Now, normally these crossroads are few and far between, but only months after the major decision-critical transition from high school to college, I find myself at another damned intersection. Right now I'm stopped at a red light, with some time to figure out which way I'll turn, but when it hits green again, I need to know exactly what I plan to do. To the left is a civilian life, and probably a good one, as an Aerospace Engineer. To the right is the military.
Here are my conditions:
1. I want to serve my country. I am a proponent of civil service, and believe that it is necessary for the betterment of society. I have committed some of my life to this, and would not hesitate to provide more. This pushes me right.
2. I want to fly. A life goal is to become a fighter pilot, or at least some sort of pilot. The military is the easiest way to reach this goal. This pushes me further right.
3. I have no intention of dying. I think war is an overly-glorified, tired-out human concept that does not belong in the modern world. I hate being affected by other peoples' stupidity, and would rather it not be the reason for my death. This pushes me left.
4. I do not want the military to dictate my life. I don't mind living the military life for awhile, but will not allow the government, or any group, ideology, or political institution to own me. This pushes me far left.
5. I want to make sure that I have a solid resume and good experiences for civilian life. I do not want a career in the military, just a term. This is neutral, I could either add military to my resume or just enter the workforce.
6. I have to be able to plan out a sequence. If I enter the military, it pretty much sets my personal life and other career goals back eight years. If I get married, I don't want to have kids while I am in active service. This sounds ridiculous coming from me now, since I'm only eighteen, but I want things to fall into place. There are certain things that will block me from being happy later on if I never accomplished them.
Here are options I am considering:
1. Take OCC: Officer's Candidacy Course is a rigorous, if not torturous entry course to the United States Marine Corps. If I choose this option, I will finish my Bachelor's degree, then go to Quantico, Virginia for the 10-week training camp, and enter the Marine Corps as an Officer. I like this option because I would love to become a Marine, but dislike it because my focus would not be in aviation.
2. Take OTS: Officer's Training School is essentially the OCC of the Air Force. It isn't quite as rigorous, since it is the Air Force instead of the Marines (not quite the same reputation,) but it is longer, at 13.5 weeks. I would also enter this after graduating with my 4-year degree. I like this option because it is much more likely to get me a pilot slot than the USMC, but dislike it because AFROTC and USAFA units are chosen for the slots before OTS. It's kind of the bottom of the barrel.
3. Take AFROTC: Air Force ROTC is a series of courses I can take here at San Jose State. I would have to do mandatory physical training, which I am essentially doing anyway, and take a number of classes. I like this because it would pretty much guarantee me a slot in the Air Force, and has better chances of getting me in the air. I highly dislike it because I do not want the military to interfere with my college life. I want to experience college and the military separately.
4. Skip the military: I could enter the workforce right away. There are lots of options available to me in the industry. Aerospace is a cyclical business, and is currently at a low point, so I think there should be plenty of career opportunities around graduation time. My goal of becoming a pilot could be achieved with a private license further down the line. But it sure ain't a fighter pilot.
In any case, I think I have a pretty good shot at my goal of becoming a pilot. It is a highly ambitious, almost headstrong, and extremely competitive goal, but I think I can do it. My GPA is solid, I would pass the military IQ testing without many problems, and have a number of key things on my resume that gear me towards flight (Eagle Scout, BSAE degree, possibly a double major, and some upcoming aerospace internships.)
However, I am apprehensive about the whole idea since pilot's contracts are 8 years, and I want to be absolutely, fail-proof sure that this is what I want to do for eight years of my life. It is a long time. You probably can't remember much from eight years ago--that was 5th or 6th grade. When planning things out like this, you really begin to realize how short life is.
Current Mood: Contemplative
Listening To: "Walking On My Feet" by Moonbabies
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