Army Trying to Recruit Me

[dumbguy]

hello all, i am applying to pharmacy school this fall. I've interviewed at 5 schools already.

recently, i've been contacted by the army over the phone to join the army. The first time, I said I didn't have time to talk to them. The second time I talked to them. I don't know how they got my telephone number but they keep calling me. Well the second time, I told them I have a career goal to become a pharmacist. The recruiter then told me that they have pharmaceutical services in the army and I would get free training. Plus they would pay for my schooling. The recruiter then said everything nice about me. He told me what my favorite sport was. I told him basketball and he told me they have a game this weekend I could join. He then complimented me on my witty humor I tried to pull on him. I don't know, everything coming out of his mouth was a compliment to me. He then tried to set up an appointment to see me. I finally said ok and would meet him tomorrow to talk about it.

Everything seems good at the time. My schooling would get paid. I could work in the army in the pharmaceutical field. Everything coming out of his mouth was too good to be true. Am I being suckered into this? I went and did some research on the internet and found some unethical recruitment practices by the army. What have I gotten myself into by setting up a time to meet with the recruiter?

What should I do? Should I go to the meeting tomorrow? Should I call the recruiter to tell him to bug off?

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[lostplato]

First of all, I should just say that I do think that a career in the military is an admirable profession. But, if you decide to go down that path you have to look at all aspects of the decision. First off, they may pay for your schooling but look at your commitment with them afterwards. You are an investment and they are not going to lose money on that investment. The years that you will have to serve with them, make sure you check what you would be getting paid for during that time. I really think they pay is very very low. Albeit you would probably have cheap housing and medical but still. HOw bad would paying for your own school be if you end up making about 90,000 a year right after graduation? On the other hand, if they military pays for your school how long do you have to work and for what pay?

 

[sdn1977]

hello all, i am applying to pharmacy school this fall. I've interviewed at 5 schools already.

recently, i've been contacted by the army over the phone to join the army. The first time, I said I didn't have time to talk to them. The second time I talked to them. I don't know how they got my telephone number but they keep calling me. Well the second time, I told them I have a career goal to become a pharmacist. The recruiter then told me that they have pharmaceutical services in the army and I would get free training. Plus they would pay for my schooling. The recruiter then said everything nice about me. He told me what my favorite sport was. I told him basketball and he told me they have a game this weekend I could join. He then complimented me on my witty humor I tried to pull on him. I don't know, everything coming out of his mouth was a compliment to me. He then tried to set up an appointment to see me. I finally said ok and would meet him tomorrow to talk about it.

Everything seems good at the time. My schooling would get paid. I could work in the army in the pharmaceutical field. Everything coming out of his mouth was too good to be true. Am I being suckered into this? I went and did some research on the internet and found some unethical recruitment practices by the army. What have I gotten myself into by setting up a time to meet with the recruiter?

What should I do? Should I go to the meeting tomorrow? Should I call the recruiter to tell him to bug off?

Oh my gosh!!!!

I don't have many strong feelings (riiiiight.......🙄 )...but on this I do!


If you go to this meeting - DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING!!!!!!

Go home - talk to your folks (how old are you????), talk to your SO, talk to your friends....talk to anyone & go visit the federal agencies forums on this site (altho its really bad since it is definitely skewed to medicine & dentistry).

Think very, very long and hard before you commit yourself to their service.

Please - I don't in any way mean I am not supportive of our military or deployed troops - just dont use their arguments to be what you base your decision on. No decision like this cannot wait for a day, a week or a month.....take your time with this - it could be life changing. Again - just my opinion (skewed - I have a 21 yo son😳 ).

 

[imperial frog]

But it's a job...and and adventure. What more could you ask for?

 

[dumbguy]

when i talked to him over the phone, i told him i already had a career goal to become a pharmacist and that I was intent on going to pharmacy school. I also said time was precious. But the recruiter kept on pressuring me, telling me that my schooling would be paid and that the army needs me.

i also checked out these youtube videos about unethical army recruitment
and it scared the heck out of me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjwIfLC83Jg&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1tkuj5bEA8

Don't get me wrong. I appreciate what the army is doing for our country but I couldn't get this recruiter off my back.

 

[PharmdA07]

hi... you have to be careful man!!! Again, I do have a lot of admiration and love for the military and what they do to serve our country but you need to know that this is a life decision.
ONe of my friend is a dude coming back from iraq and guess what? He tells me that they pay those recruiter 2000 bucks for enlisting 1 person into the military. So these recruiter guys might just sit around and wait for chances to talk people into the military and get big bucks to live by! That's the story man!
I also have a friend who is currently in the Airofrce in CA. He says that he had to swear to them that after getting school done (they pay for it) he has to do whatever they tell him to for at least 4 years! Bascially, they will own you afterwards! And god knows where they will send you to given the currently and future political climate!
Those are just infos I know from buddies, which might be useful for you. All I can say is this: think carefully before you decide anything
ps: regarding the 2000$, think about why all the stuff came out of his mout were compliments to you!

 

[Me+PharmD]

As a member of active duty military I'm telling you straight up that this is simply a recruiting tactic and that they cannot guarantee you a specific job in the military. They can however grant you training in a specific career field, but if you flunk (which I don't think you would) then guess where you're going? Infantry. There's no getting out of the military if you can't land your job, you're dealing with contracts my friend and once they have you they have you. I'm getting out this August (I can't wait) and hopefully I'll get accepted to a school for C/O 2011. Now I'm not going to lie, the military does pay 100% tuition, but only up to $4500. Does this make sense? Didn't think so. Also, it's kind of hard to go to school when you're being deployed to places such as Iraq, Afghan., and other places which I won't discuss. I bet this recruiter is an enlisted recruiter, and he/she is not trying to make your dreams come true, he/she is trying to meet their monthly quota. If your heart is set on pharmacy and you plan on getting accepted THEN GO! DO NOT ENLIST INTO THE ARMY! The military gives great scholarships once you've completed 2 years of pharmacy school which would allow you to enter as an officer (Captain O-3), and you're only required to serve three years. This is much more of a prestigious position than an enlisted person who's busting their ass doing the same thing as the captain and only making ends-meet. Medical scholarships after 2 years of pharm school include: (estimates but close) final 2 years of tuition, books, and fees paid in full, $1350 stipend/month year round, active duty placement during the summer with monthly pay-checks ranging in the $2500 range plus housing and food allowances. Trust me on this, do not enlist into the Army if you're close to being accepted because Army pharmaceutical training is nothing more than a pharm-tech. The experience would be great for a resume, but do you really want to sell your soul for 4 years? The decision is yours; I just wanted to give you some advice. As a precaution, if you go to the interview the recruiter is going to tell you exactly what you want to hear and everything will sound absolutely amazing. Take that for what you will.

 

[dumbguy]

As a member of active duty military I'm telling you straight up that this is simply a recruiting tactic and that they cannot guarantee you a specific job in the military. They can however grant you training in a specific career field, but if you flunk (which I don't think you would) then guess where you're going? Infantry. There's no getting out of the military if you can't land your job, you're dealing with contracts my friend and once they have you they have you. I'm getting out this August (I can't wait) and hopefully I'll get accepted to a school for C/O 2011. Now I'm not going to lie, the military does pay 100% tuition, but only up to $4500. Does this make sense? Didn't think so. Also, it's kind of hard to go to school when you're being deployed to places such as Iraq, Afghan., and other places which I won't discuss. I bet this recruiter is an enlisted recruiter, and he/she is not trying to make your dreams come true, he/she is trying to meet their monthly quota. If your heart is set on pharmacy and you plan on getting accepted THEN GO! DO NOT ENLIST INTO THE ARMY! The military gives great scholarships once you've completed 2 years of pharmacy school which would allow you to enter as an officer (Captain O-3), and you're only required to serve three years. This is much more of a prestigious position than an enlisted person who's busting their ass doing the same thing as the captain and only making ends-meet. Medical scholarships after 2 years of pharm school include: (estimates but close) final 2 years of tuition, books, and fees paid in full, $1350 stipend/month year round, active duty placement during the summer with monthly pay-checks ranging in the $2500 range plus housing and food allowances. Trust me on this, do not enlist into the Army if you're close to being accepted because Army pharmaceutical training is nothing more than a pharm-tech. The experience would be great for a resume, but do you really want to sell your soul for 4 years? The decision is yours; I just wanted to give you some advice. As a precaution, if you go to the interview the recruiter is going to tell you exactly what you want to hear and everything will sound absolutely amazing. Take that for what you will.

thanks for sharing your insight. I will call the recruiter early tomorrow to politely but firmly tell him I changed my mind and do not want to waste his time because I am strongly intent on going to pharmacy school. Thanks for all everyone's input. It was helpful. This forum is awesome! 👍

 

[Farmercyst]

As a member of active duty military I'm telling you straight up that this is simply a recruiting tactic and that they cannot guarantee you a specific job in the military. They can however grant you training in a specific career field, but if you flunk (which I don't think you would) then guess where you're going? Infantry. There's no getting out of the military if you can't land your job, you're dealing with contracts my friend and once they have you they have you. I'm getting out this August (I can't wait) and hopefully I'll get accepted to a school for C/O 2011. Now I'm not going to lie, the military does pay 100% tuition, but only up to $4500. Does this make sense? Didn't think so. Also, it's kind of hard to go to school when you're being deployed to places such as Iraq, Afghan., and other places which I won't discuss. I bet this recruiter is an enlisted recruiter, and he/she is not trying to make your dreams come true, he/she is trying to meet their monthly quota. If your heart is set on pharmacy and you plan on getting accepted THEN GO! DO NOT ENLIST INTO THE ARMY! The military gives great scholarships once you've completed 2 years of pharmacy school which would allow you to enter as an officer (Captain O-3), and you're only required to serve three years. This is much more of a prestigious position than an enlisted person who's busting their ass doing the same thing as the captain and only making ends-meet. Medical scholarships after 2 years of pharm school include: (estimates but close) final 2 years of tuition, books, and fees paid in full, $1350 stipend/month year round, active duty placement during the summer with monthly pay-checks ranging in the $2500 range plus housing and food allowances. Trust me on this, do not enlist into the Army if you're close to being accepted because Army pharmaceutical training is nothing more than a pharm-tech. The experience would be great for a resume, but do you really want to sell your soul for 4 years? The decision is yours; I just wanted to give you some advice. As a precaution, if you go to the interview the recruiter is going to tell you exactly what you want to hear and everything will sound absolutely amazing. Take that for what you will.

Two other benefits of doing pharmacy in military if you can manage to get there.
1) Generally no need for pharmacist in field hospital. It means more than likely you'll be away from the action. You will be working with the walking wounded and you'll have to be ready for that, but it's unlikely you'll be encountering as much artillery/gunfire as infantary or other frontline support units. (Though my brother had the best idea. ICBM maintenance, there's no way he'd be stationed anywhere near hostile territory since they wouldn't dare put ICBMs there.)

2.) Civil servants can generally count military time toward retirement. So, go military, put in 4 years+/-, come back work in the VA and retire in 16 years with full bennies.

I'm not saying join/don't join, but if you do join, there are some advantages that you won't get if you don't beyond just tuition.

 

[Me+PharmD]

BTW I use to have a great web-site that gave a military scholarship break-down for all health professions but not I can't find it. This is the best that I can do. I hope this helps!

http://more.studentdoctor.net/wiki/index.php/Health_Professions_Scholarship_Program

 

[Glowwyrm]

In high school my biology teacher had us all take the ASVAB test. I'm not sure if this was her idea or something she was required to do. I scored very high on the test (I guessed on a lot of things so I really question the validity of the test) in electronics and mechanics or whatever those two sections are called. I am assuming it was because of the test that I had recruiters calling me several times a week. The recruiters even mentioned my test score so I assume that was how they got my name and number. I kept telling them flat out that I was not interested. A couple of days later another one would call. I started just saying, "Yeah sure. Set up a time and I'll be there." Then I'd never show up. After not showing 3 times, they FINALLY stopped calling me. Sure it's not really honest to say you'll be somewhere when you know you won't, but that is the only way I was able to get them to stop bothering me.

In graduate school a lot of my classmates were flight surgeons in the air force. I asked a lot of them what they thought of the military. They all said the same thing. When you sign up for the military, the government owns you. Recruiters will promise you the moon if they have to in order to get you in. However, the military has afforded them all the opportunity to get their MD and they all have been in the air force for several years and seem to enjoy it. They said once you accept the politics (not government politics but the politics of being promoted etc) of the military and know how things work, things are a lot easier for you.

 

[ForcedEntry]

HAH! Recruiters are the best. They will say and do anything to get you in. And now a P.S.A. from a Marine Corps vet...


1. The only binding documents you will sign reside at the boot camp you are assigned. The MEPS oath and paperwork is a farce.

2. Have him qualify "pharmaceutical services". Does this mean "free" schooling as a tech or pharmD? I bet "free" means G.I. Bill.

3. If you don't make it through the "pharma" training, you WILL be defaulted to one of three other jobs: Grunt, Cook, or Motor T. These are the worst jobs in the military.

4. Get every word in writing and signed by both your recruiter AND his direct superior officer (usually the recruiting GYSGT).

5. Once on active duty, you will have very little time to actually go to school. Everything else takes precedence. This includes guard duty, firewatch, liberty being secured, P.T., forced marches, inspection readniness, deployment, any BS training exercise, or to catch the General's farts. Seriously, it is near impossible to attend college while on active duty. They own your tail 24/7/365/for a minimum of 4 years.

One thing to understand about the recruiters. They don't do it by choice. In order to be a career serviceman, one MUST complete two of three post assignments: recruiter, drill instructor, or Marine security guard (embassy duty, Presidential detail i.e. HMX1 or AF1, etc). If they aren't successful, their career is OVER. These recruiters have quotas that they MUST fill. Be weary and join for the right reasons. Money IS NOT one of them.

Semper Fi

 

[dumbguy]

HAH! Recruiters are the best. They will say and do anything to get you in. And now a P.S.A. from a Marine Corps vet...


1. The only binding documents you will sign reside at the boot camp you are assigned. The MEPS oath and paperwork is a farce.

2. Have him qualify "pharmaceutical services". Does this mean "free" schooling as a tech or pharmD? I bet "free" means G.I. Bill.

3. If you don't make it through the "pharma" training, you WILL be defaulted to one of three other jobs: Grunt, Cook, or Motor T. These are the worst jobs in the military.

4. Get every word in writing and signed by both your recruiter AND his direct superior officer (usually the recruiting GYSGT).

5. Once on active duty, you will have very little time to actually go to school. Everything else takes precedence. This includes guard duty, firewatch, liberty being secured, P.T., forced marches, inspection readniness, deployment, any BS training exercise, or to catch the General's farts. Seriously, it is near impossible to attend college while on active duty. They own your tail 24/7/365/for a minimum of 4 years.

One thing to understand about the recruiters. They don't do it by choice. In order to be a career serviceman, one MUST complete two of three post assignments: recruiter, drill instructor, or Marine security guard (embassy duty, Presidential detail i.e. HMX1 or AF1, etc). If they aren't successful, their career is OVER. These recruiters have quotas that they MUST fill. Be weary and join for the right reasons. Money IS NOT one of them.

Semper Fi

you know what, i did recall him saying training to be a tech.

im really ticked off now. Im going to turn off my cellphone and not go the meeting. This guy wasted my time, calling me up. Im going to waste his time and not show up. Maybe, this will keep him from calling me up.

 

[aboveliquidice]

As a member of active duty military I'm telling you straight up that this is simply a recruiting tactic and that they cannot guarantee you a specific job in the military. They can however grant you training in a specific career field, but if you flunk (which I don't think you would) then guess where you're going? Infantry. There's no getting out of the military if you can't land your job, you're dealing with contracts my friend and once they have you they have you. I'm getting out this August (I can't wait) and hopefully I'll get accepted to a school for C/O 2011. Now I'm not going to lie, the military does pay 100% tuition, but only up to $4500. Does this make sense? Didn't think so. Also, it's kind of hard to go to school when you're being deployed to places such as Iraq, Afghan., and other places which I won't discuss. I bet this recruiter is an enlisted recruiter, and he/she is not trying to make your dreams come true, he/she is trying to meet their monthly quota. If your heart is set on pharmacy and you plan on getting accepted THEN GO! DO NOT ENLIST INTO THE ARMY! The military gives great scholarships once you've completed 2 years of pharmacy school which would allow you to enter as an officer (Captain O-3), and you're only required to serve three years. This is much more of a prestigious position than an enlisted person who's busting their ass doing the same thing as the captain and only making ends-meet. Medical scholarships after 2 years of pharm school include: (estimates but close) final 2 years of tuition, books, and fees paid in full, $1350 stipend/month year round, active duty placement during the summer with monthly pay-checks ranging in the $2500 range plus housing and food allowances. Trust me on this, do not enlist into the Army if you're close to being accepted because Army pharmaceutical training is nothing more than a pharm-tech. The experience would be great for a resume, but do you really want to sell your soul for 4 years? The decision is yours; I just wanted to give you some advice. As a precaution, if you go to the interview the recruiter is going to tell you exactly what you want to hear and everything will sound absolutely amazing. Take that for what you will.

Okay - I am in the Ready Reserve - after serving 5 years Active Duty in the Marine Corps - I also know something about this.

First thing - like many have said - you CANNOT - and MUST NOT believe what the recruiter says. They have a quota to fill of people just like you. Telling you the whole truth about military life is not conducive to his goal.

Secondly - you cannot be guaranteed a specific job in the military if you are enlisted (which is what you would be if you go now). Only commissioned officers can secure their specific jobs.

Third - what me+pharmd said about failing and being sent to the infantry is false. Infantry and cooks are 100% volunteer. You are not sent to the infantry if you flunk your A-school (tech school) - they will send you to supply, or some other job requiring less than impressive intelligence.

fourth - He is calling to get you to ENLIST in the military. This is the blue collar portion of the military. PharmDs, MDs, DDS - they receive a COMMISSION in the military - as they are Officers.

Summary: There is no reason for you to do this NOW. You have had 5 interviews - you are going to matriculate to one of those schools. Go to school NOW - complete your PharmD - then you can join the military if you would like. They will stay pay for your education (Tuition payoff up to 150,000). You will still recieve the adventure of a lifetime. The only difference is that you will have more responsibility - more freedom - better time.

As someone who has been there and done that (military is paying me right now) - I know the benefit of having my degree now before I go back (which I plan on doing).

Be forceful - and tell the recruiter you are NOT interested at all. Tell him to NOT CONTACT you. Otherwise he will think you are unsure (open invitation for him to try and convince you to join). Good Luck

~above~

 

[ethyl]

I'd be 3rd or 4th generation Army in my family so I approached a few recruiters and asked them what they could do to help pay my way through pharmacy school. Enlisted recruiters know nothing about AMEDD ... so they all told me I would get free training to work alongside a pharmacist as a tech. 👎 🙄 Oh well, I might consider the Army after graduation if I decide on nuclear pharmacy and can't get a private company to pay for my certification.

 

[ageldred]

This whole topic is very interesting to me. As someone with a bachelor's degree in finance the idea of me getting $200k in debt for pharmacy is pretty dang scary! I've never been in debt my whole life. I was reading about "Pharmacy's best kept secret" and it looks pretty promising. http://www.os.dhhs.gov/pharmacy/pdf/secret1.pdf (hope I made the link show up, not sure though.) It looks like the pay is initially lower then with all the benefits it is comparable to civilian work, and they pay off a ton of loans. The loan info isnt listed on this site but I believe I read somewhere that they pay up to $60K (20 a year for a 3 year commitment). Does anyone know someone who has done this? Do they find it worth while?

Another comment though it's awkward to say. I think I am a pretty tough female but I've seen enough movies to know the military is not a cake walk. Would the average female be ok? To the guys that have been in the military how did the women do? I don't want to go to school for 4 years, go into the military for all the benefits, and be absolutely miserable.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[ForcedEntry]

This whole topic is very interesting to me. As someone with a bachelor's degree in finance the idea of me getting $200k in debt for pharmacy is pretty dang scary! I've never been in debt my whole life. I was reading about "Pharmacy's best kept secret" and it looks pretty promising. http://www.os.dhhs.gov/pharmacy/pdf/secret1.pdf (hope I made the link show up, not sure though.) It looks like the pay is initially lower then with all the benefits it is comparable to civilian work, and they pay off a ton of loans. The loan info isnt listed on this site but I believe I read somewhere that they pay up to $60K (20 a year for a 3 year commitment). Does anyone know someone who has done this? Do they find it worth while?

Another comment though it's awkward to say. I think I am a pretty tough female but I've seen enough movies to know the military is not a cake walk. Would the average female be ok? To the guys that have been in the military how did the women do? I don't want to go to school for 4 years, go into the military for all the benefits, and be absolutely miserable.

Thanks a bunch!

The military is not for everyone, female or male. And although I may get admonished for saying this, it IS harder for females. If anyone were to consider military service I would rank the ease of each branch based on my personal experiences/inter-service interactions/observations as:

1. Air Force
2. Coast Guard
3. Army
4. Navy (just because living on ship blows goats)
5. Marines

 

[pharmboy30]

anyone have anything to add to this thread??

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=349950&highlight=air+force

 

[excel]

i hope those two links were jokes right? the first one is just some shabby video made by a kid and the second is a comedy skit.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1tkuj5bEA8 thats hilarious

 

[patmcd]

Go to pharmacy school before you join the military. They will still help you pay off your loans if you join after you graduate. There are many people that end up working in totally different aspects of pharmacy after they graduate than they had planned on. Don't lock yourself into one choice before you get to experience all that pharmacy has to offer.

 

[ageldred]

The military is not for everyone, female or male. And although I may get admonished for saying this, it IS harder for females. If anyone were to consider military service I would rank the ease of each branch based on my personal experiences/inter-service interactions/observations as:

1. Air Force
2. Coast Guard
3. Army
4. Navy (just because living on ship blows goats)
5. Marines

Thanks for your honest response on the topic. I think I'll wait until I'm almost done with pharm school (oh my god, in 2011!) before deciding. Who knows where I will be in my life in 4 years.

Is that your arm in your avatar? Ouch.

 

[Farmercyst]

I'd be 3rd or 4th generation Army in my family so I approached a few recruiters and asked them what they could do to help pay my way through pharmacy school. Enlisted recruiters know nothing about AMEDD ... so they all told me I would get free training to work alongside a pharmacist as a tech. 👎 🙄 Oh well, I might consider the Army after graduation if I decide on nuclear pharmacy and can't get a private company to pay for my certification.

My understanding is most companies needing nuclear pharmacists will pay for the training. The one I've looked at through UAMS can be done during your pharmacy school rotations as long as you can find an approved preceptor. Cost was a few K so you might be able to tack it on to the studend loans and be certified before you graduate.

 

[ForcedEntry]

Is that your arm in your avatar? Ouch.

No. It is a screenshot from Jarhead.

 

[dumbguy]

ok, i did not go to the meeting like i said i would not. Now this recruiter keeps calling me again. 5 times so far and I didn't bother to pick up the phone. Is there anything I can do?

 

[vtdancer731]

did you call the recruiter to tell him no, or just not show up at the meeting? you need to actually say no to him so that they get the message.

 

[dumbguy]

why should i bother picking up the phone. If I didn't go to the meeting and didn't pick up the phone, he should the message to leave me alone.😡

 

[vtdancer731]

they may think that you forgot about the meeting or that you had something that kept you from getting to it. i was just thinking that it might be more polite to tell them thank you for their time, but you have decided to go in another direction.

sorry if you took that rudely. 😉

 

[loneranger]

🙂

 

[aboveliquidice]

why should i bother picking up the phone. If I didn't go to the meeting and didn't pick up the phone, he should the message to leave me alone.😡

HAHAH - Is this your 1st time dealing with a recruiter? They make the Mormans seem quaint. If you want them to stop calling - you really must tell them. Otherwise some other recruiter will "inherit" your number - and he will start calling - and on and on and on - until you break the cycle and tell them no!

- and ForcedEntry had a pretty accurate list - Air Force would be my #1 as well (2nd time around anyway)

~above~

 

[Me+PharmD]

ok, i did not go to the meeting like i said i would not. Now this recruiter keeps calling me again. 5 times so far and I didn't bother to pick up the phone. Is there anything I can do?

Tell the recruiter thanks for the offer of a life-time, but you're not interested at this time. Inform him/her that you would like to not receive any more calls about joining the enlisted branch or other military solicitations. If he/she continues to solicit you, then ask to speak to his/her supervisor and/or commander. Specifically ask for the phone number because people always get scared when someone wants their bosses phone number. Good luck.

 

[shaolinRX]

In case it hasn't been said already....For anyone considering joining the military as a pharmacist: Get the degree 1st! Don't join any branch of the military without some sort of degree (bachaelors and above). It is next to impossible to earn a degree while you are active duty, and anything a recruitor says otherwise is a "sales pitch" (not an actual representation of reality).

You will start off as a captain if you have your PharmD, and they'll still pay for that huge piece of debt you call student loans. So, if the military life appeals to you (or the bonus/tution reimbursement, etc) remember that a recruitor gets payed big $bonus for each person that they get to enroll (sometimes their ethics can go into some shady spots as a result)...you'll be much better off joining on your own terms, not theirs.

And, growing up in a military family; I can vouch that the Air Force treats its members the best, of all the branches of the military.

 

[SJR87]

Why join the military for their "pharmacy tech" training when you could just work at walgreens or something.

 

[Knickerbocker]

ONe of my friend is a dude coming back from iraq and guess what? He tells me that they pay those recruiter 2000 bucks for enlisting 1 person into the military. So these recruiter guys might just sit around and wait for chances to talk people into the military and get big bucks to live by! That's the story man!

How about you do some actual fact finding before spouting this nonsense? My dad was a recruiter until the mid 90s, and they had no such bonus. They do, however, get in trouble if they don't meet expectations.

Times are different, but I couldn't find any bonus you mention. There is a $2000 quick enlist bonus (for the person joining) and a different bonus for referring a qualified applicant, but there are no bonuses going to recruiters. Their reward is not getting chewed out.

That said, I'd stay away from the military. Just take the debt and avoid the hassle and risk of the armed forces.

 

[Sego]

why should i bother picking up the phone. If I didn't go to the meeting and didn't pick up the phone, he should the message to leave me alone.😡

Have you heard of Do Not Call? Go to www.donotcall.gov. Register your phone there and that should take telemarketers of your phone. I'm not sure if this law applies to military recruiter. But once you do that, whenever the recruiter calls you, tell him, "I'm on the do not call list. Either you stop calling me or get ready to be fined." Maybe he'll buy it.

The Army is hurting and it needs people bad. So, don't be surprised if the guy is really going after you.