Tips for the New Military Recruit

So you’ve signed on the dotted line and now your just waiting for your ship date to basic training, now what? This is a pivotal time in a young persons life when they are waiting to embark on a life altering journey that will test them in ways they never dreamed of and they will come out the other side a better person for it. With all that looming in the not so distant future, there are a few basic things one should attend to in order to make the most of their new career.

Manage Your Money

I cannot stress enough the importance of this first little tidbit of information. Now, I know that it’s going to be difficult to keep your finances under control for most new recruits. For most of them it’s the first time they have been away from home and family and the first time they will live under their own control as an adult. I likened my first experience in the army to going away to college. The major difference is that everyone will usually have a good bit of money in their pockets. Most new recruits live in the barracks unless they are married which means they won’t have any bills. Your dear old Uncle Sam pays for all of your utilities and let’s you stay rent free in the barracks. This means that even though you’re paycheck as a new recruit is meager, it also means you have none of the bills that most people do so now that check doesn’t look so meager. This is the part where most new recruits fall into the cycle of going out with the gang and drinking almost every free minute they have. Take it from me, this is a bad cycle to get into. You would do well to curb your partying and save the money instead in some type of IRA.

Find A Hobby

This will go hand in hand with keeping your partying in check as the barracks can be quite boring if you don’t have anything to do. Get involved in sports or possibly your church if you are religious. Maybe you enjoy doing things on the internet or working on cars. If working on cars is a hobby for you, most military bases actually have mechanic bays that are open to you free of charge that have hydraulic lifts and all the tools you need. Many times there will family support groups that will also organize activities and provide thing you can get involved in.

Go To College

Even though you will most likely receive the MGBI (Montgomery GI Bill) when you enlist for the military, the military also has an awesome education assistance program while you’re on active duty. Basically they will pay all of your tuition and fees for any college courses you take while on active duty and this money doesn’t even come out of your MGBI! I highly recommend taking advantage of this. There are several online college course out there that are military friendly and will make taking class much easier with the demands of your military career.

Now that you have a few things to consider as you enter into your new career, I hope these little pieces of advice will serve you well as I wish I had them when I started on my military career.