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Can you choose what you want to do in the military?

Author

Rachel Ellis

Published Jan 18, 2026

Jobs in the Army

If the job you want is not available, your only choices are to choose a different job, or not enlist if there is nothing else you prefer to do in the Army.

Do you get to choose your MOS?

DO YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR MOS OR DOES THE MARINE CORPS CHOOSE IT FOR YOU? Based on your qualifications, you will get the choice of a Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) field. Marine Corps recruiters are the best resource for information about a specific MOS.

What are the choices in the military?

In simple terms, the U.S. Armed Forces are made up of the six military branches: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and, most recently, Space Force.

Does the Air Force let you choose your job?

Under the Guaranteed Aptitude program, the applicant is guaranteed that he/she will be selected for a job that falls into one of the designated aptitude areas. The Air Force has divided all of their jobs into four aptitude areas (General, Electronic, Mechanical, and Administrative).

What is the easiest thing to do in the military?

Among active-duty service members and veterans, it is agreed that the easiest military branch to get into, in terms of basic training, is the Air Force because programs are more spread out.

35 related questions found

Can you fail basic training?

​Yes, it is possible to fail basic training. You could go through the trouble of leaving your home, job, family and friends and come back a failure. In fact, this happens to about 15% of recruits who join the military every year.

What is the hardest branch of military?

The Marine Corps

The U.S. Marine Corps is known as the toughest and most aggressive branch of the military but is only 1/10 of the size of the Army. Marines are also known to be the first ones called into war, and they perform many of the same duties as all of the other branches of the military.

Do you go to jail if you quit the military?

Attempted desertion also is charged as a military crime, as long as the attempt went beyond mere preparation. Desertion carries a maximum punishment of dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay, and confinement of five years.

Is 20 years in the military worth it?

The total expected value of retiring at 20 years is worth nearly a million dollars, which means that the last two years of work in uniform are worth roughly half a million each to a typical officer (annual base pay plus half of their retirement stream).

Can you buy yourself out of the Army?

Discharge by purchase, colloquially called buying oneself out of service, is the obtaining of a military discharge by payment. The purchase price is in effect a fine for leaving military service earlier than the date contracted for when enlisting.

Can u join the army at 17?

You must be at least 17 to enlist in any branch of the active military. The oldest you can be to enlist for active duty in each branch is: Coast Guard: 31. Marines: 28.

Can you finish high school in the military?

The Army's High School Completion Program (HSCP) is an off-duty program that provides soldiers and adult family members the opportunity to earn a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

What age can you go to basic training?

You must be at least 17 years old (17-year-old applicants require parental consent). You must (with very few exceptions) have a high school diploma.

Can you back out after you swear in at MEPS?

If you have NOT been to the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) and have NOT taken an Oath of Enlistment, you are free to quit the process at any time. Just because you arrive at MEPS does not mean you are fully committed with no chance of deciding not to commit after all.

Can I watch my son swear in at MEPS?

Members of your family are welcome to watch you take the oath. A waiting room is available for them. Your family may take photographs of you with the military officer administering the oath.

What is the shortest military contract?

The Short Answer: Two Years With a Catch

Two years is the shortest amount of time a new enlistee can sign up for active duty, however, there is a catch. You actually have an eight-year commitment but you can perform this commitment as an active duty member, a Reservist, or Individual Ready Reservist (IRR).

Can you quit the military?

Getting a Military Discharge

There is no way to simply quit the military once you are on active duty. You are contractually, and perhaps morally, obligated to see your commitment through. However, you could be discharged from duty early if you are physically or psychologically unable to perform your duties.

What is minimum wage for military?

Enlisted troops with less than two years of military service can earn around $22,000 a year in base pay, but that does not factor in other compensation, like free health care and housing stipends.

What's the chances of dying in the Army?

serving on active duty died, at an overall annualized rate of 94.9 per 100,000 military personnel.

Can a soldier refuse to go to war?

But where an order is not illegal, but appears ethically unjust from their perspective, soldiers have no right to refuse to carry it out. Soldiers must therefore follow the order to engage in direct combat in any conflict no matter how questionable its morality, so long as the order in question was legal.

Can you get out of the Army for depression?

You're also disqualified if you have bipolar disorder or affective psychoses. For depressive disorders (for example, major depressive disorder), disqualification from the service occurs if a person had outpatient care that lasted for more than 12 months or any inpatient care.

Is it worth it to join the military?

Some of the most popular benefits of joining the US military is the job training, educational assistance, steady paycheck, health coverage, and housing benefits. See a full list of the benefits here.

What branch goes to war first?

The Marines are often the first on the ground in combat situations, leading the charge when conflict arises. They also serve on Navy ships, protect Naval bases and guard U.S. embassies.

What is the safest military branch?

So the safest military branch in terms of man-to-man combat and machine-to-machine accidents is the Space Force.

Why is a Marine not a soldier?

They are not soldiers. They are Marines. Marines are distinguished by their mission, their training, their history, their uniform and their esprit de corps. You would not call a sailor a soldier, an airman a soldier, and certainly you should not call a Marine a soldier.