I don't have a problem with that criticism. I posed the question the way I did because I thought I'd get better feedback. Mentioning the "serve my country" part of the decision has caused a lot of crazy arguments for me in real life, so I left that part out.
Serving your country by enlisting in the military is not a very popular topic especially in the SF bay area.
It's a big commitment, active or reserve. My only advice to you is that if you do this you do it for the right reasons and think of the benefits that you do accrue as bonuses, but don't expect them.
Talk with a coast guard recruiter and find out exactly what you are or are not eligible for. If you do sign a contract make sure you read it multiple times and that whatever you discussed with your recruiter is listed on that contract right there and then.
Edit: Coast guard boot camp is pretty demanding -- more so than Navy or Army. Unlike Marine boot camp, I've heard it focuses more on practical skillsets than just strict discipline and marksmenship. If you enjoy maritime activities, you will definitely find the challenge rewarding.
I'm not a veteran, but in High School I did attend a summer program at the Coast Guard academy that was aimed at Juniors who wanted to become engineers.
The USCG is tough. The academy (I know, you're entering as a reservist, not active duty, but the concept holds) prides themselves on being militarily the toughest of all the academies. Since a large percentage of the kids in the program applied to the Academy later, they always put you through one day in the life of a 'swab' (freshman cadet) and it ain't easy. I didn't enter the Guard, but did go to Merchant Marine school after that and it was cake compared to what New London would have been.
Being a Coastie looks like a rewarding, challenging life, but it ain't gonna be easy!
Thanks for your reply. I am very interested in maritime activities. One project I did a while back involved nautical electronics and I was supremely envious of the people who actually got to go out to sea for testing.
By the way, here is the article where I learned about the Patriot Express loan:
That's administered by another agency, not the VA. The barrier for that is much less -- not that that's not a fun thing to do anyways.
For what it's worth I really enjoyed my bitter time in the military, it influences every single aspect of my life. Once you cross over you'll the world in a different light. A lot of the vets here on YC apparently don't share what I feel. Like a poker game it's all about the cards you're dealt with and trying to make the best of it.
...also note that an enlistment contract is governed by military rather than civilian law, so you should probably go over the contract with a lawyer who knows that branch of the law.
I have an LLC that is just me. I do a mixture of electronics and software consulting. I do OK, maybe a little bit more than I would if I was a senior programmer at google or yahoo. (or maybe not) I would like to do more electrical engineering. I have an electronic product I would like to bring to market (ok, a bike computer) that ties in with a desktop and web based analytics tool. This sort of thing is hard to get funding for in the valley, which is why the loan was interesting. (if I'm wrong about this, let me know who would fund such a product... ;-))
I think I could handle the regimented nature of training. Until I got hurt, I used to do amateur cycle racing which involved getting up at 5am every day and riding for 2-3 hours, and long group rides on weekends.
There is a waiver for everything. Your recruiter will probably try to tell you that you can't get in but if you press the issue (or threaten to go to another recruiter who will complete waiver paperwork) you should be good.
But - Coasties have the hardest Basic of all forces. Coasties BMT makes the Marines' Crucible look like a tea party.
I don't think my little niece hike around the San Clemente mountain ranges with 100 pounds of gear for three days straight with only one night of sleep and three bags of MREs every Saturday with her little stuffed bears.
I have a degree in physics. In fact, the job ads on craigslist were for reserve officers. This one is for Tacoma, but was essentially the same one I saw for SF back in April.
OK... I would think that if you really want to do it, do it. I respect military service as something of a quintessential human experience. I'd consider it myself if I wasn't such an anti-military liberal weenie.
Realize, however, that bait and switch is common. You're told you'll be working in one place but really you'll end up somewhere else. The Coast Guard may not send you to Iraq but they very well may send you to some God forsaken island in the middle of the Pacific. If you're not mentally prepared for that worst case scenario, you shouldn't sign up.
Yeah, I've heard that. That's why I was thinking coast guard. There are 8000 reservists and only 400 are "active." Of course I might get activated but it seems like most of the work to be done is in the USA.
This isn't really for you or the submitter, but for others reading: the Air Force can guarantee you certain jobs (if you pass certain easy tests) and you do get a "wish list" of 8 bases that the AF will do their best to fulfill one of.
...and to remind people that military == self sacrifice. As rms said, if you aren't prepared to sacrifice many areas of your life, don't do it.
I'm actually less interested in the money. I had the idea to join about a year ago, but kind of gave up on it. I just read the article about the loan literally about an hour ago while I was on the bus, so it got me thinking about the reserve again. Thanks for the comment!
