Can Somebody who is or has had previous military experience tell me the pros and cons of joining the military?

Without a degree, you'd go in as an enlisted. The pay sucks. The lower your rank/pay grade, the longer the wait for housing and the worse the conditions for housing. The good news there is that it's incentive to do well and get promoted quickly.

Dependent up the branch of service and your MOS (job specialty) you could conceivably stay in one location forever -- most have to move every three years. Minimally, deployments last 6 months and come around every three years. Most are now doing 8 month deployments, some are doing year long deployments. You get to see all of the armpits the world has to offer. In one deployment, I got to see Dubai, UAE four times well before it was anything but a sand box.

You get to do some REALLY cool things that you might never get to do as a civilian. I was never a "REAL" doctor, but I sure played one. I've done 5 appendectomies -- 3 without the benefit of a surgeon leaning over my shoulder! I once even talked someone through an appendectomy over a radio -- he was on a submarine.

While you are active duty, you get free health care for you and your family. If you stay and retire, you get it at a seriously reduced rate (I pay $115 every three months plus a $12 co-pay for doctors visits and my medicine usually costs me about $3 a month). But just think! If Obama care passes, you won't have to give up 20 years of your life to get it! (So where's the incentive to enlist?)

While on active duty, you can take college courses and the government pays upwards of 75% of the tuition so long as you get good grades. If you were to play it smart, you could conceivably walk away from a 4 year enlistment with a bachelors degree nad have paid very little to get it!

i was a marine infantryman for 4 years. I did 2 deployments, one being on a ship training with foriegn militaries all over the world, and the other was in Iraq being part of a security detachment for the US State Department. I really can't answer for every service, or for any other MOS in the marine corps. But I look back at my time in the military and if I had to do it again, I would.

I'm going to give you some of the cons before I give you the pros, that way I end with some happy notes. One thing I did not like about being in the infantry was how much harder it was for us to get promoted then some other MOS's that from my view did less work than us. Honestly, you say you are married, so I would stay away from any infantry MOS. My first training cycle before deployment was nuts. We we're constantly in the field. I dont know how some of those guys stayed married through all of that. Another con is deployment. Depending on when you go and where you go there are some pretty hard realities you have to face. Some memories will stay with you for life no matter how much you want them gone.

Enough of the cons tho. One thing I came out of the Marine Corps with was a whole bunch of friends across the nation I hope to stay connected with for the rest of my life. I did one 13 month deployment and another 7 month deployment. Both with the same guys. During those deployment I spent 24/7 with those guys. We fought sometimes, but for the most part I couldnt have dreamed I would become so close with people, good people. And dude, the pay is pretty good. I know with the amount of hours you work sometimes it feels like you dont make any money, but honestly its a steady paycheck. Anyways, I could go on forever about how things are, but unless your going in the USMC infantry, half of what I say wont matter. Good Luck!

Pros

Build a good work ethic

Understand responsibility and what it means to be a man, and have honor

Experience true adversity for the first time in your life

Start a college education, or get money for one

Support your family if you have one

Make friends for a lifetime

Cons

Might die (if you're combat arms, otherwise don't worry)

Might lose life-long friends

Find out you suck at the army, go AWOL and become felon

You're marriage might fall apart if you two aren't 110% committed.

Pretty simple really. I used to think the army and marine commercials about "be all that you all can be" were BS, but now I believe it, truly.

...you basically can get into any military career.

So, in other words you can be an aviator or you can be a mess cook?

I really think you have to develop allot better focus. When you can do that, give it a shot. It has it's benefits. Working for a company isn't all that good, you can work for a simple-minded uneducated @sshole who will drain your blood and pay you nothing to make himself rich.

existence long advantages basically incorporate retirement. short term advantages contain VA very own loan for housing, GI invoice for greater training, and so on. you may desire to communicate over with a recruiter and notice what you could qualify for with your scientific historic past. i understand the buddies in nursing isn't adequate for a value nonetheless. you have a bachelors, so a value is an determination nonetheless. determine what you like and what variety of shape you're in. that's no longer common on the physique.

that depends on what you want to do, there are a millions choices with your situation and if your really fit then pretty much you can try for anything from SF to being a pilot , go for something you want to do

You are better off working ANY job and going to community college than going into the military. They suck your blood and then drop you off.

Pros:

Benefits are nice for you and your family (health, education)

Guaranteed job, almost no matter how bad you mess anything up

Cons:

http://www.sadplayer.com/sta.php and how much time you'll be away from your family.

Divorce rates - http://usmilitary.about.com/od/divorce/a/divorcera...