Seeing the army recruitment at comic Con always skeeves me out. I see them talking to 16-17 year old socially awkward kids who don’t know any better. Really predatory.
I just thought the Comic-Con would have been a terrible recruiting ground. The military want people that follow orders. They actively discourage intelligence.
Military brat here, half the soldiers I meet are massive nerds and the other half are goobers (meatheads, guys with no prospects, guys who always wanted to be in the army). Take that as you will.
They don’t though. Certain jobs don’t need you to be a genius, but the military really wants all the smart people they can get.
And yeah, when you’re in, it’s about 50:50. You’ll meet some of the smartest, generous, friendly people you’ll ever know. And you’ll meet some aggressive, angry, stupid knuckledraggers too.
The US military wants all the smart people that they can get because they don’t have any working for them.
Right, cause fucking weebs are known for their superior intelligence and independence in the face of authority.
I knew two people with mechanical engineering degrees who couldn’t even make it through nuclear engineering school to work on submarine and carrier reactors, the military isn’t made up of 100% dumbass infantrymen.
Throw 'em into boot, they either get ground down to follow orders or beat/shamed out. They’re terribly good at psychological manipulation.
As far as intelligence, they know how to play the room now. They’ll put you wherever you’re best. They have a hell of a lot of tech now and aren’t as keen on putting contractors in harms way. If you’re better off as a grunt, you’re a grunt. If you’re skilled labor, they’ll find a way to make you useful.
Not to say you should or shouldn’t join. Skilled labor makes a hell of a lot more money other places.