Join Coast Guard?

Poll - Total Votes: 7

Good idea

Bad idea

You can only vote on one answer.

So I'm currently in the 1st semester of my sophomore year of college and I'm completely miserable. I want a job that actually pays money and feel like I'm serving a purpose. I'm interested in the coast guard because I'm really confident in and around water and because I love the water. I also really want to be a pilot. I feel like I could go to the coast guard and save up the money I make while serving to go to a flight school to get my pilots licenses and enough flight hours to be a commercial pilot. I would also have the GI Bill to help pay for flight school. I feel like it'd be a good option for me toward my career as a pilot. If I ever needed to then I could always go back to school and would have credits already completed that would be transferable. Do y'all think this would be a good idea? Or that this could really help me accomplish my goal of becoming a pilot and being able to find jobs as a pilot? (Of course not an airline pilot or anything like that right away but other jobs like a regional pilot?) what do y'all think?

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Reboot · 46-50, M

Ex-military here and I'll tell you it sounds like you'd be joining for the wrong reasons and that you'd be miserable.

First, if you want to be a pilot you're going to have to be an officer. You _might_ be able to fly a helicopter if you get your 2 year degree but to actually fly a fixed wing plane in the military you'll need a 4 year degree, go through OCS and qualify for being a pilot. If you _really_ want to fly a plane, your best bet would be to start working on a light aircraft license now.

Second, just because you're good in/around water doesnt mean you should join the Coast Guard (or Navy). You should talk to all five branches and find something that fits you. Your MOS is going to be your job for the term of your enlistment (unless you sign up for something crazy like a 6 year term) so find one that you like. Otherwise you may be more miserable in a dead end job while under contract to complete it for X years.

If all you want to do is fly then here's what I suggest:
1) Finish a degree
2) Find a job that you can live off of and have money for
3) Take flight lessons. Any style aircraft will do but preferably one that's the kind you'd like
4) Fly. Fly, fly, flyflyfly. Get your hours in.
5) Decide if you want to make flying your career or if you want to change to something else in your life.

Just remember, life is what happens while we're making plans for our life.