While some high school seniors are waiting anxiously for college acceptance letters to reach their mailboxes, other soon-to-be graduates are considering a different life path: enlisting in the military.
The noble profession has consistently received criticism over the past several decades, but with federal budget cuts leading to low wages, high risks, and sometimes-deceitful recruiting staff — even supporters are beginning to question the long-term value of military service.
Servicemen and women earn surprisingly low salaries. Geoff Williams of U.S. News and World Report noted that, “a private in the Army…can expect to make $18,194 a year,” for up to two years into their service, and this starting salary is similar across all branches of the military. This is over $3,500 less than a full-time minimum wage worker in Washington, D.C. can expect to make per year — and overseas military personnel work well over forty hours in a week.
At current enlistment salaries, soldiers are unable to support their young families. The military even needs its own version of food stamps to supplement low pay. “You join [the military] to serve your country. You don’t join it to get rich,” Williams said.
The risk factor, while perhaps obvious, is also important for prospective soldiers to consider. In 2010, the Pentagon reported more than 5,700 Americans killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and almost 40,000 others were wounded.
For these reasons, an anonymous author at Military Spot warned young people against making rash decisions in signing the military’s long-term contracts, saying, “It is a long time to commit to something, especially when you’re deciding what’s right after high school.”
“Recruiters will promise you the world to get you to enlist,” cautioned former USMC Lance Corporal Forrest Hicks, “but two-thirds of the time you won’t get a lot of what you’re promised.”
Despite these downfalls, the benefits are plentiful, and can “last years,” according to Forbes contributor Doug Dingus. From vacation time, to travel opportunities, free medical care, and the opportunity for early retirement, the benefits of military service can make it an exciting and valuable opportunity for young men and women.
“You will end up in peak shape,” Dingus wrote. “Your self confidence will improve…you get first aid skills…discipline becomes something real to you.”
“You get the GI bill that will pay for college for either you or your spouse or children,” added Hicks, though this federal tuition assistance has been lessened in recent years.
All in all, while military careers remain honorable and beneficial, with the federal government continuing to make cuts to military spending, it is important for high school seniors to consider all of their options before enlisting.
“If you’re not a good student or have no ambition to go to school after high school, the military will give you an amazing set of life skills and job experience that will transfer to a job in the civilian world,” Hicks remarked. “I would [go back to the Marines] in a heartbeat.”
