I speak a fair amount of spanish (Im looking for anything that might help me stand out in selection). I read that if you have 48 credits, you can join as an e3. Well, I have 45.
A lot of people speak Spanish, it helps but is not extraordinary. 45 credits may (probably) get you E-3. I can’t speak for the SF community but I imagine it is the same. Most enlisted going for SEAL/SWCC straight into boot camp have their bachelors and a high number have their masters. You are looking at going into a community of highly motivated individuals. This is no joke. These guys with their masters leave 6 figure salaries behind because they want to do something more meaningful to them. They choose to be enlisted because they want the enlisted job more than the officer job.
If I were to join soon, id go for the 18x contract, but I dont want to get thrown into a job Id rather not do (no disrespect to the men and women who serve, wherever they serve). Personally, I do not want to spend 8 years cooking for the army. Ive definitely heard my fill of horror stories from disgruntled service members, and Ive been working dead end jobs since i was 13. Through a variety of shit life choices and bad luck, thats all ive ever known. I do have a lot of faith in my physical and mental ability. I know I will stand out for that. Of course this goes without saying, but it would be great to pass selection.
I don’t think making fun of this statement is going to help you any, but I recommend reading through what you just said here and contemplating what is wrong with your mentality.
Of course it would be nice to pass selection. Everyone that steps into the pipeline would love to pass selection. No one goes into selection thinking, “well I guess I’ll give it a shot”. If you do, you are done.
Part of what makes this whole process so insane is that we all volunteer twice. We volunteer to serve, and we volunteer to get the living shit beat out of us in an attempt to do something statistically virtually impossible.
The attrition rate is not just a rumor. I’ve literally cried several times during selection because I was in disbelief of what I had just accomplished. I thought I was going to die many times. My attitude when I felt I was having a near death experience?
“F%#*ing kill me before you pull me out.” I’ve passed out under water, and also on land. I woke up surprised, but realizing that as long as I’m still conscious, I’m still capable of more. Even if I wasn’t conscious, well the instructors were at least able to see that I wasn’t a quitter.
There are guys who deserve to get through, yet they can’t because of injuries. At your age you better be shit hot before you get here. If you are barely making time, then you might as well iron your apron and start peeling potatoes. Your body isn’t going to get stronger in the pipeline, your body will be destroyed.
Really sit and contemplate your reasons why you want to do this.
@x SF med has a beautifully written post on this exactly, if someone can help me find it.
Statistically, the chances of making it through are slim to none. Make sure this is what you really want.
I want to lead, and fight. I wonder if it would be better to join after I graduate with a bachelors, and join as an e4?Ill be 33-34 by then.
If you decide you still want this, you are done doing school until after you graduate the pipeline. Maybe one day you can apply to commission, but right now you don’t have time to be screwing around with school. All you have time to do is train as hard as you can without getting injured.
