Sup /k/
Any current or ex US military officers on here?
I'm in school for engineering but am considering joining the military as an officer.
If you could give me some pros and cons about the job, what it's like, how's the pay etc.
>>29103519
Pay is pretty okay. You can look it up yourself.
Officers do not get to pick their branch specialty, least not in the Army. The Army likes it's officers to be generalists / jack-of-all-trades.
Most of your time will be spent compiling briefs on powerpoint, and doing paperwork. This is mostly true for all branches.
>>29103519
Why would you go through all the hard work of getting an engineering degree, and waste it in the military? Officer pay is ok, engineering pay is amazing. If you want to actually help the military go work for Lockheed and troubleshoot the F 35 or something.
>>29103519
What type of engineering. What are your goals in life
>>29103563
Well first of all I am not an American national so my education is free. Maybe an engineer's salary is really good on paper but in the military you get so many tax free benefits. Also I like to travel, I don't like settling down so I think military is good in that aspect.
I originally thought of doing some time in the military to speed up my naturalization process but afterwards I thought why not just stay the course.
>>29103791
Mechanical
Also I forgot to mention I was aiming for Airforce
>>29103519
>>29105242
It all depends on what you want to do in the military.
Salary will be higher than entry level engineer pay, even better if you're home of record is a state like Texas or Michigan with no income tax on military earnings.
>>29105281
Yeah see I know that but I was thinking about the 20 year 50% pension.
If I get out after 20 years in the military, when the average rank is Lt Colonel, your salary is around 100k. After which I can pack up with a free 50k a year check plus additional income from any job I get after that.
And I'm sure there are plenty of lucrative consultation jobs available for engineers with 20 years military experience.
>>29105321
Alright well then Air force would be the way to go. Its the Michelob Ultra of the US military.
But in all honesty you would probably be forced out earlier than the 20 year mark with the peacetime military and over abundance of officers, but you would know if that was going to happen before you even pinned captain (within the first 5 years).
>>29105242
You must be a citizen to be an officer.
>>29105410
Well fuck. Are you sure a green card is not enough?
>>29105242
If you are a foreign devil, you can't be a United States Military officer. Go back to buttfuckistan and server your own country.
>>29105446
I'm marrying a US citizen. I'll get citizenship, just not right away.
I'm moving to the US regardless of this military thing.
>>29105452
What country are you from? They're not exactly giving away citizenship to people from durka durka countries.
>>29105463
It's a European country 99.7% white and Catholic, we're in NATO and my uncle is American.
I'm not overly concerned about the immigration process.
>>29105485
At least there is some hope for you. But the citizenship process can take years, just fyi.
>>29105426
Yes. You can enlist with a green card, get citizenship immediately, then go officer. I'd look into being in the reserves while you attend school if that's what you want to do.
>>29105485
So, Poland
>>29105452
>I'll get citizenship
Nope. You'll probably get a Permanent Resident Alien card, but it's harder than fuck to get citizenship through marriage these days.
>>29103519
>If you could give me some pros and cons about the job, what it's like, how's the pay etc.
Don't join the surface Navy as an officer unless you like brown nosing and figuring things out for yourself (All your quals are on-the-job-training. Quality of training varies highly).
Pros:
- Paid more
- Less restrictions on liberty (especially in Japan)
- Unique experience of taking the deck of a US Warship as OOD underway.
- Travel
Cons:
- Brown-nosing and dick sucking to get ratings on Evals
- Competing with your peers and backstabbing
- Female officers get preferential treatment
It can pretty competitive if you're active army. Not so much if you're Guard or Reserve.
It's like basic. I'm going through it now and it's not terrible. It can get stressful, but don't be a dumbass and you'll be okay.
>>29103519
>how's the pay
it is utter shit compared to engineering jobs in the private sector
>>29109689
>>29103519
>how's the pay
Working 40 hour weeks, minimum wage, civilian, I was taking home after rent, and taxes, 220 for spending money per week. In the army as an E3 I was pulling in 275, as a specialist not much more. If you are a single soldier the army will love to fuck you. After DFAC, Taxes, and other deductions to your base pay you really only take home about the equivalent of less than 10 bucks an hour.
Some non-salty people will argue that additional 55 dollars, free housing, medical, and educational benefits are worth so much more, they really aren't. The living situation has a multitude of problems, the food is below satisfactory most days and has its own string of issues like the huge inconvenience it is, medical coverage that rarely gets used anyway besides on your knees that will op at somepoint, and your college you could have gotten by NOT enlisting, in the same time frame.
Being stuck overseas in some shithole, working a 0000-2400, having no privacy even in garrison, being mid 20s treated like your 5 and having the pain of a 50 year old arthritis victim, etc etc, It really loses its novelty of being enlisted real fast. But perhaps you're more motivated then everyone, and don't care about the above... Maybe you will love it. Most don't though. Don't let anyone fool you.
>>29103519
Comrade, it's the most disappointing thing I have done, don't do it, enjoy life and not in the military
>>29103519
You have to be a citizen to be an officer.
>>29105321
The Department of Defense is ending lifetime pensions for anyone who joins after January 2018. Better get cracking.
Used to be enlisted, now in school for mechanical engineering. Besides officer, you can look at being a civilian contractor for the military. Still a DOD employee, still get 20 retirement pension, plus you'd actually apply that degree towards your job as opposed to changing positions every few years as an officer.
>>29103519
google military pay, I take home 6216$ monthly after taxes and have been in five years.
I'm no expert on the other branches by any means but the army can suck ass or be pretty fun depending on your leadership and MOS.
Combat Arms is a lot of fun as a PL but mostly sucks after that.
You can also change branches a lot in the army, I personally went from armor to signal as a CPT.
>>29113791
I also had a stent as psyops office, hated it and when back to my regular branch after about 6 months of training.
You can do a lot of different stuff, to include career specialization after about 4-5 years
>>29103519
>dem haircuts
>dat hand tattoo
Nasty things.
>immigrant solely motivated by welfare
Imagine my suprise
Logistician 0-3 reporting in.
Been in for 4 years and bring in 6400.00 a month after taxes. I'm in a support branch so I don't do shit other than paperwork all day.
Commissioned straight out of college, no prior service. Get paid way more than enlistedfags, so I'm not even mad about being a pog.
If you are a engineer with experience you would definitely make mire money on the civ world. However the Officer does have its perks - you get priority for training above enlisted ranks and get to travel all over the world for free. It's your call if that makes it worth it to you or not.
>>29115769
Fucking autocorrect- excuse the typos
