The military and government jobs have historically been relied on in times of economic hardship. I think it’s worth it to lay some stuff out the best I understand it, and maybe it would be interesting to some of you. If you hate the idea- no problem at all. I’ll just fuck right off.
Will you go fight in a distant land? ——
Probably not. Most modern units aren’t fighting the way you’d imagine, and the ones that are are BARELY doing so. Unless you want to do extra special “hooah” stuff, you’ll probably find yourself in a unit that might go sit in Europe for 9 months. You may never go. It’s luck of the draw.
Rank structure ——
Officers and Enlisted are the two classes you can enter. If you enlist, you can later become a Warrant Officer through extra training.
Officers make more money, they also DO less and PLAN more. 4+ year degree mandatory.
Enlisted make less money, under a certain rank have to live on base, and are the DOERs of the plan. Any education is accepted. There are enlisted soldiers with masters, PhDs, and high school diplomas.
Pay and benefits ——
the 2023 base pay charts are here
If you have a college degree, you can either enlist or go to Officer candidate school. If you enlist, you typically come in at a higher E rank. —
The above chart can be confusing. O ranks are officers, OE ranks are officers with prior enlisted experience, WO are warrants, and Es are enlisted. Both your rank and the amount of time you’ve been in matter for base pay. —
E5+ (depends on base), anyone married or a primary parent, all officers, all warrants can live off base, and cannot live in the barracks. They receive an ADDITIONAL MONTHLY $1100-$1600 untaxed income for their housing. You also get monthly food allowance. Not much, a couple hundred. —
You get healthcare for you and your family.
If you get sent to training, you can get per diem and make extra money.
Time off? ——
You earn 2.5 days of paid leave a month. 30 a year. Every federal holiday is a four day weekend. There are usually two weeks in the summer and for Christmas that are given for leave. You can take leave whenever you like, you just have to get permission. I have never seen it be denied.
The work ——
It’s an absolute grind. When you’re working in the office or training, the days are long and exhausting. But it ebbs and flows. —
Special jobs like signal (computers, IT, radios), military intelligence (information), chemical (subject matter expert on radiological, nuclear, chemical, and biological threats) can earn you certifications worth 50k plus in the normal world.
My advice? ——
Don’t join combat arms. Join something with a good civilian counterpart. The military needs vets, accountants, cooks, a band, computer nerds, pilots (combat arms), mechanics, linguists, and a host of other things. Especially if you have a four year degree already, go to officer candidate school.
I am a young officer. I make about 75k before taxes. About 24k is non taxed. I work from 9-4 most days in my current job. I’ve had jobs that are 6-6. I am not staying in, but I would not be where I am now financially without joining.
TLDR
Military can stabilize you financially. There are extremely valuable skills and certifications you can get for when you leave. If you have a four year degree, look at joining officer candidate school. 30 days of paid leave a year, regular 4 day weekends.