Mei Wei
If I were to join the military for tuition assistance as an Asian female going for a Pharmacy degree, which branch would be more suited for me?
I've been thinking about joining the military for tuition assistance, since my scholarship will expire after next year but my degree is 6yrs. I've heard a lot about the hurdles that women have to overcome in the military, primarily sexual harassment, and I wanted to know if I joined which would be fairer in treatment and/or has a harsher punishment for those who do so.
EX: coast guard, navy, army.
#gender-equality #military-service #military #pharmacy
5 answers
Chermone Bunting
Chermone’s Answer
Hi Mei, the DoD (Department of Defense) comes down hard on any person that engages in sexual harrassment. In my opinion, those who engage in this illegal activity in uniform face harsher and stiffer penalties when reported than their civilian counterparts. You should feel comfortable working with men and women in the military. Now grant it, you may be "asked out" more because women will be outnumbered on any base/post, but again if you feel someone is crossing boundaries, you have the ability to stop them, report the situation and still be safe.
There is gender equality and you will not get treated unfairly for being a female. In fact, since you are looking at the medical field, that area in the military still tends to have more females than in all of the other sections. The only time people are going to come down on you is if you are failing to uphold standards. So be encouraged, my daughter did 8 years and got out to pursue her degree and she never had any issues (other than just dealing with stupid people {you will never get away from those types of people}). I retired out of the AF and every airman was treated the same by me, by leadership and by colleagues. I won't lie and say that there aren't dirtbags who managed to get in and commit atrocities, but again that can and does happen in the civilian world.
I will also say that military life in general can be difficult, but also extremely rewarding. If going into the military is something you want to do, then go for it. If you are just going in for the GI Bill, I think that is the wrong idea and you might be unhappy joining. You have to want to be in the military to make a successful run, be it a 4 or 20 year career. Good luck!
Heather Rose-Marie Roberts, CTT, CAPM
Heather Rose-Marie’s Answer
Enlistment:
If you enlist it means taking the ASVAB and work with a recruiter. Based on your scores they will match you with a career field, You will go to boot camp followed by a technical school. The technical school is where you learn how to do your job. After technical school, you are sent to your duty station.
Service Academy/Jr ROTC
This is the college route. These are scholarship programs. They have certain requirements in order to be awarded a scholarship.
Check out the service academy website:
Army https://www.westpoint.edu/
Air Force https://www.usafa.edu/
Navy https://www.usna.edu/homepage.php
Coast Guard https://www.uscga.edu/
Merchant Marines https://www.usmma.edu/
If you decide to go the normal college route do the following
1. Which school has the major you want to study - What are the admission requirements?
2. Does this school offer ROTC scholarships
Check out these links:
***https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/find-your-path/army-officers/rotc/scholarships.html?iom=BEDB-22-NMTF_N_PSEA_71700000091265619_700000002151505_43700069701514722_58700007695221663_army+rotc+scholarship&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiOOYyLQJ4bRy0LIbllmC-wYKZ_Lzt20GPZ2GbVg38gTbszvqwqYyr0aAhFWEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
***https://www.airforce.com/how-to-join/process/officer?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhqaVBhCxARIsAHK1tiO7BdCfBYyX3SUduMJrIj6EtpicA71fFxADEOoTQznyIwAUx6OyUSAaAoBaEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
***https://www.navy.com/what-to-expect/education-opportunities/college-options-and-scholarships/nrotc
***https://www.thebalancecareers.com/coast-guard-college-pre-commissioning-initiative-3345174
***https://www.usmma.edu/admissions/financial-aid/scholarships
I can't stress enough the importance of doing your research. As mentioned in earlier posts, military life is not for everyone. However, there are benefits to joining.
Ernesto Lozano
Ernesto’s Answer
Joining the military is a great option. The Army has the medical branch and if you qualify and a vacancy is available you can join as a pharmacy specialist is a 6 year contract. The school is 52 weeks long and you will get all the requirements that you need for your degree. If the option is not available you can join any medical job or any other job for a short career for three years and you will get the full MGIB which is over $65000 for college once you get out from the military. Note you get free tuition assistance while you are serving as a soldier.
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Diana Cepeda
Diana’s Answer
I would suggest the Air Force in making this decision it is really which branch would be best for you. Some require more of you than others, race and gender do not affect your service in the military. The Navy and Air Force are more technical and more on the business side. The Army and Marines are more grit and physically challenging. You also would have to decide if you want to go full time or join the National Guard or reserve which is stateside one weekend a month, two weeks out of the year and you could deploy.
-Dee
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