Military? Maybe? Advice/Opinions please.

Does your recruiter know you have a theft conviction? The military is no longer an indiscriminate employer of people with criminal records. They'll look the other way on some things, but they are a lot more strict than they have been in years past.

Fixed for you. good luck

I know the Marines and Army are more lax in their standards than say the Air Force, but you should make sure they'll look past the theft charge. IDK man.

go for it.

What the fuck? Going to make a huge decision because you have a petty theft rap, is that even the charge?

On second read of your post, sounds like you want change. I say take leave of absence from school and figure things out. Don't join anything yet.

Hope one of the ambulance chasers on here chime in. I don't know where you are at, but here in overcrowded prison America, a petty thing like that isn't even worth the court's time if you have no previous record. Mellow out. Don't do anything irrational.

I know a lot of people that join because they freak out, thinking they have no other options and regret joining the service. It's not an overnight decision.

To your first question, Army or Marines? You know that Army stands for Ain't Ready for the Marines Yet. It's not a choice really. It is either the Marines or don't waste your time. A felony conviction could very well make it impossible to get in so I would try to get that down to a misdemeanor. I would even mention your plans to the judge and ask for leniency so you can still join, if that is the path you choose.

As to the other stuff, I went in on the Early Entry Program after graduating high school at 17. I saved all of my money while I was in and used it when I got out to buy a car (cash) and pay for my first two years of college where I got my AS degree in Physics, graduating on the President's List, the highest honors at NIC. 4 years in the Marines with a tour of duty in Iraq helped me put things into perspective while saving a whole lot of money. If you live on base, eat at the mess most of the time, and don't waste money on booze, it is pretty easy to save a lot of money.

I then transferred to a four year college and activated my GI Bill. I will graduate with a BS in Physics without any debt, without working a side job, and still be able to go to two years of graduate school, getting my Masters Degree, before I will ever have to worry about how to pay for it. If I go for my Doctorate in Physics, which I intend to do, I will have worked on projects at school, receive grants, scholarships, earning money that way, and will likely only have to take out minimal student loans, if any.

It is not a bad way to go, but I suspect I will be in the minority here. Oh, and it really doesn't matter how great of shape you are in, they will still kill you in boot camp. It is not about getting into shape, it is about submitting to authority so the sooner you accept that the easier it becomes. In any event, not a decision to take lightly, but I think it can be a very good decision under the correct set of circumstances. Good luck whatever you decide.

Get a (private) lawyer immediately, it's often quite easy to drop a petty charge like this if you have representation that'll give the prosecution a hard time.

Don't make a major commitment like that because you are freaking-out about a pending court case. Wait till the dust settles and see how you feel and if any service will take you.

Yes, it sucks that you are about to be punished by the court, but keep in mind the defense force is is far more strict in punishing thieves and the unofficial punishment you can expect from your sectionmates if you steal from them will make you wince. Something to think about.
Edited by JustinW - 12/9/11 at 11:04am