What branch of the military would be right for me?

Leah

I'm not sure what branch you should go for. And as an enlisted person in the army that has seen a LOT of bad officers... I honestly would recommend you joining enlisted first, and then when you make at least paygrade E-4 or E-5 (Specialist and Sergeant in the Army), then do the Green to Gold Program, which is where you switch from Enlisted to Officer. That way, you get to see both sides of the fence and you will see which side is greener. And, you may get a little bit more respect from your lower enlisted soldiers because of the fact you've been there, done that, and had to deal with how crap rolls down hill. Officer does pay more though.

When you talk to a recruiter and you mention your Chemical Engineering Degree, they will automatically try to prep you up for a career in the Chemical Corps or Engineering.

Now Engineers would be okay. They build bridges and stuff. Kinda cool.

Do NOT go into the Chemical Corps. That is WAY off from what your degree is. I'm a Chemical Soldier. We Detect Chemical/Biological/Nuclear Attacks, we do Decontamination, then we also do Smoke Recon which is using these big generators to blow smoke into the air. Basically to make cover for a convoy or a troop from Aerial View (It will just look like a huge white fog over the area). We are also the ones in charge of the Protective Masks (Gas Masks) and stuff like that.

You may even want to see if you can get a lab job. At MEPS (where you sign your contract and your recruiter will NOT be with you) you can ask them more about what would go with your degree. Those people don't care about getting points from you joining, so they may be a bit more honest than a recruiter would be. They get paid more if they meet their point quota. Not all recruiters are shaddy (there ARE some really good ones out there), but mine was.They told me Chemical Corps was in a lab, which is what I wante d to do. :-( But it's okay.

And you know what though? You may also be interested in trying to get a job that has nothing to do with your degree at all. You realize that you can get college credits for your service time and your military job? Some careers give little credits, like Chemical Corps is only 25 college credits, depending on your rank and skill level.. I'm sure other jobs, like MP or MI would be more. MP, for instance, with one full year of active duty in most states do not have to go to school for law enforcement. They just go to cop "bootcamp" and then they get the job. Being MP in the military is just as good as a degree in civilian world in some locations.

Anyway... just thought I'd give you something to munch on there.

SnowWebster2

Yeah, your chemical engineering degree will come in real handy with the SEALS - especially when we deploy our illegal chemical weapons..........bwhahahaahhaahhhahahah.

Can you shoot, swim, and talk 4 languages???

MAC

I honestly don't know how to answer your question with the information given. A Masters Degree would lead me to believe you should join as an Officer. The Navy has lots of uses for engineers, although a SEAL is kind of a specialist in certain areas. To be a SEAL you go through a very very rigorous ordeal. My hats off to those guys. Most individuals do not pass BUDS, so you need to think of what you will be doing. Also in the Navy Officers are line officers which means they will be put in leadership roles and frankly with a Masters degree you should be looking into the officer programs. Check with officer recruiters for all the Branches, If you want to serve I want you to. Good Luck with your hunt.

CPO US Navy

Miscellaneous

If you're going to waste months of your life in BUD/S, make sure you pass!

Pirate

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