military

My son is in the Army. He is a Chinook helicopter pilot.

When he graduated high school, he wanted to join the Marines. We researched it and realized the difference between non-commissioned and commissioned. Basically, the highest a non-commissioned can rise to is below where a commissioned starts. So he went to college.

Upon graduating college, he still wanted to join the Marines. He wanted to be a pilot. Again, we researched his options. I read the contracts for both the Marines and the Army. In a nutshell, the Marine contract said that they will put you in any occupation they need/want whenever they want to. The Army contract stated that they would train you for a specific occupation and would not transfer you to another unless you were not up to standards.

Serving in the military is honerable and admirable. My son loves it. But, do your research. Do you own research. Recruiters are essentially salesmen and as such it is "buyer beware". Accept nothing that they don't put in writing.

The most power you will have is before you sign a contract. That is when you negotiatiate your occupation/career.