Military Advice?

**Detritus** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 1:21am

So I'm graduating college next year, and I've been giving some thought to what I'll do next. One idea that appealed to me was joining the Navy. I thought about joining straight out of highschool, but decided to go to college first, and see if I still wanted it after I was done. It still interests me, and since I'll have a degree, I was thinking about going for OCS and then intelligence or something to do with languages, which I'm good at.

Anyway, military members of bullshido, why did you join up with your particular branch, and do you feel it was worth it? Has anybody here gone through OCS in any branch?

PS: I've got some prior drug use (nothing hard), should I not mention this if I do decide to join?

**Carpe Noctem** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 1:51am

Be up front with the drug use. If you gloss it over and they find out, you've got problems. Especially if you want to be an officer AND intel.

If you want to go officer after college, why not go ROTC?

**Yrkoon9** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 2:14am

I went OCS in the Army.

I ain't gonna tell you what to say about the drug stuff. You do what you want. The result will be the same. Just hope you have about 5 bottles of Advil for the headache you are looking at. If it isn't in writing with witnesses...well...

Was it worth it? LOL.

**taijiamn** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 2:29am

Make sure you're really, really interested in languages, DLI (Defense Language Institue) is a pain in the ass.

**D Dempsey** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 8:27am

I don't know how much of a say you get in the Navy as far as your officer branch. If it is anything like how the Army does it good luck and choose carefully.

**Gezere** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 8:51am

Originally Posted by Detritus

So I'm graduating college next year, and I've been giving some thought to what I'll do next. One idea that appealed to me was joining the Navy. I thought about joining straight out of highschool, but decided to go to college first, and see if I still wanted it after I was done. It still interests me, and since I'll have a degree, I was thinking about going for OCS and then intelligence or something to do with languages, which I'm good at.

Anyway, military members of bullshido, why did you join up with your particular branch, and do you feel it was worth it? Has anybody here gone through OCS in any branch?

PS: I've got some prior drug use (nothing hard), should I not mention this if I do decide to join?

OCS is a headache and you will most likely piss off all the prior service guys if you do anything more than STFU and learn. I am an OCS graduate and the guys that got choke slammed where the ones who came straight out of college thinking they knew how to do things better and when they failed the prior service was always asked why they didn't stop them. :cwm10:

As far as drug use goes. You should be up front about it because if you go Intel (and will likely involve you eventually getting a TS) they WILL find out about it.

Lastly, FUCKING SQUID!!!

**Detritus** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 9:06am

Originally Posted by Carpe Noctem

Be up front with the drug use. If you gloss it over and they find out, you've got problems. Especially if you want to be an officer AND intel.

If you want to go officer after college, why not go ROTC?

It's nothing major, just some pot. As for ROTC, I go to a very small school with no ROTC program.

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 9:40am

Don't forget to check out the Guard and Reserves to see what they have to offer.

**SuperGuido** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 11:36am

^^ Wins the thread.

Think of the Reserves and National Guard as the "Shallow End" of the great big military swimming pool. Jump in, get your feet wet, and see if it works for you. If you love it, then there are PLENTY of ways to switch from Reserve/Guard to Active. Going from Active to Reserve/Guard...not so much.

Just make sure you are FULLY cognizant of the risks involved.

We're in the middle of a costly and unpopular war, and you very well may get activated the minute you hit your unit.

Do this: Assume you will spend six months to a year deployed after your initial training. Watch some videos of guys in the ****, read some articles, talk to some former servicemen...then see if it is something you can handle.

The last thing you want is to sign several years of your life away because you did not fully understand the situation you were getting into.

**D Dempsey** · Posted On: 5/31/2008 3:57pm

Another very important issue with getting your clearance is how far in the past you drug charge was. If it was over five years ago I wouldn't sweat it to much.