Should I go into College or go into the military?

If your college is still paid for by your family after the military, then go do what you've wanted to do your whole life.

The only thing bad is, if you go to the military, after you have served you may lose ambition for college, as well as some of your knowledge you learned from high school.

Follow your heart and ask the people close to you what they think.

Also, make a pro's and con's list.

Hello i'm 34 and an ex-enlisted army soldier.I got my bachelors degree first and joined the army as an enlisted Specialist with the rank of E-4 so i was never a private.That's one benefit right there because a college degree will help you get a higher rank to start which means more pay.I wanted to see how it was to be an enlisted man and then i figured i could apply to become an officer after some time if i chose to stay in.With a college degree you can become an officer which means you will make more money than an enlisted man and have more power since you would be a leader giving orders and not a follower and who doesn't want that.If you join the military at say 17 or 18 you would probably enter as a private E-2 and possibly an E-1.If you enter at the age of 21 or 22 you could be a commisioned officer, a 2nd lieutenant lets say,have a college degree and be in charge of 40 soldiers.It sounds like you want to do college and the military so maybe you can be patient and look for a college with a ROTC(Reserve Officer Traning Corp) program.The commitment for an officer to start is usually 6 years and for an enlisted man they usually start with at least 2 years.A commissioned officer can become as high a rank as General and an enlisted man can become as high a rank as the non-commissioned rank of Sergeant Major.I recommend you get your college degree out of the way first and then concentrate on your military career by going in as a commissioned officer.Good luck.

I would say definitely college. People go in the military because they can't afford college, and after they get out they get some help with college from the GI Bill. A lot of guys in the military would MUCH rather have gone to college if they'd been able to.

If you really want to go in the military, wait until AFTER college. If you still want to.

There are ways to do both, more or less at the same time. Most importantly, go to college first. Go to a college that has ROTC and get into the service you prefer. ROTC stands for Reserve Officer Training Corps so they'll be preparing you to become an officer (leadership, management). The USMC has the Platoon Leaders Class Program. You join after your freshman or sophomore year. There's no on-campus training; you go to "OCS" for 2 summers 6 weeks each. You have the option of quitting anytime up to graduation. They have the option of taking money for college (which adds to your active service time) or not. Since your parents are paying for college, you wouldn't have to take USMC money. Another big advantage is, since there's no on-campus training, you can attend the univ of your choice. DO NOT talk to your local recruiter about the PLC program. They are interested in filling their quota for enlistments. Contact your area Officer Selection Officer, usually located in major cities. Google "Marine Corps Officer Selection Office" in the largest city closest to you. Bottom line: go to college first. There's very little chance you'll come back if you join after high school, even with "the benefits".

I went into the military first to pay for the second. Though I would never swap the friends and memories I have, had I the money (or grades for scholarships) when I graduated high school then I would have gone straight to college. Go to college...the military is not fun and games; people make it fun and games to cope.

Well I was thinking that I could join the US Navy after graduating HS. The military gives you TONS and TONS of benefits. Your family could get a break from paying for college because the military pays over 95% of your college tuition. Talk to your local recruiter, they will sort things out for you and help you plan things out. Good luck!

I think you should go to college first and then go to the military.

Most of the time the "family" will pay for college if you go right out of high school. I really do not see you going into the service, serving 4+ years, getting out and still have your family pay for college. Besides, you will have the GI Bill.

Why make your choice one or the other? Try to get into one of the academies. That way you get an education and you get to serve. Or sign up for ROTC in college and go that route.

If you want to go into the military go ahead. If you would rather go to college then do so if you have a plan of what you want to major and where you want to work.

If your having trouble and money for school is not an issue why check out the Reserves and the National Guard. That way you can do both. If it turns out you like the military better than school you can transfer to active duty. I will advice you however this is easier in the reserves than the guard.