Some students scoff at military recruiters that come on campus, but they should keep an open mind. The military provides an abundance of career and financial benefits that most are unaware of.
Allowing recruiters to come on campus is a good way to provide students with the opportunity to ask questions on neutral ground and find viable options for their future.
Benefits like 401k (military version is Thrift Savings Plan or TSP), paid education, paid rent, paid healthcare, generous time off and early retirement; which most of us don’t plan for and end up working too many years making up for it.
The military is a job and most military jobs are not at risk of going into combat. 90% of the military that serve never go to war. It is a good employment option and not as bad as the media makes it out to be.
There are many jobs required to support bases in our nation and worldwide.
The average pay with an associates degree is $43 thousand. The military average pay after two years of service is $65 thousand. After eight years of service, most enlisted military members pass $100 thousand.
The military also offers Officer Training School (OTS) for eligible individuals desiring to be in management. This is schooling to become an officer and part of the management team.
The average one bedroom rent in Southern California is $2 thousand. Today’s job market doesn’t pay monthly housing and food allowance. According to Militarypay.defense.gov, the military provides a Base Housing Allowance (BAH) of $2.5 thousand monthly and more if you have a family.
Also provided is $452 monthly for Base Subsistence Allowance for food (BAS). This is in addition to your base pay.
Neither BAH or BAS are taxed and in addition, commissary prices are reported to be 30% cheaper than their competition. Active duty and retirees are able to shop at the tax free commissary and base exchange.
In today’s job market, 41% of companies offer 401k retirement plans matching 50 cents to every dollar you contribute, up to 5% which translates to 2.5% from the employer. The military’s version, TSP, is a retirement plan that matches dollar for dollar up to 5%.
Nowadays, it is extremely unlikely to have a pension once you retire. The military, however, has a pension plan for those who retire after 20 years. This is in addition to paying into social security and building toward the future retirement of their veterans.
The average job’s annual time off consists of 11 vacation days, 8 holidays and 7.6 days sick time. The military annual time off consists of 30 vacation days, 11 holidays and you are not docked for sick time.
The military provides more than double the time off than the average job. For those who like to travel, most bases have a hotel that veterans are allowed to utilize at a tax free, reduced rate compared to local hotels.
Health insurance will cost a single employee an annual average of $8 thousand in addition to copayments which are capped at $1.7 thousand, rarely does a company foot the bill.
In the military, all medical and dental are fully covered for the veteran and their family.
Education for veterans is also a major benefit that comes with having served. If recruits come in with education debt, they can utilize Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), to erase part of their student loan debt.Â
On average, only 47% of employers offer education assistance, covering up to $5 thousand.
While in the military, the majority of a veteran’s education is paid for by the government. Any additional expenses can be covered by grants that an educational counselor can help veterans apply for.
Once enlistment is over, veterans are provided job search and resume assistance as well as the opportunity for a fully paid education with ample food and housing allowance via the GI Bill while in school.
While some branches may offer recruitment bonuses, be careful, as this may be coming out of your future education benefits.
According to Staff Sgt. Flores, a career counselor at the Lakewood Marine Corps recruiting office, once Marines are nearing their enlistment ending they are required to attend a Transition Readiness Seminar (TRS). This seminar prepares veterans with resume building, internship information and knowledge about the GI Bill to help them fully understand the benefits they are entitled to.
The Marine Corps’ Credentialing Opportunities On-Line (COOL) website shows additional training that the U.S. Marine Corps will pay for, as well as what a military job will translate into in civilian life.
In many instances, jobs do not open up paths to American citizenship, but for military personnel, the path to citizenship is expedited for veterans and their families through the Parole in Place provision. This program allows undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship while remaining within the country.
There are many other perks: active duty military can catch a military plane anywhere for free, most bases have gyms and cafeterias, veterans are able to buy a house with no money down and pay less in closing costs and many places offer veteran discounts.
To be in the military is a job with far better benefits than you will find in the job market today that start after a minimum enlistment. If you decide to take a job the military offers you, you will be a part of the few and the proud that defend our country.