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I'm having a huge problem with myself!!!!
I joined the Military back in January after a life of backpacking and being on the road all of the time. Now I'm stuck in Great Falls, Montana and I'm having trouble with trying to decide what is more important to me.
On one hand I have Military life that pays really well and I have a lot of things for myself that I have never had before. I was planing to put in my 20 years and Retire at the age of 42 and then travel for the rest of my life while getting payed by the Military until the day I would pass away. I would also have my own Trust savings witch would equal out to over 1.5 Million. MY POINT IS THAT IN 20 YEARS I WOULD BE SET FOR LIFE AND BEYOND AS FAR AS MONEY GOES. On the other hand I have this PASSION, this ADDICTION itching and scratching at me inside. I want to GO, BE FREE AGAIN. I just want to get my old Northface pack stuff it with a few clothes and nicknack's and hope on the next freight train out of this little town I'm in. I thought I would be seeing so much more then I am right now, but all I do is get up every morning at 4am and get to work by 5. I don't know if I can wait 20 YEARS! ...and if I do manage to pull it off it's going to take more strength and determination then I have ever given anything in my life! I'm just looking to see what other people think I should do or consider! I know 20 years is 20 years that I will never get back! I know I will see and do a lot of other nice things in those 20 years also. I'm just looking for some kind of support from friendly people. :unsure: |
well the big question is how much holidays do u get?? and is there anyway u'd be allowed to take a temporary break? lol sorry if that appears ignorant, NZs armys pretty low key lol one of the advantages of being geographically isolated and tiny
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Twenty years is TWENTY years!! jeezus christ. Dude if you can't stand your job right now it's not going to get better 5, 10, 15 years down the road. Live life!...The biggest problem that people have in life is not being 'comfortable' . It's such a scary feeling to break free from the 'norm', but honestly in 20 years you will be an older geezer, with a beer belly, sore back and a dog named Chester. Leave now before that happens!!
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do you have to stay for 20 years? or is this just a life plan that you've set in motion for yourself? granted great falls is nice (i lived there for 7 years) but really, if you're a traveler, that is a one horse town. you can always travel and work and sink most of your money into investments and still live the dream. you seem like a "traveling soul" like the rest of us and staying in one place just isn't an option. listen to your feelings on this and develop some alternative plans and think about this life move some more. there has to be some other options. so let's hear em',;)
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Syrious,
I have some military behind me. How long did you sign up for? 2 years? 4 years? I did 4 years...I was convinced I was going to re-enlist. I changed my mind at the last minute which I am quite happy about. Stick out your initial enlistment. You have an opportunity to make a decent paycheck that you can save up pretty easily since most of your expenses are taken care of. I truly feel the experience you get from being in the military is something you can't get from any other job. There is nothing stopping you from planning a big trip once you get out...I am still trying to learn everyone's names on the boards but another Tpunk just got out of the military and left on a rtw trip. And Legitikick just got out of the Army and took what sounds like a great bike trip. So keep your spirits up and use the military to fund your next trip...Another great thing about being in the military is that no matter how long you are in for you are always entitled to certain benefits when you get out like Health & Life Insurance on the cheap. |
"On the other hand I have this PASSION, this ADDICTION itching and scratching at me inside. I want to GO, BE FREE AGAIN."
I know I couldn't do the whole 20 years, and from what you say I don't think you should go that way either. You never know what might happen in the next 24 hours, much less 20 years, and although that doesn't mean you should drop everything and go absolutely crazy now, I don't think waiting two decades before you can pursue your passion again is worth it. Money may be nice, but it isn't everything. In fact, not having money but still making dream trips happen is a big part of the art and joy of backpacking. :p Stick out this phase of enlistment and see how you feel after. You don't have to limit your path to these two options at this stage of your life. I believe in pursuing passions above pursuing money because in the end you'll appreciate it so much more, learn so much more and grow, so follow your heart and see where it leads you. Good luck! :) |
Hmm... I'm ex-military and I did 10 years. But, I joined the military not for college, or a paycheck, but to travel. I did Alaska first, then went to Germany and fell in love with that country. Every weekend, I drove off to another country (France, Italy, Austria, etc.). Once you get to a overseas location, take advantage of visiting local places.
The military pays you to ship your car and household goods. So, you have your comfort, a paycheck and weekend to travel. But, I do regret that in all those long years in, that I didn't just buy a RV and have my military paycheck pay that off, in time for me in getting out of the military. Then I could have really lived a life on the road. Currently, I'm a civilian still working around the military, but on every R&R I'm visiting a different country. You can have your cake and eat it too. |
St Robert's right...
My family is from Great Falls, great grandpa was a railroader based there. It's lovely but does get old after a bit. Anyway...
I could never work for that corporation but my brother does. Though half the countries the Army has sent him they shoot at him he still takes every oppurtunity to travel around. His favorite post was Korea and he'd probably still be there if he could, from Georgia there was Florida and the Keys (And Bosnia and Somalia, pre-empting the trip to Costa Rica) from Germany he went to several countries and while he was in Iraq he took a couple weeks leave and went back to Europe. Several people that were in the town at his base remembered him! A friend of mine was in the Navy and he took every oppurtuntiy where ever he was posted to get out and travel and the military pays for it! He sustained some sort of drunken sporting injury you could without becoming a parapalegic (great story about a drunken toboggan race down a windy mountain road) Stay in, transfer to a foreign base and have a great time. So you can't do the 3 month tramp, you're already there, take a week here and a week there you'll get everywhere you want to go it'll just take a bit longer. |
ONLY YOU know the ANSWER that's right for You
Nobody can advise you wisely on this subject. You signed up PERIOD! So now you're destined to do part of it and even if you decide you want OUT you'll need to serve some sort of minimum period of time like a few years otherwise you face a life of living "on the run". I grew up in a blue collar labor class family in the midwest and my Dad REALLY tried to point me in the same direction as you have chosen AND i KNEW it WAS thEEE Smartest, most dependable move / choice I could have made financially. BUT I never was one for taking orders, accepting another person's decision making power over my own so was fairly SURE I'd have ended up IMPRISIONED should I have chosen the military life /career. BUT blah blah blah all that said it's NOT a bad deal AFTER you turn 42 and you'll be living a life of adventure FAR MORE INTERESTING than 80% of the people who chose other home based career paths since they will likely be DOWNSIZED at age 45 to 55 and be left to re-invent their own career path and need to be re-educated. It's much like deciding on going to work in the middle east; it's like you signed up for PRISON but will be released with a healthy nestegg / investment capital . Such is LIFE so accept it or FACE the UNCERTAINTIES you faced BEFORE joining the military. Enough Said!!:cheers: Life's a BEACH on BORACAY ISLAND!
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It's all good
Hey Man,
I've been in the military myself for the last 7 years. I plan on doing my twenty then traveling on my pension for the rest of my days. The truth is, no one knows how long they are gonna stay in. Everytime reenlistment comes up I'm at a crossroad, especially after going to Iraq three times. If you love what you're doing and you do it well, why deny it? It took me the first 3 years to see what kind of leader I was. Hope this helps. Rocco Possemato SSgt USMC |
OK I have to put my two cents in on this topic. As a military serving American, I have about 80 young folks who work for me that have simliar attitudes as you do, and so I have to talk them off the cliff constantly...
Ill be brief , but here are a few points that you need to realisticly look at before you complain: - You get 30 days OFF a year... THIRTY DAYS OFF. No job that will hire you w/o a college education and pay you will give you that much time off. - Any job that will hire you with NO COLLEGE DEGREE will treat you great, every job at that level is a pain in the ass ...ie getting up at 4am. - Ive been in the military for a while, and Ive lived in 4 Countries...and I dont mean crappy countries. I lived in Spain for 3 years , Italy for a year and a greek island for a year. Ive visted (on my own) over 25 additional countries...like I said 30 days can be perfect. Oh and by the way, youre getting PAID during those 30 days off... 20 years? Since when do they sign people up for 20 years at one time? Do the 4 years you signed up for... use the free college they offer you while your active, travel constantly while your in and then move on. Youre in a FAR FAR better place than most people that want to travel, unless you were born wealthy.... |
okay I'm currently in the military, and let me just tell you this. The MOST you can initially enlist for is 6 years. You can enlist for as little as 2 or 3 (depending on the job you choose) or as much as 6 years. No one is twisting your arm to do 20 years. if you do, great, if you don't, awesome. whatever. I'm certianly not doing 20 years.
I've had my ins and outs with the military but what I can say is this. I am a very independent person and sometimes have a hard time adjusting to the lifestyle, not to mention many people who join ar 18 years old so a lot of people don't understand anything BUT the military because it's all they know. I enlisted when I was almost 21 so I'd had a few years on my own. you may encounter the same issues. but I am in a great job that I could do in the civilian world and make six figures if I wanted to (but I don't, I want to pursue another career field). I have gained a lot of life experience in my time in, I have learned a lot about myself, and i have grown up A LOT. I may bitch sometimes, especially as I am deployed, but it was a good thing for me, to be in and do this for myself. you accomplish a lot and you will feel very proud of yourself because you get to do a lot of cool things and be in cool places y our friends wouldn't get to go or do (and get paid to do)... I've been to Ireland, Hungary, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Kyrkzstan (I know i butchered the spelling of that like WHOA), and have the opportunity to go other places if I want. And I've only been in 2 years. but ultimately this is up to you. if you do this for anyone but yourself, you will most likely hate it. so make sure this is what YOU want to do, regardless of why. the military can be a careeer (and a very rewarding one if you are squared away) or you can make it a means to an end. whatever. and no one else is going to give you 30 paid days of vacation a year. no one. |
I did four years in the Army, just got out in May, spent roughly a month biking through Western Europe, then took off to SE Asia, Nepal, and India for three months, went back to Germany for a few weeks, then back to the States.
I didn't really enjoy the military, but I definitely took advantage of it and made the most of it. I was lucky, got stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany. Had my own car, traveled constantly, learned the language, lived downtown with the Germans once I made Sergeant, it really was awesome. But that was just in Germany, 21 months of my time was in Iraq, and that's kinda shitty, but even there you can progress yourself. Take online classes, study, learn all about how to appreciate the Western world. I took my 2 weeks of R&R in Peru, they'll fly you anywhere in the world for free so find the most remote airport, with the most possible delays, and your leave days don't start til you reach your final airport (Iquitos, Peru, did the trick). Be smart with your money. Invest heavily in the TSP, save all that deployment money, invest it . . . I'm only 24, and I'm not rich, but I'm leaps ahead of my non-military classmates now. (Although behind in education, so it has drawbacks.) Also, remember that the GI Bill isn't that much money, helpful yes, but you'll need to set extra money aside. Anyways . . . I'm rambling. But take advantage of every opportunity while you're in and you'll be really setup for whatever you choose to do after your enlistment. Don't let yourself get brainwashed and reenlist, unless of course you really explore that option and still believe the military's for you. And don't start popping out kids, that's how all my friend's are getting stuck in the military. |
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understand that you will MOST LIKELY deploy. I don't understand people who join and then say "I hope I don't deploy" because you will get your ass sent somewhere... whether it be Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Korea, or somewhere in Africa, and deployments do suck... it's hard, but yeah you will make money and R&R/mid-tour is excellent because you can go anywhere in the world for free. it's a big game and you just gotta learn how to play it and it can work out in your favor that you make some cash. I'm with the above, I don't necessarily like it too much, but it's most likely my unit. In most cases, it isn't the military, it's the people in the military that's the problem. you'll have that anywhere though. either way, you'll learn a lot and make a lil money on the side too. |
I think a lot of you are actually forgetting the original post...the guy's already in the Military (been there since Jan) and was just trying to decide whether he should stay the 20 years to be set for the rest of his life or ditch out after his initial agreement is done to backpack...he's not deciding whether or not to join the military :whistle:
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Good point Laura. In that case, I guess the question is how high he thinks he can get his pay grade in the military before retirement vs what he could save as a civilian.
Is this trust something the military gives you? I'm not in the military, but if I understand the deal right you basically just get a pension based on your highest pay grade when you leave if you were in at least 20 years. Sounds more like you've already got something smallish in a trust and if you can avoid spending any if it it'll grow nicely by the time you're old? What would your job prospects be if you left the military now? |
ahhh thanks for the reminder guys.
hey here's somethign to think about. if you decide to work for a federal agency, your time in service counts towards your retirement with the federal gov't which is comparable to retiring with the military. and you would have a bit more freedom of choice. somethign to think about. I don't know what your MOS is but I know the FBI loves to see military people join.... if you've got a clearance, you're golden too (believe me, I'm s-2 so I know) in the federal world. if you're thinking about leaving the military try checking out the federal agences or some websites like www.gijobs.com and stuff like that. you can google "jobs with federal agences" (or something similar) and you can find some great search engines. |
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:lol: |
^ Yeah, I was going to mention that as well, but they were getting so into their posts...didn't want to bring anyone toooo down :lol:
and you never know, he may return |
haha I am kind of embarassed now! I didn't even look to see if this was a new thread! :unsure:
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