Pros
The comradery Barracks parties You'll meet some really funny/cool people along the way You'll come out of it with several life long friends The G.I. bill is pretty okay, if that's your thing
Cons
Abysmal pay Terrible hours Terrible work/life balance Terrible culture Clueless leadership at the higher levels Profound lack of basic autonomy Barbaric living conditions (tiny, mold infested barracks rooms, no functional heating/cooling at times) None of my military certifications rolled over, like at all. 1 year + of medical/dental training and they couldn't even be bothered to give me an EMT cert out of it. I have to go out of pocket if I want to get the civilian equivalent certs. The food at the chow hall ranged from 'barely tolerable' to straight up inedible. Pink chicken, hair nets in rice, and wax paper stuck to the burgers are all things I've PERSONALLY experienced. The chief's mess is very...unique (but not in a good way) Our chief's mess had like a straight up cannon pointing straight at you as soon as you opened the door for some reason???) Career progression isn't always clear or straight forwards. I more or less got shoe horned into a career path that I didn't want and I had no realistic way to get out of it.
