Suggestion or advice about the Navy?

Question

I'm 23 turning 24 next month, part-time college student, a mother of 2 years old girl, and planning to see what Navy got to offer me. I thought about joining the Navy (not too sure if active/reserve) because I heard Navy has a great medical field opportunities (true/false?). I know it depends on my ASVAB score, but I would like to enlist as a Corpsman, Radiology Tech, or health care administration (got a degree on Medical Insurance Billing & Coding). I just want to know if this is a right thing to do for a single mom. I know I have to give up my custody and be away a lot. I tried so hard to bring great achievements for my child but I felt like a failure. I know military will help me boost up my confidence, independent, and be a leader. An advice will be appreciate it. I want to hear other military people experience or advice before I start talking to a recruiter. Also what would be other best questions to ask?

Please be honest and don't answer if your just going to be rude. Sorry so long but thank you in advance.

Answer 1

My sister is a Corpsman in the Navy, currently in training with the Marines to become a field medic. She absolutely loves it and has had opportunities to see the world. She even lived in Spain for 2 years and was deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

From what I've seen with my sister's friends, they accomodate those with kids and move them with you. I dont think it's the most stable life for a child to be moving around all the time, but see what the recruiter has to say about things. You may be able to just stay stateside and live somewhere near a base.

Keep in mind, in Basic, you cant really contact your family for 6 weeks. My sister was limited to mail... No computers, very minimal phone calls, etc.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide!

Answer 2

As a single mom, I would also recommend checking out the air force and their reserve.  If you would like more information on both, check http://www.military.com and see what it says about both services.  I was in the Army, but I will admit it's not the best place for a single parent and I doubt the Corps is either.  Good luck with your choice and your possible future military career.  

Answer 3

Well, it's certainly an interesting option you're looking at here. I would recommend Coast Guard so you can be home more.

Corpsmen is a fine MOS, and a good Corpsman is hard to find! The problem is, once you get out, your hard work as a Corpsman doesn't exactly translate in the civilian world. Maybe you'll get to go to OEMS ("pig school") and learn allllll kinds of awesome combat medicine!! But...how applicable is that, they'll ask, unless you're a paramedic on the streets of Detroit, lol. Unless you plan on retiring as a Corpsman, you won't really have anything to show for it, unfortunately. You don't get actual certifications or degrees as a Corpsman, you just learn to o this stuff. It looks good on an application, but doesn't get you further on in your civilian training. There are SMART credits (credits that you can get which are translated from what you've learned), but they won't help you all that much.

Your goal should be to enlist in the Navy, but also to use your Tuition Assistance (free money they give you while you're in...but if you drop out or fail a class, you have to pay them back) to help pay to get various certifications. That way, the military is paying for it, and you do have some documentation to prove you're worth your salt.

If your degree is a BA/BS, you can also enlist as an officer and see if you can become a doctor, which certainly does translate into the civilian world.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Answer 4

if you are a Single Parent you cannot enlist Active Duty at all.  You cannot give up custody just to enlist and you cannot regain custody at all during the first term of enlistment( 4-6 years)  

HM is CLOSED to females in both the Reserves and Active duty and will NOT be opening up any time soon.   HMs do not get to choose what C school they get( and is typically not offered until the end of their first enlistment anyway unless you go straight to FMSS)

If you want to be a medic.. try Army Guard or Reserves.  they have the least restrictions on single parents.  

Answer 5

Really, it's probably not a good idea if you have a child.  Your greatest achievement can be being the best mother possible.  Your child will suffer if they know that their mother has chosen a career over them.  It will not impress them, it will hurt them. The recruiter does not care about you or your child.  They have quotas they need to meet.  Sounds harsh, but it is the truth.  Cancel the meeting and go see a counselor to get your confidence up.  Also, there is a war going on.  C'mon.