[Scar da Kookee]

Subtitle: Is 20 grand tax free worth 4 years of my life?

As some (or most) would know, I'm enlisted in the US Navy (hold the jokes pls)

I enlisted some three and a half years ago, more then actually.
My end of my enlistment comes this fall.
Now here's my delima:

If I leave the navy, I could go to school and take my chances and possibily not ever get really anywhere now, becuase the economy sucks royal ass, even if I got plenty of free collage from my countries' Department of Defence
BUT I can never re-enlist after I go.
I maybe a Veteran, but I wont have meny benfeits. I'd ahve to come up with my own health insurance, dental,
Or at least just a paycheck altogether. Which I got to get insurance for my car too.

OR

I reenlist now, but in order for me to get anything out of it, I have to reenlist for 4 years, which I'll take up three and a half out of it.
one could say just go for 3 years, but I wouldnt get anything
heres why:
reenlistment bonuses come at a certain times, but I have to at least add another 3 years on top of my current. when I reenlist now, like previously mentioned, i use up a half a year cus my current end of enlistment is in fall.

(4yrs - 6mo = 3.5yrs) + 4yrs = 7.5yrs

follow me thus far?

less then 3 I get no bonus. more then I get USD $20,000 tax free if i do it before the end of april.

also I continue to get my benfeits, medical, dental. etc.


BUT I'd also have to continue to put up with the Military such.
Dont get me wrong, I signed up knowing it'll be BS, but only to a veried degree when I was 18.

I signed up on a whim, but now I'm working on 23 and I'm have to put some serious thought into this one.

I ask here, and not places like LF, because, screw it I'm not active there enough for those wierdo's to care for my crud.
I like the weirdo's here.
and that being said I also ahve a good idea where everyone lives in the world, so there at least gives me the variety that I want.

Sure I could ask people here on the boat, but forget it, msot will say yes reenlist all for the rather reason. All I want to do is get on with my life and get it going.

That is if i can't get orders to Japan next XD

[Analog]

NAVY = Never Again Volunteer Yourself

'nuff said

[Scar da Kookee]

As some (or most) would know, I'm enlisted in the US Navy (hold the jokes pls)

Kinda trying to be serious analog.

[The Wolf]

Well, I know that here in Australia, people who had finished their time with the army was taken care of, in a good way. Like the army (which a friend of a friend of mine is in) would help my friend of a friend to find a job once he got out. And he also got an enginnerring degree cause of the work he did. Well, at least that's what I'm told.

Well, before I get sidetracked, do you get benefits as well as the money?

[Analog]

Kinda trying to be serious analog.

Who said I was joking? Seriously...

But honestly, I did 6 year enlistment initially then reupped for 4 more after that. However, my circumstances were such that it wasn't just in my best interest to reenlist but also my wife and newborn baby girl. If I had been single I don't think there would have been much of a reason to stay in.

With that said, I don't know your exact circumstances with finances and post-military life planning. I was planning on going back to school but family finances wouldn't really allow it. Have a plan in place for getting out, because if you don't before you know it you'll be wearing Khaki and wondering how you got stuck haze grey and underway for 20 years.

[Rogue15]

do it. civilian jobs just shit on you moreso than the military, imo. unless you run your own business i guess. that's been my experience so far, i just make the most of it though. seriously thinking of going back in as imagery analyst or information technology specialist in active duty. the only downside i see to joining the military is you can't just take off from work whenever you want or if you don't like it you can't quit or relocate elsewhere. but my situation, i do have those opportunities but am just haven't been motivated enough to take them.

currently i'm in process of moving back in with my parents cause my sis moved out of the apt, leaving me with all the utilities+rent, and current wage i make i'll just barely be making it and if shit goes wrong with my car, health, etc i will be so freakin screwed.

20,000 is alot of money, save it for a nice place somewhere. i wouldn't do it just for the money though.


or scar, perhaps it's time to join the dark side. the u.s. army!!!! :P

[Lynk Former]

*blinks* Is there an American here who wasn't part of some military organisation at some point?

EDIT: Wait, Jeff never has been... good for him XD

[Scar da Kookee]

Analog, I was 18 when I thought about joining, and lI did it on a whim. sucks that I'm working on 23 and I'm thinking hard on this, it's not an easy one. as you know. I had a friend on board whom left, but becuase of the economy and the fact that his kids needed the coverage mroe then anything, he managed to reenlist just barely within time during his some two months of leave he racked up.
They flew him back to the boat.
not the smartest thing, but one has to do what one has to do

Hate to say it r15, from the conversations that i've had, you're prolly never going to go back to green, or any color in that sense. We got a guy who took a 4 year hike, and the only way he got back in is that the credentals that he had was that his former immedate supervisors became department heads for other commands.

those were big steps, esp from enlisted to mustang

Now with Lynk's comment, how meny mofo's we got here are US DoD? or once was at some point?

Me, r15, Kim, Analog...
takers?

[Chimasterwang]

Is your current job stressfull and not very nice ect? XD
Maybe think about, do you want less money and less benefits and a more relaxing/nice job or the opposite? XP

[Rogue15]

well now that i finally got my car back (been 2 weeks) and got in touch with a recruiter off goarmy.com, i'm gonna see what's up. the worst that can happen is i don't get approved for a waiver. if i don't get a waiver, i seriously have no idea what i'll do.

[Scar da Kookee]

What do you mean by less benefits chim? I may get the less money, but the benefits are much better then most

[Rogue15]

i just sent off the email to the recruiter, now is the waiting game. hell im not even moved out, this is gonna be funny as hell (if not the 'most awkward moment of the year' for me)if the call comes in while my parents are helping me move. There's only 2 mos' i'm interested in though, and i won't sign a contract if i'm not interested in the mos they have to offer me this time around. and this is if i get through the waiver process.

good luck to whatever you plan on doing, scar.

[Analog]

If your gonna reup, my advice would be don't take the 20K and sink it into some POS new SUV that's just gonna suck up some rays in the pier parking lot... get your plan in place and sink it into some investments that can get you where you want to go in four years. Depending on what your rating is, your military background will open more doors for you in the civilian world than you think. Just be ready to open those doors next time your enlistment is up.

[Scar da Kookee]

Yeah, I'm in one of those rates...

but definately 20k in a rough IRA or something straight up. All I got to do is pay that tax now, and already I got an incredible head start.
Not that I don't have something like that already
A man's gotta have their ducks in their own line, ya know?

[Chimasterwang]

>_<
I meant less benefits/money for getting a lower paying job than what you currently do maybe XD
Analogs idea seems alright maybe XD

[Maverick]

I can't give you any advice, my experience and where I live is too different, the military sucks, they feed you with oranges and the paid is less than what I get in a part time job at my university, and I went through an economic crisis, devaluation, my father got unemployed ... but we managed to get out of it, it helps that education and healthcare is free, not the best but free, so we had to worry only about paying the food and the public services.

[Scar da Kookee]

Oy!

Well it seems the place wher I'm at is tighter
I asked my command's career councilor and he told me that due to my current enlistment ends in november, I cant reenlist til after october! T_T

all that means is:
#1 If i make the decision, it'll be on shorter notice
#2 I wont know what the SRB is. it's currently 3.0 for me. but the trend has been getting higher (which is good)
with that, my reenlistment bonus is better cus i'll get a higher bonus but:
#3 it wont be tax free
#4 I might have to extend anyway if i dont cus I'm taking the exam that cycle, so getting ranked and then leaving is a bad thing

then I'm sure theres more, just dont really want to think about much now (it's past my bed time ^^; )

[Rogue15]

well i am just waiting for the local recruiter to call me now that the online one sent off my information to the local office. my one friend is going into the air force so i might check that out as well, but from what i've researched it's 99.9% impossible for RE3s(uncharacterized discharge)/Prior Service to reenlist in that branch, cause they have more than enough people and would rather have college grads than people that only have high school diploma/equivalence diplomas.

I've been reading at goarmy.com's discussion board about people with RE3s getting waivered, etc. it seems alot easier to get back in the army in my situation than in the other military branches.