Yep, might join the National Guard.

Give me pros/cons people!

I thought about doing so since I've already got my degree. I was going to be in the Dental Corps for the National Guard because they pay for your education! But you're signed on with them for an additional X amount of years after you graduate (forgot how many, I recall ~6 years, but don't quote me).

Think if it this way. When you're done with your education, they still OWN you (as if you're their property) for X years.

Benefits were cool though, I would have been promoted to 2nd LT. right off the bat by the time I would've graduated from dental school.

There are going to be different pros/cons to each individual. The basic principles of the National Guard is you go to drill at a specific unit 1 weekend a month and then every year you have 2 weeks of annual training where you will train somewhere consecutively. You still get your GI Bill but you don't get free health insurance. You only have to pay $40 a month at the current rate for insurance.

Your best bet is to ask specific questions you have and I will answer them to the best of my ability.

How much would I make? As in paychecks.

Depends on Rank, the type of drill and years of service. Some drill weekends are MUTA 4 which means it's just Saturday and Sunday some are MUTA 5 which is Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. As an E4 on a MUTA 4 with 7 years of service I typically make around 300ish before taxes and sgli. You can't live off the National Guard checks. During the 2 week AT you will receive the active duty equivalent pay. Which means if a regular active duty soldier makes 1800 a month, during AT you would typically make 900.

Cool, thanks.

Just out of interest, and I don't mean to hijack your thread it's semi-relevant. In the UK we have the Territorial Army and they are called the Volunteer Reserve. TA Soldiers can be attatched to regular units on deployment if they wish or can in rare circumstances be called up to fight without asking. How does that work for the National Guard ?

I don't know too much about our NG, but I think it functions also like the National Reserves for if a draft is implemented, however, like you said, in rare instances.

The National Guard Website wrote:

The National Guard is a military branch—America’s oldest—that serves both state and federal governments. The major difference between the Guard and other branches is that while Guard units are combat-trained and can be deployed overseas (depending on your unit and your job), Guard Soldiers are just as likely to serve in their home communities—just one weekend per month, and one two-week period each year.

I can't join the national guard anyways, even if I was a professional. For my height and age, their calculator says I'm extremely overweight, but my body fat % just got checked last week and I'm 8% below their maximum allowance.

http://www.nationalguard.com/life/what-is-the-guard

well im not american, but ill just have to loss 2 Kilos to be Aviable, well i live so far USA , so i dont think ill join the NG, but im thinking to join the Colombian Army in a year or two, just after finish my school