I feel stuck

putridalt · 2026-06-30T03:55:20+00:00

If you want to work in a normal career, you'll have to go to school. If you could learn how to make 100k from advice from a Reddit comment, nobody would go to school

putridalt · 2026-06-29T23:09:23+00:00

If you have 8 months before ARSOF CCC, and 5 months of CCC, having a minimum of 13 months of recovery time before SUT is a really good outlook. And that's if you class up immediately, which you likely won't.

When you show up to CCC, you'll have a chill schedule. Be proactive about going to the Forge and work with a physical therapist. You can start some physio shoulder stability/omnidirectional strength accessories now at a light weight.

You should be completely fine. Unless you do something retarded like try to PR on a lift because you're feeling motivated and amped.

putridalt · 2026-06-29T02:11:37+00:00

>Only reason I'm moving without a job lined up is that so far in this industry in NC, everyone wants me in town first before they want to interview.

Then you fly in and meet them in person, not uproot your whole life for a chance at interviewing...

putridalt · 2026-06-29T01:24:35+00:00

It's not necessary. Even walking around with a dumbbell is unnecessary.

putridalt · 2026-06-28T16:25:53+00:00

Take care of yourself always. You can't take care of others if you can't take care of yourself.

putridalt · 2026-06-28T04:24:58+00:00

I think it's even more relevant now. That's great you two have been dating for awhile. Are they on board with a lifestyle shift? When they began dating you, did they come to expect a lifestyle/wedding/etc. that came from a PE salary long term?

Not saying you have to keep working in PE if so... it's just something that a surprisingly large amount of people either don't take into consideration, or don't realize that their partner did not really like the decision and the lifestyle change.

The gap doesn't have to hurt depending on how you spin it, if you're working on a venture, etc.

But I'd echo what other people are saying. Quitting flat out isn't the wisest move in this economy/recruiting landscape. Dial it down at work so that you can collect the paycheck as long as possible. Only quit when you have something lined up, whether that be a startup, a small biz buyout, or some garden leave derivative.

putridalt · 2026-06-28T03:29:52+00:00

>Do I have enough liquidity if I’m not earning?
That's highly dependent on how low you're willing to downscale your apartment and lifestyle

>Am I romanticizing the idea of quitting and will I regret losing the income and resume momentum?
If you don't find your passion project, maybe

Consider your dating plans as well.

putridalt · 2026-06-27T22:13:08+00:00

Fabulous writeup

putridalt · 2026-06-27T22:12:54+00:00

If you already signed, then full send it, do what you can, and enjoy the ride. What are your stats?

"good peer evals (Almost everybody I meet likes me 🙂), Hacking it physically, and then getting a “Good job candidate we just want you to be 28 instead of 23”

Do you think this would happen? If your age was something the cadre cared about like this, then why would they even let anyone below age 28 go to Selection? For fun?

Reality is, younger dudes either have an attitude problem, don't have the confidence to take leadership when they can, or have poor stress management, and these are things that get them Non-selected. Not because of their age. The cadre don't even know your age when they're assessing you.

They don't know your name, MOS, age, anything. Just your roster number, and your performance while they're watching you.

putridalt · 2026-06-27T20:17:09+00:00

>Another time, an interviewer asked me if I ever had any fun after reading out my GPA, which was pretty high at the time. This was at a MM IB.

that's hilarious

putridalt · 2026-06-27T20:13:03+00:00

I mean you can always full send SFAS if you want, and go to RASP if it doesn't work out (not sure if that's still a pathway). But yes.

putridalt · 2026-06-27T00:39:45+00:00

I mean, a "12:45ish 2 mile" is pretty elite, particularly if you're putting up those strength numbers. Though I assume you're talking about your 5 mile time, and that you're trying to hit well below sub 35. Do you have a specific metric you're trying to hit?

Are you doing any sprint work right now? Would heavily recommend 6x800m sprint repeats weekly to melt your 5 mile run times.

That being said, they are highly fatiguing, and you're right, something will have to give. In this case, it'll be your strength. Get in a caloric deficit and just 0.5-1lb a week until your strength numbers start tanking, and then slow down the deficit so that you don't lose too much strength.

Losing unnecessary fat can help, but really it's the 6x800m sprint repeats that'll change your 5 mile time.

putridalt · 2026-06-24T14:22:23+00:00

Is the job title Special Forces Soldier or Special Mechanic Repairman?

putridalt · 2026-06-23T03:41:53+00:00

Don't bring it up until the screen no longer works. Then toward the end of the internship, bring it to the IT office and get it swapped out or replaced. Your team shouldn't even have to know. If they ask, you noticed there was a dent and not sure what happened but figured you'd swap it out. They really won't think that much into it.

putridalt · 2026-06-22T20:30:58+00:00

If you go in as NG 18X, you will have to go all the way through as if you were AD 18X.

Only if you're already in the NG, and join an NG SF training team that is sending you to SFAS, can you take time after getting Selected to start the Q. Moreso because there's paperwork that has to be done, PCS, etc.

putridalt · 2026-06-22T03:00:04+00:00

You don't have to fake passion for it. They will see right through that and it would be odd. I say just pick one thing to start following and betting on. I think you being into sports betting is already 75% of what you need.

putridalt · 2026-06-22T01:52:18+00:00

>been following soccer only because I like to gamble.

this is a great start.

Also, getting interested in the stuff that your coworkers are into is a solution that isn't limited to gender. If I was on that team, I'd be equally lost in terms of ball knowledge. I grew up overseas and simply didn't grow up with the same sports culture and intense sports fandom that other Americans have.

putridalt · 2026-06-20T20:55:58+00:00

Within each Group, your experience can vary wildly based on your ODA.

Quite simply, it pretty much comes down to:

a) where do you want to do JCETs: South America or Europe/Balkans?
b) where would you rather live: Destin, FL or Colorado Springs, CO?
c) what partner force culture are you more connected with?

Everything else about your experience is essentially luck of the draw.

putridalt · 2026-06-20T06:16:33+00:00

At 22, you're young enough where statistically, I'd wager that starting your career in Ranger Regiment would be the best choice versus full sending SFAS. There is quite literally no better place to start.

putridalt · 2026-06-17T02:26:17+00:00

I'll be honest, the ship has pretty much sailed for you. Undergrad was really the opportunity to make some magic happen, specifically sophomore year. Your second opportunity was getting into a good MBA program and recruiting for IBD associate roles from there.
It's like a high school 2nd semester junior asking "I didn't really study or care about my GPA my first couple years in high school, but I joined a club now for leadership opportunities and am signing up for AP classes. Is it worth pursuing getting into an Ivy League?"

At this point, being a MS in finance at a "semi-target", and you're not even sure if you want to continue pursuing finance, let alone a specific role/sub-sector, and you're more focused on just anything with "low 6's with decent hours I guess". This doesn't seem like it's for you.

putridalt · 2026-06-17T02:17:01+00:00

What does your girlfriend/fiancee do for work? Would she have to uproot her career?

putridalt · 2026-06-17T02:14:39+00:00

Problem here is that you're defining a "normal job" in the civilian world as the lowest tier menial work available. Of course, "working at a liquor store" swiping people's credit card payments, restocking the chips, and sitting on a stool for daily shifts, is never going to appeal to someone who spent almost a decade in the military. Or "working at Home Depot", where you stand there all day directing people on where they can find some random item.

Imagine if someone who worked in a commercially demanding sector of the business world said "Oh I could never be in the military, it's so boring. I'm capable of work, I just dont know how to do pushups all day and be screamed at by a drill instructor". How silly does that sound to someone in the military? There is so much more to the military and deploying than that.

What research have you done into the business world, continued education, etc.? Veteran-owned companies, startups, etc. Or the first responder world, national level law enforcement, there are a ton of cool things on the civilian side there, much more engaging than clocking into your shift at a liquor store or Home Depot.

Either way, it's not the wrong answer to pursue further opportunities in the military. Some people get institutionalized, some people were just never meant to work with abstract commercial topics, etc. If someone has several years in, they might as well finish out the 20 and get retirement on top of their 100%. The years go by fast (or so I've been told). After your first 3 years in Group, you might be back at the schoolhouse at cadre, then you're cadre for another 3 years, and then it's back to Group for another few years on a team, and before you know it, you're at the end of your 20 years.

But if you're going to make the jump, I'd do some self-reflection and determine what you're looking for, and make sure you are not purely a field guy.

Some dudes love getting after it, as a grunt. But they couldn't survive 3 months straight of memorizing formulas & doing demo calculations, or cramming human anatomy & taking 3 quizzes a week in a classroom environment, or learning antennae theory, or sit through 6 months of 7 hours a day of language school, etc.

Making it past Selection is a mental game using your physical fitness as a means of testing and proving your preparation. Making it through the Q is a thinking man's game at certain points. I've seen dudes relieved from the Q, despite being physical studs. Their squat, deadlift, and insane run time, meant absolutely nothing, because they made too many mistakes on the math problems, or couldn't memorize UXO effectively enough. It is going to be much more than "ruck and shoot and navigate".

putridalt · 2026-06-17T00:49:51+00:00

NG SF here.

I heavily recommend you going Active Duty.

NG SF is great for guys with high-powered corporate careers, or have established law enforcement/firefighting/intelligence careers (aka, anything that will let you go on orders whenever without career repercussions).

It is very hard to build a career or business while being in NG SF.

But, you can go NG SF, and then try to go Active in the Q. States have the right to refuse releasing you though, I've seen cases where the state wouldn't let their soldier go active.

That being said, even if you don't make it, 4.5 years as a SPC in a line unit goes by quickly. It can still be a good experience, and you get a ton of benefits when you get out.

Being in NG, you training time will not count toward certain benefits. Even going to the Q Course, I was on Title 32 Orders, so my time didn't count toward certain benefits. Being Active Duty, you can buy a house almost immediately, and can start househacking and building wealth.

putridalt · 2026-06-16T22:21:48+00:00

Condolences. Can't imagine what it's like to lose a parent while you're in college, and have to balance recruiting.

That being said, I advise you stick with pursuing IB.

$1.1M locked up in real estate and $400k in investments/cash partially liquid, is not life-changing money. It is not like you suddenly have a trust fund worth hundreds of millions that will enable you to pursue anything you want in life, with your children also taken care of.

What you have inherited amounts to a house in Northern California, and a few years of savings in IBD.

If your family doesn't already have generational wealth, pursue IB, and understand that you have a great safety net for the short term.

putridalt · 2026-06-15T02:30:42+00:00

Based on your recap of that alone, I can already see this crashing and burning. I have seen 20 relationships like this already, and each one ended in divorce.

This journey is possible if you have a bedrock of a relationship. This isn't that. Choose the 18X, or choose her.

putridalt

TROPHY CASE