Related Posts
Am I the only one who is happy I got into IT?
Coach
More Posts
I have received offer from Wipro which is little above than the offer that I am holding but fixed pay is less. Thinking of rejecting Wipro offer. Is it better to reject or accept and then not join. Also if I reject, will there be any issue like they won't consider me in future?Tata Consultancy Wipro Cognizant Infosys
Visual Storyteller
Disney Streaming Services I completed my interview process with DSS early last week, and was reached out by recruiter that all rounds were strong hires, and they are extending an offer. We set a time to talk on Friday about the offer. However, the announcement of targeted hiring freeze happened on Friday. I was ghosted with no call. What should I expect now? Would I still have chance to be offered?
Additional Posts in Veteran Bowl
McKinsey & Company Anyone at McKinsey & Company willing to refer a Marine veteran (OIF, I swear I will not eat all the crayons. "Crayons" are for art is what my wife tells me to tell myself)
5yrs Marines (Sgt, Comm maint tech w infantry Bn)
8yrs in Oil & Gas (engr coordinator, qty surveying and proj ctrl)
CM undergrad
MBA (professional program, graduated May 2022)
I'm looking for a role in McK serving O&G, industrial, capital projects clients. Open to generalist roles as well. Can review for vetting.
Conversation Starter
New to Fishbowl?
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Had plenty of geriatrics in my platoon when going through basic training you’d be fine. Just know the reserves and guard are a joke. My only enjoyment came from AT and deployment. Otherwise absolute stupidity
And stupid inventory in the motor pool lol
Pro
I did and happy to chat deeper.
If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t. The time commitments the guard (can’t speak to the reserves) takes from you is far above what they say it is. You’re constantly doing 4-5 day drills, and if you’re an officer you’re prepping & closing out drill long before and after. I wasn’t at google when I joined, but now that I’m focusing on accelerating my career the guard is candidly a thorn in my side as it does require a lot more attention than I thought it would.
If you’re joining for a specific reason (healthcare, income, VA loan etc) then it might be different, but if you’re joining to scratch the itch I would encourage you to really sit and think it through.
Also… join the Air Force or air national guard.
Pro
I’m not an officer, which should show you the impact of the time commit. I was in the same boat as you, I’ve had family in the service consistently since WW1.
It’s not all bad, I’ve definitely had some good times with the guys in the field, but when you’re on your 10th day of sleeping on the ground, your gear is soaked, and your PSG decides to scuff everyone up for something stupid.. you’ll definitely ask yourself wtf you’re doing.
This is not the perspective you asked for but may provide insight. I did 5 years active duty right after college prior to becoming a consultant but did not do the reserves. I appreciate and respect your desire to serve. That said, I would think very deeply if this is something you really want to do. First of all, what kind of shape are you in? I am also 30 and still in pretty great shape but I can’t imagine doing the initial training I did at 18/22 all over again. You will definitely break your body in some fashion. Second, the $/hr for your time spent on reserve obligations will be far lower than your consultant pay. Third, if you are looking for the chance to make an impact, far more impact can be made serving local charities than you will performing some banal activity or pointless exercise in the military. Ultimately If you were in a dead end job somewhere and looking to expand your horizons then maybe this would be the opportunity you are looking for. But I would not recommend mixing a consulting career (which despite how much we complain on fishbowl affords is very high quality of life) with the reserves.
I’ve done it and still do as a Reservist. Best decision I’ve ever made and it’s totally doable. Happy to talk more.
Have you considered going active duty for a term?
I was an enlisted Marine on active duty, got out and went to college, grad school, B-school and corporate America, then went back in the Marines as an officer in the reserves but was on active orders the whole time.
I can appreciate the itch and having 1 foot in and 1 foot out, however, you may find the satisfaction of the experience comes from the full experience.
Consulting (and everything else) will be here when you get out. And, you lose nothing because you get the life you want to live, the path you choose for you.
Spend some time considering which branch and why, which MOS and why, and consider Space Force.
FACT: The National Guard and reserves will 100% hurt your career in someway, shape or form. Do not go into the guard if that is a concern. Join for the right reasons and stick with them.
ALSO FACT: The Guard and Reserve can 100% open up doors to other careers or help you out. A previous company commander got me a job once I’m consulting making $20k more a year - that was lifestyle changing for me at the time.
I’m in sales now and sell to the DoD. I wouldn’t be here without the guard. But would I be further along somewhere else? Probably. But I wouldn’t trade my deployments and friends for a better career.
Just do it. Who gives a shit. You are working for the next 40+ years anyway. Go have fun on the weekends. Shoot guns. Go camping. Drink beer in the armory. Stand around in a parking lot for a pandemic. And don’t worry, look at history…. America is due up for another conflict soon. You’ll be in a Poland or Taiwan in no time.
Pro
Are you looking to enlist or commission? What are your reasons?
Just be aware that often times (more so in the National Guard) that you can be activated at a moment’s notice and that may take away from your job for a considerable amount of time.
you could also join an ROTC program and get a masters degree while you’re in college ROTC, the national guard has a ton of programs
National Guard Officer here. I’d 100% recommend you do it if you feel the itch. I joined out of ROTC at 22 and turn 30 in 2 months. Be glad to talk about my experience.
I was 26 and working in a restaurant and thought "if I don't do it now, I'm never gonna do it, and if I never do it, I'll probably regret it for the rest of my life." And so I joined the army and while it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, I'm glad to have said I did it.
If you think you'll regret not doing it later in life, which it sounds like you might, then 100% do it.
FYI, you'll have to go to basic training and AIT full-time with active duty servicemembers, so that's a minimum of 12ish weeks that you'll be out of work
I say go for it. If anything I think it will open up more opportunities for you later on down the road.
I joined the NG at 28. My spouse was already in as AGR. The schedules are tough and depending on what MOS and unit you are in can make it tougher. I drove 4hrs each way to drills for 3yrs then went AGR. I did 6.5yrs and got out. Not sure it was worth it. Was activated for disaster relief more times than I can count with just hours notice and deployments are frequent. It takes a toll on family life. While your wife is supportive, just know she may feel put off when drill weekends are long or you can never make family events, miss birthdays, etc. or you are just too tired after working then drill then straight back to work and you haven't had a day off in what feels like forever. Don't forget about attending the schools for specialized training and promotion that you will have to do. She will have to pick up the slack at home because your time is required elsewhere. Just plan for it. Basic you can get through it is everything after that makes it a hard decision. I would not do it again.
Anecdotal perspective: if youve got the itch and you truly want to *serve*, do it. I emphasize “serve” because there will be times the military wastes your time or inconveniences you or presents challenges to your immediate work and personal priorities, but remembering that the whole point of signing up was to serve and make a positive impact grounded me through 12 yrs in the Army (some active, mostly NG).
The setback to your civ career will likely be negligible in the medium to long term, and the payoff in personal development is high.
I found it more common for a demanding civ career to preclude you from doing everything you might want to do or be asked to do in the reserves/NG (esp. as an officer or NCO). I def recommend investing time in finding the right unit. Some parts of the reserves are very flexible, but even in the parts that are less so there can be considerable variance between small units or leaders you answer to (e.g. one Army company to another, one commander to another). Serving in a unit that respects your career and gets that you dont work shifts and may have the same workload but less days to do them because you have to go to drill makes a huge difference.
Good luck and good on you for your interest
I enlisted in the Air Guard right out of high school. After 17 years of service I commissioned and 3 years later I am still going strong with a plan to do another 7 years. It can be really tough at times to juggle the Guard with civilian work and family. But the benefits and the service to the country make it worth it.
Like some others have said, go Air over Army. Better quality of life and more consistency.
I’ve served in the Army Reserve my whole adult life and I always say the Army giveth and the Army taketh away. The deeper I get into my Army career and my tech/consulting career the Army takes a lot more and gives me a lot less.
I’ll be frank and maybe a bit cynical. You had a long week at work? Luckily you’re working this weekend and you’ll be onsite with the client on Monday after sleeping in the field all weekend. Thinking about taking some PTO this summer? Well, the Army is going to take you away from work for 2-4 weeks this summer so it’s going to be tough making it make sense to be away more for you own time. I end up trying to balance my work while I’m away for training. Your manager, customers, and teammates will support you at face value but have no idea what it means to serve or understand how your service builds your skills and makes you better for the team. The most meaningful thing you can do as a reservist is deploy and the aforementioned parties may not value the experience gained and may view your time away as just lost time to your experience at the firm.
Lastly, the pay and benefits aren’t worth it. Especially as an officer. On paper the top might look good. $1,000+ for a weekend? As others mentioned there will be 1-2 nights per work where you’re devoting 1-3 hours to something Army. There’s no clock in button. That’s all covered under that same $1,000 top line in the army’s eyes. Furthermore, deducting uniforms, traveling to and from, meals, etc… the bottom line fades quickly and you’re just looking to break even at some point. Some love the insurance, it’s great if you’re healthy but when you need it they’ll find any excuse to not pay or fight your doctors on the treatment plan.
I’m happy to chat privately if you’d like. As you can see my perspective is pretty negative at this point but happy to provide more context and share my experiences. My vote is to skip it and volunteer in your community to scratch the itch of service.
When the big one kicks off with China in a few years (or earlier with Russia after Ukraine "potentially" goes tits up and NATO gets involved for real) you can join and scratch the shit out of that itch. Otherwise you'll get to experience all the 'hurry up and wait' you can take in the peacetime military. Ever wondered what it was like to accomplish something in 12 hours that takes 30 minutes to do, join the military and you'll see!
It sounds like you're already doing what people who join the military seek ... a well paying job with a decent amount of career flexibility.
Want to shoot guns? Go to the range. Want an extreme experience? Go do NOLS or something. Want leadership experience? Volunteer to do something hard at your current company.
The reserve and or national guard is nothing like active duty. It is not going to be the same. You may well leave with a tarnished view of the military.