Ok, well I have family in the military. The military does not pay very well, you actually start earning $1,345 or something close to that a month starting for a E-1 (that's the lowest enlistment rank), now the contract is for 4 years, the highest Automatic rank to earn is Lance Corporal I think, and they don't earn that much either. If you are thinking of been Sgt before you are done with the Military or getting to a close pay check forget about it, the new GI bill might pay for your college but I say it might because I talk to a Marine recruiter about a month or so ago and he told me if the Dream Act passes and I join under the Dream Act law I might not be able to get any bonuses. GI bill, Deployment extra pay, nothing like that. So if you are planning on joining for that so they can pay your college it might just not happen. But if you still do, War is not very likely man, depending on the branch you join and the job you get, as long as you don't pick anything that is Infantry you will fine, but if you really don't want to be in infantry join the army and pick a job that does involve you going into combat, they have lots of jobs available for you to pick from. The navy and air force are good too, they offer a lot of good jobs that you can actually use to get a job outside the military. My girlfriends dad use to be in the Navy he use to fix the jet engines, he never went to college or anything other than the training he got from the Navy, after he got out he went to work for Boeing in seattle. So you have a lot to gain from the Army, Navy and Air force, not the Marines. The Marines are not like the other branches, you can pick your job but more than likely you will not get it, they put you in the job they need people in, also if you get a job that is not Infantry in the Marines forget about getting any respect from anyone who is a real Marine, so if you really want a Pog job (Pog, Personal Other than Grunt) join the army, The Marines go to war more often then the other branches, They are also the 1st ones to go in when war starts. So any branch that is not the Marines is good for a future after you are done whit military service. PLus the boot camps for the Army, Navy and Air force are a lot shorter than the Marines, plus they are a lot nicer. Now if you are looking for travel the Navy is your thing, they move a lot depending on your job plus you get to go to foreign countries on Naval ships, The Air force is good for travel to, Army you get to go to Germany, I don't know if they have any other bases but my cousin is station there at the moment. To tell you the truth the military might seem like a great idea but it does not really work out for a lot of people man, If you are smart and the DA passes just get a loan and go to college, you will have more fun and more freedom.