Basic View on How to Get Enlisted in the US Military

If you are planning on joining the US military, you must prepare yourself for whatever is ahead of you. To make sure that you will last, you have to be equipped with the right reasons why you want to be part of it. It is understandable if you are doing this for the money. If you want to join the crew just so you can have a stable job that can raise a family, then by all means, proceed with the venture.

But that must not be your sole reason why you want to be in. You have to put your heart, mind and soul into the challenges ahead. If you are not up for the tasks and how these could affect you in all aspects of your life, you may have to rethink your decision. If you are set about joining the military, here's an overview of how you can get enlisted.

The Process

Service members who would like to join the military are mostly recruited. Some are tapped while they are still in high school and others, when they are already in college. The target age for the recruitment process is 18 up to 28. If you are only 17 years old, you can still get enlisted. You have to join the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) and you have to get your parents or guardians' consent. Through the DEP, you can become active in locally sponsored activities which are related to military. These activities can be in the line of sports or competitions. It will depend on your location and the programs that are being implemented by the DEP program where you are. The recruitment process as well as DEP is led by assigned recruiters and other staff and officials associated with the military.

When you are done with the enlistment, as a new recruit, you have to go through Basic Training. If you will be pursuing the Marines or Navy, this is referred to as boot camp. After this, you have to attend school at a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), which training facilities can be found worldwide. But the training depends on which branch you have chosen to enroll. 

If you do not have higher education certificate or a college degree, you will be asked to hold the pay grade of E-1. After you are done with the Basic Training and you had experienced minimum of six months Time-In Service, you will be promoted to E-2. There are various incentive programs and schemes that will be given to enlistees depending on the services where you are part of. You can get higher initial ranks intended for college credit. You may also be given chance to refer friends who want to get enlisted like you. By going through the DEP program, you will have the chance to get rank before you leave and complete Basic Training.

For every junior enlisted rank category, meaning E-1 to E-3, there are various authorized pay grade advancement obligations that depend on the service. For example, if you enlist in the Army, you can get an initial pay grade of Specialist or E-4 along with four-year degree. When you still belong to junior enlisted ranks, you are still not in competition with regards to promotions. The latter will eventually be obtained when you have served for a specified number of years on whichever branch of the US military you belong to.  
