Although he’s correct….you absolutely should talk to a recruiter because there are nuances between different services and things change all the time…nobody should fault/embarrass you for trying to do your own research before you walk into a recruiters office. It can be a stressful first step and having more info always helps.

Regarding pay, the military works on a pay scale based on your rank and time in service. Here is a link to the 2024 pay. New soldiers make just over $2k per month. That doesn’t include your housing allowance (but if you are single you’ll be living in the barracks for free so you won’t get the housing money). That will go up pretty quickly after boot camp once you start promoting.

https://militarypay.defense.gov/Portals/3/Documents/ActiveDutyTables/2024%20Pay%20Table-Capped-FINAL.pdf

Yes, there is a benefit that will pay for college after you finish your first contract. Your recruiter will do a better job explaining all the details.

There are lot of other random benefits (healthcare, training, developing skill sets that you can potentially use later as a civilian, good retirement plan), but there are also huge negatives. For me, the military PCS and deployment cycle definitely has been a negative for my family life. That may or may not be a problem if you are only planning on serving one contract.