Help Give Them A Leg Up For Life
So, your child is joining the military?
This is a big decision and a huge step.
The military structure will teach your child many things, regardless of which branch or specifics. The basic training has value no matter what.
But, that’s not what I want to tell you. What I want to tell you is that this decision is way too big for you to let your child decide on their own.
Basic training is given to all military personnel. But, what I’m talking about is the job, or MOS they choose.
This is one of the most important decisions of their life. It will impact virtually everything when they get out of the military.
This is the opportunity to prepare them for a future job and life they love. Or to lock them into a state of constant failure and searching for whatever job they can find that makes them money to live.
First, the military will give them a test, which will help determine which jobs your child qualifies for. Once, you have this test finished. Use the results to find the best job for your child.
Do not leave this up to your child or the recruiter. The recruiter is going to steer your child into a job that fills the military quota.
Your child will grab onto the coolest job that spells the most adventure, and the recruiter will push it, if it fills a quota.
Airborne Ranger sounds cool, but there’s not a lot of jobs for that exact skill set after the military is over. Perhaps a job as a Military Contractor, Police Officer, Security Guard, or Smoke Jumper… Maybe. But, more likely fast food worker, janitor, factory worker, or truck driver are in the cards. Because nobody needs an Airborne Ranger when there isn’t a war going on.
Your child’s stubbornness, desire to be cool and the recruiters ability to persuade can be quite powerful.
You will need to get someone your child will listen to, if they won’t listen to you. A friend of yours. An uncle or pastor. Someone who can give a voice of reason.
Now, I don’t want to dump on infantry soldiers or anything. I will bet, that if you ask a lot of them, they will tell you the same thing. They should have picked a different job. That goes for any military job that does not translate into civilian life.
The fact is that here are no jobs in civilian life for many of the military jobs. So, unless your child has a solid plan to stay in the military. (Which they have no control over. The military will use you for 19 years and then put you out just before you get retirement and there’s nothing you can say or do about it) or a job that involves weapons. They need to go into something else.
If a child wants to be a cop, they should go and be Military Police. That’s a good choice. If they like to tinker with things, then go be a diesel mechanic in the military. If they want to drive, then go be a truck driver or heavy equipment operator in the military.
There are tons of jobs in the military. We are not under a draft during a war. So, you are free to direct your child to choose a job that works for THEM.
Choose one of the trades. Electrician or Construction or Demolition. Go into computers and tech stuff. Do something that would cost a fortune to learn in civilian life, like engineering, or lawyer. Do journalism, or office work. Go into diesel mechanics, or helicopter mechanic, or be a pilot.
The military has all kinds of jobs your child could qualify for. Jobs that will translate into civilian life.
Help them make a wise choice, that will serve them their whole life.
Believe me. There are lots of ex-soldiers who grow up wishing they had made a different choice. Regretting that they didn’t have anyone who could steer them into a better choice when they were young.
It’s important.
Bio: Chris Bunton is a writer, poet and blogger from Southern Illinois. He has published in several magazines, and has written a poetry eBook called “Against the Man” and an Addiction Recovery eBook called “Made Free: Overcoming Addiction“ His newest book is called “The Future is Coming” and is a collection of dystopian short stories.
Follow Him on Medium: https://chris-bunton.medium.com/
Read His Spiritual Writings on Blogger: https://chrisbunton.blogspot.com/
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