Air Force Sergeant, After 19+ Years
Pros
A Career in the military is obviously not for everyone. There are demands placed upon a member that go far beyond a normal 'job'. If you prove able and willing, it is a career that provides advanced training, fair and equal treatment, ample opportunity for advancement, and a life long pension after 20 years of service. These are just to name a few of the positives. The sense of accomplishment after overcoming challenges is considerable. Becoming a master at working within a team, and later in the career, leading a team is a solid skill that continues to benefit...perhaps long after the military career is over.
Cons
Decisions are most often, not your own. Yet you must carry them out to best of your ability anyway. Advancement to higher levels is often plagued by frequent roadblocks or setbacks. Traveling on military deployments presents multiple challenges -particularly to families. There are long periods of time spent thousands of miles from family and friends. You do and go where you are told. Life in a warzone is indeed a unique and difficult challenge. Doing without what most of the American and European populations consider normal life comforts and expectations becomes second nature. Many people can become...indoctrinated in thier modes of thinking and acting. Ones self identity becomes tied to the profession of arms, and stepping outside that mental framework becomes alien.
