Top Reasons to Join the Military!

Perhaps you are not quite sure about joining the military. Maybe you are sure but haven’t yet examined the top reasons to join the military.

After all, it’s not a small decision.

There are enormous consequences – both to you and your family, about this commitment. It needs to be a well-informed decision and one that you are both excited about and comfortable with.

That’s why we’ve put together the top 10 reasons to join the military – everything from travel and financial benefits, to skill development and career advantages. After you are done reading these ten reasons, you will have a much better idea of whether joining the military is the right career for you.

Let’s get started with one of the most popular reasons: patriotic duty.

There is no better reason to join the US military than having a sense of patriotic duty. Of course, duty matters more than just the principle of it.

#1 Patriotic Duty to Serve Your Country

Serving abroad often means working in challenging circumstances. You may need to confront dangerous enemy forces – those forces hostile to your country. By having a distinct duty to your country, it serves to motivate your actions and act with a responsibility that can only come with the military.

Furthermore, be prepared to be warmly welcomed for your service – a small but not insignificant benefit of your dedicated service.

#2 Travel and Broadened Horizons

If you are the kind of person that does not want to stay in their hometown and wants to get around and yet make a difference, joining the military may be the right career for you.

As part of the military, you can be deployed in many different countries across many different continents. You can experience different cultures and learn more about yourself at the same time.

This is particularly attractive for young people hoping to pass the ASVAB exam. The prospect of being deployed abroad is an exciting prospect – not only because of the mystery of serving abroad in unique circumstances, but also the prospect to see and experience new things, people, and culture.

Of course, serving in the military is not a vacation.

That said, there are enormous travel benefits that must be acknowledged.

#3 Respect

Once you have finished your career in the military – irrespective of whether you joined the Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Navy – expect to be respected for the work that you did on behalf of your country.

You will never get tired of hearing the words, “thank you for your service to the country”. Whilst it is not always one of the best best reasons to join the military, it is a direct consequence of the service you have brought to the country and an acknowledgement of the protection you have provided for others.

For many civilians, this service is invaluable – and you can expect to receive enormous and well-earned respect for this duty.

#4 Healthcare Benefits

This also translates into benefits.

For example, TRICARE offers free medical care for active-duty personnel and their families. There are also educational benefits, too, such as GI Bill – helping you pay for college or graduate school.

After 20-years of service, you can also retire with a full pension, ability to enter a new career, and have full healthcare coverage. Not many careers offer this distinct advantage!

So, even after you have left the military, the respect and benefits that come with the service can prove attractive.

#5 Physical Fitness

If fitness is your thing, then this can be one of the top reasons to join the military. Of course, to even get into the armed forces, one must pass a physical fitness test. Candidates must demonstrate an aptitude for cardiovascular endurance, upper body strength, and mobility.

Nor does this stop once you are a sworn active-duty member of the military. Expect to be put through your paces, even if at random. After all, enlisting in the military carries significant and immediate risks and you must have the ability to respond to these risks and have the physical stature to cope.

#6 Develop a Strong Work Ethic

Are you undisciplined and lack a strong work ethic?

If the answer to this question is yes, then joining the military can become one of the top reasons to enlist in the military. Very quickly, you will learn the value of discipline and what it means to commit. You will also learn what it means to have a strong work ethic and how to translate this into practice.

Let’s not also forget that these are highly attractive transferrable work skills.

Once you have finished with the military, these kinds of traits prove valuable for many employers across a wide range of careers.

#7 Make Friends for Life

Joining the military involves creating close allies – allies who also become long-term, loyal friends.

One of the most distinct benefits of joining the military is that you get to be part of something bigger than just you. It means working with others toward a common patriotic goal. No other people can share in your experience. It is between you and your peers in those moments; a kind of special bond that only those who have served in the military understand.

These aren’t just friends. They are companions for life.

#8 Build Your Skillset

Joining the military isn’t just about firearms.

There is an enormous wealth of opportunity to learn new skills and trades. Take a look through the MOS list of employment prospects for each branch of the military. There, you can find an endless list – from engineering roles to intelligence roles, and everything in between.

That is also why the ASVAB test is so broad in scope. It aims to test not only your core competencies (through the 4 AFQT tests), but also your skills and application in other, more specific subjects – such as automotive and shop information, mechanical comprehension, and electronics information. Many Navy positions expect candidates to score high on the assembling objects test, for instance.

So, enlisting in the military is more than what you see in movies. There is enormous scope for skill development and these skills can be used, again, in your future career should you decide to make the move.

#9 Follow in Your Family’s Footsteps

Not all families have a history in the military, but some do.

If you are one of those, whose family has a long and dedicated history serving in the US armed forces, then this is one of the most powerful reasons to join the military. Not many people understand the role that military enlistment has in many families throughout the country.

And, of course, if you are not one of those, you can always start that process. You can become the start of what will become a long lineage of family members who decide that a career in the military is an absolute must – to honor family tradition and to serve the country.

#10 Purchase Your First Home

Many people wouldn’t connect the US military to purchasing a first home, but that is precisely one of the many advantages of joining the military.

The VA Home Loan is exceptional in that it offers veterans the prospect of owning their first home without having to put down a sizeable downpayment that eliminates their hard-earned savings.

Furthermore, many of the fees associated with this purchase are waived.

Enlisting in the military doesn’t just come with all of the advantages described above, but it also comes with these distinct financial benefits that make your life that much easier compared to the rest of the population.

This is a long-term factor to consider if you are thinking of joining the military.

That’s about it for our top reasons to join the military! Hope you found this useful and be sure to check back to our blog at ASVAB Test Practice soon for even more on the military; how to pass the ASVAB exam, and much more!