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I (25F) have started the enlisting process. I’m confident in my decision and I look forward to this. My parents are unhappy about the decision and keep asking me to consider other careers in the civilian world. I have a college degree and they’re mad that I’m not using it. I wanted to enlist when I graduated high school but they talked me out of it and convinced me to do college. I got my degree and am now in a career field I hate. (Do not tell me I should commission- I have looked into it and I don’t want to be an officer at this point). My mom won’t look at me when we have conversations and my dad calls me every night asking me to reconsider. I don’t want to leave like this but also don’t know what to do. Any advice on how to navigate this?

I took the ASVAB in 11th grade and I’m now in the 12th grade. I was talking to an Army recruiter and I asked him about my score from a couple months ago and he said since I was 16 at the time I took it, it can’t be used for enlistment. However, when I do research online, it says nothing about how old you are to use it for enlistment, it just says if you were in 11th or 12th grade when you took the ASVAB CEP test you can use it for enlistment. I also talked to a Coast Guard recruiter and they said I could use it for enlistment so maybe the army recruiter is mistaken I’m not sure.

I have always admired the military and I’ve been curious about it ( I planned enlisting in high school but I put it aside). Now, I’ve graduated with a bachelor’s in cyber, I have certs, I have one year of experience and well… the job market sucks. I have tailored my resume a trillion times, have been referred for roles, gotten rejected another billion times etc. I am changing my strategy now to cold email recruiters, going to conferences and well continue applying. I am working as a part time remote interpreter and I really dread it but it’s whats making me money atm. I have tried contacting people at my prev job but there are “no open roles” and well if by next year I don’t have a job then I am really considering just enlisting. I know there is the officer route for cyber but I’ve been told is very competitive. I am considering Air Force and Space Force and maybe Army. I don’t have any medical issues , clean records etc but I would like for y’all’s opinion. TIA!

A whole year ago I was involved in an accident that left me with a partial patellaectomy and titanium mesh plates in my forehead. I was planning on going before the accident, however some family business and drama kept me from doing so. I'm sick of my current spot in life and am dying to escape from it. If anyone could please give me some insight I would greatly appreciate it.

I have a bachelors degree in forensic biology but have had no luck finding a job with it other than becoming a police officer. As a result, I have been speaking with an army recruiter about potentially enlisting for a 17C, 35F or 35N position so I can eventually join a federal agency such as the FBI or do digital forensics when I get out. At the same time, many people have told me to become an officer rather than enlisting because the pay and quality of life is better. The issue with that is that I do not get to choose my job as an officer and may have a longer contract. I just want to make sure that the decision that I am making is a good one before I sign a 4 year contract.

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Army sfas

I'm 27yrs and want to join sfass as medic 18D.

My only two issues are my age I'm a bit older so I'm not sure if they'll accept me?

Second is I'm going to have surgery on my right shoulder and recovery is about 6-9 months and full recovery is about 12 months. And with preparation for sfas stretching it another 12 months

Would I be disqualified at meps and would I be eligible for SFAS?

Heys guys! I have really weird question about that.
I am a green card holder and I am about to finish my bachelors degree. But I stopped a year ago, I am missing 3 semesters.
i am 26yo, I want to join the army, finish my school and try to become an officer in the army.
Do you guys know the path for it?
Because one of my friend told me I can apply to become an officer before I finish school.

Ps.: I must join first to get my citizenship

I’ve been told that I have to wait 6 months to enlist in the army after a miscarriage. I am just wondering if there are any waivers that could speed up the process? For reference it was a 6 week pregnancy and it has been a month and half since the passing, my cycle is back and I’m not experiencing any lingering symptoms.

I'm instrument rated and have a bachelor's degree. Which branch gives the best odds for a pilot seat: Army officer, Air Force, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard? I'm also wondering whether a Guard unit is a better option than active duty for getting a pilot slot. Any firsthand advice on selection and what to expect would be appreciated.

I have 2 different DUI charges pending in different counties. I also have served 5 years in the Army’s Reserve. I know that I will have to wait till these things are resolved in order to even think of enlisting. But they are just traffic violations because neither of them resulted in any accidents. I’m 26 right now and want to do the right thing just feel like I had a rough go at things. Do I have any chances?

Hello, I am looking into 35M and 35L (Army Intelligence) , particularly reserve due to wanting school taken care of. I hold a dual citizenship in a Poland, a EU NATO country, For context, I was born in the states and inherited citizenship through a parent. Do I have to renounce citizenship 100%? Can I just not use my second passport when traveling? Got a short answer from another recruiter in the office while talking to my actual reserve recruiter. Curious if anyone had experience with this?

I’ve been looking into joining the marine corps but I decided to look up my medical history and I did have a note for major depressive disorder. That was a note back from 11/27/2023 but it was just a screening that I don’t recall calling them to do the screening. I did have that from 2015 I believe where I was prescribed prozac but only took 3 times and never got a refill. Ever since then I’ve been a lot better. I know it’s not a for sure but what do I do in this case

Hey everyone. I’m trying to join the military but i have mixed thoughts about Zepbound. I’m hoping anyone can clear some of the mixed signals. So, about a year ago. I started the process of joining the Army reserves.

I completed all the requirements including a great asvab score (110) across the board. Unfortunately, I was still overweight and trying to lose weight. At the moment I wasn’t following a steady workout routine and just taking Zepbound. I needed then and now to lose 60 pounds of fat to be on weight standards.

Last year meps did not disqualify me but told me to get off the Zepbound and lose weight and come back in a year. My army recruiter still hasn’t contacted me a year over… I got in contact with the air force recently and told the recruiter what had happened with meps and the army. Their answer was to lose at least 40 pounds before even basic and to be at 191lbs by the time i do basic.

Im still in the same weight as before because I wasn’t able to even go to the gym in the past 12 months (life). But now im back and have been sustaining a good workout routine plus diet. Im wondering if i could use zepbound to help me but i dont want to run into the same issue with meps once more.

Can anyone give me sone factual clarity on how the military is handling the use glp 1’s and weight standards right now? I just want to lose weight, without Zepbound it would be more time and time is not something i have a lot of at this moment. Thank you everyone.

What branch allows you to potentially join as an officer if you have an RE-3 discharge code? Long story short I joined the Coast Guard (2022) as AD Enlisted, during my time I had a loss in my family and was allowed to be discharged from basic training. Fast forward to now, I finished my degree and have heavily considered joining the military again and just want to know what branches are even an option if any given my past.

Hey everybody, I'm an older guy in my 30s and I feel like my life isn't really going anywhere, so I've decided to join the military.

The Army and Coast Guard are my top choices. I've already looked into the Air Force as a lot of people suggest here, but the wait time is going to be way too long. I want to leave in a few months if possible.

I've talked with an Army recruiter who thinks I'm a pretty good candidate. While I'm older I do HIIT classes several times a week and I'm in good shape condition. My running needs work.

I have a friend who was in the Coast Guard for about 10 years and he recommended going to talk to a Coast Guard recruiter first, which I'm going to go do tomorrow.

What I'm interested in doing in the military is Intelligence.

Specifically Psychological Operations or Counterintelligence in the Army. The Coast Guard has Counterintelligence, but from what I've read, it's a little hard to get into here.

My friend who was in the Coast Guard and worked with some other branches said everybody was basically jealous of the quality of life the Coast Guard had, including the food.

He said it'd be a lot easier to probably join the Coast Guard first and then go into the Army later if I really wanted, rather than the reverse. I was just curious what some people's opinions here about that?

He also said because of my age he thinks the Coast Guard would be a much better choice. He said a lot of people would join the Coast Guard later because they don't have any restrictions on prior service. He knew a lot of older people that joined and basically loved the Coast Guard compared to other branches.

I'm definitely committed to doing this. I shouldn't have any medical issues, except I did have a pilonidal cyst surgery about two to three years ago, which I believe MEPS doctors are probably going to notice.

What do people think?

Feels like I've been bothering my recruiter too much by asking for status updates even though it's not really in his control anymore. The range of answers online vary from days to months.

My recruiter submitted my packet for the medical prescreen almost a month ago and haven't heard back yet. The only thing I have listed on there is a surgery that I had as a kid. The surgery resulted in the removal of tissue so there wasn't a way out of disclosing it as it would've been immediately obvious during a physical examination. My recruiter asked for operation notes but from what I understand the packet only includes a written description of the surgery from the recruiter himself.

The thing is my recruiter told me he recently submitted a packet for someone else with a similar condition and it got cleared in 2-3 days. My surgery does not affect me in any way other than the missing tissue. Should I be concerned that something is holding up my medical clearance or is MEPS simply backlogged?

Im know I want to be a firefighter when I graduate from college, but that goal will be much more attainable with veteran preference on my side. My dad, grandpa, grandpas bros were all firefighters at the same dept in NJ and also veterans. I'm at 75 credits right now; if I graduate, then I can get out of the Army at 24 and have my bachelor's, plus all of the benefits, on a good track to get the job offer from fire dept. Does anyone know if I can finish my bachelor's while on active duty?

Also i think im set on 11X Option 4 contract if anyone can tell me more insight would be appreciated.

I havent had any meaningful scripts for the last 9 years why is the recruiter asking for this? at most maybe antibiotics for illness. Came up as a surprise.

I’ve been in contact with a Coast Guard recruiter, and everything was going well until I learned that thyroid conditions can be disqualifying. For context, I’ve never been formally diagnosed with a thyroid condition, but I have seen an endocrinologist several times in the past because thyroid issues run in my family. At one point, I was prescribed medication because my heart rate had been elevated for several days, but I’ve never been told that I have a confirmed thyroid diagnosis.
I disclosed this history to my recruiter, including the medication I had been prescribed, and he didn’t raise any concerns or indicate that it would prevent me from moving forward with the enlistment process. I also have documentation from my doctor saying all my levels are normal.
My question is: Do I still have a realistic chance of joining the Coast Guard, or is my medical history likely to disqualify me?

Hello, I am a 21 and recent graduate in the Dallas area as of 2026 and can't find a suitable job to start my career. To be transparent my mom is encouraging me to leave the house by March 2027, so ideally I would like to join the military for many opportunities such as housing, networking, and career options. I received my bachelors degree in Communication/Marketing( fun but not worth it) along with a minor in Human Services and Leadership management. As of October I will also be finishing Anatomy and Physiology classes for Radiography by November. However, I am more genuinely more afraid of going into debt than death considering I got my degree for free.

With that said, I have talked to an AIr Force Recruiter and it went smooth. I received a 73 on my pre test and she recommends I look into the officer program, but she did say it was extremely competitive. She also mentioned I could enlist than commission as an officer. After this post I am planning on going to the Army recruiter as I wait for my documents to come via mail.

With that said, the questions I have what seems like a better route to take? Is the army quality of life that bad compared to the Air force? I going into the military open-minded, however I would like to become and X-Ray tech while serving. I was genuinely surprised to see that have that option as in the Air force which challenge my position of either the Air force or Army. Another question I have, what jobs transfer best to the civilian life? Again, I am open mined from public affairs, to intel and would like to research as much as possible before choosing. Lastly, what can i expect financially in the service, do I pay for the dorms, food, etc. I would like to save as much money as possible if necessary. Last question for real, how long can I expect to wait in the Army compared to the Air Force.

At the moment, I am leaning Air Force, but the Army is looking reasonable for my situation and would like the pros and cons of both.

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I’m currently in the Air Force recruiting process and just passed the ASVAB. I was told I need a credit waiver because of my credit history. My recruiter said this means I won’t be eligible for Top Secret jobs. I asked if I could pay off what I owe and avoid the waiver, but he said no since the issues are already on my credit report.

I had a car repossessed last year after I lost my job and fell behind on payments. They took the car back.

I currently have about $2,000 in debt for something else and I’m trying to figure out:

• Has anyone gone through a credit waiver and still gotten a decent job, or does it pretty much limit you to lower-tier options?
• Does a past repo count against you separately from the general credit issues, or is it all just part of the same waiver?
• If I pay off the $2,000 before I ship or before the waiver is fully processed, does that help at all with job selection or the waiver itself, or is it too late once it’s already flagged?

I’m not trying to hide anything, I just want to know if there’s anything I can do to improve my chances of getting a better job, or if I should just accept the waiver and move forward with whatever’s available. Any experiences or advice from people who’ve dealt with credit issues or waivers would help.

Thanks.

Hi all, was wondering if they ask overseas medical record when enlisting?

For history of voluntary mental hospital hospitalization for about a week overseas. It's been about 10 years since.