I actually have pretty good insight on this. CompSci militaryfag here.
1. It is possible, but VERY difficult. If you are deployed, you will have money taken from your check to pay for mess regardless of whether you eat in the hall or not. You can definitely be vegetarian, and vegetarian rations are actually a little better IMO, but vegan is a no-go unless you go buy the shit yourself. Also, your odds of joining (don't say "enlist". That's for chumps without degrees) and NOT being deployed are slim-to-none even with a comp sci degree.

2. Yes, it carries weight. You would be an officer. If you enlisted as opposed to joining as an officer, people would be like "what in the ever-loving FUCK is wrong with you?" and they'd be right. Marines and Army don't give a shit, they'd put you in charge of some grunts the same as any other officer. So here's the BEST scenario for you:
Finish your degree. If you still want to do military when you finish, they will GLADLY take you no matter how your grades were, and they will suck your dick if you had a 3.8 with MCL. Air Force and Navy will be the only ones that will let you actually work with a computer. The others are a total crapshoot. Only do Coast Guard if you already know what it's like. My experience, anyone that lived inland and joined them absolutely hated it.

>>16965407
Also, I should add that I was thinking about going military and dropping out for a long time. I finished my degree first and it was a damn good decision. You have to remember that most military grunts are REALLY fucking stupid. I'd pull out what little hair I have if I had to be with them literally all day. Instead, I get to hang out with dudes that are more like me. I'm not as smart as you are, OP, and even I didn't enjoy how dudebro most of the grunts are all the time.

>>16965407
Thanks for the advice man. I'm curious what you mean in regard to buying food for myself though. I would happily do that, but I didn't think such an option would be possible (especially if deployed).

Also which branch did you serve under, just to get a frame of reference around your opinion?

Hey OP, I'm active duty air force. The other poster is way off-base. I'll give you what air force circumstances are like. I'll also tell you that air force is the best for someone like you. Less fucking you over compared to the other branches, and the easiest physical fitness standards. Why run more than you have to?

1. Vegan I'm not sure, but sure thing on the vegetarian if you go air force. You go through a line, and they'll serve you what you want from what's there. Just don't grab meat and you're golden. When you do the part of basic where you eat MREs, there are vegetarian ones, and they'll ask who's vegetarian and there you go. There's cheese in some of those, though. If you're good with vegetarian for basic, you won't have issues.

2. For military, you either enlist or commission. Enlist is what most are, and requires nothing. You can try to commission as an officer, which will get you a lot more pay, and you'll be a manager rather than a worker (unless you end up a pilot). It's competitive and I don't know if you'll be good for other things they want, but your GPA is good. You can find an ROTC program at your university perhaps, and that will let you do both as well. If you want to finish your degree, just keep at it, especially because you're so close.

Also, chances of being deployed depend on job. You probably WON'T get deployed, unless you get a job that's more needed over there in particular.

Any more questions? I've got lots of answers.

>>16965476
I am Chair Force in Colorado. The officer ranks here are nerd central, which is fine by me. I wanted to be a marine (because who doesn't want to be a devil dog living the adventure?) but decided the AF would help me get civ jobs more when I got out. I was right. Most of the guys here went to the academy and are real proud of it (ugh, kill me) but the rest are like me.

If you live on a base, there are stores there where you can buy stuff the same as any walmart or whatever, but just a little different. You'd be able to buy groceries and vegan food. I really can't think of a place you'd get deployed for Air Force or Navy where this wasn't an option. Navy, you might get put on a ship for while where you'd get stuff eating whatever is available, but you most guys doing computer stuff stay on bases. If you're on a base in the states, you can leave and go to regular stores. Also, many officers live off-base, although that's usually because they have families because barracks is always cheaper.

If you are expecting dramatic warfare type stuff, then you should join Marines though. They are the only branch where you are guaranteed to go somewhere hot and dangerous. That being said, it's unlikely you'd see action. You'll end up sitting on a base in the desert with a bunch of roided-up dudes that REALLY want to kill somebody.

>>16965495
If you're not an officer, you really don't know how easy it is to become one. Most guys do commission through school, but I did OTS. It's easy shit for anyone that got a degree.

>>16965495
>>16965543
noners pls go and stay go

how about you fix all the fucking broken links on the portal

>>16965543
Wait... where in Colorado?

>>16965407
>>16965476
Having a degree does not make you an officer. With the Army, you will have to pass a selection board and basic training (which you must attend as enlisted) before you can go to Officer Candidate School.

If you enlist with a bachelor's degree, the only thing the Army will guarantee is the rank of E-4 Specialist.

>>16965583
Can't, too busy breaking everything you're required to use, so that you have to send screenshots to the people who harass you about not having done the things that I broke.

>>16965584
The Springs. All I'm saying on that. I don't want to meet people from 4chan, much less /adv/, IRL.

>>16965583
lol call a contractor or something. I'm busy shitposting.

>>16965590
True, but you can't be an officer without one until you've been in for a few years. I don't really know a lot of the particulars of how Army does things, so you should give OP the advice there if you do.

>>16965543
>>16965495
Air Force sounds appealing. I wouldn't want to get stuck as a grunt if I do have the 4 year degree though. If they don't want me there that's fine, but would I have to sign myself away and just hope they take me on as on officer and not a grunt?

I don't really want to deploy (I have a family and house right now), but I could probably swing it for a few months at a time or whatever. Living on base for more than basic training would probably be a deal breaker for me though, for aforementioned reasons. I live about 45 minutes from Fort Jackson, if that matters.

>>16965608
>I don't really want to deploy

then don't join

>>16965612
I said I don't really want to. As in a branch where that is less likely, or less frequent, is more appealing to me. I didn't say I flat out wouldn't do it.

>>16965603
You motherfucker, I know the place. I won't meet you IRL unless you go to Texas, though.

>>16965627
>texas

try not to rape trainees on base lib ;^)

>>16965608
No, be very upfront about wanting to be an officer and they will track you towards it. They need officers, so they won't try to stop you from it. Everyone was very helpful to me when I started down that road. Also, when I said you'd "deploy" I meant you'd get sent somewhere foreign at some point. Keep in mind that it could be a single month where you just install something at a base in Japan and only have a few hours worth of time to see anything outside the base. But if you DON'T want to deply, you probably shouldn't join. Raising brats while being military can be hard on them, and you should carefully consider what you not being around a lot can do before you decide it's worth it.

>>16965627
Yeah, the Springs is a pretty vague response since I could still be pretty much anywhere inside it lol. This place is packed tight with military facilities.
Also, how do you like Texas? I moved here from there so I'm freezing my ass off in the mountains up here.

>>16965608
You go to either an officer recruiter or a regular recruiter. You pick which. The officer one won't surprise you and enlist you instead. For enlisted, it's not all grunts by the way. Air force isn't even close to that kind of culture where I am. It's an office job.

It's really job dependent for deployment. Look into what jobs you want if you join. I highly suggest officer due to the paycheck and more personal freedom, but that means management. If that idea repulses you.. don't be an officer.

I've been a vegetarian for 24 years..tried veganism, but loved cheese and cake too much.

You may have some serious issues with upholding veganism while in the military...it's a tough lifestyle to live by as it is. I would suggest switching to lacto/evo vegetarianism (milk and egg products). It's much easier to get by one while keeping your diet humane ( I only purchase free range cruelty free..not an easy task while deployed though). Good luck and kudos for taking up a humane approach to living.
Be safe out there!!

The military doesn't really give an ounce of a fuck about your personal beliefs and convictions, you're there to serve not to be tended to.
If you're gunna be a welfare queen then suck it up and eat the meat. Otherwise take your degree to san fran and you can be with all your mood-queer bi-gender trans-planetary vegan tumblr fuckheads.

>>16965671
>It's an office job
I really think this is the most important thing for OP to know about the AF, being a comp sci guy. They don't call us "chair force" because we all sit in cockpits.

>>16965243

Dunno if this help or not, but my father is a vegetarian and he made it through basic just fine. That was forty years ago too, before everybody became all enlightened and shit.

>>16965630
I'd make some sarcastic jokes, but I'm too afraid that someone will see them, miss the sarcasm, and I'll be reading my own jokes on the next set of SAPR slides.

>>16965653
Lol. I love Texas, because I hate the cold and I don't want to drive in snow. Fuck all of that. Practically even skipped winter this year

>>16965718
>I don't want to drive in snow
Oh hell, this is my number one, right here. We had a blizzard the other day, and I have never been so stressed in my life as when I was out driving in that. Enjoy the hot summer for me, okay?

>>16965698
>The military doesn't really give an ounce of a fuck about your personal beliefs and convictions


This desu senpai

Im was starting to believe that the military is the last bastion from politically correct im a special snowflake bullshit that frequent universities nowadays. Though its starting to change.

>>16965775
Eh, I'd say it still is. The only times I hear about socially liberal ideology taking place is because politics is forcing it to happen, and very seldom does that stick around. That being said, let's not turn this into a /pol/ thread.

>>16965698
I don't want to be "tended to" and I'm not interested in being a welfare queen. If vegetarian rations already exist like people are saying (which are probably there due to allergies more than anything else, certainly not to tend to "special snowflakes"), then there should be no problem for me. I just want to put in time serving the country and have that experience. It's just that if eating meat is unavoidable, then it's not for me. With a high GPA engineering degree it's not like I'm going to have trouble finding employment or ever be faced with some welfare situation. You're acting like I'm a high school dropout beginning for a last resort but requiring them to meet my standards or something, which clearly is not the case whatsoever.

>>16965934
>come into this thread
>it aint me starts playing

>>16965948

What exactly is your problem with me? I want to dedicate my time and education to the military in any meaningful way I can. I have one minor thing where I don't want to eat meat and you keep insulting me over it

>>16965959
its a meme you dip