I posted this on the army discussion forums but thought this might be the best place to get some insight.

I stumbled upon this forum in my search for any information to help me in my choice.

First I'll give you some background. I am an eighteen year old electronics technology major at Texas State Technical College. I am a few weeks from the end of the summer semester and will have about 40 credit hours when this semester finishes. My degree is only an AAS but leaves opportunity to get a bachelors later. this semester I have been feeling that longer I am in school the less I am interested in office life I am no doubt spiraling toward.

I have been thinking about dropping out of college to enlist in the army (or some form of military). I am intelligent and motivated but unsure about such a drastic life change. I'm not really worried about money or any of that but I want to do something with my life that I enjoy and has a purpose. I can't stand the idea of working in an office or lab for 20 years till I retire (if then).

Any insight or stories of the army would be very appreciated. Especially those involving Cavalry Scouts because that is the area I am most interested. Also life after the military and job opportunities.

I also plan to take online courses whenever possible during my military career if I go down that path.


Thanks for the help.

Sitting in a college classroom and working at a job are two completely different things. As far as the civilian work force is concerned now, getting a college degree seems to be the pre-requisite to a lot of jobs. With the workforce so full of college grads, a Bachelors is almost losing face value.

Keep in mind that what your major is may have little or no impact on your future career. There are Officers running nuclear powered submarines with English and History degrees. As for me, I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering w/ nuclear energy conversion; most would scream that I'd work in a nuke plant for the rest of my life. I don't have any intention of doing that, let alone anything in the engineering field.

Then there's the statistic that the average person will change their career 5-8 times in their lifetime before they retire. Most people switch because of that reason. They don't want to be a Dilbert locked in a cubicle doing horizontal work.

One thing you should never do is downplay the value of education. If it's there for your taking, you better snatch it. I've been in the Navy for 8 years, and in that time, about 6 of it was school or some form of training. Words like "dropping out" should raise a concern. If you're willing to drop out of a college, who's to say you're willing to drop out of the military when shyt hits the fan?

Aside from online courses, I'd also recommend looking into how you can get the military to pay for your school. I'm not talking about the recruiter's off-the-shelf package deal for Montgomery G.I.; I'm talking about trying to get a contract to have the military send you to specialized training, or hell, maybe an officer ROTC program or something. Finish that degree and finish what you started, or you'll be kicking your own ass later.

I'm NOT an officer recruiter or a recruiter by any means. The decisions you make when you join are solely yours, because you're the one signing ink to paper. Just remember there are plenty of options, and you shouldn't run the track wearing blinders.

My degree is only a two year degree. I have no intentions of tacking two more years on. Don't think I'm running away from education or quiting because I can't hack it. I make straight A's with no effort. I have a few personal reasons and philosophies in life that I feel can be best fulfilled in a different life path. while I am unsure about the length of service I may decide on I am sure that I will be able to handle what is asked of me for my entire time in service. I understand that education is valuable but the terms which I receive it on should not be dictated in the way it currently is. Perhaps I am ranting but i feel that the current U.S. education system favors a time spent over a knowledge gained philosophy and that the schools are more worried about budgets and rankings than the quality of the classroom they are presenting. I think college so far has been a mediocre experience but I think I'm just heading for a mediocre career field as it is.

Ont he note of your degree note determining your career field I can not argue because I don't have a degree or a career but i do know that an associates in electronics technology will get me a decent paying job sitting behind a desk or working on an oil platform. At the risk of sounding childish. That sounds like the most boring future ever.

I appreciate your opinion and hope more will post.

Thanks