As mentioned previously, choosing a
military occupation and branch requires research. You’ll
find books and other resources about careers in the armed
services at your local library.
One of the resources you may find at the
library is the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The Handbook’s
description of job opportunities in the U.S. Armed
Forces includes general information about military careers. This information is also available online at
www.bls.gov/oco/ocos249.htm.
Your library probably also has the White
Pages and the Yellow Pages for your local calling area.
You can check either book to find a recruiter nearby. Look
in the blue pages for U.S. Government listings; recruiting
offices for each branch of service are listed
alphabetically.
The U.S. Department of Labor provides
information online that can help you research
armed-services jobs. For example, you can get an idea of
how military occupations match their civilian counterparts
by visiting America’s Career InfoNet; its Military to
Civilian Occupation Translator is available at www.acinet.org/moc.
And to learn about how to find military career-planning,
training, and job-search resources at local One-Stop
Career Centers, visit www.careeronestop.org/militarytransition.
Of course, the U.S. Department of Defense
also has information that can assist you. For general
information about military careers, call toll-free, 1 (866) VIEW-NOW (843-9669). Or visit online at
www.careersinthemilitary.com or www.todaysmilitary.com.
Serving in the U.S. Armed Forces doesn’t
have to be a steppingstone to a civilian career; for many
people, the military is a career. And because
military personnel are eligible for retirement after 20
years of service, it is not uncommon for armed-services
retirees to move into a civilian career later. Advancement
opportunities exist for both officers and enlisted
personnel.
The enlistment process discussed in this
article isn’t the only way to join the U.S. Armed
Forces. People can join the Air National Guard and Army
National Guard, for example, which serve dual Federal and
State roles and have units in the States, the District of
Columbia, and U.S. territories. To learn more about the
National Guard, contact:
National Guard Bureau
1411 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
Arlington, VA 22202-3231
www.ngb.army.mil
You can also prepare for the military by
attending a secondary or postsecondary school that has a
military program, including a limited number of State- and
privately run military schools for high school,
vocational, and college students. For more information,
contact the Association of Military Colleges and Schools
of the United States through its executive director:
Dr. Rudolph H. Ehrenberg, Jr.
3604 Glenbrook Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22031-3211
(703) 272-8406
www.amcsus.org
By earning a bachelor’s or graduate
degree, people can join the military as officers rather
than as enlisted personnel. Officers have higher rank and
more privileges than enlisted servicemembers, and their
jobs involve more managerial and professional
responsibilities.
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
(ROTC) offers elective courses to teach college students to
become military officers. Some scholarships are available.
Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC programs are offered on
college and university campuses nationwide; you must
individually contact those that interest you.
For information about Air Force ROTC,
including which schools offer programs, contact:
AFROTC Admissions
551 E. Maxwell Blvd.
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-5917
Toll-free: 1 (866) 423-7682
www.afrotc.com/colleges/detLocator.php
For information about the Army ROTC
program, call toll-free, 1 (800) USA-ROTC (872-7682), or
visit online at www.goarmy.com/rotc.
For information about Naval ROTC,
including schools that offer programs, call toll-free,
1 (800) NAV-ROTC (628-7682), or visit online at
www.nrotc.navy.mil/colleges.cfm.
The Federal Government’s five Armed
Forces Service Academies train their students to serve as officers upon graduation. All educational expenses are
paid in exchange for an 8-year service commitment.
Graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy are commissioned in
either the Navy or the Marine Corps. The Merchant Marine
Academy is not part of the U.S. Department of Defense. For
more information, contact the academies in which you are
interested:
U.S. Air Force Academy
ATTN: Public Affairs Officer
2304 Cadet Dr., Suite 3100
U.S. Air Force Academy, CO 80840-5016
