Photo By Joseph Rivera Rebolledo | Despite an increased operational tempo, Soldiers continue to take the oath of...... read more read more
CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ind. — The Army — with more than 150 different job options — is a great opportunity for those seeking stability in these hard economic times. It has worked for me; why not make it work for you?
Based on my own personal experience, finding a new job nowadays can be challenging and somewhat difficult. For the past couple of years, I had been unsuccessfully trying to switch from a demanding and failing airline industry to an industry that was more stable.
Don't get me wrong: the Army is demanding as well, however when I compare the benefits from one to the other, the Army offers me some security not found elsewhere... I am supporting my family as well as my country. What else can I ask for?
I have been in the National Guard for 14 years and when my re-enlistment time came, I decided to stay in and I re-enlisted for a third term, even though I knew I was heading down-range to the battlefield. Why? Simple... I was ensuring my job security in the event of a downsizing in the corporation I worked for, and in turn, paying my bills.
My decision was worth the sacrifice as I served my country and the Soldiers serving in it. It was worth it because it has helped me support my family for the past two and a half years without any financial problems that may have shown up in the private sector. So far, it has worked for me - a six-year contract, one deployment to Iraq and an additional active-duty tour stateside with the possibility of an extension.
The same opportunities the Army gives to me are the same opportunities available to you. Where else can you find unrivaled life, health and dental insurance and retirement benefits? Even the Army's education allowances — the Tuition Assistance Program and the Montgomery GI Bill — are without comparison.
I only used the Tuition Assistance for a few years at a private university, but you can use it to pay up to 100 percent of your college tuition and fees, depending upon the Army component in which you enlist, i.e. the National Guard or Reserve. Of course there is a cap on the amount of funds allotted in one school year and certain limitations on what the TA can be used for, but when you join you are pretty much guaranteed TA. You just need to enroll in a course and fill out the application for TA and the rest is a piece of cake!
The GI Bill on the other hand, allowed me to take on more classes not covered by the TA due to the funding cap. Back then, the GI Bill and the TA combined were worth about $8,400 a year just for college. This was back then; now the new GI bill has improved so much that I would need to do a whole lot of research to talk about it, but I'll leave that for another occasion.
In addition to paying for college, the Army also helped me pay for my house, in a sense. In 2006 I was building my house and was running short on funds for additional changes to the new structure. Guess what I used to add more square footage and make my new home a more comfortable one? My $15,000 re-enlistment bonus, that's what! Almost half of the Army jobs offered — military policemen, equipment repairers, health care specialists — have sign-on and/or re-enlistment bonuses. Once again: If it has worked for me, why can it not work for you?
Unfortunately, I don't have more space to keep on writing about the advantages of joining or staying in the Army; however, I hope you have enjoyed today's commentary, and gotten a little bit more knowledge of the benefits you have waiting for you.
Now, companies are trying to survive this economic downturn by reducing operational costs, their work force and fringe benefits to their employees. This current economic crisis has left many corporations with few growth options and new job openings for the near future. The bottom line is this - the Army continues to offer opportunities most companies in the private sector are cutting off. You've heard that life is what you make it. It's true and the same goes for the Army. Make it work for you.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2009 17:16 |
| Story ID: | 33876 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 259 |
| Downloads: | 177 |
This work, The Army is the place to be: Job security, benefits make Army great employer, by Joseph Rivera Rebolledo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
