I’m 27 years old. I need to be less of a shitbag. Will The Military help me?
I am stuck. I don’t know what to do with my life, The Corps seems like the place to be for guys like me.
Flame away, I’m okay with it.
Only you can help yourself. The Corps will give you what you put into it. If you always try your hardest you probably will make a fine Marine. A lot of fine people are serving and need some help. Good luck with you’re choice. David
Go for it.The only way you’ll find out if you’ll make it or not is to do it.If you get yourself in shape beforehand and work your ass off once you get there,you shouldn’t have a problem.Also,get everything in writing and double check it when you get MEPS.
You want to be “less of a shitbag”, or not one at all? The latter would seem to be the best choice.
The military can have a positive effect on lots of folks. My first year on the job, I chased a teenager around with an uncanny ability to burg cars, fence stolen property, and a host of other such things. He’s now a decorated senior NCO in the Army, and a new man. In other examples, I know a bunch of folks who were “shitbags” going in, and “shitbags” coming out…whether ETSing on time or getting put out.
It’s all about the man inside you, and your willingness to change.
Try this exercise: Until you make up your mind, hold an honest job. Use an honest tongue. Dump bad friends. Drink and smoke less. Make good decisions. Give of yourself to others. If you can do these things in some measure on your own, there’s probably a lot of hope for you with assistance. A drill sergeant will indeed help nurture you, as will the CoC thereafter.
Good luck.
There’s a wealth of information about the military available on the internet. I strongly suggest you do alot of research before joining. If you’re not both physically and mentally prepared you probably will not be successful. Good luck one way or the other.
The Corps will help you but you need to help yourself too.
Go down to Ft. Lewis for a visit. I loved that place.
Back when I was in the Navy, lo these many years ago, I knew a lot of guys who sound like you who ended up getting kicked out. The military will give you something to do and tell you where and when to do it, that’s for sure. If you have problems with authority, you’ll run up against them hard. If you’re ready to turn things around and just need the right framework to help you do it, this could be it. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without the motivation being in the military helped me find.
The military will only give you the tools and opportunities to succeed. Whether or not you use those and turn them into something positive is up to you. Knowing what I know now I realize I had those things before I joined BUT sometimes you need to get away and be forced to straighten up in a very different and structured environment.
I think the Marine Corps is the toughest and most disciplined out of all the branches and seeing how the Marines carry and conduct themselves might have an instant impact on you and you might say, “damn, I want to be like that”. If so, that’s fantastic and could really set a precedent for the rest of your life.
But like I said at the beginning, how it turns out is still entirely up to you.
There are some people that I really don’t know what they were thinking when they joined. Serious trainwrecks that nothing could straighten out. If you are not one of them then I would think its a good way to start doing something worthwhile. PM inbound.
Don’t join the mil unless you want to serve.
I hated being around people who did because they had nothing better to do with their lives, people with crappy attitudes, and the general shitbags who were getting drunk during the week amongst other shit.
You’ll be doing yourself and others a huge favor if you stay out unless you have the drive to want to be there and do the work.
If you are a shit bag then you will still be a shit bag. If you are a decent person then it will help you to really shine, if to no one else but your self. I have seen people go in to get away from drugs and other problems, and while they are in get caught up in the same type of problems that they were supposedly trying to get away from. That happened because they were just not really ready to give up their ghost. Yet some go in and really come out a completely different person. They are better, not because the military “made” them better, but because they used the opportunity to develop themselves, and find out something that they maybe did not know before.
I very much agree with this
I’m not going to tell you what to do, join or don’t join. After all I am a complete stranger on the internet. The fact that you are online asking opinions about what to do with your life seems a little strange to me, but hey different strokes for different folks. With that said, they call it the “Service”. You aren’t there for yourself, you are there for a greater cause. Sure they tell you this and that to entice youngsters to sign up, but at the end of the day the military is there for this country, not to serve you. Good luck, I hope you find what you are looking for…
Congratulations on wanting to better myself. 27 is not too old. I joined at 36. If you are indeed a shitbag, don’t bother. You will only take a slot that somebody who will contribute won’t get. The days of the quasi criminal joining to serve are pretty much over. 2-3 years ago felons with an ASVAB of 19 could join the Army. Not anymore. As end strength is met it’s harder and harder to even enlist. Currently in my AO kids joining the Navy with good scores are waiting 6-10 months to ship because the recruitment goals have dropped. I applaud your wanting to better yourself, so do it. Make yourself worthy of serving. As someone has said on another board, “service in the military today is not a right it’s a privilege”. I have 70 Sailors under me now. I have had to separate 8 during the last 12 months. Most of these got the $20,000.00 bonus. Guess what Uncle Sugar now wants back?
As far as I’m concerned service is the greatest single thing you can do. You can serve in many ways. Service to my God, to my Nation, to my community. If that’s what you want to do then make yourself right and carry on.
I know two people who have taken the military route to sort their life out and neither have regretted it. One is now SF and the other is still in basic. It has done amazing things for both.
I think it is perfectly acceptable to seek advice on important decisions like this especially in a forum where so many have actually made the decision and can offer advice. While no one post should make the decision for you, it gives you the opportunity to hear other experiences which aides you in the decision making process by helping uncovering your true feelings toward the subject.
I too am wrestling with the idea to serve. A reason I have contemplated joining was the fact that in the U.S. there are basically no rights of passage to manhood anymore. Smoking at 18 and drinking at 21 and we all did it before that age anyway. Whippee! Manhood is marked more by ages than accomplishments these days and all we have to do is live, there is no doing. While joining the military is not all there is to being a man, it sure does open the door to it, making the words like “Duty. Honor. Country.” understandable. You would also be giving back to the country that has given you everything you know and love. I too believe there is nothing more noble than someone that is willing to sacrifice their life for thier country and that is everyone who has served, is serving, and will serve. I say these things due to my age though since it is still applicable to me.
You have to actually want to be a better person to get anything out of it but that shouldn’t be your primary reason for joining anyway. Like others have said it is called the Service for a reason. Good luck and don’t make a hasty decision. It is not for everyone.
I was a little out of sorts last night when I posted that question.
I want to serve. I’m sick of just being me for me, I’d rather be me for something else.
Life gets in the way. I was comfortable in a relationship, I was comfortable in my job. I’m good at what I do, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is a dead-end job. It isn’t a career. I’m sick of just doing the same bullshit every day.
I don’t have the answers. Sometimes I’d rather just be locked out of my own stupid head, and be told what to do and where to go.
I have always looked up to soldiers. Always. To me, they are larger than life. I don’t want to be a hero, that isn’t my goal. I want to be one of the faceless hundreds, do my damn job, and gain some skills and perspective along the way. I’m basically just sick of where I am in life.
I moved 1400 miles from my friends and family, to try and gain perspective. But I ended up in the same damn situation that I was in when I left. The only difference being that now I’m “alone” and can’t fall back to my old habits. So I’m stuck here, wanting to do something constructive, and not knowing how to go about doing that. That’s what I mean by being a “shitbag.” I know I’m a good person. I don’t do drugs, I don’t hate people, I maybe drink once a week. I do smoke far too much, but I have changed that before. I’m just stuck.
I figured asking here, maybe posting a little more about myself, would at least get my thoughts on paper. There are so many of you here that faced the same decision X amount of years ago.
Thanks for your time, and thanks for not kicking my ass too bad. I probably deserved it, anyhow.
Just do it. It’ll be the best 4 yrs of your life. If you decide you don’t want to stay then you’ll have gained lots of new friends, skills and may have traveled to different parts of the world.
I really like the fact that I have friends I can trust in different parts of the world.
Do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. The military can be a great place to start over and better yourself, but you have to have your eyes open to the oppurtunitys. Too many people join the military and treat it like they’re still working a civilian job, and that just doesn’t cut it. You have to give a lot of yourself to be a good soldier, marine, sailor or airman. It’s not a 9 to 5 mentality, but a 24/7 job. Whether you’re on duty or not, you’re a representative for your respective service. Before you join the military stop and think deeply about the things in your life you don’t like, then figure out how you can change them on a personal level. No one is going to make the changes you need to make yourself. The military can help, but only you can truly know where the changes need to be made. Whatever you decide, Good Luck.