9781422276617

6 • Computers, Communications & the Arts T his book, highlighting possible careers with the U.S. armed forces, dif- fers from the other volumes in the Careers in Demand for High School Graduates series. Quite simply, enlisting in the military is not the same as working in the civilian world, even if the job descriptions match. That’s be- cause joining the military is an enormous commitment. Most first-term enlistments require a commitment to four years of active duty and two years of inactive duty. It is very hard to get out of the military if you change your mind after you join. You cannot simply quit, and the U.S. armed forces considers it a crime for you to leave your unit or disobey an order. A recruiter might tell you that you can try out the military and get out after just six months if you do not care for it. This is not really true. There is no such thing as an honorable dis- charge for “failure to adjust” in the military. What’s more, planners at the Pentagon can decide to extend your tour of duty, so you may not get out when you think you will. You need to weigh any potential benefits of joining the armed forces against the fact that, once you sign up, you are not entirely in control of your own life anymore. If you can deal with this and you’re still interested, read on. The armed forces is divided into five branches: U.S. Army, Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and the Coast Guard. All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the Department of Defense. The Coast Guard, which is the smallest of the branches, became part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, but it still operates under the Department of Defense in time of war. As of 2017, there were more than 1.2 million people serving on active duty in the U.S. military. An additional 1.1 million were in the reserves. The U.S. armed forces is a voluntary military. That means that there is no conscription (draft), and no one is forced to serve. Because of this, the military constantly has to recruit the people to fill its many positions. You’ve seen the advertisements. They promise job training, money for college, adventure, and lead- ership skills. It is crucial to remember, however, that military recruiters are basi- cally salespeople. Their job is to convince you to enlist. Most recruiters have to sign up a certain quota of people each month in order to advance their careers. During periods when joining the military is not a popular option, such as when the United States is fighting a war, the pressure on recruiters intensifies. In those times, recruiters stress the benefits of military service and place less emphasis on the drawbacks. I n t r o d u c t i o n