What are some pros from being in the military? And maybe the worst cons, outside of combat.

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Pros: Potentially lots of travel. Learn skills."Retire" with a pension for the rest of your life by age 38 if you want to. As for Cons: Pay while you're in blows hard. Constantly uprooting family if you have one. Complete organizational dysfunction. Potentially get shot at. Lasting physical and psychological trauma.

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Pros:
Pay increases for years of service and rank
Partial pay is not taxed, BAH housing
Pension and also thrift savings plan with match
30 days leave vacation with rollover, on top of government holidays
Military base privileged access for commissary (groceries) and exchange ( electronics/products/clothes etc)
Skills that can transfer to civilian jobs
Ability to go part time in reserves/guard still get a pension (although at a later age)
Completely free healthcare for you and your dependents

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Cons:
long deployments away from family/friends with little interaction/communication
Pay can be lower initially
Might have not so great bosses/superiors, but you usually change jobs every couple of years
Demanding work depending on your MOS/billet/rate(job)
Can’t always take leave vacation when you want. Will work holidays sometimes
You mentioned combat but this can really be dependent on the branch of military and your job.
All must be ready to fight/die for country though

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Adventure, seeing more of the country/world. Many poor people can't afford to vacation or travel. For many, the most exciting part of the military is that they will get to travel to new areas, experience new things, all while having a secure job with secure income. Not a bad deal, to see more of the world on Uncle Sam's dime.

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Pros: Might help you get your shit together if you feel like you need someone telling you what to do for a few years. Snazzy uniform.

Pros: Might help you get your shit together if you feel like you need someone telling you what to do for a few years. Snazzy uniform.

I'd share a con. If you already have a plan for things not involving the military, the delay from your time in the service might be a problem. Say you really wanted to be a programmer, there's not a lot of good programming going on in the military (they tend to use contractors for that sht) so you have about four years where you could have been working towards that goal, but instead you were doing something else.

Pay isn't just amazing. It's better than what most 18-24 year olds make for sure but it won't make you wealthy. But on a positive note, military experience is a plus for some civilian jobs. You might meet people and be able to network that way.

Pay isn't just amazing. It's better than what most 18-24 year olds make for sure but it won't make you wealthy. But on a positive note, military experience is a plus for some civilian jobs. You might meet people and be able to network that way.

One pro is it's an opportunity. Many kids don't have tons of job opportunities out of high school, and even fewer kids have a realistic goal they are actively working towards. Some people are lost and need something to do. They need that opportunity, and the military will accept them when no one else does.

One pro is it's an opportunity. Many kids don't have tons of job opportunities out of high school, and even fewer kids have a realistic goal they are actively working towards. Some people are lost and need something to do. They need that opportunity, and the military will accept them when no one else does.

Some pros: You are taken care of: fed, housed, and clothed. Legal and medical care is provided. Pride and status (people love a soldier/veteran). Some of the cons: If deployed, will be outside of the country and away from friends and family. Also, strict curtailment of independence that is they dictate what you can and can't do.

The pros are the memories. Bonds that you form are like nothing the average person can experience. Basic training produced some of the happiest moments of my life. Amazing times. The con is the memories. I am haunted to this day by the faces of friends and foes alike and can tell you that not a day goes by that does not start and end in deep mental pain. We are not mentally wired to exterminate our own species and no amount of showers, talking or prayer takes them away. Hard truths.

Pros:
You’ll meet people that will have your back
Pay is alright if you don’t have kids or a car note
BAH helps balance out your pay
TSP
2.5 days of leave added to your leave you already have
You get to travel to different places if you plan it out right
4 days holidays (damn near every month) lol
Opportunity. Most 18-24 year olds don’t have that

Cons:
waves of depression
might have to work everyday
isolation
you might see some shit
deployments or rotations
away from family
emptiness

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