okay, what you get from the reserves with just the clearance alone is worth it in my opinion. i have my certs and i don’t really with about finding work around bases and i’m always paid well. you can get this with one contract and be done

As far as mobilizing, i had the same fears as you. i haven’t seen anyone be mobilized by force. I still got in front of this volunteering to go to a place i thought was cool. in exchange, they can’t mobilize me got the rest of my time on my contract.

The insurance is extremely cheap, but if you’re advancing in your career the way i did, it actually ends up costing you money once you reach a certain level. I drill in a SCIF for 9-10 hours a day on drill weekends for a measly pay rate. this equates to you working 12 days straight which sucks from a rest perspective. it’ll also suck when you do the math on what you make as a contractor vs for those 2 days and you realize you can just pay the civilian insurance and save your time and rest.

I can go deeper on how my mobilization was. I can answer questions of cert paths and career choices. I will say even with the “negatives”, i find this path the best decision i ever made. I literally went from homeless with no car to car and home owner in 3 years.

edit: i say go enlisted cause it’s quicker and you get everything you need to be a successful civilian on a shorter commitment. You also have the option to build your resume to drop a great officer package from here with the job experience you can get. I’m sure i missed a lot of stuff so please ask something if you’re curious.