2010-05-17, 10:45 AM
ImagineAll Wrote:I have never understood this mentality. Some people do it out of pride and for wanting to serve their country. Others do it for what they can gain from it (stable living & income, medical benefits, and financial aid for furthering their education).
I know a guy who went to a university for four years and got his masters degree. Once he was out of college he had racked up a lot of debt and was unable to find a job despite his qualifications due to the pomegranatety economy of the time. So he joined the Army. Immediately after graduating from basic training the government paid off all of the debt he'd ammased going to school. Now he's working a job in his field of expertise and extending his training so that once his four years is over he has no debt and more qualifications.
Not really seeing too much of a downside in all of that.
The military can be lucrative to certain individuals. Certain pre-meds who cannot afford Medical School apply for military service in order to get a full ride and usually give 7-8 years of service. The problem is that in those 7-8 years, the financial side payment of such an option pales in comparison to being a doctor on the outside. Only doing family medicine or coming out as a generalist will result in breaking even at best. It's simply more money to work in the private sector. It's true that there are certain people who make fantastic money out of programs like ROTC. This one guy did ROTC Air Force and had his full tuition paid off at Boston University for mechanical engineering. After working four years for the air force, he's making $90,000. The question remains whether or not he could have made more money in those four years with an engineering degree than $90,000. With the economy in the crapper, it might be a good choice for certain individuals. But there is more to the military than just finance.
For this case in particular, there is a large divide between not getting into your "reachable" schools and doing ROTC for the Navy. First of all, the whole reasons why you apply to "reachable" schools is because you don't know whether or not you will get in. The suspense is part of the process involved in applying to these schools. That's why you also apply to safety schools and good-fit schools. Second, the navy isn't for anyone. ROTC isn't for anyone. My dad did it back in college and he ended up quitting because he wasn't for him... and my dad is a pretty tough guy. Third, there is no connection between the two concepts. Who says you can't get into a reach school and do ROTC, get into a reach school and not do ROTC, not get into a reach school and do ROTC, and not get into a reach school and not do ROTC. The two are completely independent with no logical correlation. In other words, the assumption between not getting into a school you want and joining the military as a consequence is illogical.
ROTC will not help him get into any of reach schools. The navy might not even force him into a good job. It's also a bad-backup plan for someone who hasn't had developed his human capital. Sure you make $9.50 now and military service looks like a good plan. You make $75,000 a year when you finish four years and you realize that you were worth something after four years. The military preys on your doubts and monopolizes that you on opportunity cost. Whether or not their assessment turns into an asset or a liability is a matter of evaluation and risk. The future is unpredictable but it doesn't mean we have to be illogical about our choices.
If I had to personally recommend back-up plans I would have been interested in applying to seven-year pharmaceutical programs for my PharmD or nursing school for an RN. The degrees are more specialized and thus limiting, but I wouldn't have minded working either occupation out of personal experience.