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Just out of high school as a so-so student I really didn't have any clear idea of what came next. Fortunately the US still had a draft law at the time. Looking for something interesting that didn't involve shooting at other people (or being shot at, for that matter), I joined the Coast Guard. That was after passing a reasonably difficult entry exam, where I found that I qualified for training in electronics, which was my hobby.
When I read articles such as this one, showing that many businesses have absolutely no interest in the development or well-being of their employees, I have to wonder why young people would rather put up with those situations rather than look to a military alternative where they can learn skills commensurate with their ability, and then either export those skills back to the civilian world, or make a career within the military.
Given the vast technological needs of the military these days, there is a huge spectrum of career training available, along with full-time jobs. Why would you want to stock shelves in a warehouse when there are so many other interesting and rewarding things to do?
Off the top of my head OJ I'd guess not wanting to leave home, low initial pay, no current threat of being drafted, unmotivated to do much of anything and an aversion to discipline and/or taking orders.
Like you I was a so-so student but I always seemed to grab a draft number in the single digits. Back then that meant wearing a target on my back as an army grunt in Vietnam. I enlisted in the Navy and ended up wearing that target on the brown water rivers. Told you I was so-so.
My son just retired after 25 years in the Air Force as an E-8 Senior Master Sargent. Like us minus the threat of the draft he enlisted because he envisioned a future of asking people if they'd like fries with their order. He served 6-8 of those years as a recruiter and could't believe the number of potential candidates he had to reject because of the reasons I listed at the beginning. He also mentioned that many of them were too academically unqualified (read: stupid) to make the cut.
As you also said "Given the vast technological needs of the military these days, there is a huge spectrum of career training available, along with full-time jobs." all of which is true. You do have to be able to look out a few years though and put in the work to get there which many seem to be unable or unwilling to do.
That kid of mine just landed a 6-figure job on the back of his AF experience. His dad's heart soars like the eagle.
But not everybody enters the workforce with "all things being equal." Not everyone gets the breaks. Not everyone is born with enough smarts to compete. I've seen a vid explaining that the military did some statistical investigations, post WW I. The inductees with IQs below 83 are just untrainable. Make that would-be inductees. One in ten, in fact.
Comments
When I read articles such as this one, showing that many businesses have absolutely no interest in the development or well-being of their employees, I have to wonder why young people would rather put up with those situations rather than look to a military alternative where they can learn skills commensurate with their ability, and then either export those skills back to the civilian world, or make a career within the military.
Given the vast technological needs of the military these days, there is a huge spectrum of career training available, along with full-time jobs. Why would you want to stock shelves in a warehouse when there are so many other interesting and rewarding things to do?
Like you I was a so-so student but I always seemed to grab a draft number in the single digits. Back then that meant wearing a target on my back as an army grunt in Vietnam. I enlisted in the Navy and ended up wearing that target on the brown water rivers. Told you I was so-so.
My son just retired after 25 years in the Air Force as an E-8 Senior Master Sargent. Like us minus the threat of the draft he enlisted because he envisioned a future of asking people if they'd like fries with their order. He served 6-8 of those years as a recruiter and could't believe the number of potential candidates he had to reject because of the reasons I listed at the beginning. He also mentioned that many of them were too academically unqualified (read: stupid) to make the cut.
As you also said "Given the vast technological needs of the military these days, there is a huge spectrum of career training available, along with full-time jobs." all of which is true. You do have to be able to look out a few years though and put in the work to get there which many seem to be unable or unwilling to do.
That kid of mine just landed a 6-figure job on the back of his AF experience. His dad's heart soars like the eagle.
And you kept the Cong from navally invading!
Workers of the world, unite!
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