3 ms·

You’re young, inexperienced, and uneducated? College and good internships will improve upon all of that. If you can’t afford college, you’ll need to join the m

You’re young, inexperienced, and uneducated? College and good internships will improve upon all of that. If you can’t afford college, you’ll need to join the military (I recommend the Air Force if you want to take it easy, or the Marines if you don’t) and slave for four years. But it seems to me that your biggest stumbling block may be that you are shooting for the moon without realizing it.

hn8788 6y ago
Military is definitely an overlooked option. If sign up for an intel or cyber job, you'll probably have a 9-5 job after boot camp, get trainining, certifications, tuition assistance to finish a degree, veterans preference on jobs once you get out, and probably a security clearance. Even as a Marine it wasn't bad; the non-intel Marines used to joke that we were civilians in uniform. It can also help iron out some personality issues unless you have a big problem with authority. The military definitely isn't a bunch of mindless robots like you see on TV and movies.
- wildermuthn 5y ago
  Well said! If you can’t turn around your life yourself (I couldn’t), you can at least delegate that task to an organization willing to spend ungodly amounts of money and time on making you a productive member of its society. Whether you like it or not.
- lkm93 5y ago
  See, but intelligent people will consider you a parasite for assisting in US imperialism. Maybe we could recommend a path that does not include indiscriminant murder overseas?
- jl2718 5y ago
  Definitely. Ignore the pay. It’s worth it. Also ignore SV pay. It’s not. Take all the crazy assignments. Fringe personalities are on the front lines. Go there. That’s the part of my career I regret least.
kevinpet 5y ago
I was adding this as a top level, but realized someone probably already mentioned it. If: * you're under 30 * you don't have any health problems or diagnosed mental health issues * you don't have a criminal record (or it's trivial stuff) * you are willing to make a drastic change in your relationship to authority then the military might be an option. You won't like it, and they absolutely not put up with any shit about you knowing better than your superiors (hint: it's completely irrelevant if you do), but that is a way to hit reset. You mention the CIA and they can be pretty selective, but that also suggests you're okay with patriotism. Remember the way to tell a recruiter is lying is their lips are moving. If you want a specific job get it in writing, and then assume a 50:50 chance. If you want a job that translates to the outside world and aren't keen on getting shot at, I recommend the Air Force. The Navy isn't that bad in that regard either.
- the_only_law 5y ago
  > * you don't have any health problems or diagnosed mental health issues * Or history of such, I was reject, in part because of two medications I was prescribed (and SSRI and an anti-psychotic) at 11 years old from two different branches even after traveling across states to be re ever lured by the doctors and getting a letter saying I was good. OTOH my stepbrother was diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed adderall for years, and was able to get in.

hn8788 6y ago

Military is definitely an overlooked option. If sign up for an intel or cyber job, you'll probably have a 9-5 job after boot camp, get trainining, certifications, tuition assistance to finish a degree, veterans preference on jobs once you get out, and probably a security clearance. Even as a Marine it wasn't bad; the non-intel Marines used to joke that we were civilians in uniform. It can also help iron out some personality issues unless you have a big problem with authority. The military definitely isn't a bunch of mindless robots like you see on TV and movies.

wildermuthn 5y ago
Well said! If you can’t turn around your life yourself (I couldn’t), you can at least delegate that task to an organization willing to spend ungodly amounts of money and time on making you a productive member of its society. Whether you like it or not.
lkm93 5y ago
See, but intelligent people will consider you a parasite for assisting in US imperialism. Maybe we could recommend a path that does not include indiscriminant murder overseas?
jl2718 5y ago
Definitely. Ignore the pay. It’s worth it. Also ignore SV pay. It’s not. Take all the crazy assignments. Fringe personalities are on the front lines. Go there. That’s the part of my career I regret least.

kevinpet 5y ago

I was adding this as a top level, but realized someone probably already mentioned it. If: * you're under 30 * you don't have any health problems or diagnosed mental health issues * you don't have a criminal record (or it's trivial stuff) * you are willing to make a drastic change in your relationship to authority then the military might be an option. You won't like it, and they absolutely not put up with any shit about you knowing better than your superiors (hint: it's completely irrelevant if you do), but that is a way to hit reset. You mention the CIA and they can be pretty selective, but that also suggests you're okay with patriotism. Remember the way to tell a recruiter is lying is their lips are moving. If you want a specific job get it in writing, and then assume a 50:50 chance. If you want a job that translates to the outside world and aren't keen on getting shot at, I recommend the Air Force. The Navy isn't that bad in that regard either.

the_only_law 5y ago
> * you don't have any health problems or diagnosed mental health issues * Or history of such, I was reject, in part because of two medications I was prescribed (and SSRI and an anti-psychotic) at 11 years old from two different branches even after traveling across states to be re ever lured by the doctors and getting a letter saying I was good. OTOH my stepbrother was diagnosed with ADHD and was prescribed adderall for years, and was able to get in.