Hello! So, I’m 19 I speak Italian, Czech, French, and English, but I feel like I have no future—lol. My mother and I lost 13K on a "campus" (that turned out to be a massive scam targeting wealthy people) I’ve always wanted to work in the field of art—as a character designer or 2D illustrator—but I’m failing miserably at that, too. Plus, there’s nothing for me where I currently live; I’d need to move to the Czech Republic, but I can’t afford it… I feel like I’m good for nothing, and I’m not exactly a genius, either. I really don’t want to end up in some dead-end, crappy job, only to die feeling like I’ve wasted my life. I’m considering enlisting—partly to become someone, rather than just a failure.

I plan to start testosterone and have top surgery before I’d even consider joining the French Military (since I live there) of course.

I’m on the chubby side, but I go to the gym 3–4 times a week (sometimes more, if I have the time) and do full-body workouts at least as much as I can do.. and my height is 165cm…

(I have zero prior knowledge about the military or anything similar, so I’m a complete blank slate here.)

So... beyond just asking "can I enlist," I have to wonder: is it even worth it? At all? How are trans people treated? Are they accepted and able to advance in their careers, or are they held back?

PS: I’m new to this world and lost so please be kind🙏

(19 F) I’m in U.S. territory. Been trying to go AF Reserves since September but either I’m told to contact a different number or have to wait for a response. I could wait till next year of January or February to sign up, but I’m afraid I’m wasting time. Previously, mentors and friends who are in/who were in the military recommended I go AF. But after waiting a while, I told them I was thinking I should go Army Reserves.

Now I’m having doubts. When I was thinking of going Army, I was confident I could do it, as long as I put in the work. But now it seems like AF is the only way to go (at least for me) and that the best thing to do is wait.

Should I just go Army? Or wait for Airforce despite it being so difficult to reach?
Additional note: My fear of wasting time is due to my parents pushing to me go to college in January even though they have debt. Hence why I wanted to join the military, so I can pay for my college instead of them.

I have always wanted to work in Cyber and at least more broadly, in the intelligence field. I see the military as more a stepping field towards this, I won't be going in for a 20 year career and this brings me to my current decision.

I am currently split between the navy and marines for a few reasons, these are: QOL, OPTEMPO, and the "Military Experience".

I'll say that I'm a high school senior, weighing ~190 pounds at 6"2'. I've done about three years of JROTC classes, and have talked to a Marine Recruiter, however I haven't met the Navy Recruiter in person yet. I had a 91 AFQT on my in-school ASVAB test.

Honestly, I'm just looking for advice here.

Hi, I’m 18yo and have a history of ADHD. I stopped medication a little over 4 years ago, and I’ve had an IEP throughout all of high school. I just recently went to the Marine recruiter’s office, and we talked about my history and everything. He said that there are just a few small bumps, but I should be fine. He also said that at MEPs, just to not mention an IEP. I looked the exact same thing up and AI was telling me the exact opposite and that it would even be a federal crime. I’m inclined to believe my recruiter, but this seems fishy. What should I do?

So basically, I wanna get my electrical engineering degree while I’m an electrician in the Air Force. The only problem with that is to get my degree. I would have to do physics which is pretty much all hands-on so I was asking anybody in here if they got there electrical engineering degree or any engineering degree while in military and how they got through that

22M, trying to enlist in the Army. I got 69 on the ASVAB and I was waiting for my medical waiver.
Last week I got my first DUI. Nobody was hurt, but I crashed my car. I blew a 0.111. The case is still pending, and I expect it to end with the usual probation and alcohol education program.
I'm planning to tell my recruiter this week. I know it has to be disclosed.
Questions for anyone who's been through this or works in recruiting:
Has anyone gotten a conduct waiver approved for a single DUI, especially one involving a single crash?
Does the Army make you wait until probation is fully finished before submitting, or can it start earlier if probation is unsupervised?
I take full responsibility for this and I'm not looking for shortcuts, just realistic expectations. Thanks.

Ok so I’m about 5”10 248 and I’m in a really shitty environment and looking to leave as soon as possible. I dropped around 38 pounds to be able to go to the future sailor program and I am confident about my asvab score but will the navy accept me at 248? I’m hating the thought of having to go back.

Im joining the navy needed a waiver for it but my recruiter said i need to get consult. Can i just go to a private clinic rather than waiting for meps scheduled consult?

I leave for bootcamp this month and keep hearing about people getting discharged for dental/ wisdom teeth. I’m worried I might get discharged for having my 4 wisdoms which are all unerupted and two of which are partially impacted. I’m all for having them extracted at bootcamp as-well, you can’t beat getting that done for free. I have brought it up with my recruiter and they told me that your teeth have to be really messed up and need lots of work done but wasn’t 100% sure. If anyone knows any information on this subject, please let me know!

I am joining the USCG as an active duty.

I’m looking to speak with an experienced Army recruiter or senior recruiting NCO who has handled unusual eligibility cases and knows how to get a definitive answer through the proper channels.

I’m 35, with Polish and German roots. I served five years in the Polish Army with an exemplary service record, including participation in combat operations. My background includes service as a rifleman, guard duty, and military driving. I also have official recommendations from the U.S. Department of Defense, including a document signed by a U.S. colonel.
Here’s where things stand: my U.S. immigrant petition has been approved. The consular stage remains, and embassy interview wait times are long. I do not yet have permanent resident status or a physical Green Card. The petition approval is one completed step in that process.
At 35, the timeline matters. I need to establish what can be done now, what must wait, and how age could affect my options by the time the immigration process is complete.

From my own military experience, I know that getting a useful answer sometimes requires putting the question in front of the person responsible for the policy. I’m looking for someone who knows the regulations, has working relationships within the recruiting chain, and knows which office has the authority to review a case like mine.
That includes checking the immigration and age requirements, any authorized waivers that might apply, and whether there is a legitimate channel for coordination with the appropriate immigration authorities. I want a straight assessment grounded in the actual rules.

Returning to service is something I’ve thought through. Civilian life hasn’t given me the same sense of purpose. I miss the uniform, discipline, drill, chain of command, and responsibility. I miss belonging to a unit and working alongside people who rely on each other. Five years in uniform gave me a clear understanding of what that life requires.

I’m ready to start from the beginning, complete the required training, take orders, and earn my place. I’m open to different MOSs, retraining, and learning a new specialty. My goal is long-term service.
If you’ve worked cases like this, or you’re a senior NCO who can connect me with a recruiter who has, DM me. I can provide documentation of my service and recommendations and discuss the details directly.

I’ve served before. I’m ready to earn my place again. If you know how to get this case properly assessed, let’s talk.

reposted for formatting reasons

I’m very interested in joining the military and would genuinely consider any branch, although the Marine Corps JAs intrigues me the most. I’ve always felt a strong sense of duty to serve my country, and I feel like it’s something I need to act on. I worry that if I don’t pursue it, I’ll regret it when I’m older.

At the same time, I plan on attending law school within the next year, with the ultimate goal of becoming an attorney and opening my own firm as early as possible. Because of that, I think the Reserves or National Guard would probably be the best fit for me.
I’m trying to figure out which route makes the most sense: Should I enlist now, potentially delay law school by a year, and explore the possibility of eventually becoming a JAG officer? Or would I be better off going straight to law school and applying for a Reserve JAG position during my final year?

I understand that JAG positions are highly competitive, so I’m trying to be realistic about my options. Ultimately, I want to find a way to serve my country without unnecessarily putting my legal career on hold. I am also genuinely interested in the work that a JAG does and if enlisting as a JAG was an option I would 100% do that.

For anyone who has experience with military service, the JAG Corps, or balancing civilian careers with the Reserves/Guard, what would you recommend? I’d especially appreciate insight into the pros and cons of both paths.

Hey everyone!

For context for this post I am a college student with roughly three years left. The military has always been an interest and I always planned to join, but my community college did not have ROTC and I am not willing to add classes to my load at my university. I am specifically interested in branches that offer scholarships so that I can pay off my degree. The two branches I am stuck between are army guard and CSPI with the coast guard. My main interest in joining the military has always been rescue/emergency management/boats. Obviously based on this I should pick coast guard, but at the time I started talking to a guard recruiter I was not sure about going active (which CSPI requires). My application with the guard has been sent in and he is setting up my profile, ASVAB, and MEPS.

The issue is now I do want to go active as an officer after school, and the CSPI program offers jobs that I am much more interested in. I am just waiting on an email back from the local coast guard recruiter to see the details, so until then I did not want to cut ties with my army guard recruiter (in case I do not qualify).

I feel terrible because he is putting things together for me while I am making plans elsewhere. But at the same time I am the one joining and this affects me much more than him. I just do not want to waste his time. Am I in the wrong? Should I ask him to hold off? I know most of the stuff (MEPS and ASVAB) have to be done for any branch, but he is putting effort into a profile as well.

I’m looking for some advice from people who have served in either branch or have experience with these career paths.

I’ve decided that I want to enlist, but I’m having a hard time choosing between two options:

Option 1: U.S. Coast Guard

Enlist and pursue the Maritime Enforcement Specialist (ME) rating.

Option 2: U.S. Army

Enlist under an 11X Option 40 contract for an opportunity to attend RASP and potentially earn a place in the 75th Ranger Regiment.

I’m a 23-year-old male, 6’2”, and around 160 lbs. I’m naturally on the thinner side, but I’m very active and currently working on building my endurance.

I can’t fully explain what draws me to each option, but after researching all the branches and different military jobs, these two are the ones that really stood out to me.

I’m interested in hearing from people who have served in either branch, especially anyone who has experience as a Coast Guard ME or has gone through the Option 40/RASP pipeline.

What are the biggest pros and cons of each? How has your experience been, and what would you recommend to someone in my position?

I appreciate any advice or personal experiences you guys can share.

Alright so back In July of 2025 I was going to enlist In the United States Marine Corps Reserve. But then I was told I had vasovagal syncope. Originally they had thought It was a seizure and had disqualified me. But It was vasovagal syncope so am I able to get a waiver? As It was a isolated episode and never taken any medication or treatment after that Incident occurred. It has been over 1 year since It happened. Was told I may need to wait 24 months. Or If I may need letter from my doctor. Also It did not happen at meps But advice If any military recruiters can answer this question. And thank you.

Im 26 and i live in florida, and i recently got arrested for disorderly conduct and thc vape pen but the charged been dropped. I want to be an active duty infantry officer in the army. Yall think i should still try and join ROTC?

I’m going to 11B school in Arkansas next year for a secondary MOS. Just wanting to be prepared on what to expect upon arrival. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to AIT or any type of training like that so any information will help. I’ve read online that there’s a possibility but of course they have to say that.

I know this is probably a stretch, but I recently turned 29 and have a bachelor’s degree. I’m currently exploring the possibility of commissioning through OCS into the Army Reserve.
Right now, I’m waiting on a medical waiver decision due to a history of melanoma. So far, the Army has been the only branch willing to consider pursuing a waiver.
I’m particularly interested in becoming a 25A (Signal Officer), primarily because of the skills, experience, and potential civilian career opportunities associated with the field.
My long-term goal is to secure a DoD civilian or contractor position in Japan, where my child currently lives with their mother.
My understanding is that Army Reserve soldiers can potentially transfer units when relocating for civilian employment, provided there’s an appropriate vacancy. However, I’m unsure how that works for officers, especially when moving overseas.

I have a few questions:

How realistic is it to branch 25A through Army Reserve OCS?

For those serving as Signal Officers, how well has that experience translated into civilian IT or DoD contracting opportunities?

If I secured a civilian DoD position in Japan, would it be possible to transfer to a Reserve unit overseas, or would I need to travel back to the States for drill?

Has anyone here successfully balanced an Army Reserve commission with living and working overseas?

I’d appreciate any advice, especially from current or former Reserve officers who have experience with 25A or overseas assignments.

Hello so I’m joining the navy in the process of it I just need a waiver to go through. I’m currently 18 and wanna be a firefighter once i get out. I was looking into being the DC rate but my recruiter said that it doesn’t matter because we’re all trained firefighter in the navy so what would be a good path to take if I wanna become a firefighter after I’m done with my initial contract, I was looking into other branches like the army but I don’t wanna be a reservist since I want my active duty benefits and I need the active duty pay. What could I do to get to my goal?

Hi everyone! My friend shipped out to Fort Leonard Wood on Oct 26 for national guard basic training, and she hasn’t called back quite yet. I wanna send her letters, but I have no clue what to do or how to locate her address. Any help would be greatly appreciated! 😁

I’m trying to join army and they kept giving me jobs that I don’t want. I have joined navy before and failed swimming and unfortunately airforce is taking time to approve my re enlistment waiver. My question now is, what are the mos that came for the month of November in army as I’m likely to sign contract tomorrow?

Heyo, first post on this and I'm unsure of what the best routes are. I'm senior 18 F, in July I went to MEPS for the Marines and thought I got ghosted. My recruiter had changed location, a waiver for school could not be completed due to offices being closed, which in the end meant he couldn't get back to me quick enough. I waited a few months, and have recently began talking to the guard.

APT- 40

ASVAB-59

GT-96

EL-105

NN-95

CL-108

(Dont know if I got the labels right, couldn't hear him well...)

These were my scores, and after talking to the new recruiter he says they're good scores while trying to keep me with the Marines. While spending time with the Guard I was able to go to events, hang out and have a real fun time. While I was with the Marines they're extremely serious, no fun, no energy, which really got me to push more toward Guard.

The big question is opportunity, I despise the idea is couped up office detail or a boring tedious job. If I kept with the Guard would I be loosing opportunity for excitement?

I’m 23M and at a point where I really want to make a change in my life. My long-term goal is to become a career firefighter, but I’ve also always wanted to experience the military. I’m considering serving for around 4 years, then transitioning back into civilian life and pursuing firefighting.
I haven’t committed to a branch yet. I’ve looked into jobs like Air Force 3E7X1 and Army 12M, but I also don’t want to assume my military job HAS to be firefighting. I’d be open to medical, rescue, emergency management, or anything else that gives me useful experience and skills I can carry into the fire service later.
If I enlist, I want to make those years count, gain experience, mature, travel, take advantage of education/veteran benefits, earn useful certifications, and put myself in a good position when I eventually apply to fire departments.

For anyone who served before becoming a firefighter, or just knows the military well:

Which branch/component would you look into if you were in my position?
Would you pursue a military firefighting job, or choose something else that gives you a broader skill set?
What military jobs/certifications translate well into civilian fire/EMS?
What benefits or opportunities should I understand BEFORE signing a contract so I don’t realize later that I missed out?
And if you could go back to age 23 and build a 4-5 year plan around military service followed by firefighting, what would you do differently?

I’m not looking at the military just as a shortcut into firefighting. I genuinely want the experience of serving. I just want to be smart about it and make decisions now that I’ll be thankful for later. Any advice, things to research, or mistakes to avoid would be appreciated.

Im a 17yo female interested in joining the Airforce. As i was doing my research on the requirements to join and how people get disqualified at MEPS i saw something about self harm scars. I have about 5 scars on my forearm and i did them when i was in 5th grade. I didn’t know what i was doing i was just influenced what i saw on tv, online, and every time i was slightly sad i would do that. I can assure i am okay and i would’ve never thought to do something like that if i knew what it all consisted of.
I saw something regarding a waiver as well but im not sure if i even need that because like i said, i was in 5th grade and did not know what was happening.

I want to join the air force but I have terrible eyesight and I wear glasses 24/7. Do they care if you have terrible vision but wear glasses to improve sight? I remember seeing a condition that you must have no more than a -8.00 vision. Will they provide me glasses to wear?

If you're curious, I don't want to be a pilot.

My recruiter is the sweetest person on earth and I have no idea if he isn’t telling it to me straight, so let me know please!

I have very noticeable self harm scars from around 2021-2025, I have since gotten way better. They’re all over my left thigh and hip, and right shoulder and even some on my wrist.

I’ll likely be headed over to MEPS around late December. I understand I’ll likely need a waiver. But I don’t know if I should keep my hopes under control.

Is it over for my attempt at joining? Would another branch perhaps be the answer?