I am a 35 year old momof 4,15, 13, 7, & 6. In a long term relationship with the dad of my 2 youngest, divorced from dad of oldest 2.We haven't gotten married yet but will some day, he is my life partner for sure so marriage hasn't been an issue we are already there in spirit, just lack the paper!I have just graduated as a nurse. I have an AD which makes me eligible for reserves, I will be starting my BA in the fall. I wanted to join the
military when I graduated from high school but

lacked the courage and family approval so
never did. I have never been able to let go of

the idea I am giving some consideration to
joining the reserves and possibly active duty
whn I recieve my BA. What is your input on the
life I would be giving my children and husband? I have older kids so they would be almost done with HS at the point I would want to go active duty. I am attracted to this life,as I spent 3 years in Germany,my ex was army but got out after 3 years. I feel this life would give me security and alot of benefits.I would be an officer. I t would repay my student loans or most of them.I would be allowed to get my masters degree and would require it to go beyond a certain rank.We have nothing saved for retirement and if I did 20 years I would get that pension. I am looking for the downsides as well from your point of view. Are you happy with military life? Are the benefits you recieve worth the commitment required? I am lloking for security and a supported lifestyle, do you feel secure in the military? I want to hear itike it is not the recruiting spiel , life from you guys that are living it.

at this point you cannot go in Active Duty as single parent. when you get married you will require a waiver for having five dependents. even transiting from Reserves to AD.

at 35 you are rapidly approaching the age cut off for every except Army, Active or Reserves.

there are NO Guarantees that you will be offered a commission in ANY Branch. a BA will definitely NOT be competitive for AF, Navy, CG or Marines. as a female, your opportunities for an Army Commission may be limited( they need Infantry/combat Officers,which you cannot be).

getting a masters would be up to you unless you were lucky enough to get an an assignment to NPS.

Honestly, going AD at any point is probably going to be a long hard slog uphill and may ultimately be denied. you can enlist Reserves NOW even without being married, but you can expect to be deployed which will put a damper on your educational plans, although being Reserves you can get some financial aid towards education.

You're too old for a comission in the Navy unless in a specialized field (Doctor, Civil engineering, IWO-which you can't get w/ a non-technical degree-etc).

Navy reservists do not get tuition assistance, but they do get the MGIB reserve version.

I am looking to enlist in the nurse corps. From what have heard RN's are in high demand and all nurses are officers?

quote:

Originally posted by 6772778:
I am looking to enlist in the nurse corps. From what have heard RN's are in high demand and all nurses are officers?

You comission, not enlistment. There is a distinct difference. You can be a nurse with a BSN (Not a BA with an ARN). While nurses are needed the age restriction for the corps is still 34, with waivers available based on professional experience.

I am speaking specifically Navy on the Age requirement. But every branch requires a BSN for entry to the Nurse corps.

Now, enlisted "nurses" are different, and do not require degrees, but based on your age your only option for that is Army.

But, yes, if you do decide to enter you will get a 50% pension at 20 years, as well as educational benefits, medical, etc.

if you do not have a BSN, you cannot be a Nurse. Nurses are officers you cannot enlist as one, you must be offered a commission. Going Reserves/DCO is not that difficult as a Nurse. but again you must have the BSN in hand before you can begin the process. I THINK the Army will take LPNs for a commissioning.

there are ROTC opportunities for Nurses as well as the program where you go to school on their dime and must serve x number of years afterwards.. the school is adjacent to Bethesda NNMC and is extremely tough to get into.

going into Nursing will mitigate the age issue but the number of dependents may still be a show stopper for Active Duty.

quote:

Originally posted by Mrsjvb:
I THINK the Army will take LPNs for a commissioning.

In the reserves, then they are given a time limit for BSN completion and passing of the NCLEX. If not complete in time, you become enlisted.

ROTC and Nursing college program are both out, as the age limit has been passed for both, no waivers authorized.

According to the Army Nurse Corps the cut off is 46. I will have my BSN at age 37-38. Army reserves accepts AD RN's, you are commisioned as 2nd Lt.


http://www.goarmy.com/amedd/nurse/corps_specialties_requir.jsp

I understand the dependant issue makes me only eligible for reserves. In 5 years I will only have 2 children under 18 and may consider active duty at that point. From what I have heard from other sources a dependant waiver may be obtained if you can prove a family care plan and financial stability? I have also heard of other people joining the AF as nurses at an older age. Air Force web site indicates RN's will be accepted up to age 47 as well.
http://www.airforce.com/careers/subcatg.php?
catg_id=3&sub_catg_id=2

I could not find a link on the Navy website but di dinquire on live chat. They said cut off is 42. But no link for that.

From what I have heard waivers are avaliable if you are not afraid to go after it.

get the BSN, then see where you stand as far as the services are concerned. Navy and AF tend to NOT waive age requirements or dependent requirements all that often. The Army may be your most promising bet no matter which way to play with the numbers.

677...It looks to me like the information that you've found on your own has been pretty helpful. Go talk to a recruiter and ask all these questions. We are all spouses here and are not at all the authority on these issues. Your best bet is to find out from the branch itself. Good Luck to you!

Just a thought...in the civilian world, you can get better pay and you can be with your family.
You can always support the troops and volunteer if you want.
But like blondie said if this is really what you want talk to a recruiter,he'll be able to answer your questions better than any of us.

I understand the enlistment info. i am really looking for lifestyle questions. What would life be like for my kids and husband? How is access to healthcare and dental? Are the schools decent? You hear all the recruiting warm fuzzy stuff. I want to hear the real story of life as a military family. I have a good idea of my job responsibilities as a soldier, but that is only half of the story. I want your stories as well. A soldier is only part of who I would be the life of the other half is what I want to hear. Especially spouses and family of medical proffesionals, if there are any here and everyone else as well.

I like our life...the hard part is war and separation.Schools are good,health and dental insurance are good.

For schools for the kids, unless you are stationed overseas, the kids go to the county schools. There is a few DoD schools in the US but not very many. So there is no difference in education.

Healthcare is Tricare and it is free if you choose Prime, co-pay and deduction if you choose Standard. I havent had any problems in all the years I have been using it. Dental is United Concordia you pay around $29 per month and it includes 2 free cleanings then a percentage of the work. You are covered for free.

How well you like it is going to depend on you and your family. Some people love it and love moving, other people can't wait to get out. You just have to have an open mind, sense of adventure, willing to move with less than 1 month's notice and go from there. Yes there are hard times but no different I feel than the regular world. Communications now is so different compared to what it was even 8 years ago. What the military offers families is different than 5 years ago.