As a shy female, will the Coast Guard bootcamp eat me alive

Question

I'm an older female (26) who's interested in enlisting in the CG. I'm just worried that the whole bootcamp thing will send me to a nervous breakdown. Being older and more set in my ways personality wise, I might have a hard time being "broken down".

I had a very abusive supervisor in the past who would shout every chance she had, and I did not deal with it very well (crying etc)

Also I'm clumsy and not very coordinated, so will the drilling and marching stuff be hard to learn gracefully? What happens if you trip or fall down regularly?

Answer 1

First of all you have to ask yourself why you want to join the CG.  If it's to build confidence in yourself and change yourself, you have to have the guts to keep going.  Don't make excuses not to go. It won't be a "walk in the park" but what you gain out of this experience will stay with you forever.   During basic training, live day to day, chow to chow.  And also don't take what the instructor yells at you personally.  It's nothing personal towards you.  You'll see what I'm talking about when you finish.

Answer 2

check out www.coastguardchannel.com. Watch a series called "it's only eight weeks." See for yourself.

If you can't handle stress, I don't think the Coast Guard is for you.  

Answer 3

I think the biggest thing to do is to realize why you are there.  You're in the military to take orders from other people and push yourself physically but mostly mentally.

There's nothing in the Coast Guard you can't do, but civilians are used to being able to quit when it gets hard.  Remember- that's not a good thing.  Let go of your concept of your limitations and accept the orders and challenges as the way to make yourself better.

Answer 4

You're not old enough to be set in your ways and there shouldn't be anything you aren't capable of handling with some effort. Just keep your head down, focus, and bull through.