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Pros And Cons Of Joining The Coast Guard

The pros of joining the coast guard are that you make allowance for housing and food, medical and dental care are provided, 30 days of vacation every year. The cons of joining the coast guard include being away from family for long periods of time, being very bureaucratic, and so on. So here are the 16 pros and cons of joining the Coast Guard.

Related article: Military spouse benefits

Here are the listed of top 8 pros of joining in Coast guard:

  1. Allowances for housing and food
  2. The coast guard has specialized training units
  3. Medical and dental care are provided at no cost
  4. Almost everyone in the coast guard is stationed domestically
  5. 30 days vacation every year
  6. It will help your job applications
  7. You will have some fantastic life experiences
  8. You will have the option of selecting from 20 distinct enlisted occupations (ratings) grouped into four categories

Here are the listed of top 8 cons of joining in Coast guard:

  1. There is no choice as to where you will be stationed
  2. No matter your age, rank still overrides
  3. Basic training is more difficult than most people believe
  4. Commitment is longer than in other branches
  5. Away from family for potentially long periods
  6. It is a highly selective branch of the military to join
  7. Very Bureaucratic
  8. Before joining the coast guard, you should be able to swim proficiently

Related article: Pros and Cons of Joining the Navy

Top 8 Pros of joining the coast guard:

Allowances for housing and food:

You are entitled to government loading and food after you join the coast guard. If there are no government residences available in the area where you are serving, you will receive the basic allowance.

The coast guard has specialized training units:

Some of the ratings available in this branch of the military necessitate highly specialized training and testing in order to keep your job. The helicopter rescue specialist, who acts as a search and rescue swimmer, is the most well-known of these positions. To qualify for this profession, you must pass increasingly difficult exams. Such as accomplishing a certain number of pull-ups successfully executing buddy tows, and swimming for 500 meters or more.

Medical and dental care are provided at no cost:

As a part of their service, all members are entitled to free medical and dental care. This military branch receives a generous health care package in addition to a nice coast guard wage. Your medical, dental, and vision coverage expenditures are covered as long as you are on active duty. This implies you want to have to pay a dime to get medical or dental care.

Almost everyone in the coast guard is stationed domestically:

You may not any say over where you are stationed after joining the coast guard, but there is a good probability your assignment will not be in a foreign country. Because of the nature of the work, most members are never confronted with a military-grade weapon while on active service. That’s not to suggest you won’t experience danger, but the action you witness has a considerably lesser chance of being life-threatening.

30 days vacation every year:

You are entitled to 2.5 days of paid vacation per month, for a total of 30 days per year. These annual leaves provide you with the opportunity to rest as well as time off to spend with your family. You can choose where you want your yearly leave to all, but you must submit a leave request to webTa ahead of time.

It will help your job applications:

The training and experience you can gain after joining the coast guard can enable you later in life to develop a rewarding career in practically any sector or industry. You also have the option of making military service a long-time opportunity. If you are a future officer, you can join the military by attending officer candidate school. This 17-week institutional course prepares you for service, introduces you to the military lifestyle, and provides a wealth of technical information that will help you succeed.

You will have some fantastic life experiences:

As a Coast Guard member, you will have the opportunity to travel to many locations as a part of your employment. You will not only get the opportunity to go to new places, but you will do so for free. You and your family will have access to military planes.

You will have the option of selecting from 20 distinct enlisted occupations (ratings) grouped into four categories:

If you decide to join the coast guard, your abilities and education will play a role in determining your ratings. Deck and ordinance hull and engineering, aviation, and administrative/scientific are the four eligible categories. Although patrolling the coasts of the united states is part of the job of this arm of the military, it is also responsible for defending American ships at sea at times of the year. That is why you will find stations in key strategic areas in the country as well as the busiest maritime lanes.

Related article: Pros and cons of joining the marines

Top 8 Cons of Joining the coast guard:

There is no choice as to where you will be stationed:

You can choose where you will be stationed if you join the coastguard reserves. If you opt to join this branch of the military, this is not the case. That is, you will go to where your rating is most needed. This can include serving in northern Alaska during the winter, living on a crowded ship with multiple roommates, or being on patrol duty for a week at a time.

No matter your age, rank still overrides:

Like in other branches of the military, rank takes precedence over anything else. As a result, younger coast guard personnel can be more authoritative and earn higher pay than older personnel due to rank. In this service, experience is still important, but rank takes precedence over almost everything.

Basic training is more difficult than most people believe:

The coast guard boot camp is one of the military’s most psychologically taxing courses. While it may not be as physically rigorous as that of the marines. It is difficult enough for most recruits that it has a significant failure rate when compared to other boot camps. As a result, you must be mentally prepared for their fundamental training.

Commitment is longer than in other branches:

As a coast guard member, you sign a8 year contract. You will serve four years on active duty and four years on inactive reserve. In some situations, they can give active duty contracts for three, four, or six years. This is a lengthier contract period than other military branches, which typically have 2-6 year contracts.

Away from family for potentially long periods:

Even if you are not on active duty. You will be required to visit your respective bases. This suggests you will be an absent parent or child for several days in your family. And it becomes considerably more challenging for you and your family when you are deployed. Some families may experience alienation and disengagement as a result of the emotional cycle of deployment. So be ready to deal with the circumstance because it will occur.

It is a highly selective branch of the military to join:

Although the marine corps is typically the most difficult branch of the military to join due to its stringent qualifications. The coast guard is a close second. There are just a few seats designed for each new incoming batch of recruits. So you will want to push yourself as much as possible before enlisting. The boot camp is also one of the more severe psychological training exercises required by the united states military. Therefore it may not be fit for everyone.

Very Bureaucratic:

Bureaucracies and micromanagement abound in the Coast Guard. Because this is a more meritocratic service, you must report even minor issues to your supervisor. The rules must be observed, and nothing can be done without your commander’s consent.

Before joining the coast guard, you should be able to swim proficiently:

Although knowing how to swim is not needed before joining this branch of the military. It is a crucial skill to complete basic training. All members of the coast guard must be capable of jumping from a five-foot platform into a pool, swimming for at least 100 meters, and treading water for at least five minutes.

Explore more information:

  1. Pros and Cons of Joining the military
  2. Pros and Cons of Joining the army
  3. Pros and Cons of Joining the airforce
  4. Pros and cons of the National Guard
  5. Pros and Cons of Joining the army as a woman
  6. Advantages and disadvantages of NCC

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Divya Chauhan
Divya Chauhan is an expert writer with 10+ years of experience as a content writer. They specialize in making complex topics like IT, Health, and general topic easy to understand. Divya has written over thousands of articles to help people with their content. Prior to joining Way2benefits’s editorial team in 2020, Divya worked as a Professor of BCA college and freelancer blogger.

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