What's new

navy or airforce

im a young man with no job and strruggling with some things right now. im thinkin that the military is for me and im stuck between the two as u can see from my topic. which one should i go to??? ppl have told me the airforce is better but whats your opinion
 
im a young man with no job and strruggling with some things right now. im thinkin that the military is for me and im stuck between the two as u can see from my topic. which one should i go to??? ppl have told me the airforce is better but whats your opinion

Be a real man and join the Army or Marines :) I'd join the coast guard personally..... nicer uniforms to me...... Hmmmm, THAT SOUNDED BAD :)

Nah. my dad always tried to convince me to goto the Coast Guard Academy "because your career will be spent in clean surroundings and you will always be busy plus if you join th navy you will spend half of your career with a paintbrush in your hand" He was 20 years in he army and 4 in the airforce.

Michael
 
Never served in either. That said, my brother in law retired from the Navy. He worked long hours, even when not out at sea. From what I've heard about the AF, that is more like a regular job. That said, you can land a nice, high paying technical job after you get out...
 
I'm not sure exactly, but I think the kind of terms of service you need to sign up for in the US military are pretty long. I was in the Canadian army and upon intial enlistment you are locked in for three years. I remember American guys up on exercise were just reservists and they said they had to sign up for 7 years! It was a good experience and all but I realized pretty quickly it wasn't something I had any interest in doing as a career, but I was stuck and had to ride it out, and as you go into the third year and they do the long-term contracts and you tell them you don't want to sign one, the people in charge treat you almost like you're a traitor..

For guys who really enjoy it, it's a solid career which can lead to many opportunities. But it's a very serious commitment. I don't mean it to discourage anyone, but I would say that joining up just because your current situation is tough and you can't see any definite opportunites in the close future - and you aren't certain that you have a lot of passion and interest in a career in the military - has the potential to be a hugely regretted decision, and one you have to live with for a long time.

Don't sign on the dotted line until you're absolutely certain, not just thinking that it might be for you.
 
Second vote for the Coast Guard here. I really enjoyed my time. However, I work with folks from all of the services now, and in my opinion, it seems the Air Force provides many more opportunities in the civilian world after your enlistment is up.
 
I did 4 years in the Air Force.

I was a crewchief on the C-5 Galaxy.

Most Navy guys have to do long tours out at sea. I didn't like that part of the navy, and neither do most Navy guys that I have known.

I wouldn't try to sell the Air Force to anyone, but I pretty much know it's more comfortable than the other branches of the service. Chow halls are pretty close to restaurant caliber and once you get through the training phase of your time the rigidness of military life calms down significantly more than other branches. I know this because many other branches service members came to our base for assignments and couldn't believe how good we had it.

However, in retrospect there are some significant things I would have done different job/career wise in the military.

I don't care how long you have to wait, go into medical for a medical job, or medical administrative.

Here's why. In Aircraft maintenance or any acft service related career field, it will be dominated by men, and usually more strict from a disciplinary standpoint....which just kind of gets old.....the med and admin med guys have the best military experience by far I ever saw.

My buddies who were nurses loved their training periods and in general the hospital dining facilities and woman to guy ratio makes your time in service so much better. Most of my nurse buddies decided on making a career of it, most maintenance and other type careers have nowhere near the retention rate as medical mainly due to the lifestyle factors. Dr's are typically less rigid on the military rules and hospital/medical situations typically service lots of civillians. You actually get days off and get along with your supervisor's much better than in the myriad of other AF positions related to Aircraft.

Same thing pretty much goes for Administrative. I'd still go medical administrative though. Work in Air conditioned office with decent hours. Lot's more of a female presence in your social environment.

Working on or in an Aircraft related career position may seem cool, and the recruiters will try to sell you that way because there's always more of a need there, but I assure you on your 5th weekend shift in a row, when your back is killing you and you can't remember the last time you actually worked an 8 hr shift because you've been pulling 12 hour shifts for months, those guys who are in medical getting off early and living in dorms full of chicks seem to really have it good. My buddies who went medical are still in after 10 years and love it.

I got out and went to college and really never looked back. It was a decent experience, but I'd have probably never got out if I'd had the experience my medical and med admin buddies did.

Good luck.
 

Commander Quan

Commander Yellow Pantyhose
I have absolutely no information to help you, but would like to thank you and wish you the best of luck if you do peruse a stint in any branch of the military.
 
I'm all for joining the armed forces. I hope to join the military as a healthcare provider, but don't limit yourself because of the situation you're currently in. Life is filled with chaos and that chaos is always in motion. Military life is not easy and it's not like a normal job; you can't quit when you want to.

Good luck on your decision. I will point out that I'm glad you are taking charge of your life instead of sitting back and letting things happen to you.
 
The previous posters have focused on the important thing - what training are you going to be offered that will best serve you when (either in 4 years or after 20) you go back into the civilian workforce? See if you can figure out what you might want to do with the rest of your life - medical services, accountant, vehicle mechanic, housepainter (known in the service as a protective coating technician), plumber, electrician, etc. etc. Once you've decided that, join whichever branch (USN or USAF or USCG) that will promise you training in that area.

I spent 4 years in Air Force accounting and finance, got out, went to college and easily zipped through to a Masters degree in Business Administration - now I'm a CPA.

I rarely worked more than 40 hours in a week, I almost never worked weekends, I was paid decently, I never had to worry about what clothes to wear to work, and I never missed a meal because of lack of funds!

Good luck!
 
Having been in the navy, I'd say... join the airforce. I worked 20 hours a day at sea launching aircraft and maintaining catapults. The average workday at sea is 12 on 12 off. That is hours on and hours off. Called port and starboard. People who worked catapults and arresting gear didn't have that. The guys down in Engineering didn't have it any better. They might work 12 and 12 but when things got hot and heavy, they'd go 6 and 6. We had guys 19 years old looking like they were 30 at the end of a cruise.
If you want a regular life and an easier job, join the airforce.
Now personally if I had to do it all over again, I'd join the marine corps. You still get a lot of bs but you get to play with guns. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had gone that way.
 
I haven't served, but a good friend spent six years in the Navy as a nuclear electrician on a sub. He was thrilled to get out and would probably try to talk you out of it. Same with a cousin - he managed to wrangle out of his Navy contract early. The few Air Force guys I've known were generally positive about the experience. There's been a bit of Army in the family and they thought it was OK.

For a couple of years, I've been toying with the idea of JAG reserve. I'd probably go Army, just to continue the family tradition. Considering the hours I've been putting in at work, it would be a nice break to do something entirely different.

Have you also considered the various educational and scholarship opportunities? You might be able to go in and get an education at the same time. Explore all of your options.

The critical difference I've seen in military opinions seems to be whether someone was an officer or enlisted. People who were officers seem a lot happier with their experience than the enlisted.

Also, I don't know if it is still offered, but I remember a program where a good deal of student loans would be paid for those who join. If you don't have a bachelor's, look into it. You might be able to take out loans, get a degree, then have the military pay it off. I think it would be a good deal.

Finally, give some thought to the reserves once you're out. There is some commitment, but the benefits are pretty decent once you get 20 years in. That's why I'm interested. I'd get a nice retirement package at 60, medical benefits, a little pay for my time, and the ability to do some cheap travel on transport flights. Sounds good to me - I just need to make the time.
 
Here is my £0.02. I'm about to retire from the RAF I have been places and done things that a boy could only dream of. Now here are the questions: Do you have what it takes to join as an officer? If you do then that's the way to go. I don't wish to offend any gentleman here but there is the easy life and then there is the really really easy life!

So like other posters say think about what the job will involve and what it will do for you after you leave.

Oh and don't worry about the girls either if you are deemed worthy and become a bomb god, the honeys just come buzzing. :wink2:
 
Do what your heart tells you.

I could sell it GO either way. It is NAVY up to you really. Decide what GO career path NAVY you want to take.

Navy Intel. See the world. I saw 63 countries in my first five years. Top that wing nut. Nothing is for free. It will cost you blood, sweat and a lot of tears.

The air force seems nice enough. Just seems boring to me. They make rank at a snails pace also.

And if you really want a job you can make money at when you get out and not just lip service, go CTN.

Good luck.
 
What are you looking to do in the service? I would talk to a recruiter from each branch and see which one lines up with your personality best. Thank-you for wanting to serve and the best of luck to you on your choice.
 
With the political climate nowadays, I wouldn't want to serve in the military; too many politicians in uniform and out of uniform who do not have your best interests in mind. You may well become a "throwaway" person.
 
Like everything on this board, YMMV. For any intelligent reply, you need to provide us with more information on what you are looking for. An earlier poster talked about how lax the Air Force is and equated lax with better. There are plenty of people who feel completely the opposite. Post-enlistment employment opportunities are an important consideration but far from the only one. Provide some interests and goals and you'll get much better advice.
 
Top Bottom