Originally Posted by
udontknowme
I'll counsel you as I did innumerable soldiers during my career:
1. Dreaming is fine, but first DO YOUR JOB. Right now you have high school to finish, with a performance level that will assure your entry into the service. Screw up this year, kiss your enlistment goodbye.
2. Keep off the substances. You can't drink legally. Even if you're in a state with legalized marijuana, you won't fit the age requirements and the Feds don't approve. Any substance abuse will KO your career.
3. Stay on the right side of the law. Any legal difficulties will require a waiver for your enlistment, and with the RIF going on, you may not get one.
4. Get your financial house in order. Everything costs more than you expect. You earn at less than E1 for your first 4 months, then at $18378 per annum for E1 <2yr. When and if promoted E2, $20603 with a bump around a grand for E3. You'll have to pay Fed taxes, maybe state depending on where you enter service from. As others have stated above, you'll have other expenses as well.
5. A 94M requires a security clearance of at least Secret. Make sure there are no skeletons in the closet, and don't acquire any.
6. When you're doing well in AIT, come back here and we'll help you plan some trips (assuming you already have a good job in the real world lined up).
I'm already enlisted lol. I've already gone through MEPS and swore in. I have RSP until July 13th (my ship date). I just wanted to get some general ideas so I was hurrying to plan when I got back. Thanks!
Originally Posted by
cmn.jcs
The difference between E-1 and E-3 ~$270/month. At this point, I'm not sure if you've actually done the math behind this, or if there's something you haven't posted. Here's what I get: according to the info I've found, you don't get BAH or BAS during BCT and AIT, so (assuming you're an E-3) your total pay is going to be a bit more more than $1800/month. Assuming an annual 1% raise (based on past trends), let's round it up to $1850/month. 55 weeks is 13.75 months, so total pay for basic and AIT is $25,437. A quick tax calculation shows ~$2400 in federal taxes--hopefully you live in a state with no income tax, but if not, then you'll have to factor that in.
So, assuming you want $20k at the end of this, that leaves ~$3000 for a year's worth of expenses. My brother went through OSUT earlier this year, and I believe there were a few deductions for uniforms and whatnot, so you'll have to subtract that out. Then you mentioned car insurance. What about phone service? Saving for something other than travel? How about all the small things you'll need--toiletries, clothing? All that said, I don't think it's unreasonable to put away a good amount for travel (maybe $5k?).
As for where to go, 84fiero pretty well covered it based on the info you've posted. To get any more detailed info, you need to figure out what's important to you--do you want to see ancient history? More recent history? Language? Art? Otherwise, you're more or less asking for a mind reader. But again, you've got plenty of time to figure out that sort of thing, so good luck.
I haven't done research on E-1 to E-3 pay rates recently but when I was talking to the guy to get my pay thing set up, he said the difference between a E-1 and E-2 was $200 a month (active duty pay which includes BT and AIT). As for all the little things to pay for, I will most likely be living by myself or maybe with a roommate so it's not like I have to buy a lot or support a family. Generally speaking, I go shopping for clothes twice a year (about $50 to $100 each time) and buy a new pair of shoes once a year (<$80). I don't need a lot to live off of and military benefits will also help with lowering the cost down a bit.
All really good help though, thanks!