Pro's of Enlisted over Commissioned?

[JBjunior]

While it is true recruiters have quotas be advised that due to the current economy they have FAR more applicants than available slots. They don't need you nearly as much as you need them so they have no incentive to lie to you.

If you are interested in Law School then you may be better off joining the Navy. Serve in whatever Officer capacity you can then apply for the Legal Education program. If selected you will receive full pay and benefits while attending Law School full time. After graduation you would have an obligation to serve as a JAG officer for a certain length of time, not sure how long. I do not know if the Marines or other branches have a similar program but I am betting they do, look into it.

As for education benefits everyone (officer and enlisted) gets the post 9/11 GI Bill now. That should pay for most if not all of your grad school so look into those benefits. Enlisted troops use to be able to get some college loan repayment programs but I am not sure if those are available anymore. Same deal with Officers. IMHO there is little to no benefit to going enlisted vs. officer if the deciding factor is college money. As an officer you will get paid far more money and will be able to save much faster to cover any expenses the GI Bill didn't cover.

Your best bet is to talk to a recruiter, honestly.

The only benefit of "E" over "O" in relation to college money is tuition assistance. TA for an enlisted member comes with no strings attached (other than a passing grade) and is simply $250/credit hour with a max of $4500 per year. Officers get the same but for every course they take there is a "pay back" equivalent as an add on to their contract.

This may not be worth mentioning for someone just coming into the military as the pay will be greater as an "O" and will outweigh that benefit. It would be cheaper, with the extra money earned, to just pay for all of the courses yourself instead of getting the contract extensions if you are not planning on staying in long term.

As far as the intangibles, it is definitely a different job and you will have to do some research to see what you will be happiest doing.