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Pros and cons of National guard

The pros of joining the national guard are that you make educational opportunities, Part-time service opportunities, paycheck.  The cons of joining the national guard are that the work-life balance difficult, and promotions take longer to arrive. So here are the 14 pros and cons of joining the National Guard. 

Related article: Military spouse benefits

Here are the listed of top 7 pros of the national guard:

  1. It makes educational opportunities available
  2. Job training
  3. It provides a paycheck
  4. It is a part-time service opportunity
  5. It provides home stability
  6. Excellent opportunity for personal and professional growth
  7. Some people can earn direct commission from it

Here are the listed of top 7 cons of the national guard:

  1. Commitment
  2. Promotions take longer to arrive
  3. It is feasible on a little budget
  4. Traning and equipement of poor quality
  5. Work-life balance is difficult
  6. There are some requirements that must be met

Related article: Pros and cons of joining the marines

Top 7 Pros of the national guard:

First of all, let’s have a look at the pros of national guard and these are as follows:

It makes educational opportunities available:

The individual selected into the national guard have the opportunity to further their education. The charity provides tuition assistance of up to 100%. Loan repayment options are also provided within the company to assist in keeping personal debt under control.

Job training:

Paid job training is one of the finest advantages of joining the national guard. To be eligible for this, you must qualify for your intended employment by scoring well on the armed services vocational aptitude battery test, Which is required before to enlisting.

It provides a paycheck:

You get active pay while in the national guard during your initial period of basic training. You get paid during your employment training period as well as when you are deployed. The majority of people who join this organization start at the E-1 pay grade, which earns $1639.24 per month. Higher salary categories are eventually awarded as you advance through the levels. A monthly salary of $2925.09 is earned by an E-5 pay grade with more than 6 years of experience.

It is a part-time service opportunity:

Serving in the national guard after completing basic training entails providing one weekend of service every month, followed by two full weeks of service every year. The fee for this service is determined by your current pay grade. Employers are required to provide you the time off needed to serve in this role, so you won’t lose your full-time work.

It provides home stability:

Most national guard units will grant you up to two years of unit stabilization when you join. That implies you are guaranteed not to be deployed during that time unless an emergency scenario is proclaimed. Those pursuing education may find that a 24- month time frame is sufficient to complete a degree program without having to worry about an extended tour of active duty.

Excellent opportunity for personal and professional growth:

Joining the national guard is a wise decision since it can help you grow both personally and professionally. You’d become a lot better person as a result. The service will provide you with some of the most difficult times to assist you in accomplishing this and experiencing a positive change in morale.

Some people can earn direct commission from it:

Highly qualifies individuals, particularly those in the medical or legal disciplines, may be able to apply for a direct commission, under the direct appointment program. You must hold a 4-year degree or equivalent, be nominated for the program, and the selected for it by your commanding officer to be considered for a direct commission.

Related article: Pros And Cons Of Joining The Coast Guard

Top 7 Cons of Joining the National Guard:

Now let’s discuss the cons of the national guard and these are as follows:

Commitment:

One disadvantage of joining the national guard is the time commitment. You cannot easily leave the service once you have joined it. You should commit to serving for three, six, or eight years throughout the enlisting process, so be sure you are prepared and dedicated to completing many years of service.

Promotions take longer to arrive:

Promotions are frequently delayed in the national guard. Some officers have waited more than six months for federal recognition of their new rank, despite the fact that they were already performing the duties of their position. That means men guardsmen and women are working in a higher grade without the compensation that is commensurate with the position, and without the ability to seek back pay. 49% of those serving claimed they had to wait for more than 196 to be recognized for a promotion.

It is feasible on a little budget:

The national guard operates on a far smaller budget than the other branches of the united states military. As a result, the quality of the equipment used may be inferior to that of other units. There may also be a lack of uniformity in asset quality throughout each division. These challenges may make it difficult for certain members to attain the results they desire during their period of service.

Traning and equipement of poor quality:

Despite the benefits of training provided by the national guard, the quality of training and equipment is claimed to be poor. This is because it conducts so many deployments and the budgets for equipment and training are sometimes lower than those for active duty or reserve personnel.

Work-life balance is difficult:

Many people find it difficult to balance work and life. However, if you are a member of the national guard, you will have an additional scheduling issue. National Guard members are required to attend training one weekend per month and two weeks per year. This duty forces you to organize your downtime with family or friends around your training.

There are some requirements that must be met:

You must be between the ages of 17 and 35 to serve on the national guard. You can work as an entry-level employee while still in high school, but you must be a junior or higher and have a diploma or GED certificate. There are other fitness requirements to meet, such as a minimum number of push-ups, sit-ups, and a maximum duration for a two-mile run.

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 navy
  4. Pros and Cons of Joining the airforce
  5. Pros and Cons of Joining the army as a woman
  6. Military spouse benefits

Thank you for reading this article. If you have any queries regarding our article on the Pros and cons of joining the National Guard then do comment in the comment section below.

 

 

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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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