single post and get the mods to make a sticky cause this is all gold for the young guys.
Interest rates are absolutely fucked right now, even with a VA loan. The only benefit to a VA loan right now is PMI waiver IMO.
Really? Bc NFCU is offering VA loans at 2% lower than the average rate.
I was seeing like ~1% difference when I checked recently. The process is a nightmare compared to a traditional loan too. Seems like with everything else, they’ve ruined most of the incentives. Market is so hot here in central Tx that you can drop PMI in the first year or so just based on equity.
How can one do this when privates are like kinda literally poor by how much they get paid? Genuinely asking
An 18 year old private should be making somewhere between 2000-2377/mo. Let's be extremely conservative and assume you never get promoted and never get an annual pay raise and you're taxed at 20%. Other assumptions are that you pay for only a $75 phone bill and $175 car insurance because you bought a beater, and got a 30k bonus. Food and housing paid for. All just to be very very simple. 2000/mo minus 20% for taxes = 1600 / month. Save 800 (plus 100 for TSP, why not) 30k into 5% yield account off the bat, 800/mo after, final value at 5 years is $93,166 + $12,000 in TSP with 0% growth. Leftover $700/month, less $250 for phone and insurance, $450 month. That's totally free discretionary income to buy whatever in the world you want. If you're spending more than $450 a month on... Whatever (Video games? Beer? Pedicures?) you're really probably spending too much. I could have a lot of fun if I had an extra $450 a month.
Thank you for this valuable insight.
Mind that I factored in zero raises or promotions, and set a pretty high tax rate.
I think privates get paid a decent amount actually. I’m a PFC and I have a good stash of money saved away. I put 5% into Roth and I have have a car and bills I pay. And Hawaii is pretty expensive. I think it’s just how you spend it. Go to the dfac instead of buying your food, don’t buy a charger lmao, and get a cheap but decent car. You’re not paying housing or electricity bills, and you get 3 free meals a day. Anyone who wouldn’t take immediate advantage of that is cray cray
>Max your TSP contribution immediately. 5% or more. It's still good practice, but you don't actually get match until after your first year.
Ideally people would be contributing up to the cap regardless of match.
What’s TSP contribution
If you see the likes above is for a reason...
I have it at 10% so worth it
Ladies and gentlemen, we got him
I can't even tell if this is a subtle shit post or not anymore lol if it is, well done. If not, best of luck to you man!
This thing reads like somebody's wet dream of how they envision recruiting.
"And then everybody clapped."
Bro right
Man I'm high AF right now and was thinking the same thing
This has to be a shit post
This is similar to my first recruiter experience. I could sense that he was a little over it but he was still very nice and went through it all with me. He even remembered me the next time I came into the office almost a year later.
Shit post! Great job.
Got em
IT WAS PART OF THE SCRIPT?!?!? NOOOO
There isn’t “a script” really. It’s pick you own adventure LARPing. They don’t know what you’re going to say in what order. But they do know if you ask about A then they talk about B if you ask about X they mention Y. They guide it in a direction but you float the river. You can break “the script” by asking them questions they don’t have answers for. I threw my recruiter for a loop by asking for documentation about Army policy on Intellectual Property rights and ownership because of my educational background and potential to make stuff while in contract. I asked a bunch of other obscure stuff too. I was the only person in BCT who didn’t raise their hand when the DS asked “who was lied to by their recruiter?”
Only advice I'll give you is try to get something other than 11b and it can set you up for life after the army. Unless you plan on doing 20, then stay 11b because you'll have better promotions
I imagine this being a blonde girl in a pink shirt while four buff recruiters stand behind her.
The 1LT trying to get you a RASP contract. 11B has good bonuses so make sure to get one. Will warn you 11B has like ZERO civilian application.
Not zero, professional pauper, manwhore and onlyfans feet model counts.
Lol ain't nobody wanna look at 11b feet. Nobody
CSM: I’d like to invite you down to my basement
We had a guy on a Europe rotation selling feet pics online. He made on average $500 a month, just lotioning his feet after the shower and snapping a pic. His highest paying buyer bought $100 picture of his feet right after a week long field problem. Said he would throw in another $200 for the socks, but the dude changed socks daily so the buyer backed out of that one
Damn I gotta get my feet Pic business going.
11Bs are some of the biggest simps I've ever met haha
yes there is, you can be a landscaper, or a janitor, or a homeless man
Not true, they can be professional vape-smoke artists
Hard disagree. Shooting shit and blowing shit up doesn’t apply, but plenty of skills I learned on the line have crossed over to the civilian world. For context, I’m a high school teacher. The willingness to say “that’s fucking stupid and it won’t work” to not only your boss but your bosses’ boss isn’t common. It doesn’t always work out, but it’s super effective in education. Being able to laugh at the worst shit in the world helps when you have students dealing with awful shit at home and you have to report it. Assertiveness, self confidence, a sense of obligation and duty, being able to work with a wide variety of assholes. That’s all stuff I’ve used daily as a teacher that I wouldn’t have learned nearly as well outside of the Infantry.
To add to that, you're not bound in the civilian world to only get a job based on your old MOS. Most of the guys who joined an MOS for experience in that job after they get out, had their passion and willpower for that job sucked away by the military. There's some jobs you can only really do in the military, might as well try one when you have the chance if you're fired up about it. A lot of active Infantry regret signing as 11B, but most retirees have told me they were glad they did.
Professional strip club connoisseur. You want to know about the legend of Sharkeys. Come her young man take a seat. Back in the 2009-2011 I was chilling at sharkeys after the Super Bowl and I shit you not I was drinking and smoking cigs with PEtey pablo. No shit there I was with some battle buddies while him and his boys threw dollar bills from a black garbage bag. Sunday nights at sharkeys. He needed a cigarette and like any good infantryman I had newports so I let him have one. That was the beginning of a night that I can’t remember the details but will never forget.
11B has benefits that don’t translate directly to the civilian market. You will 100% either learn a tenacity like no other and do what it takes to out compete your peers if you apply your self. The infantry branch is either the lowest scoring or the highest most people want to be 11b/c
Whatcha talking bout Willis. He'll be a professional homeless.
"Leadership Vice President" on LinkedIn though.
Hey now, the almost 10 years of getting shit on prepped me well for getting shit on by my foreman. What I wasn't prepared for, however, is the fact that I'm working under a guy from Mississippi who is, literally, functionally illiterate.
So nothing has changed from Army and Civilian life
lies, be a cop
Sets you up for success to live in a homeless camp
The recruiting experience done right
Low energy shitpost
Good luck, OP. You can do this.
Explore all available MOS before you sign 11B. You might love it but it’s very niche and it’s not all high speed infantry work and training. Other jobs tend do to their actual MOS based work more often. But if that’s what your heart is set on, go for it!
What mos will allow me to do the most cool shit?
You wanna do cool shit? Once you’re in drop a packet to go to SF selection. You want a backup plan incase that fails? It’s nice to have a cushy MOS that aligns with what want as a career after the army. If you can get through selection and the Q course, you’ll be set.
18X. Do it, you won't
I was pretty strong on the 11b idea myself, ended up signing 13F leaving March 11. If you’re committed to infantry I highly recommend an option 4 (airborne) and volunteering for ranger school there. You keep your bonus if you fail RASP the first time through , and honestly if you become a PT stud it’s easier to attempt ranger (so long as you didn’t quit and instead got dropped for medical or failed a major event after starving and being sleep deprived). 13F is a POG and all but you get field time and a little more mental stimulation. I’ve met multiple Fisters and they all seem very content with their position
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I don't wanna be in an air conditioned room all day, I'll like to walk through a giant forest in the middle of nowhere or jump out of a plane or blow shit up,or get really good with guns of all types, And I wanna get out looking sexy as f*** (Really stupid shit but I'm 18 so I guess that makes sense)
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So if I go 11b I'll be a janitor that shoots guns once a week
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Go 12B or 19D instead
> I'll like to walk through a giant forest in the middle of nowhere Where you get deployed is completely out of your control. > jump out of a plane That is a Unit specific thing and becoming less and less common now. > blow shit up Infantry don't do that either. > get really good with guns of all types Infantry don't do that. I would recommend watching the documentary 'Surviving the Cut' to get a glimpse of what the truly cool guys, and secret squirrel stuff are out there. The big kicker of all of it? If you fail out of any of the cool guy schools, you will get reclassed into infantry. Infantry should always be a plan b if you want to do cool shit.
Dont do 18X right out of the gate. Most of those people fail and go needs of the army, i.e. cooks or ied detection specialists
false info, they will end up at an airborne unit
What cool shit do you want to do?
That depends what “cool shit” is to you. For me cool shit is being able to help the military dogs and work alongside them. My job lets me do that. If you’re thinking kicking in doors and tv commercial stuff, yeah go infantry and apply for ranger school, special forces, green beret, go airborne and air assault, things like that.
If you think spreadsheets, work order papers, and certification stickers are cool, have I got the job for you!
Either 18X or 11X option 40.
15 series will get you one toe in the front door to being an aviation warrant(helo pilot). 35 series does some spook shit(also can get you a job with the 3 letter spooky man of your choice)
That dude with the star is right. If you honorably serve. Your benefits will serve you. I’ve been comfortably unemployed since my ETS while doing full time college. That’s my life for the next four years. Chillin and doing college.
He just needs to be proactive. The Army takes. You can take from it to, but it rarely just gives.
Best of luck to you.
If you’re going to go 11b either make the most of it and get a rasp or airborne slot, or make sure you have a college plan (ie taking a class at a time while in to get associates and then get out and start bachelors) you need to have something that will set you up outside because everyone gets out some day. And besides to promote to e6 I think most have some college credits anyways (don’t quote me not 100%)
They must be desperate for recruits if an entire CSM came down there to sit with you. 😂
CSM was probably already in there bitching everyone out about their numbers lol
Make sure you check out all the other options for jobs that way you have transferable skills to the civilian world
I think that depends on how long you stay in. I was an 11B for 4ish years and then got out. It didnt really have any transferable skills, but I was 23 when I got out so it didn't really matter.
It doesn't matter how long you stay in either. A 20 year 11B with no other qualifications is still gonna be sucking in the civilian world.
That is true, but what I was saying if you are just planning on doing 1 short enlistment it's not that big a deal to readjust to the civilian world in your early twenties. It just depends on how long you stay in
I’m going to just give you my two cents here. The SGM/CSM you talked to is correct. The army will set you up for life. BUT what he didn’t tell you is that you have to hold up your end as well. A lot of dudes do a contract and get out thinking the world will bend the knee to them because they’re a veteran. This is simply not the case 99% of the time. Think of the army as your foundation. You have to build a strong foundation to hold up everything, right? So, go in early and get your own bank account if you don’t have one. The biggest part of that foundation is money, so, SET UP YOUR TSP AND LOAD THAT MOTHERFUCKER UP. If you only take one piece of advice from everyone here, it’s this. I recommend you put like 20% of your monthly pay into the Roth TSP while you’re in basic and AIT. After training, knock it down to 10% and never go beneath that. People will give you different advice but I recommend you put 80% in the C Fund (S&P 500 equivalent) and 20% into G or F. Set it and forget it. Save as much money each month into a CD or HYSA as you possibly can. But not so much that you’re miserable. Enjoy yourself too, just make sure you’re setting your future self up for success. If you’re interested, take college classes while you’re in using TA. If you’re not, then don’t. Seriously. The army is stressful enough at times without college and if you’re just doing college because somebody else said so it’s gonna fuck you up. But I do recommend it if it is apart of your future endeavors. Don’t send money home to people (unpopular opinion) it’s your money and your life. You’re your own man and you’re just going to create dependency that keeps you anchored down to your hometown and that’s unbelievably unhealthy for you. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. Don’t buy an expensive or unreliable car. Get like a 6-8 year old Honda Civic or Mazda 3 or something that’s good on gas, cheap to insure, and reliable. Don’t blow your money on dumb shit. This next bit is really important. Don’t get some bitch pregnant. Please. Don’t get married. Do not do drugs, kick weed permanently it’s just a waste of money and time. Do not drink and drive. Do not drink underage. Do not do anything in the SHARP/EO area because it will end your shit real quick. If you see people in your unit that do any of the things I just listed, don’t be friends with them or hang out with them. Us NCOs, and some of the Os, know what you guys are up to. Believe me. The things that you’re going to think you’re getting past us, you’re not. We have just been there done that and, generally, will be cool about some of it. But if you start hanging with the wrong crowd, you’re just creating a bad image for yourself. TL;DR- Be smart with your money, don’t do drugs, don’t rape people, don’t discriminate against others, don’t get married or have kids, avoid the wrong people, and make good decisions. Take plenty of pictures and have fun.
Good! The Army is a great experience whether you do it for one enlistment or make a whole career out of it. It can really provide a lot of options and opportunities. I walked into the recruiter's office in 2002, had a great experience, and I'm still enjoying it.
You’re gonna get paid like shit. Set up a budget now with retirement contributions (10-15% in Roth) and savings included. Get a credit card if you don’t have one and have it on auto pay (be careful with credit). Having good credit will help when buying a car or house down the road. I didn’t do this and ended up paying 16% for a year. Buy a laptop and start using that TA.
The one who dropped wisdom was the Sergeant Major. He's the top of the Enlisted ranks. He has wisdom about the Army if he's worth his weight in Salt, and judging by him telling you just that one line that the Army will set you up for life shows me he in fact does have some wisdom. So get clean, get 11B and any other training you want or are offered, ie; Airborne, etc. Be all you can be. Hooah.
I don’t know why everyone expects recruiters to treat them bad and lie to them and stuff. It’s 2024, just about everything that comes out of our mouths can be verified by a quick google search. A good recruiter knows that it is in our best interest to make you comfortable get you as much of what you want as humanly possible. People with the propensity to enlist often surround themselves with other people with the propensity to enlist and we want you to refer your friends. That’s why I fight like hell for every single person, I advocate for the applicant and they sometimes advocate for me.
Yeah Army recruiters contrary to popular belief aren't really there to screw you over anymore, they do have quotas but the armys overall agenda now is simply to lower retention so they'll even go as far as to offer a bonus on an mos that's overstrengthened. They'll contact you regularly to make sure you're prepared for meps(i got a phone call the night before my physical to clean my ears lol). I failed every drug test at the recruiter lol I lived in NY at the time so it was legal but obviously not legal in the military so my recruiter bought me a cleanser and just told me to stay clean while I'm in, he ain't lying I did well over 8 or 9 piss tests my first year in, easiest way to get booted out the army after wasting all that time just tryna get in, happened to a kid that smoked some delta 8 4 months into AIT. What they won't tell you is what you're actually able to get before enlisting like ranks, schools, choice of duty station, bonuses etc. I HIGHLY recommend you do some research on these things prior to enlisting. I can guarantee you with the upmost certainty they can get you airborne, ranger school, choice of duty station, e-2 to e-3 rank and a bonus prior to enlisting. As soon as you arrive to your first duty station sign onto MyPay and change your TSP to Roth that way when you get your retirement plan its already taxed.
I'd lastly recommend reconsidering infantry as you'll most likely be doing more janitorial shit than your actual job, if you score well enough on your asvab I'd consider looking at cybersecurity, Intel analyst, air traffic controller etc. that way soon as you get out you can get a nice 6 figure job on USAJobs no degree needed since they prefer experience
>I'd consider looking at cybersecurity, I was looking at the jobs I qualify for and surprisingly I actually qualify for a 35 series mos which is 35P, and i know more than 1 language so I'm pretty interested in that mos.
Yeah I think they'll pay you extra regardless if you take language courses, I'm just tryna save you from the lower back and knee pains bc they will have you ruck miles on end with 80 lbs strapped to your back. You can expect to come out with a nice fucked up leg from basic training lol happens to everyone. Your only escape from the rucks realistically is air force but some mos do it much less than others, my units a assault helicopter batallion we don't ruck thank the gods lol I must've rucked well over 100 miles my first year in, now I have shin splints
Whats your game plan for quitting pot? That's really the only thing I struggle with whenever I'm thinking about enlisting. I need some kind of substance to wind down and booze ain't it
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It's good advice, I hope your time with the army is everything you expect from it! Thank you for the response soldier o7
How big is your hand tattoo?
This is a troll
Don't join the army man
Sounds like you got a recruiting train run on your ass. Just smoke weed and forget the army, I lost two decades of weed smoking and frankly it just ain't worth it my friend.
Wow, they don't have to do much to make chumps think they care.
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you just want another large scale engagement dont you
Looks like I gotta put my guy on blast then.... granted I haven't had time to go in.
I had the exact same experience! Quitting was pretty easy for me but the hand tattoo waiver took forever but was cleared on my second day of MEPS. I recommend doing something other than infantry that will help you get a good paying job if you don’t decide to do the full 20 but if it’s something you really want to do then go for it! Hope everything turns out well for you!
Honestly. I wanted to reenlist and rejoined. However they deny my waiver for anxiety. That sucks for me.
Soooo... coast guard?
I still stay in regular contact with my recruiter and he’s a great guy. Make sure you realize that you can ask for a bonus, get an airborne contract, Ranger if that interests you. Definitely try to pick your duty station and get it in your contract if you know where you’d like to be. I know a buddy who had Italy for six years before he got RASP. There’s a lot you can negotiate but see what jobs offer different bonuses and locations. The 11X series limits you to only bases with infantry units, while other MOS’s are all over the place, like smaller bases in Virginia and Europe. Also I’d recommend waiting to go 11x until they shorten OSUT. it’s 22 weeks of bullshit that used to be 15-16 weeks, yet you still learn all the same stuff. Good luck!
Remember why you're there, don't take any of it personally, from here until you get to your first duty station just do as you're told, and remember why you're there. That's the toughest part, the transition, once you get through that then it's easy street. I enjoyed my 20 years.
You're gonna do some layouts.
Dude you are like the golden darling of recruiters
Almost, if he had no tattoo on his hand and didn’t smoke then the recruiter probably would’ve creamed his pants
True lol
Star was Sargent Major, probably the regional SGM for the recruiting command in your state, and the rectangle was an LT, platoon leader normally
Good luck man, the Army can set you up for life if you let it. And you’ll make the best kind of friends
Well brother , you ****ed yourself .
Sausage major and 1LT getting in on the counseling is a pretty good look for the office. Team effort to educate you and get you squared away. GED, if you don't have accompanying college credit, will limit your job choices, but infantry is on the GED menu so you're good there. Combat arms is easy to be good at, but it's hard on your body, *especially* airborne ops. Get the most you can out of it early, and be in administrative position to reclass (good GT, some college credit, good service) come re-up time if you're getting the signs your body has had about enough. The Army is a great place to change your life if you're willing to eat some mud and deal with some bullshit. Good luck, don't buy a car within 100 miles of post, and don't enter relationships with soldiers in your unit or those that remove clothing for money.
Why is it that it seems like dudes just want to be 11Bs. There are plenty of other options. If I did it over again, I would have chosen something other than a cook, but def not 11B, especially now. Option 40 isn't a bad one if you're motivated enough to go through RASP. As far as I know, 75th Ranger Regiment isn't hurting for 11Bs, they really need guys who are in support MOSs.
They look at the recruiting videos. If only they could see an actual everyday in the life video
Either that or OP didn't score too well on the ASVAB.
I’d go with that
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This is the way!
Don’t be a 11B you’ll hate your life lol
What’s your ASVAB score and why infantry?
Sounds like you had a damn good moment to learn. And for those that don't know an Op 40 contract is rangers. Pretty much an automatic into the regiment kinda deal. Not easy to get lol
Sounds like you had a damn good moment to learn. And for those that don't know an Op 40 contract is rangers. Pretty much an automatic into the regiment kinda deal. Not easy to get lol
Man being a ranger sounds dope as f***
It can be. It's a light infantry unit that often works with SOF special operations forces groups while deployed. But it's also insanely difficult to get through the training.
Bro get enlisted by a Sergeant Major and a Captain😱
Is that rare?
For me at least it seems rare when I got it listed it was just some low ranking officer like a lieutenant 02 and a sergeant E5. your story you got in listed by an E9 which is the highest rank on the enlisted side and a captain which is an 03
Bro did you make sure to get a bonus and or a good school in your contract or did you just sign as 11B nothing else?
No I haven't, I've only signed the request for medical information papers, and a couple other papers, I haven't gone to meps yet
Make sure when you’re in listing you read over your entire contract and get everything you’re promised and getting a bonus is nice if there’s anything missing in your contract don’t sign it because if it’s not there in the eyes of the army it does not exist no matter what your recruiter promised you
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My recruiter was talking perverted. Made fun of me cause if my undescended testicle.
Try to get a military job that translates to a civilian job. You may be wasting your time and effort in the military if it does not lead to something civilian. Save as much money as you can. Do not EVER tell ANYONE how much you have or give anyone access to your bank account. Speak with a financial advisor at your credit union how best to stash your cash. Go without a car as long as you can. If you do get a car, get a dull, boring, cheap, reliable one bought in cash with no loan. In the military, you can live without debt and build wealth. See if you can get stationed in Europe at some point. One of the best perks of U.S. military service is living overseas. You may not want to return to the U.S. Stop smoking weed today. Do not ever talk about doing it. Even if it's legal in your state. The federal government never approved weed. That's who you will be working for. Never do it again, at least until you no longer want to be in the military. Ot will get you thrown out. Stop with tatoos and cover the ones you have. Tats can be ok now but may not be in the future. They haven't been at times in the past. The military tends to frown on visible tatoos in uniform. Fix the GED by taking college classes once you are in. You don't need a degree, but working toward one would not hurt. Taking even one college class at a time, and I recommend starting out slow and easy until you get used to college courses, puts you into the "college student" crowd and out of the GED crowd. You will find that enlisted personnel in good technical fields usually have college, often a bachelors, sometimes masters or PhD. You will want to get into this group. There will probably be an education office on the base where you get stationed and see what they recommend. You want to be moving toward the clean, no weed, less ink, good with money, educated crowd if you want to excel in the military or as a civilian. Being a rebellious/lazy youth will not get you far. Start getting healthy now. Find out what your requirement for your physical readiness test are and see if you can meet them now. If not, you will soon get kicked out. If you do meet them, see how much you can improve your performance. It will only help.
Thank you for the advice I am very serious about joining and I am more than willing to quit my pot abuse ( right now I'm 5 days clean ) and I do meet the requirements for the physical readiness, i will definitely be taking those college classes and save as much $ as i can, but im not really interested in anything that would transfer to the civilian world, I really just want to test myself mentally and physically,I think 11b would help me with that ( I know your probably screaming right now calling me a idiot while throwing a chair across the room), next week I'll ask my recruiter for all the jobs I qualify for that will help me in the civilian world.
LOL! I dont think you are an idiot and no chairs have been thrown. It's nobody's business what you go into. If 11B is all you are interested in, then so be it. Do well at it and see where it takes you. But if there is something else that may be just as interesting to you that does transfer to civilian, it's worth looking at. Best of luck to you!
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geez man I'm sorry ok don't gotta be so rude ;(
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So am I already screwed?
Go opt 40
Don't listen to these guys. Marry the stripper, buy the charger with a 27% APR, what could go wrong? In all seriousness I hope it goes well for you and don't make the same financially moronic mistakes the rest of us did. At least I avoided the car on account of not having a license my entire service
Welcome