A Bit About Me, and What Before Joining the Military IS

I’m Dane, and I started this site long after being honorably discharged from the Navy in early 2008 as a cryptologic technician, 3rd class petty officer. I was a hellion of sailor, and caused a lot of headaches for my numerous supervisors over the course of my time on ship, as well as myself. In retrospect, I can acknowledge that a lot of those headaches could have been prevented had I done a bit more research about what I was getting into. But alas, the Internet wasn’t then what it is now, and honest opinions and testimonies were limited to what was regurgitated by my recruiter/s.

The aim of this site is to inform the regular Joe or Jane not only what to expect when joining the armed services, but also what opportunities exist once crossed over to active duty. It’s damn near impossible to cover all details about the military, as it is an enormous beast of an organization; but at the very least, I’ll tell you what I know and have come to know about it since joining. Like the military, this page isn’t for everyone. But, chances are good that you’ll like this page if you….

  • Worry that college has gone too far in the way of the theoretic and wonder how that theory is going to translate into real world application (especially for the price).
  • Suspect a stint in the military will provide you work experience. True. Employers like veterans.
  • You ever wondered if a recruiter was lying to you because what you’ve heard is too good to be true.
  • Are concerned about feeling like you owe your country some form of service other than blindly entering the workforce. If so, that’s okay.

… and What Before Joining the Military Is NOT

This page is not intended to do anything more than educate young military prospects into making a balanced decision and help pave the way should he or she choose to assume the lifestyle that accompanies military enlistment. There are some discussions, however, about joining the service as an officer, even though I can’t and don’t claim such areas as my own experience.

Although I am more likely than not to advise an individual to consider joining the armed forces, I NEVER advocate joining the service without a plan. I look back and see how simple it would have been in my case to extract so much more value out of the experience with a little more information and a modicum of planning. Such is the aim of Before Joining the Military.

If you happen to be one of the following, chances are good you won’t like what I have to say if…

  • You’re enlisting in the service to go kill people. If that’s the case, check yourself into a psych hospital. There’s nothing patriotic or American about killing for the hell of it.
  • You’re a veteran and never once questioned the orders of your seniors. If that’s the case, I admire your faith. Thanks for for service, but I have no idea how you survived.
  • You believe that your seniors, supervisors, leading petty officers, chiefs, commanding officer, etc. will look out for your well being after you’ve joined the military. Nope. That happens in movies. Everyone in the real military has a job to do and rarely is your well being taken into account.
  •  You’re okay with being treated like a pawn, happy to do anything and everything you’re asked. This page is for people who are interested in joining the armed forces with an objective aim, who are willing to exchange their time, sweat, blood, intellect, skill, and service for 2+ years of what the military has to offer. If a sense of duty and sentiment is somewhere in there, then all the better.
  • You think the military is for brain-dead lowlifes who couldn’t make it “in the real world”. If that’s your opinion, this site is probably not for you.
For all others:

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