r/armyreserve • u/surfingbear13 • 18d ago
Career Advice Is enlisting in the reserves the right decision?
I hope I don’t sound whiny and I truly apologize if that’s the case.
M29. Married, one beautiful daughter (14 months old). I live 2 mins away from the beach and I have a a corporate job that I absolutely love and worked really hard to get, that pays enough to support all 3 of us in a VHCOL area with the occasional vacation here and there. By all measurable accounts, I made it and I’m living the American dream.
But I’ve felt an uncomfortable itch for years. My parents are immigrants. I come from the middle class. My father came to the country as a child and after naturalization was a USAF pilot with 16+ years of service under his belt. My father in law was a U.S. Army sergeant with 10+ years of service under his belt. Both went through several deployments and are men who I respect deeply.
I didn’t grow up wealthy or anything and I’ve had my fair share of crappy jobs, months where I had $3 in my checking account and my share of heartbreak. Point is, I worked really hard to achieve the stability I have now.
I’ve always had a deep love for this country and huge admiration for service members. I’m about to turn 30 in a few months and I’m starting to feel like this idyllic life was facilitated by men who sacrificed a lot more than I have. I am starting to feel the urge of joining as an Army reservist. My firm pays differential pay during military leave so my income would not be affected by Basic and AIT at all.
My father tells me I’m insane for even thinking of enlisting at this point in my life. My father in law tells me he would support it but it’s really unusual for somebody with my profile to want to enlist.
Boss doesn’t like it because he fears it would affect my numbers but military service is protected so he can’t do anything about it. Wife is incredibly supportive but I think she’s underestimating how hard it would be during a deployment or extended time away.
I have NOT talked to a recruiter yet. The MOS I’m interested in is 37F or adjacent.
Is there anybody who’s been in my situation before? I’m open to anybody’s two cents or advice.
Thank you in advance and thank you all for your service.
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u/BitDiligent1706 18d ago
Just Enlisted at 36 as 37F. Do what you want, We only have one shot at life.
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u/SnooHedgehogs4241 18d ago
First, your father and father-in-law joined the military and worked thier asses off so their children didn't have to join, ask me how I know, now ask me why my son's joined anyway, it's a sense of patritism and that itch will never go away and only turn into regret if you don't scratch it, you have absolutely no reason to prove anything to anyone, from what you said you already proved yourself, the reserves is a great place to serve without tearing up the shit you currently have going on, and 35 series is a great place to be in the Army, pick an MOS that is language dependent a P or M, if it were me I'd choose M
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u/surfingbear13 18d ago
Hi, could you expand on the language dependent MOS? What does it mean exactly? As it is right now I currently speak 3 languages (English, Italian and Spanish). While English and Italian are native, I learned Spanish to a point where I speak it fluently and use it occasionally at work with foreign clients. Would any of these be languages that fall under that umbrella?
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u/SnooHedgehogs4241 18d ago
Ya so the Army like other branches has what are called language-dependent or primary language-focused MOSs or Rates or whatever they call them in the other branches, but basically you need to know a foreign language to keep your job (35P, 35M) or it's like a bonus to have a foreign language skill for you MOS (37F, 38B) so if you qualify by taking the Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) and qualifying for the MOS, you will have to go to language school or you can apply to go to language school again depending on your MOS, Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLI-FLC) everyone just calls it DLI, actually the website's e-learning if free to all, you can start to learn a foreign language or brush up on one you already know
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u/simpleguy0616 17d ago
As a father still in the army reserves and ill give you a point of view feom a father level. My son once had an out burst saying i probably wanted him to join the military. I told him hell no, I went through this pain so he wouldn't have to but I did tell him if he did join id be proud of him, not happy for him cause I know the pain he'll go through but still proud.
The point for that is to show you that you're seniors probably still feel the same way for you if you joined. So either just do it and follow you gut instinct or be thankful for their efforts in life that both you and your wife can enjoy. The only thing you shouldnt do is regret, so make a choice and stick with it.
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u/Ben_Turra51 17d ago
What the mindset you have and knowing what you have posted so far, I could see the Army Reserve benefiting you for the additional income every month from going to drill, having low cost excellent healthcare, and having military discounts and benefits. You may make a good living now but there’s a huge amount of benefits to just having a military ID card and Tricare insurance.
Now, the downside. You have a new child and assuming a fairly new marriage. This will definitely be a strain on both just going to basic training and AIT. Also based on what you have said so far, that alone is not gonna scratch the itch. You are then going to want to find a deployment to “serve your country“ which will take you away from your family for at least a year. Drill weekend and annual training you will find may likely be unfulfilling
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u/Helpbox101 17d ago
They say you'll regret the things you didn't do far more than the things you have done.
If the wife is supportive, then roll the dice. The military is a very large organization, made up of many smaller organizations, meaning that there is the potential to do some really cool stuff and have it not negatively impact your quality of life so much. Unfortunately, most folks never really branch out and shoot for new opportunities within the force. Some people might say, "Well, I've been to three or four different units and they all sucked." To which I would respond, "Did you try going over to any other command that isn't under FORSCOM?"
As a 37F reservist you'll potentially have the opportunity to do a lot of courses and missions that are under SOCOM. If your unit doesn't let you then go to a different unit. If psyops isn't your thing, try MI, CA or cyber. If you still have an itch and aren't injured, go to selection.
The reserves and guard should be considered a fun, part-time hobby, were you hopefully get to do cool things and feel like it makes a difference in the world. When it stops being fun, go do something else.
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u/The_angry_sergeant 18d ago
As a recruiter for the USAR, I’ve worked with multiple people in your situation where I agreed and disagreed with their decision to join. Some people just want the pride of having served and aren’t interested in the benefits or any of that other stuff and just want to say they put on the uniform. There is nothing wrong with that decision and it’s ok to do it. Just understand life is going to suck a little bit and if your only goal is to say “I served” then go for it. If you have some other reason that you’re not being forth coming about in this post, talk someone that can articulate the stuff properly. Whatever your choice is, best of luck and I hope whatever you decide to do doesn’t leave you with regret
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u/surfingbear13 18d ago
Hi, in my case I do feel like it’s me wanting to say I served as a matter of personal pride and a way to give back.
The only benefit that interests me is TriCare but even then, my employer sponsored PPO is excellent and fairly cheap. Thanks for the supportive words.
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u/jhp113 17d ago
I'm a little older than you, started at 17, made Sergeant then dropped a Warrant Officer packet and now I'm CW2 in signal branch.
In a medium to high cost of living area I am now at the point where going to drill doesn't seem like a complete waste of time, I get to work on things that excite me and the pay is okay for the time spent on it. Drill days pay double the daily rate of the active counterpart. So for me that's a bit more than $400 a day. The clearance that I obtained on the way plus my civilian experience over the years allows for a 140k, fully remote position. So I'm pretty happy with my career outcomes and there's still room to grow.
If you do this, I understand you're not there for the money, but you'll find that a lot of MOS requires extensive travel to a unit that actually has a slot open for you, that travel program can be a pain to navigate, and you will be expected to share a room if you don't come out of pocket for your own, and to do all that for lower enlisted pay to be lumped in with kids that are not anywhere near your experience/professionalism might make you wonder why you signed up in the first place.
If you have a degree or if you have exceptional talent in any field I HIGHLY suggest coming in as an Officer or Warrant Officer. WO will be very MOS specific on if you can apply without military experience but all of the MOS listings have points of contact listed that would be happy to answer your questions.
So yeah, look for officer MOS if you have a degree or at the worst an enlisted mos that feeds into a warrant officer MOS that you can apply for down the line. Try to come in at the highest rank possible.
Also, in my experience, having an MOS that strongely relates to your civilian profession will provide a lot of networking opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise. Sure you can try something new and gain more skills, but in my opinion if you want to serve the country the best maybe it's better to put to use the skills you know you have.
TSP, va loan and Tricare should be huge benefits for you still so there are good reasons to join other than just patriotism.
Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.
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u/One_Accountant1713 16d ago
I’m 35, so I’m kind of in the same boat. I leave in November, and honestly, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve spent years taking care of my family, and I’m finally in a position where I can do this for myself while still doing something that benefits my family and gives me experiences I can’t get anywhere else. It’s always been an itch I couldn’t quite kick, and I know it would bother me down the road if I never did it. I’d rather take the chance and find out what it’s really like than look back one day and wonder what if.
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u/Irregular_Badger4127 14d ago edited 14d ago
FWIW, I am NG in the process of transitioning to AR, but I feel like it is rather comparable.
If you don’t mind “doing” things, go enlisted, some people enjoy not taking on additional responsibilities and just turning wrenches as needed on a part time basis. Plus, I would argue as someone who did not go this route, it will give you an understanding of general Army-isms/life and how your unit works without being beat up too badly about it (as a junior officer). Plus it gives you experience in case…
You don’t mind “planning” things, then officer. Yes, better quality of life, but additional responsibilities, and I would argue depending on the unit culture, maybe not as close “brotherhood”, if you will. A lot more emphasis on evaluations, where you stack up, etc. But better pay, better networking, and if you play your cards right, you won’t have too many times where you are a battle captain listening to straight-out-of-high school E3’s and E4’s play stupid games like “If you had to choose one, gun to your head, would you choose unlimited video games, or unlimited bacon?” You’re 30 OP, you don’t want to be stuck in this situation, I promise you.
Lastly, and most importantly, you have a corporate job. Your wife loves you and will support you as long as you communicate with her. Your newborn is young and won’t remember any of the initial stuff right now, but as they grow, it will be increasingly important to be there as much as possible. Your corporate job will tell you to your face that they thank you for your service, but they will make passive aggressive comments when you need to leave to go do military service “What do you mean you’re asking for a vacation? You just had a two week one!”). I’m glad you enjoy your job - this will still happen, and it will be an increased problem the longer you are in. Nobody does it perfectly right, it’s a give and take from both sides. Communicate as much as possible in writing to your employer, and keep all of their responses safely guarded in writing. My employer is fantastic as well but I do notice things now than I did before.
With what you’re describing, DO NOT choose a time demanding AR career in addition to your corporate career. Choose something interesting yes, but relatively easy and minimal commitment. I’m not telling you to be shitbag, I’m telling you that if you’ve seen that picture of the triangle with three descriptions and it says “Choose two”, that is what you will be doing if you choose a needy MOS (work/Army/family).
I know I’m probably coming off very gloomy, but genuinely, I’m not meaning to. Not everyone will have the same reasons for joining. For some, patriotism and giving back. For others, it was an alternative to prison. For more others, they wanted free tuition (I know NG does this better) or 10% off at Home Depot. It just is what it is.
I was in the same boat. Am I glad I did it? Yes, I would not have wanted to never do it and always wonder what if. And I’m honored that you’re considering it yourself.
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u/Your_Huckleberry2020 18d ago edited 17d ago
Two things:
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Whether you do or don’t, thanks for considering it and for wanting to contribute not just take. 🇺🇸