anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

talked to an air force reserve recruiter at school and am actually considering joining up after i get my bachlors next spring. my question is i know this dude is full of ---- and is telling me ---- just to get me to join up but how much of it is actually ture, i know we got a lot of people here in the millitary, what are your opinions

I will be joining as an officer because i will have my BS in biochem, he told me pay varies but average is around $500/month for bio major reservists doing 1 weekend a month/two weeks a year,,, is this even ture?

main reason i want to do is for tuition assistance because i want to go back to school after i graduate, he told me i would get "FULL tuition assistance to ANY school of my choice" free health/dental/life insurance, any truth to this?

My chances of getting deployed are very slim to none because of my field so do you guys think it is worth it? and lets try to keep the i hate/love bush, war, peace, hippies or arabs to a minimum, i just want to hear from people that have joined up or didnt and their reasons

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

i support the us government, id join but i have to finish paying off my fines first, reserves is for bitches, if your going to do it then do it .. be all you can be!!!! ;)

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

Atleast in IL and as far as the Army the reserves are the most jacked up. In that case I know several people transferring from the reserves to the National Guard. As a matter of fact there is a guy in my National Guard unit who has a biochem major and works for the EPA as a full time job. I don't really know the situation in your state/or the airforce. And I don't really know anything about the AirForce reserves or the Air National Guard.

To be more clear when I say jacked up... I know some guys in the reserves who didn't get a bonus at all from the reserves and this was after both basic and AIT.

With that said, I don't know anyone who has had a problem with the National Guard and getting bonuses and their GI bill stuff. I'm a junior in Army ROTC and also an E5 cadet in the national guard btw.

Just reread your post... 500 a month?....hmm... i dunno about that... As a 2LT O1 I don't think you'd make quite that much. Is he referring to drill pay? You can look that up online. Just search for Air Force Reserves pay rate for an O1. (Just checked payscale for Army reserves. <2 years in as an O1 you earn 320ish a month.)

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

You're retarded. You are going to be graduating college with a degree in biochem and you are thinking of joining the army for the money???? The only reason you should join the armed forces at this point is if you have a strong urge to be in the armed forces because of what it stands for. Otherwise join monster.com and start sending out your resume. Also, use your brain. Let's say the US gets involved with N. Korea or Iran. You will get sent over there because of the threat of various biochemical warfare. So is that $500 worth putting your life at risk? Again, monster.com and find a job.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

don't do it for grad school money, you probably wont get anything worth what you're doing. Just look out for scholarships and grants to get you through grad school, there's a lot more than you'd think.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

I am in the reserve now. I served 8 years of active duty. right now I have a GS job as a civilian and reserve once a month, plus 2 weeks a year. its easy and ok. I get paid $300 a month for only working 2 days a month. plus the reenlistment bonus was $15k but I think as a first timer you should go active. because the reserve still gets deployed, and you dont have full benefits.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

i knew a few guys that thought that they could go into the reserves and not goto war. lol, joke was on them because right after bootcamp and school there ass's were on a plane to iraq. and the recruiters are paid to lie to try and get people to join to make their quota. if it takes him making bs promises to you then so be it. when i was in bootcamp the number one thing i heard was "but my recruiter said.....", they are all full of ----. if he promises you anythign get it in writing.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

I say go all out... As said earlier you get more benefits and a higher pay i believe. Plus you wouldn't be a -----. ;)

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

your a pretty pretty arrogant ----. ::)

================================================== ============================

The air force is laid back as ---- and litterly throws money out to there troops or airman or whatever they are called. Like any other place of duty or employment, you have your good things and your shitty things. Take it for what you will. You go to a bootcamp/OCS school, become an officer...spend your time doing your little one weekend a month, two weeks a year, the Air Force would probably pay for your college...yes, you would get your benifits and you would most likely still be able to land a slammin job with your peice of paper you've worked so hard to get....and still get your reserve $$

Sounds to me like what the recruiter told you was factual from my 5.5 years of Active duty...

If you wanna know the pay charts, google is your friend. Officers with specific backgrounds also have entitlements, like a surgeon in the Navy, and is a captain (0-3 or whatever) isn't gonna get O-3 pay...they will get the o-3 pay and about $40g's mroe a year because of there edcuation...which still isnt ----...but you get the point. So when he told you $500 a month...im sure its a rough estimate, and he was also thinking about entitlements. But you also gotta figure in the aspect of them covering your school costs. Working 2 days a month (which is really like 10-12hrs total, and probably 8 of those hours will be spent shootin the ----/sittin on the internet) for 4 years to have someone pay your college tuition is pretty dam sweet...and give you benifits...lets get real. that alone IMO would be the dam payment to you for your services...services...your in the service. You are prividing a service to your country. Dont forget that.

again, google is your friend. Anything and everything you wanna know is all on the internet. Ill gladly anwser any questions you have, and anwser them to the best of my ability. I have a few people who ive talked to about the military. Wish someone would have talked to me before I joined.


-Frank

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

You're a ------- douchebag. Have you served? If not, STFU.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

You are kidding yourself if you don't think you can be deployed. I personally know several folks in non combat arms MOS's that got activated and shipped to the 'raq. If you look at the percentages, Reserves get deployed a hell of a lot more than the regular Army/AF/Navy/Marines.

Doesn't matter if you purify water, engineer mushrooms, or make grid squares, man. If you sign up, especially in these times, you're taking a big risk. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I served my year in Afghanistan, and while it was fun and fucked at the same time, I'd never volunteer to go back.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

tell your friends they are ------- stupid. joining the military, not wanting to go to war....yet joining during the time of war... ::)

9 times out of 10, the person joining is just as stupid. Perfect example right here....and most common

you go to a recruiter....he tells you there MIGHT be a bonus for a specific MOS...or job. You interpeript that as "im gettin a fat ------ bonus" Then come time for you to sign the paperwork...guess what...no bonus, and you never even thought to look for the bonus. Now your pissed because that bonus that MIGHT be there...isnt...and YOU never thought to look for it on YOUR contract that YOU signed.

Lets put that bonus thing to perspective. Bonus' are based upon a specific job.
You usually dont enlist into a specific job. You enlist into a job feild...which is a broad range of jobs. Like in my case...I enlisted into communications, or the 06 feild. Jobs have a number associated with them. The first two numbers are your feild, and the last 2 are your specific job.

ok, so when I RE-enlisted...I got a bonus.
Heres how that works. im a 0621, radio operator. I rated a bonus. A 0622 didnt rate a bonus. So if you enlist as an 06 and there MIGHT be that bonus...if you get a 0622 job....you WONT get the bonus...if you get the 0621...well there, you get the bonus.

Your specific job isnt decided upon you. Its decided upon the needs of the military. If you are promised a job, thats your incentive and you probably wont get the bonus.

complicated but try to understand that....

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

Whoa there bud, it was just a joke... There's Midol in the medicine cabinet prick.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

Take everything your recruiter tells you as a lie. Verify everything you think you're getting on the contract. They'll take you to MEPS to give you a fancy test to tell you how smart you are (ooh sounds like fun) and then you're going to sit down and get pressured into signing the contract. If you go to meps and not sign a contract, they consider you to be wasting thier time. Just a heads up.

Don't sign up for anything but reserves. With reserves you'll go through the same bootcamp, and the same tech school as anyone else. After going through these things you'll either really like it and switch to active duty, or you can say ---- that and go home to do your one weekend a month. You can wake the base commander up at 3 in the morning and he'll smile when you say you wanna go active, but try going from active to reserves on his best day and he'll ---- your mother in front of you and say no. Reserves allows you to keep your options open.

Be prepared to eat, sleep, live, and die military. If you go to a club off base, there's a good chance the DJ will ask you for a 341. You're owned, 24 hours a day.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

You learn to live with it Steve. Not to many people join the military thinking they are getting a job like McDonalds. Something must be right with the military, quotas are above average and people are re-enlisting. I just processed about 60 extensions for people voluntering to go to Iraq.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

ya not everyone is a liberal, some people join the fight ;) i only owe about a g in fines after that im out

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

once you are out of basic and tech school they dont use 341's anymore and unless you have a very very long tech schooll you are allowed off base in civillian clothes and can stay out and party as much as you want after 2 or so weeks provided your pt scores meet the very pathetic guidlines for "phasing up"

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

ummm....dont quite know what your refering to but when I was in school....i did what the hell I wanted to once the school day was done. If I wanted to meet a chic at motel 6 for the night, i did so.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

My dad retired after Desert Storm and recently went back to the reserves. He's getting $350 a month for a weekend a month. Says that they don't make the vets do ---- (at least in Newnan, GA) and they just might send him to the border :P

But yeah, if you're young then you're probably being lied to about not being deployed. Remember, they just "found out" that Iran is supplying weapons to Iraq. Whether or not they really are, we'll probably be at war with them soon. Let's not forget about N. Korea either...

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

leave N. Korea to us here in Okinawa ;)

google why US forces are in the pacific...

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

phase 1 is a month. You don't get to leave base until phase 3, and even then you have to be back by a certain time. So three months at tech school to go off base and then a seargent does a room raid while you're at school and doesn't like the way you made your bed. Phase 1, day 1, and you want to murder someone. The babysitting is outragous.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

I just tossed on my civies and always went out the fire escape door that wasn't armed all the time. I transfered tech schools and was out of basic for months and still had to deal with that 341 ----. Sheppard AFB can lick my ass. That place is the ---- hole of ---- holes. I actually liked Lackland and ghetto ass Medina. My old building where we stayed on Medina was actually a condemned building. They had part of the building blocked off and rooms sealed off it was soo bad. :X

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

Once you start making phase cards in your room, it's DBA status from there. 8)

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

I'm a slob when it comes to my room and i never failed a inspection that tells you something. :y

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

It tells me you probably didn't live with other DBA's and seargants never came to your room. Crack houses get raded more than suburban houses.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

wow it only took three post for somebody to start talking ----! For the record I'm not a retard, i just dont know ---- about the armed forces and asked people that do so i could learn,

Heres my situation, If i get a job out the bat from school i start out in the 30-40k range with my degree with a potential to earn 50-60k after a couple of years of experience. and a cap of 80-100k with just a bachelors of science

My plan is to take a year off school after i graduate to settle in and go to pharmacy school for another 4 years to start making some really sweet $$$, pharmacists start out at 70k and its a very high demand field with an income cap of around $250k

problem is grad school is ------- expensive, 20k/year for CU, 40k/year for Reges/DU(private schools in CO) and a full time commitment 9-5 Mon-Thurs +study time/Home work, and even with my grades 3.6 overall its hard as ---- to get a scholarship.

So this Air force reserve/Air National guard thing seems really good if they pay for my 100k in tuition and give me a part time income. Air force also takes care of their own, low interest loans, free airfare, health, dental bla bla bla oh and those sick ass license plates :)

Im not scared of getting sent out, chances are if i do get sent out i will be stationed in a hospital somewhere doing labwork. i just dont like the idea of leavin my home, girl, family to go fight some raghead

im just interested in the idea, is it worth it to go Air force reserve or Air National Guard?

holy ---- that was a lot of typing, thanks for the input people, def gave me something to think about

one more ques, assuming dude isn't lying bout starting as an officer

Is the lowest ranking officer in the AF a SECOND LIEUTENANT O1?

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

I think the military for your situation would be a big waste of time. As much as they make it sound like, the benefits aren't that great. Your "free airfare" is on a military plane if it happens to be going somewhere you want to go.
I met a kid at checkers last night that just got out of the army after 7 years, and he was complaining because the only job he could find was at Sears.

There's specific limitations on when you use the GI bill, and how much will be paid for your school. Just go to graduate school on the credit card, pay it off after you're making buku bucks, and to thank me later all you have to do is send me a bottle of the OC. O0

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

4 year degree... teach at a local college. Most colleges will pay for further schooling. 26 year old girl at my college, my english teacher, has been teaching there part-time for a few years and they've paid for her masters and her doctorate. Do that, get paid for doing a bs job and move on from there.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

The free airfare thing....its exactly how steve pointed it out. And its all military. Its called Space available....or space A....also refered to as a MAC flight.

you go sign up for a flight, if they have an empty seat, you get on. if the flight changes, your fucked. Its a great deal if you A) dont have a schedual and B) you dont mind getting stuck somewhere and waiting on the next flight (refer to A)

IDK, I dont think you can go wrong with it. Even if they dont cover all $100k, they will cover some of it. Work 1 weekend a month, get part of your college paid for, and earn an income...why not?

And yes, you will be a o-1. Also refered to as butter bars.

From Steves POV, I think hes one to support the military, but didnt succede (sp) at military life...so I sorta see his views on things.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

dont do it man. go to school, get an education.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

Or maybe it was because I knew if I didn't waste my time I would be able to get to work on what I've created and not spend 4 years in Nebraska, only to get out with nothing.

The military wants lifers. They're not really trying to offer you this big advantage in life for spending 4 years and leaving. ----, the first year is usually training anyway.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

If you only plan on spending 4 years in the Military, you better spend as much time of it as possible going to school (School that will get you a degree) because when you get out your gonna be exactly where you started if you don't. I went to college for a few years before I joined the Marine Corps and only have about 40 credits left to go before I have a pretty decent degree... A degree combined with 4 years of honorable military service will get you hired over someone with that same degree, but don't go thinking that just because you were some hotshot in the Military employers are gonna care because if your not educated your not gonna get looked at twice...

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

Pharmacists do not make $250k nor do they start at 70k. I come from a family of pharmacists and I know none of them make that kind of dough. I'm fairly sure the average is somewhere in the $40-80k range. Do whatever you want, but I wouldn't ever join up for the college money. I'd much rather go into $100,000 of debt than be owned by the government.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

C.C-F.A.B IS A JOKE.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

realize that you are signing up for a good chance to fight in a war, not a part time job

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

I guess I'll throw in my two cents since I had to consider a similar situitation as you. Here are your options, and these will be from the perspective of Army, AF may have more money to allocate i don't know. If you go into the reserves they will pay for a portion of your pharmacy school. You will still have to take on debt, the cap on TA through the reserves is 2500 a year, not bad for undergrad but for you probably won't help much. The AF may have more money to allocate through that program, but I would check. MGIBILL pays about 300$ a month without a kicker(extra money added through your contract), only while you are a full time student(>12hrs a semester). I used these things to pay for my undergrad, but now I'm headed to professional school and the trade off isn't worth it. If your in the reserves you are subject to deployment and being pulled from school to be deployed for a year or two will erase any benefits since thats 1-2 years of income you just lost. So reserves is your 1st option, the second is the HPSP program. This is a scolarship the military services offer where they will pay for your professional school, and you are undeployable, they will also give you 1300 a month to live off. Once you finish school, you will owe them 4years active for a 4year school. After those 4yrs you are debt free and can start your carreer. The 3rd option is take loans and pay them off, you will have to weigh these options. The more a civillian pharmacist job pays the less attractive the HPSP will seem, because you will be able to pay the loans off easily. My advice is talk to some pharmacists, find out what they really make, this will make the choice easier, also make sure you will be happy as a pharmacist. I decided to take the HPSP, but know that if you dislike the military, or the idea of someone telling you what to do once you are a pharmacist this may not be the path for you.

Re: anybody in the reserves, is it worth it?
 

thanks for all the info and inputs people, it looks like this ---- isn't for me... looks like im looking at six digits of student loans, i got this far paying my ---- off i just hate the idea of loans and debt