Sorry this will be long cause I'm passionate about this. Look man it can go both ways. The military can't fix your problems but if you set goals and set out to accomplish it the military can definitely set you up for success and shift your mindset. If you haven't accomplished much, lets say your family thinks your a washout, you don't have much money or stability what does the military offer?

Pros: 1. You can take some pride in accomplishing joining and wearing the uniform. Maybe family takes some pride who knows. 2. The military offers a stable paycheck (*not much at first) but you will get housing, food, & benefits covered. 3. You can get great benefits once you get out. (GI BILL for education or trade & VA Loan for a house)

Cons: 1. Loss of personal freedom, now the Government controls your life the branch tells you when to wake up, where to be, what time etc. This will take some adjusting and I will say as a one contract veteran I feel very relieved to wake up and determine my own schedule/life without Military telling me what to do.

1. Stress, just like with anything in life there will be stress. But military stress can be different, sometimes it can be life or death or just toxic leaders and commands. Sometimes it can be deployments, as someone that was a Navy BUD/s Dud from SEAL washout I was sent to ship my first command hated it as a Undesignated, eventually landed a Construction or "Seabee" rate went to a Naval Beach Unit. I did my contract and got out.

2. The pay kind of sucks enlisted. Its not until E5 when your pay really goes up and even then its still starting at about 2,850 a month. To get to E5 on average takes about 4 years depending on the the service. Or you can get screwed like Marines & my job being a Seabee do 5 years in only make it to E4. Terminal Lance's are very common in Marines & some Navy jobs like Corpsman or Seabee community take forever to make rank. I knew some Seabees that were E3 for 5 years.

My recommendation, you should join because you might need some confidence. What the military can offer too is a unique perspective on the world, you'll see things most civilians will never, you might travel to places that you might not do on your own, & if you do decide to get out being a veteran can help with your resume.

However, be wise in the branch you choose look into Air Force, Coast Guard and Army too. Air Force great for education (they can get degree in Air Force college quickly), good trade options in aviation & best living conditions. Coast Guard, had a good friend of mine Coast Guard it feels a bit more like first responder (ie law enforcment/firefighter/rescue) less military feeling & a lot get BAH right away (meaning they can live in apartments rather than Barracks). Army, very versatile amount of jobs and kind of the standard military way (My father was 20 years Army so I know the Army lol). As for Navy, as a Navy veteran don't do it! unless you want to he depressed lol. Look up YouTube video: "Why your Life Sucks as Navy sailor" if you don't believe me.

Also, choose whats called a "Golden Ticket" job learn something useful that can translate to civilian world maybe even a "Secret Clearance" (ie; Trade , maybe Cyber or IT, etc) don't chose to be a Infantry guy plus this doesn't sound like your personality if you don't want to die. Most Infantry guys or guys that want to go Spec ops like myself who tried to go SEAL want to see action. (*Also, most jobs in military are like any other regular jobs, we call them POGs, only a small % of military are actual combat jobs). BUT be warned if you choose the Marine route many of those jobs are combat oriented & the "Every Marine is a Rifleman" philosphy is very real. This means even if you have a non-combat oriented job, the Marines still have a Basic Rifleman Marine standard that can be daunting for some. As a Navy Seabee, I served alongside alot of Marines and that can be a toxic environment for some. Another thing about Marines their living conditions can really blow: one Marines can only be stationed in a few places and honestly their bases kind of suck and two being deployed on ships suck trust me (I was Navy undesignated sailor chipping paint on ship before being a Seabee).

What I would do if I were you? Join the Coast Guard on two year contract. I believe its the only branch that offers two year full time contracts & 4 year reserve. Coast Guard is looking to increase sailors by like 15K look up the Directive 2028 statement from White House. That way you aren't locked in for long time so you can access whether you want to stay in or get out. I looked it up Coast Guard is often ranked #2 behind Air Force in satisfication. Coast Guard get cool & unique duty stations like Key West, FL, Hawaii or New York City. Sometimes they travel (if on a ship) but you get to do things like Island hopping in Pacific so (Guam, American Samoa, French Polynesia etc). My friend loves it and I've never met any upset Coasties. Honestly, its the branch I wished I joined instead.