I was thinking of joining the army after high school I know people say it’s not the best job and “it’s not worth it for the pay or why would you fight for this country” but I want to join the army because 1. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed and 2. It just genuinely looks cool, So do you guys who are veterans regret joining the military? (Also thinking of joining the police after as a tactical unit job)
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Aussie, imo go for it. Recruiting and retention is rough for us but it can open a lot of doors. You might get some good answers on the Aussie military sub if you have specific questions.
Looks cool until you die.
r/AustralianMilitary is where you want to be. Don’t tell the recruiter those are your reasons.
Soldiers at war wish for peacetime, soldiers in peace time want to do what they are trained to do. ADF has a lot of opportunities, but the "cool" shit requires absolute commitment. Look into their website and you can see what role / service speaks to you.
Aussie vet here.
There’s good and bad.
Firstly, the good:
Now the bad:
Overall, I’m glad I joined, but I won’t be encouraging my son to join.
If you want to join, I’d strongly suggest you pursue a trade of some sort, either target the RAEME, RAE or RASIGS corps. You’ll learn skills that will set you up for life after service.
Makes sense, but be very careful about the conversations you have with yourself. You may not be the sharpest tool in the shed in certain circumstances or ways, but guaranteed there’s something you’re good at that I’m shite at and I’m a gifted/genius according to IQ tests. I’m brutal at a lot of things other less intelligent men are amazingly good at!! The way we’ve set up society means we pay people to do stuff for us that we can’t do/don’t want to do. I have mates of mine who are tradies and are very very good at what they do, but they’re dogshit dumb in most areas of life. Like one for example couldn’t set up WIFI on his phone.
Also here is something you didnt know: NZ is accepting australian soldiers. And vice versa.
I do agree with learning a trade.
Sometjing you can take with you if and when you leave the army.
Eg computer intelligence.
I retired from the American Army recently after doing 30 years. If the AUS Army is anything like the US Army it falls into the category of “The absolute most fun you ever had – that you definitely never want to have again.”
Which sounds very oxymoronic and contradictory – because it is. The military is filled with oxymorons. “People first – mission always”. And “military intelligence” and “humanitarian war”.
The military is a great career but it is maddening and surreal and exasperating all at the same time.
Definitely look at trades that might be useful later, in civilian life. Consider the air force, where you get to send the smarter, more highly trained folk off to fight, while you get to maintain their equipment.
When I was considering joining the service I was told by all the friends I had that were vets, it will be your best times and it will be your worst times. I have never regretted being in the service but I hated it most of the time while I was in it.
US Marine Corps infantry vet here. I had one of the “cool” jobs, and I operated the “cool” weapon systems in hostile areas. Other military members who work in pog jobs hear about my job and they end up saying, “I almost did your job” and “I went to this hardcore training course”.
Bad combat is like a long football/rugby play. Good combat is done at 1800 meters. The future of combat is done on a joystick. If you want to become a cop, just become a cop (that what an occupying force is), but I recommend NOT joining the military for the cool factor. The cool moments add up to a grand total of maybe an hour out of years of your life you’ll likely hate, every second of every day.
The military is high school part two. It will not make you feel like a man. Only you can decide when you’re a man. Your superiors will be a mixture of 80/20 scheming/amazing people, and you’ll deal with all kinds. In addition to the golden view of the military, where patriotism and merit take center stage, every military is a catch-all for people who have few options. You’ll meet some of the best people you’ll ever meet, but the vast majority will be at rock bottom. Bullies, slack-jawed idiots, hateful pieces of shit, druggies, child porn addicts, wife beaters, lazy assholes, whiny punks, and (more than anything) racist right wing assholes.
Go in with your eyes open and a plan. If you gotta go, I totally empathize. I had to go in. I came from a bad, bad situation. If you can avoid it, avoid it like you avoid prison. AVOID IT LIKE YOU AVOID PRISON. Prison is easier.
Australia has an army?
I always though in case of attack they would just close their door and watch all the horrible beasts they live with eat the enemy alive.
American vet. There are many different people in The military. Smart ones. Dumb ones. Fat ones and skinny ones. What you will need to do is learn as much as you can from this experience. Some people like it or love it. I liked my time, but it was a means to an end. I got some college money out of it.
My experience is similar to many, but YMMV. I hope you are able to learn and get as much life experience. I’ve made some life long friends in the service and learned so much.
It’s cool till you invade New Zealand in the great Koala War of 2036
Was in the US Marines. I strongly encourage an enlistment. A lot of people get out after one contract, which I think most men should do — a chapter in your life — not a whole story.
… and hell, if you end up loving it, there is nothing wrong with a whole career in the military.
Nothing wrong with military service and don’t be surprised by how smart military people actually are. A career in the military is not a bad option. Switching to law enforcement can be a challenge given the significant differences in mandate and mission.