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Old 09-10-2007, 06:36 PM   #1 (permalink)
archetypal fool
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Location: Florida
Hard Choice - Continue University vs. Join Air Force

As some of you know, I I'm not a fan of the Iraq/ensuing Iran war, but two of my best friends are - these are high school friends who were with me from the beginning, even when I had no one else. They helped me break through my shell, and have always supported me, and they are both enlisting in the US Air Force - actually, one of them enlisted a while ago and the other one will join in February - they want me to go along so we can be the gang we've always been, and until they brought it up I had never considered it.

So now here's my situation: I'm a University student - much more than 100% of my tuition and more than half of my living expenses are paid for through scholarships - in other words, I have free future, and am not in need of the financial support which enlisting will grant me. I've tried weighing the good and the bad and have come to a balance of pros and cons, so I need some advice. And so I present my problem to the only internet forum which I hold enough respect for to really take provided advice to heart . Here's my list:

The pros of enlisting:
  • I get to be with my best friends
  • I get beat back into shape (ladies appreciate a healthy lookin' body, right? )
  • I get all my living expenses paid for - food, board and cloths are provided to me, so I don't have to worry about rent, expenses, etc.
  • I get free college credits, though they aren't in my preferred major.
  • The Air Force will pay my tuition after Technical Training School, so I can get that Biology degree I so much crave - though I will have to wait longer
  • Businesses love to see military experience on resumes, so I get a leg up for the future
  • I get to try something new, as my life at the moment is less than exciting
  • I get to keep an eye out for my friends, since we will all get deployed together

The cons of enlisting:
  • I leave my family, as the base we're all going to is in North Dakota, and my family lives in Florida.
  • I lose my very comforting scholarships, though I can more likely than not get some of them back as a transfer student
  • I leave my music/books/computer behind during boot camp
  • I get beat into shape
  • I can't participate in Tilted Politics any more
  • I lose the security/assurance I have here
  • I aid Bush & Co. in their quest for world domination
  • There aren't as many hot Cuban girls in the military in North Dakota as there are in a South Florida university.

Despite my exuberant use of emoticons above, I'm really torn and serious here, as my future will really be significantly changed by this choice - I'll appreciate any advice you guys have to give me, and especially any posts from previous or current Air Force recruits regarding your experiences, regrets, advice, etc.. Thanks to all.
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I have my own particular sorrows, loves, delights; and you have yours. But sorrow, gladness, yearning, hope, love, belong to all of us, in all times and in all places. Music is the only means whereby we feel these emotions in their universality. ~H.A. Overstreet
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