> Joining the military is not only a physical risk, you are also joining an organization with a pyramidal structure: you may not get that promotion. It’s not t

> Joining the military is not only a physical risk, you are also joining an organization with a pyramidal structure: you may not get that promotion. It’s not that hard to get promoted to a level that can get one to a decent early retirement (e7 or o5). - Be moderately intelligent. Not genius level, just enough to past the various tests in your MOS and rank. If one is on the threshold for not being able to do this intellectually, it will usually be apparent early in one’s career. - Be fit. Some people get lazy on this point, some get injured, but it’s usually an issue of personal motivation (or lack thereof). - Minimize fuck ups — drugs, DUIs, run ins with the law, etc. Sometimes these are overlooked, sometimes not. Better not to risk it. - Make sure to make time to go to all the right “charm schools”. Sounds silly, but sometimes you have to fight for it. > Maybe it suffers from the same pyramid issue, but it's not obvious to all the kids. I very much agree with this. There is a very distinct socio-economic pyramid in the US, and most people don’t really understand what they need to do to move up the ladder. It’s not as easy as going to an elite school. There is way more to it, and I think that surprises a lot of people when they are middle-aged and realize that they didn’t really understand the rules of the game.