Could use some Veteran advice.

[JunkyII]

Background on me. I'm 25 year old Sergeant with a bad knee who is about to make Staff Sergeant. I'm coming up on my second annual rating where I'm receiving the same rating, 1 - 1 rated 1 out of my peers. My knee injury has slowed up my promotion about a year because I physically couldn't lead Soldiers(depression) and now they slot me for recruiter school this May when I was suppose to be getting out late next year.

The advice I'm asking for is, Get out start a new career that doesn't cripple me or stay in at least 3 years as a recruiter and maybe knock out some college.

 

[Zoney]

If you don't love what you are doing, do something you do.

[Maverick]

First question. Do you have any intention of going career?

Next question, What are you going to do for a second career should you decide to punch out? Do you have solid job offers at this time? What is the availability of said job in your area of choice to live? What options do you have for advancement in the second career?

First one is obvious. If you are even thinking about going career and getting the pension then you need to investigate what it would take to fully rehab the knee. Not just make it function for now, but fully heal it so it won't be a problem in a couple years. Don't be afraid to look outside the service medical area for opinions on the knee. It's your life, invest some money in getting all the options covered for fixing it, not just band aiding it.

Second set of questions. If you do not at this tine have serious job offers that will give you a chance of advancement and increase in income, you aren't giving yourself much of a chance to succeed. The job market is not real good if you hadn't noticed. Also if you punch out what are you going to do about your knee. If it won't heal on it's own you are still going to have to address that issue even as a civilian. It may also impact your hiring options.

[JunkyII]

1. Since the wars are ending the Army is changing...in my eyes, for the worse. Now we are having a new Sergeant Major of the Army coming in who is Infantry so some things may change for the better. I did join with the intent on going career but it's a lot different Army then the one I joined.

2. I don't have any current job offers but my ETS is still a year off so I have some time. My knee is at a point where I'm not able to do what I used to be able to do, the days of me running 5 miles in 30 minutes are gone but I still can operate at a decent level. They started talking about a possible medical board because it does keep me from doing the Infantry job set...but I honestly don't want to change jobs and do something else in the Army.

My knee is at a point where if I got out, they would be paying me a lot of money for it (on job injury) but that's because it will always be painful, not that it will keep me from doing a desk job.

The career I've actually been looking into, thank GMAN for a lot of info, is Air Traffic Control.....I don't think my knee keeps me from doing that.

[SPKmes]

Not a veteran in your guys terms but I would take the cush job and study...not sure what you need for air traffic control... that way you can get paid whilst you study...and if it is anything like NZ forces....which we are probably more based of your forces...they will pay for your education....

[kappa]

Not a veteran in your guys terms but I would take the cush job and study...not sure what you need for air traffic control... that way you can get paid whilst you study...and if it is anything like NZ forces....which we are probably more based of your forces...they will pay for your education....

Not a vet here either.. But i have to fall in line w/ this.. If they'll pay you to go to school plus pay some/all the bill I think this is a good direction..

[mthrockmor]

Bite the bullet, knock out some college. You are 25, and while that may seem like the perfect time to get out and do something you love you are too young to think about 'what you like.' You need to spend the next 3-5 years building a career that will provide for you and a family for the next 25 years. Screw what you like now, build for where you need to be when you 40 years old. That means, bite the bullet now, and get your BA or BS in a field that produces a serious paycheck.

On the note of college, do not get a degree in mid-19th century voting patterns of Central England, or some other worthless degree. Don't even get a degree in general studies. Find a subject that produces a solid income when you are done. Engineering pays more than English or History. Technical school can get you a great blue collar job making $50k/yr. The Wall Street Journal has tracked the number of BAs that work as janitors. As of last count it was roughly 145,000. Think about that. They spent 4+ years getting a BA, wracked up an average of $28k in debt and now the only job they can get is that of a janitor.

Choose wisely. Sacrifice now to prepare for a great job down the road. If you are not married, it will always be much easier to go to college single than when you have a wife and some kids.

boo

[Rich46yo]

I was in the same position but I was 22 with a MCL badly cut by a USAF surgeon and it looked like I'd never walk right again. I got out and after a few operations with the VA and lotsa rehab I ended up a 40 mile a week runner. I went back to school, banging nursing students full time in a garden APT of my Mums building. Worked about full time too, in a couple of years I was a sworn civilian LEO.

Those were tough years  The nursing students got me thru them. There is life after military service.

[mbailey]

I'd say take Rich's advice......all of it.....I mean down to the letter.......every smallest aspect of it.   

Best of luck, and mthrock is right.....think about you at 40 and what employers are going to be looking for in an employee. Again best of luck, and I hope your decision works out...all the best!

[WWhiskey]

Don't leave anything on the table, get everything you wanted from the military before you go,, college is good, free college is better,,,but Rich is right, life after  service can be great, I had a blast while serving but had to get out (health and other issues), I wish I could have stayed and served my twenty but medically , that wasn't possible.. Make darn sure you get a good physical both before and after you get out, whenever that might be, treat leaving the military just like leaving any other job and make sure you get what's due to you!

[FLOOB]

One thing to consider, even if you make a career out of the military, after you retire from it you are still going to have to start a second career. The sooner you start preparing for that second career the better.

[Maverick]

Junky Thanks for the clarification. Yeah things do tend to change after you've been in a bit. That's kinda normal so don't be too down on it just yet. You know that the farther you go the more it WILL change and the more it won't push the same buttons for you. You will always get farther and farther from the field grunt aspect you enjoyed at the squad level. All of us look back and think the first set of jobs we had in the service were the best at the lower end of the troop leading segment. More stripes or changes in "brass" akways take you outside of the close to the troop envirironment you have now. Ask any senior NCO and I think he will tell you the same thing.

In all I'd give serious consideration to the recruiter job with an eye to getting more education under your belt. At least for the short term. That also gives you a chance to start investigating employment oportunities while you still have options.

In regards to the Inf situation. Don't give up looking at other career fields just yet. Do some research and see if there isn't another branch that would give you some of the same feeling of belonging as you have now. Punching out at age 40 (or there abouts) with a pension is a great start for a second career.

I'd also be real serious about getting a second opinion about the knee and what it would take to put it back the way it should be. Spend some money out of pocket for an opinion from the civilian sector, especially if you can find someone who does a lot of sports injury work. Let them tell you what the prospects are for it then you can decide to either lobby the military side of it or not. That may let you keep the Inf career choice after all. Keep in mind the Military medical options are not necessarily geared towards retention but the bottom line. As long as there is a surplus of folks signing up they can be choosey about how much to invest on the rehab side so they may not be willing to even be serious about it at first look.

[Tumor]

Maybe I missed it... but how long have you been in?

I made my decision to stick with it at 10yrs... based on whether or not I could get the hell out of Security Forces and into something else (anyfreekingthing else), or not.

You should be going to school either way... nuff said.  Education benefits: USE EVERY PENNY YOU CAN GET STARTING RIGHT FREEKING NOW.

I don't know if you are stuck with Post 9/11 or can get Montgomery GIBill.  If you get out and want to go to school, the Montgomery can be a huge help financially (Obviously Post 9/11 is too, but I can explain later if needed).  Don't count too much on your disability.  Not sure how it works for folks who separate due to medical problems, but  here's how it worked out for me.  I retired at 21yrs with 30% disability.  So here's how generous they are... the DoD removes 30% of my "retired paycheck", and the VA re-issues that amount to me tax free.  In the long run, it works out to a few hundred dollars a year. Hooray for Vets.

If you've only been in for a few years, you probably haven't forgotten much about civilian life.  It's mighty scary when you've been in for 10, 15 or 20... but then when you get there, no problem.  You're a cut above the rest to begin with, you'll do fine.  Of course, you'll spend a couple of years living with that feeling of dread because you KNOW you're ~supposed~ to BE somewhere.  It fades.

[Rich46yo]

25yo is awfully young to write off a knee. Most of all with 2014 medicine. Hell, they have 40 somethings with knee replacements running marathons. Had I not blown my MCL I might have stayed in USAF as career enlisted. I look back now and see those days as the best in my life and at the time I was saying the same thing, "how its not the same USAF anymore".

The grass is always greener on the other side. Military service is considered a much more honorable career nowdays then when I was in because these civvie pukes are scared and realize only our military can protect them. Back when I was in, Post 'nam, nobody cared and the ones that did figured no war could happen that would last over 20 mins. The Red's and We had about 22,000 deliverable strategic weapons alone on trip wire.

Im very impressed with todays troops and I see them all the time at the airport I work at. Its so nice to see polite youngsters with enough self respect to respect others instead of these 18yo Mommies boys checking you out at the grocery calling you "Dude".

[ozrocker]

Stay in and get the Recruiter time in. Get the Schooling in. By the time you come off of status, you can have a Master's finished.
If you want to stay in for time after that, I would start MRB paperwork to reclass MOS.
Get a copy of every Medical report you have for your VA Disability Packet, so when you ETS (or Medical retire)
you'll have copies to substantiate your disability and percentage. As you know, they love to lose
paperwork. Best Wishes Junky



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