Everybody’s always talking about why you should join the military, so I decided to give you five reasons not to join the military. Here they are in no particular order.
1. You want an education and have at least $100,000 just sitting around for you to use.
Education is very expensive, and $100,000 is actually a very conservative estimate for a four-year degree. If you don't want to take advantage of the military paying 100% of your tuition while on active duty and giving you upward of $50,000 through the GI Bill to use on active duty or after you get out, then the military is not for you.
2. You absolutely do not want to have a job that gives you any kind of vacation time.
If you are one of those people who never likes being away from the workplace, then the military is not for you. The military gives you 30 days of paid vacation every year starting with your first year. It could take 20 years with some civilian companies to accrue that much time off.
3. You get a scared feeling every time you even think about leaving your hometown.
Some people like where they live and have no desire to travel the world at someone else's expense. The military has installations all over the world and gives its members opportunities to travel like no other company in the world.
4. You would feel way too guilty receiving free medical care for you and your family.
Being riddled with guilt can be pretty terrible. If you can't imagine ever having free health care for you, let alone for your wife and kids, then the military is not for you. Imagine how bad you would feel accepting the military's world-class health care and not paying a dime for it.
5. You want to be really old when you finally retire from a company.
There's good news and bad news here. If you join the military at 18 years old, you can retire and start collecting your retirement at 38 years old. Now that is the bad news -- you won't be really old when you retire from the military. The good news is, you are only 38 years old and can go and work at another job until you are really old. The military's 20-year retirement is an awesome benefit if you want to retire young.
So there they are, five reasons not to join the military. It's not too late to change your mind, though. If you want to take advantage of any of these military benefits or the numerous others the military has to offer, you need to talk with a recruiter.
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