To keep things brief, I'm dropping out of college this semester. And I plan on joining the air force/navy.

Anyone have experience with joining the military? If so please share because this is a pretty big deal for me and I'm rather nervous about it.

Do you have any of the following:

A history of drug use
Past injuries that have left scars
Large tattoos, or any tattoos that are on your arms, legs, neck, etc...
Any substantially gauged piercings
Run-ins with the law
Outstanding tickets
Documented medical problems of any kind (e.g. asthma, allergies, etc...)
History of documented mental illness of any kind (e.g. depression, prescription of any kind of anti anxiety meds)

All of those things are problems. They are problems that can be gotten around, though, with waivers. It's just a question of how many guys your recruiting district is putting in right now, and what you can offer the branch in question. If you need waivers, it'll probably help if you get a ridiculously high ASVAB score (like 90 or higher), or if you only need one waiver or so. Your best bet is to go talk to a recruiter. Most people tell me that the Air Force is really the way to go, because you'll tend to make more money by getting promoted quickly, and that it's the least "military like" of them all, if that makes sense. Everyone I know who has spent time in the Air Force has told me it's a great gig to have. It's important to consider that none of the branches are widely recruiting at the moment, but that doesn't mean you can't get in. It's just going to be a matter of waiting for a spot to open up. You might end up being in the delayed entry program for up to a year, so prepare to have some method of surviving until your ship date.

Really, the biggest hurdle you'll have to navigate when it comes to the process of joining is waiting. Waiting sucks. You're going to do a lot of it. You'll have to wait on all sorts of things, for all sorts of time periods. I know this because I am currently waiting on a reenlistment waiver. Waiting sucks.

thank you. i've tried taking practice asvab's and scored >90 on the math and paragraph comprehension sections, but scored only 70 on electrical. lowest score was a 68 (on the auto shop section) so i think i should be okay for the most part.

it seems whether i get in soon or not will depends mainly on my asvab. i have a 2 year degree which will help alot i believe

as for waiting, i can wait. i can find places to live temporarily

oh yeah. i don't really have any of those problems but i was prescribed with adderal/ritalin earlier in my life, so i guess i'll have to admit that

If it was really early on in your life it might not be a problem. Depending on your recruiter, he/she will probably tell you to just not bring it up.

Having a degree will help you. It'll get you some promotions before enlisting.

well, to be honest it continued up until before a year ago (which i hear is the cut off point)

i heard that the military doesn't look up your medical history without necessary cause, so i plan on just saying the use of such drugs never happened. advice?

As much as I respect the military, I think we are ignoring a big issue:

Why are you dropping out of college? Are you absolutely positive thats a good decision for you?

im dropping out because i ****ed around and got bad grades, and my parents will not take me back. and i don't want to be homeless/welfare/**** job

well... pretty much what Antony said. from everyone i know who has joined the military, having a degree helps, a LOT. Apparently like antony said they are not recruiting as heavily so they are being a lot stricter with what they will allow as far as tattoos, medical history and such.

lol too bad it's not 2004. They were taking anybody.

I'm a little surprised at the tattoo restriction, whats that about?

they don't want people representing the united states in foreign nations running around with booby tats

Don't ****ing do it. Robbing old ladies, sucking dicks in alleyways &/or sleeping in dumpsters are all better choices (even in combination). If you're feeling confused & you need to find yourself, just go hiking in Europe or something--a change of scenery & some new experiences can do wonders.

why is this?

It's probably for the best. If you don't pick a job that requires some insane security clearance, you won't be subject to a polygraph in regard to your past. They won't do much digging into your medical history unless it's for something you tell them about. Be aware, though, that anything you hide from them can cause you to be discharged for fraudulent enlistment. While that is the case, from the people I know, nearly everyone had to lie about something to enlist. That was the Marines, though, and they're extraordinarily strict about all that. The other branches are far more likely to grant waivers based on those things. I wouldn't mention any serious drug use. They won't care about pot unless it's been recent (in the last year or so), and it wasn't an every day thing. Use your own discretion on how forthcoming you want to be about your past behavior. Waivers can be granted for a lot of things, but just because they can be granted does not mean that they will be granted.

Also, you should take time to ensure that this is the direction you'd like to take your life. I understand that you view it as something of a last resort, but if you don't believe in what you're doing, you're going to hate every minute of it. It's a very significant commitment that you should regard with the utmost seriousness. Sure, it's a job, but it also comes coupled with a lot of your rights being waived, in addition to the fact that your life will change to a massive degree. Many recruiters will try to sell you on how normal it will be, but I know a lot of guys who deeply regret enlisting, and they've only been in for a year or so. Your recruiter will very likely lie to you a great deal about what things will be like. It is your recruiter's job to make sure you enlist if you are qualified. Some recruiters will be honest with you. Most will not. Remember this basic thing: No matter how awesome your recruiter seems, odds are good he/she is a ****ing scumbag who doesn't give a **** about your future.

i don't see how it could come back to bite me. this wasn't prozac i was taking and it's not like i have asthma or something that will actually affect me when i'm there. granted, i can never be positive but i don't see any reason for it to

i'm well aware of the lies recruiters tell. most of them will make it seem so much more awesome then it actually is. i'm doing my research :]

because it's mentat posting...

My point is that they're very good at telling you exactly what you want to hear. They'll convince you about why all of your ideas about joining the military are great ideas and how there really aren't any other options. I sat and watched my old Marine recruiter tell a kid that even though he had been accepted to the school that he wanted to go to and his financial needs were almost entirely covered by federal aid, that joining the Marines was a much better idea for him because he'd be able to get a better job after four years in the infantry than he would with any four year degree. Of course I also came to find out later that my recruiter was a world-class ****bag even by recruiter standards, so there's that.

As far as your medical stuff goes, as long as there's no way for it to get traced back to you, then it's really at your discretion. Some recruiters won't waste their time with you if they find out you have something in your past that is potentially disqualifying. It's hard to say.

Also, in regard to your college experience, they're going to want full transcripts from the school(s) you attended. You said that you have essentially failed out of school. What kind of GPA do you have currently? If it's really low (I think the cut-off is like a 2.5 or something like that) then you won't get meritorious promotions based on college credit. It doesn't really matter, though. I think the highest you can get promoted with college credit is like an E-3, and you can do that inside of a year in any branch as long as you aren't a ****bag.

point taken.

my GPA will likely be lower than 2.5. I do still have a 2 year degree, which isn't much but it's something. I'm going to talk to a recruiter tomorrow to find out more.

I came close to enlisting in the marines around 2005. I got a 94 on the ASVAB and I could do 10 pullups. These two things apparently made me into some sort of demigod.

My recruiter instructed me thoroughly on how to lie my way through MEPS regarding a broken arm. He even wanted me to lie about my appendectomy (since it was laparoscopic — no scar). This guy was supposedly the #1 recruiter in the marines the previous year or something.

I like that part in Generation Kill when they bomb the hell out of an empty spot in the Iraqi desert. Hi-la-ri-ous!

That's... my experience with the U.S. military.

Again I'm shocked this stuff would matter at all. I guess if you had an underlying condition which caused your bones to be weak then yeah that might be an issue. What's the issue with the appendectomy, Possibly prone to infection?

This is about the most terrible generalized advice I've ever heard Mentat give. Just because the military is not a good choice for him, does not mean it's a bad choice for everyone. True, the military is NOT for everyone. If you are not going into it willing to make a commitment, then don't bother. Find something else. BUT, if you are ok with learning a little MILITARY BEARING and know how to take initiative, it's a hell of a lot better than robbing old ladies and sucking dick in an alleyway, and will pay a lot better too, and has the added benefit of, you know, not being illegal.

As to your medical history, whether or not you be truthful about it is up to you, but with a high ASVAB and 2 years of college, you have some good things going for you, so I imagine you'd still have a pretty good shot. On the other hand, if you keep it to yourself, like Antony said, there's the chance that they will find out and kick you out, and I believe you can be fined. So you'd be worse off than you are now.

Couple things.. With a 2 year degree, you should be able to come in as an E3 right off the bat. Make sure they give you this. It will get you MO MONEY. Make sure they show you in writing, cause if they only say it, it won't happen. And you may be able to get a signing bonus.. See what would be involved, and if it's an option. (I got $5,000, but that was a few years ago, and they're kinda picky about that kind of stuff these days.)

Anyway, go TALK to the recruiter if you're nervous. You don't have to make a decision right when you walk in the door. Just like Antony said, remember the recruiter is not there for you, he's there for him. So do your research and take whatever he says with a grain of salt unless it's in writing. And before you go in, you should have some idea of the available jobs (ratings) available.

In theory your advice is as sound as me stopping a speeding bullet more than once.

Sucking dick in an alleyway is illegal?

My advice: Stay in school somehow and get better study habits and stop "****ing around" whatever it is that you did. If you join the military you're not getting out anytime soon, its definately not an out.

Your parents are pissed about that? I graduated with less than a 2.5 and I still got a great job with nice pay.

an alleyway is usually considered a public place so yes... performing a sex act there is illegal

Work your way into becoming an Officer, better career, higher pay, less bull**** but more responsibilities and you definitely will have a good pension when you retire. I deeply regretted that I did not take this route when I enlisted in the Army back in the day. I spent a four year tour of duty in Germany which was awesome but I should of re-enlisted and tried to see if I could qualify a transfer to the Officers Candidate School (OCS), or I should of taken the route of qualifying an enlistment in the Air Force, better choice than the Army in my book.

Hi, you must an engineer

My advice as well.

Man up and finish college.

I might recommend the same, but I'm curious, do you think you're capable of it? Is your 'screwing around' something you know it'd be no problem to buckle down and get over, or is it a deeper personal problem? If that's the case, making the decision to place yourself into an environment that demands and enforces rigor and discipline might be good for you in the long run, at least for that reason.

i don't even have the option to stay in school right now

a. my grades are too bad. like, disqualified bad

b. the school is overcrowded. by about 3k students. i talked to a counselor about wiping this semester and still continuing they pretty much laughed

c. i hate my major. computer science is not for me. i would want to switch majors to physics. not gonna happen

It's important to remember that in the Navy and Air Force (the two technical branches) that there are a lot of jobs in fields that aren't typically associated with the military. There's a ton of cool stuff that you can be trained to do. Just don't get some job shoveling **** in Louisiana.

I was gonna go with the whole prostitution thing, but sure...

Hey guys let's take hyperbole seriously!

if you don't have the self-discipline to do well in school, what makes you think you have what it takes to succeed in the military?

Guys in smokey hats will help him with that discipline problem.

Because the military doesn't want to succeed, it wants you to ignore ethics, your own judgement and morals, and blindly follow orders. Probably die in a hellhole some politician decided was worth thousands of lives for no apparent gain too.

Hey, Tibby. Stop being the stereotype of a Canadian that the right wing idiots in America try to convince us that all Canadians are. You're making your entire country look bad.