Introduction
There are tens of thousands of people joining army every year. The recruitment goals of militaries increase every year new soldiers are recruited. Every soldier becoming the part of this profession has his or her reasons. These reasons may not be always about serving the country. This is because military experience always offers promising career growth. However, the reasons differ for everyone depending on the personal circumstances. Therefore, it is good to have an internal discussion and then making a decision about why should a person join the military. If the goal is clear and the decision is made after considering all the possible consequences, it will turn out to be best for all. For that reason, all the details and benefits of joining military service are here to make the decision-making process easy.
Statement of Purpose
Here are the reasons for which anyone should join military service. This is an important decision so its impacts can be considered by the detailed arguments discussed below.
Projected Contributions
After proper research, the key benefits of joining army will be identified. It will help in knowing that how the military is an exceptional prospect of future.
Literature Review
A military career is always in demand. This is not only respectable but also pay more than other professions. At the initial level, this may offer less money but with time as the person progress and promotes his salary increase with authority. The main function of the army is to protect the nation and for this purpose, there are many sub-categories of armed forces. There are options for joining the navy, air force, intelligence, army and many more. Now, this totally depends on the person that is what type of service he is interested. If a person like a sea, he can join the navy or if he is interested in the air force that can also be opted. The military is a profession that is filled with opportunities. A person just has to explore his talent and see which field best suits him. However, one thing is for sure, in order to be the member of the military, the person should be flexible. The primary requirement of military services is that the person has to stay away from home.
Some people join the army to pursue it as a stable career path while some just join it to get a free education. This depends on the personal choice and circumstances. It is proven through research that people who are not intended to join army have a short tenure of a career as compared to those who think this will have a positive impact on their personality and join the military with aspiration (Ford et al.). There can be different means of aspirations for a person. Such as a person may be influenced by an adult in the family who is in the military. It can also be true that the fascinating appearance and disciplined life of military inspire someone. The intentions of career choice are also determined by parents sometimes. The attitude of parents has a normative effect on beliefs of children and this shape the decision-making about career choice (Gibson, Griepentrog, and Marsh). Therefore, the attitude of parents plays a great role in the decision about a military career.
Another important factor that should be considered here is about the ethnic considerations during selection in the military. The military has a vast and open culture that welcomes everyone. A proportionate difference can be seen in the participation of ethnic groups. The ethnic groups show that there are three sets in the military including blacks, whites, and Latinos. This also depends on the social class a person is brought up in. There is a difference in the recruitment of immigrants, socioeconomic groups and ethnic perspectives in the military (Lutz). There is no discrimination done in the military while recruitment but people of different class, race, and immigration standing have different perspective to be enlisted in the military.
Some people may also join the military for educational benefits. The members of the military can take benefits of education during and after their service as well. The service members can take advantage in terms of college funds, financial aid, and conversion of training into college credits. The cost of studying in college has increased but military provides its cadets an opportunity to enroll in accredited universities and colleges for further education. The most comprehensive benefits of education are provided by the GI BILL that became operative on August 1, 2009. This bill includes tuition fee, a living stipend, and allowance for book and supplies. The amount of this bill allotment varies according to the service time of the person. The benefits of this bill also depend on the location and state of the educational institute the student is applying in (Steele, Salcedo, and Coley).
Not only education, there are multiple other benefits associated with military services that attract a person towards this profession. The house mortgages are offered at cheap rates. Health care facility becomes affordable for the person. The benefits are discussed in detail in the following section.
Discussion
The first and foremost reason for joining the army is the defense of the nation. No matter what a person says, the primary reason for most of the soldiers to join the army is the sense of patriotism. This is considered as an honored profession for serving homeland and others. Many people are motivated just because they have some big dreams in life and want to achieve something great. As Walter Reuther said, “There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow men. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well.” (Walter Reuther Quotes). This shows the clear meaning of serving. Serving in the army means the person feel what it truly is to serve. Thre is no personal interest or gain, all the person does is the safety of others.
The pay scale of this sector is also attractive. Being in military means that the pay will increase with each rank. As the person spends more time, his salary will increase. Not only the pay, there are numerous benefits attached to the people in military service. The allowances are provided for every need of a person. Whether it is about residence, education, routine allowance or health care, military service encounter all the issues and there is no need for the person to worry. There is no need to take big loans to cover routine expenses. This profession cover-ups all the cost of people working in it.
All the education and medical expenses are covered by the military. Health facilities are not only for the person in the military but also for his or her family. The health benefits are extended to the immediate family members including children, spouse and in some cases for parents also. Even the health care benefits are also available on a temporary basis even when the person leaves the army.
Not only in terms of education, the personality of the person is also developed in terms of skills. The type of training given to a person in the military is technically advanced and it helps in carrying forward the career in multiple fields. Even when the person is off duty, the opportunities to attend various training sessions are provided. Military also pays for any tuition assistance. These training can be helpful in getting certificates, advancing in career and preparation of the personality in certain social manners.
The advantage of being in Amy is that this profession even works in the difficult economy. Even when the unemployment rate is high in the economy, jobs are being outsourced or the costs are rising, this profession never falls. The military field always offers jobs for people who are qualified. They have jobs for people who have an academic or medical education. As long as the person does not have any criminal record he can be the part of the military. This is fairly a decent criteria and provides employment to a lot of people who are eligible.
Not only while remaining in the military, a person can have a lot of benefits even after retirement. This is the best way to get a leadership position in reputed organizations. This is the service that helps in putting the resume on top. It gives the certificate of proven experience and skills that is not doubted by anyone.
Another great reason to join the military is that it provides an opportunity to travel worldwide. The vacation time is great and even during the service, the person has to keep traveling. The installations of the military are present around the world and they pay for the person and family as well to go there and visit. A paid leave of 30 days is provided in the military and the person is free to travel the world in those days. There are also various resorts and hotels of military around the world.
Military provide consistency to the personality of a person. This is an amazing field to improve the habits of a person. Some of the great traditions of the military make a person punctual, consistent, and healthy. There are fitness tests for making the person physically fit. This keeps the person from getting various diseases in further life and the person does not get fat.
Culture is another important reason to chose army as a career. It is believed in the army that there is no black, white or brown color. No discrimination is made and everyone is believed to be green like the color of the uniform. This shows unity and strength because the culture without any discrimination provides equal prospects growth. This is not just said but also done in the army because they have other important issues than the skin color. This increase acceptability in person because he is willing to accept everything.
Army plays a great role in building the character of a person. The sense of giving respect to people even if you do not agree with them is vital. Also, teamwork is a great lesson taught by the army. When they work together in the team, important lessons are given to them for encouraging a sense of team building in them. Such as if the mistake is done by a single team member, the whole team is punished so they will look out for everyone. The type of physical training provided to them raises the sense of integrity, discipline, and honor in armed forces. They take pride in stepping up for the moral norms of society. This has a great part in character building and they feel pride in winning the battlefield for the homeland.
Other than these social and moral benefits, army career gives a sense of purpose to a persons life. It identifies the right potential of a person and then he can set goals according to the caliber. The opportunities of progress are enormous and the person can take the future direction of his choice once he decides to enter into this career. The measures for progress are fair and this brings purpose to one’s life. This makes the life much better.
After leaving the army service, the pension offered to the officers is of great worth. This is a good foundation for the late forties and helps in starting a new career in any direction. The health care service is provided even after the retirement. Having an income from any other job based on the strong resume because of the army and handsome amount of pension can be the best surety for carefree life till death. Being in the army is also helpful to buy a home without any money down payment. There is a loan for Veterans Affairs officers by the name of VA loan that makes home purchase easy during and after service.
All these things should be considered in addition to negative consequences. It is not easy to change the career path once the person is enrolled in the military. Serious consequences should be faced because of the individual in service and military, both are bound by a contract to serve for a specified time. This is the binging of legal commitment that may have serious consequences if not fulfilled.
Research Methods
While having a meeting with a recruiter or making an independent research about a career path, a person should look for various options. The professions that interest him the most should be scrutinized. Then research that is more descriptive should be carried out to know about the details of professions. Conducting additional research into military sector involve looking out for requirements that are needed for the position. This is important because if the required skills were not present in a person, it would not be right to look for that particular career path. Once the person has required skills, then he is ready for the job and he can select it. However, some more research should be carried out to know if this profession is beneficial or not. These requirements vary from person to person because one thing might attract to a person but not to others. Therefore, the priorities about the expectations about the career should be set accordingly.
The person looking for a career in the military should not wait for the process to be all done before the searching job. It is good to search vacancies before being selected. This will help in understanding and scrutinize the preferences in the job. The best way is to ask advice from a service member. They are working in the system and knows better what is good. For further research, one can look into internet channels, message boards and other channels of information. All the required information can be obtained from them, as it is the best way of knowing inside information, as these parties are well aware of the operations taking place in the military.
Conclusion
Military service is chosen by many people over normal life and this is because of countless benefits mentioned above. The army is a profession that not only pays in monetary terms but also in terms of respect and authority. This is benefits for a lifetime not only for the person in service but also for his or her family. A person can serve his nation in this noble profession and lead a respectful life. This provides an opportunity to visit places that an individual can never stay over while living a normal life. An internal sense of satisfaction is a great reward that comes from the profession of the military. The character and personality of a person are built during service in a way that helps him to live a comfortable life even after retirement. This is no doubt a promising career because of endless benefits attached to it. Just with the right morale and aspiration, this can be an ultimate career for a promising life ahead.
Works Cited
“Walter Reuther Quotes.” BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2018. 15 April 2018. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/walter_reuther_176051
Ford, Michael T., et al. “Pre-entry expectations, attitudes, and intentions to join predict military tenure.” Military Psychology 25.1 (2013): 36-45.
Gibson, Jennifer Lee, Brian K. Griepentrog, and Sean M. Marsh. “Parental influence on youth propensity to join the military.” Journal of Vocational Behavior 70.3 (2007): 525-541.
Lutz, Amy. “WHO JOINS THE MILITARY? A LOOK AT RACE, CLASS, AND IMMIGRATION STATUS1.” Journal of Political and Military Sociology 36.2 (2008): 167.
Steele, Jennifer L., Nicholas Salcedo, and James Coley. Service members in school: Military veterans’ experiences using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and pursuing postsecondary education. RAND CORP SANTA MONICA CA, 2010.
