Joining Reserve Branch of the Military

Hey guys, I'm a junior and have been considering joining a reserve branch of the military. I heard that you can gain real-world skills and even build infrastructure, which sounds pretty cool to me. Can anyone with experience share more about what that entails, and what life in the reserves is generally like?

Absolutely, I can share some insights into being a part of the reserve forces. As a reservist, you will be committing to training and serving on a part-time basis. Your time will be divided between civilian life, such as working, going to school, or both, and your military obligations.

Firstly, the type of real-world skills you may acquire relies heavily on the occupational specialty you choose. Military branches offer a variety of fields such as logistics, engineering, computer science, health care, and more. If you're interested in building infrastructure, you could serve in a combat engineer (Army), seabee (Navy), or RED HORSE (Air Force) unit.

Your experience varies depending on your branch and unit. In general, after basic training, you're likely to spend one weekend a month conducting drills, and two weeks a year for annual training. Essentially, you will be performing many of the duties that your active-duty counterparts perform, but on a more abbreviated schedule.

In terms of the benefits, tuition assistance or the GI bill could be particularly helpful if you’re considering college. Furthermore, as a reservist, you will still have opportunities for career advancement within units. Besides training in your military role, you will also be taught valuable soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, and discipline, which are applicable to civilian life as well.

Remember, joining the reserves requires a significant time commitment and dedication, so make sure you carefully consider before making a decision. Balancing civilian life and military duties requires robust time management skills and commitment.