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Before we start let me explain three things, I am an active duty Soldier, I am a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) and everything I am about to write is from my own experiences, views and not from the Army.

This is a topic everyone should think about before they enlist in any branch of the military. There is a lot of information you should know before making the choice to join the Army. Choicing to join the Army is just like choicing to take any other job but I have seen countless people not do the proper research before joining the Army.

The Army is in many ways like any other job, but this one you can not just quit if you do not like it. The Army provides health insurance for you and your family, a pay check and time off. The Army also provides training in what ever job field you qualify for when you join the Army.

The first thing you need to do before joining the Army is think about "why you want to join the Army" and "what do you want to get out of the Army". Both of these are very important. We will look at "why you want to join the Army" first.

Many people join the Army for the wrong reasons. This is not to say the reason itself is wrong because there is no true wrong reason to join the Army but the reason was wrong for them. This again goes back to not having done proper research in the job. I will explain my reasons for joining the Army:

I was married for a little over a year and my wife got pregnant. I worked in a computer field but in a low income high cost of living city. I was only making 10 dollars an hour and while this was enough to pay for my wife and myself this was not enough to pay for a new child in the area I lived. My job also did not have a true impact in making the world a better place so I felt as if I was just wasting my life. I also shared the same reason a lot of people joined the military; I wanted to go to college and I could not afford it. So in all I joined to provide a better life for my family, make a difference and college money. You need to make sure that you are joining the Army for the right reasons for you.

Next lets look at what you want from the Army. My reasons for joining the Army are the same things I wanted from the Army but I had a few more. I wanted training in a job that I could use in the civilian work force if I did not make the Army a career. Make a list of what you want from the Army before you do your research on joining the Army. This will help in your research.

Now that you know why you are joining and what you

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