Pros
- Relative job security and benefits package. - Salary is often competitive with civilian counterparts. - 20 year pension at no cost to employee. - Opportunity for changing career paths. - Educational and training opportunities are vast and make up the bulk of some careers. Some of these training opportunities are unique to the service and would likely never be encountered in any other venue. - Excellent experience and benefits package after only several years (GI Bill, 5 yrs post combat health insurance, other veterans benefits).
Cons
- Extremely poor or non-existent career advisement. Some extraordinary opportunities are out there, but unless you're either lucky or fortunate enough to encounter its existence, you may not discover it until far too late in a career, or not at all. - Certain career tracks tend to draw certain people. It's important to take that possibility into consideration when choosing a career track.