My future plans just got screwed

[Emops]

I found out today that I am forever disqualified, no ifs ands or buts about it, from joining the Air National Guard because I have suffered from depression and taken medication for it in the past. If they think I was depressed before...

So now, I don't have a way to pay for college. My parents already screwed me over on that, and I thought this was my next best option. Not to mention I've been wanting to join the military since I was very young.

Maybe I should move to Texas and join their ANG. They'll let in anybody.

[Stephanie]

1. You have NO way to pay for it?

What type of college are you going to? State or community school, or private?

[Emops]

6. I have ways to pay for school

It's just that I've always planned to pay for it with the military, and they've given me no previous warning that something like this could happen. I have to repay student loans for housing on my own anyway, and that costs slightly more than tuition. So now I have to repay both tuition and housing, which I had never planned to do. I would've never lived on campus had I known this.

[xmas74]

28. What was your major?

Are you finished w/ your degree?

[commander bunnypants]

2. really?

I had to wait for a year in the USN

Good luck

CB

[babylonsister]

3. How about student loans or grants? Where

there's a will, there's a way. And please stay away from the military! There's got to be a better way.

[Modem Butterfly]

4. Try the Coasties

I'm not sure of their requirements, but they do offer the GI Bill (at least they did when I was in high school). You can be a real hero, live near the water, and it's a safe bet you won't be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan.

[mike_c]

5. c'mon, damned nearly anyone can pay for college....

I did, and like you I had zero family money. I had to wait until I was 30 years old, and relied heavily on loans that I'll spend the rest of my life paying off (ten years of schooling-- a BS or BA costs considerably less), but it was worth every dime and I'd do it again in a minute. The last thing I would have considered was joining the military to pay for college!

[Emops]

10. I know that.

I'm used to having financial problems, and it'll probably work out eventually. But that's not really what's bothering me. What bothers me is that they disqualified me for such a stupid, trivial reason.

[radwriter0555]

7. Community College is affordable and accessible.

You will learn the same things for 1/10th the price.

[Emops]

8. I've already been in university for 3 1/2 years

Community college is out of the question. Although I probably should've gone that route to begin with.

[Stephanie]

12. So you only have one semester left?

What's the problem? You'll just have loans to pay like everyone else. Really, unless you were looking foward to seeing Iran and Syria, you're better off.

[Emops]

24. I have much more than half a year to go.

Two more years, at least. Thanks to my own ineptitude and my worthless advisors.

[Ernesto]

9. There's always the USMC

In my experience, they do scrape the bottom of the barrel. It's kinda like the foriegn legion: they don't care who (or what) you are.

[Emops]

11. I'm thinking about the active duty Air Force

Let's hope they don't share notes.

[xmas74]

29. Lie about the depression.

Or find a really cool recruiter-they'll lie for you.

[Wcross]

15. You seem to have NO experience Ernesto....

One of the Colombine shooters was not allowed in due to previous mental conditions. As far as scrapping the bottom of the barrel- did you just pull that out of your butt or what? I don't know what "experience" you have had with the Marine corps but my guess is you have none.

From a proud former Marine.

[Ernesto]

18. Try 2nd bat, 3rd Marine regiment, Vietnam '67-'68

I was turned down by all the other services because of a misdemeanor offense. No problemo! said the nice Marine Corps recruiter & off to MCRD, San Diego I was.
As it turned out I met plenty of guys that were given the the choice of "jail or the military" by their local judge.

[Wcross]

23. Ok then, No recent experience.

Every branch will turn down a person that has been on medication for mental health issues. The Marine corps is no different than the Navy in this regard. Todays Marine corps is not the one we had in 1967, there is no draft and until shrub started this bullshit in Iraq the Marine corps was turning away recruits that would have been taken in back in 1967. (like people without a high school diploma)

Sorry for jumping on you in my post, my experience is not recent either but to say the marines take the bottom of the barrel or is some sort of a foriegn legion is misleading at best.

[Ernesto]

31. Semper Fi Amigo........

[Ready4Change]

13. Hang in there.

This may not sound great, but if Bush does commit us to attacking Iran this summer, the military is likely to loosen up its recruiting standards. Don't plan on that, but it is a possibility.

In the meantime, you wouldn't be the first person to pay their own way through college, if it comes to that.

[underpants]

14. Write some letters to rich people

Tell them of your situation and ask if they will help.

It's worth a try.

[UdoKier]

16. Man, you must be young.

I would never, ever, ever put ANYTHING of a negative nature on a job application if I thought they wouldn't find out.

You're supposed to puff yourself up. You don't need to lie, but you can certainly 'forget'.

[Emops]

17. I think filling out a job application and joining the military

are slightly different. I think the consequences for lying to the military might be a bit more severe.

And since they are required to have my medical records, they'll find that stuff out anyway.

[UdoKier]

19. You'd be surprised at what people have gotten away with.

There are TONS of active gang members in the enlisted ranks, for example.

And once you're in, you're in. It's only the ANG, right?

[underpants]

20. $$$ the are having a hard time finding oil rig workers $$$

Roy Craig, right, and Michael Rice take a break as they work on an oil drilling rig owned by Sterling Oil near Zenda, Kan., Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005. Record high oil prices have created renewed interest in domestic oil drilling, but drillers are having some difficulty finding workers to man new rigs. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

[liontamer]

21. I'm sorry, the stigma against mental illness sucks

I had a friend who couldn't enlist because he'd taken ritalin as a kid.

[Ernesto]

22. Boy do I hope that's true!

My straight A, 17 year old took Ritalin for about a year when he was in the 6th grade.

[tjdee]

25. Blessing in disguise?

The way this country is going, I would be afeared to have anyone I knew in the military.

I almost did ROTC in college--SO GLAD I didn't, I would probably be stationed in Iraq right now. And I wouldn't be going "at least I paid for school!"

Good luck finding a way to pay for college though...that always sucks.

[WI_DEM]

26. well, my parents couldn't afford to send me to college so

I had to work part time and get student loans, you might want to look into that.

p.s.
I don't blame them for not being able to send me, they did the best they could. I don't know your situation, but not every parent can afford to send children to college.

[Emops]

27. I don't mind the fact that my parents aren't paying for my school,

it's that they were dishonest about a few key things, which is something I don't want to get into here.

And like I said, that's not what's really bothering me. I think this is almost as ridiculous as discharging gays. Almost.

[RebelOne]

30. Well, why not get a job at a college?

That way you can get free tuition. That's what my daughter did. She is a production manager at a Catholic college (and she's not Catholic but an atheist) in Miami. All her courses are 100% free. The only thing that she has to lay out cash for are her books.