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You need to step back and take a look at the big picture. You're considering two careers that are on polar opposites in terms of intelligence required. I'm not saying Aerial Port is on the same level as Aviation Ordinance but compared to Nukes... let's just say it ain't rocket science.
On the other hand, it is a great job for travel.
Let's look at the "after-you-get-out" possibilities. Aerial Port.... FedEx plane loader? Baggage Handler? Hmm.... I'm not seeing a whole lot more.
Edited to Add: There are many other opportunities out there. If you're seriously a Nuke-type person and you know you can handle it... you might be on a sub... That makes you a primadonna. And that's awesome. There might even be large bonus money involved.
I'm a 26 year Navy vet and have a son on active duty in the Navy so of course my recommendation is the Navy.
One thing to keep in mind, Nuke school is TOUGH and if you fail out you're going to some other job in the Navy. As I told everyone that I put in when I was a Recruiter...join the service you want to be in, don't join for a job. If you like the job but hate being at sea you're going to be miserable regardless of what job you're doing.
I'm Airfore... If you can get into the Navy Nuke program I would definitely go Navy. If you can't then figure out what job you want to do and if the Air Force has it, join the Air Force.
I was Navy, but if I were doing it again, I would give the Coast Guard a look. It might be easier to get into their academy than either Navy or AF. In any academy they pay you instead of you paying them.
A friend of mine went to the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point NY and came out with a USNR commission.
@prospectheightsresident
I'm in my senior year of highschool, so no college yet. That's another reason I've been looking at the Armed Forces; college. There's no way I can afford it, and I'm not taking out student loans. I know teachers in their mid-40's that are still paying off their debts, and that's just not for me.
@hunterseat
I do realize they're on opposite sides of the spectrum, I'm just trying to investigate several jobs. I also just wanted to keep the option open in case I couldn't pass the Nuke test or something. Perhaps I'm just over-thinking things? It's just a lot of stuff to think about haha.
@LBTRS
What did you do before becoming a recruiter? Did you enjoy it? How often and how long were you deployed out to sea? I've been on boats before, but I've never been out to sea for extended lengths of time so I'm not really sure if I'll like/hate it. I honestly don't think I'll mind it though.
@gumbo31
What are you currently doing in the Air Force? Do you enjoy it?
@engineman
You have to submit applications and such for those just like colleges right? If that's the case, I'm pretty sure the deadline has already passed, and I don't have the time to wait until next year. Plus my transcripts aren't the best looking haha. I didn't take high school too seriously the first 2 1/2 years. I don't mean to sound conceited or anything, but I was always pretty bored in class.
Thanks to everyone that's responded so far, this is definitely helping me in my decision!
If you are fully decided against college right now, yeah, cross "commissioned officer" off your list for the time being, regardless of branch.
Also, if you have been a lower achiever, academically, and typically get bored in class, it's worth noting that you'll be attending school after your basic training, too, and you may need to revisit those habits. ESPECIALLY if you have aspirations of getting into a competitive and rigorous specialty area.
If you are fully decided against college right now, yeah, cross "commissioned officer" off your list for the time being, regardless of branch.
Also, if you have been a lower achiever, academically, and typically get bored in class, it's worth noting that you'll be attending school after your basic training, too, and you may need to revisit those habits. ESPECIALLY if you have aspirations of getting into a competitive and rigorous specialty area.
Please don't misunderstand, I would love to get into college, but it's problematic, due to both time and financial constraints.
The transcripts aren't exactly due to me being a 'lower achiever', we lived far enough from my school that it wasn't in walking distance, and the car broke down. That inevitably led to me missing a good portion of my freshman and sophomore year. I was bored in class because most of the stuff was easy, I still paid attention and did well on the tests. I enjoy the competitive environment, I might even thrive in it, so I welcome it.
To be clear, I'm not using "lower achiever" as a judgment, just as a descriptor, since you had pointed out that your transcripts were weak..."academically low-achieving" in the sense of not having received the greatest grades. Although you note you tested well, but still had less-than-great looking transcripts. At any rate, you will probably find that in the military, there will be a mix of training that you find interesting, competitive, and invigorating, and training that you find pointless and boring. Ditto with job duties. You'll have to deal with both.
@prospectheightsresident
I'm in my senior year of highschool, so no college yet. That's another reason I've been looking at the Armed Forces; college. There's no way I can afford it, and I'm not taking out student loans. I know teachers in their mid-40's that are still paying off their debts, and that's just not for me.
Thanks to everyone that's responded so far, this is definitely helping me in my decision!
OP, if you do things "right," you won't be paying off student loans until you're in your 40s, especially if you are looking into the military as a career (or any other public service career . . . more to that below). Firstly, you can do ROTC at a cheaper, public university. Second, there are ROTC scholarships available that can greatly relieve your financial burden for education. Third, there's the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which forgives any unpaid Federal loans you owe after making on-time payments for 10 years (and, note, you can make payments under a very favorable repayment plan, such as "income-based" to ensure that you can maintain a comfortable standard of living). At the end of the day, however, with all of these benefits, going to college and going officer would be so much better for you, financially, especially if you're looking to make a career out of military service. This is because commissioned officers are so much better compensated than enlisted members (especially newly commissioned officers vs. newly enlisted members).
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