- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
For kids leaving high school, finding a career is certainly not in their itinerary. Finding a job is. A job pays, which is a short-term benefit. Eventually, the job bores them and they move on to another job, and the cycle continues.
The luckier ones get to go through college and have a degree, which brings them to a better paying job, and eventually climbing up the career ladder to better opportunities. This is usually what we thought of as a career. However, have you considered the military as a career?
The military is not just about soldiers, war and killing. Aside from different branches of service, military careers cover different occupational categories. Interestingly, the next large group of military personnel next to combat specialty occupations belong to the transportation and material handling occupations. The group after that is composed of the vehicle machinery mechanic occupations. (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition)
Military careers go beyond those combat missions we often see in movies and in the news. Military career opportunities for accountants, social workers, engineers, information technology professionals, lawyers, healthcare professionals, researchers, construction workers, and culinary professionals exist. All that you need to do is carefully choose the one that fits your abilities, skills and knowledge.
The military as a career provides enlisted personnel the opportunities to climb up the ranks through various programs, which include the ROTC Scholarship program that commissions officers after they graduate.
Choosing military service as a career creates an impression that one is courageous, heroic, and patriotic. It means that one is dedicating and is willing to offer his or her life in the service of fellowmen. Even if a military career would mean being away from loved ones and risking lives, many would still prefer to enlist and join.
Aside from the prestige and valor of being in the military, there are a lot of other benefits and opportunities that attract many people. For one thing, service in the military offers very good compensation.
Enlisted personnel also receive health benefits and insurance despite working in an obviously high-risk job. This includes medical and dental insurances and housing allowances. For further information, www.militaryschooloptions.com has a more thorough discussion on the compensation and benefits of military personnel for those interested in pursuing a career in military service.
For young people who want to know more, http://www.defense.gov/ also has rich information about military service. It contains the latest military news and biographies of the top leaders in civil defense. This could give a brief overview of the military profession.
