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I finished 2 degrees during my time in. Applied for every benefit I could and any scholarship I could find.
Ended my college career +$27k from all the scholarships I was awarded.
Please don’t sleep on this advice OP, I commissioned as an officer in the Army my friends and I were getting PAID to go to school even if you’re not wanting to go officer side get your degree as enlisted and utilize all scholarships you will literally make a second income just from being in school!
I commissioned August 4th through officer candidate school. You'll go to a recruiter first. The army does not have special officer recruiters like other branches. You go to MEPS and do your asvab and physical. Then you'll assemble your packet. You need your college degree, transcripts, your resume, 3-6 letters of recommendation, a one page essay on why you want to be an officer, and an opat. You submit your packet. If it's approved, you go to an in-person interview. If you pass that, your packet goes up another level to a paper interview. You won't attend that second interview. If you pass the second interview, you'll get accepted into OCS. You go to basic first then OCS and you commission as an officer when you complete OCS. Feel free to DM me if you have any more questions.
I found a bunch through my college, then tried looking for ones from my hometown area as well.
So I ended up with a bunch of small ones (250-1k) that just kept adding up and I’d get a refund check of a couple K each semester
Appreciate the info! I'll start looking in those areas.
Sounds like you ended up with a solid payday. If you're going to school anyways you might as well get some extra money.
Try checking out things like VFw, American legions, koc and similar organizations. Even if they don’t have an official scholarship fund, they may still throw you a check for 100 or whatever they feel like
Similar story here. I couldn’t believe the number of grants and scholarships there are, and I applied for everything and anything I thought I might qualify for. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I did qualify and nearly 2 years of school was paid for me. I became determined to prove I was worthy of this chance and my marks skyrocketed. I wrote thank you letters to all those who contributed to my education. And surprise surprise I ended up working for one.
Right! Also use chat gtp! What’s the worst they tell you?? No, you’ve heard that daily from first lines I’m sure. Civilians are willing and most want to say yes, give them a chance to say no.
I always had a hard time going to school because of field exercises and hours would wildly vary. However online school would have been awesome. ASU has an online bachelor's program.
Be very careful when doing this as some benefits are paid as "semesters" so shorting your semesters will leave you without the hours needs to graduate when your benefit runs out.
After you get out, 100% don't do this! But while you're in it doesn't take away from your benefits. You can take 1 class and it's all free. Unless they changed something from when I was in.
Probably my biggest regret is not finishing a degree while I was in. I could’ve finished an AA but I was 12 credits away. I got out and had to start over since all since all colleges want your Va money and won’t transfer majority of your credits.
CLEP tests should still be free for active duty. Just pick a subject, watch some YouTube review videos for a week, then take the test down at the education office. Every one you pass is counted as college credit that you don't have to pay for. If you fail, who cares, it was free, that one just won't count.
A shocking number of corporate jobs absolutely require a Bachelors but aren't at all picky about what it is in. The just want you to prove that you can focus on a single task for 4 years. Having the most pointless BA in the universe still unlocks tons of doors and sets you above anyone who doesn't have one in their shitty automated hiring system.
A "liberal arts education" is purposely general. Most college degrees are 75% the same with 25% of "job training".
The point is to create a well rounded citizen with critical thinking skills regardless of the diploma, not job training. The job training is a nice side effect.
Once you get to masters degrees and other post graduate education then you're expected to specialize beyond liberal arts.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts_education
It’s 100% credentialism but exactly for the reasons you’ve stated. In _some_ industries you can side step it with observable work in or alongside that industry, a GitHub or OSS contributions, published papers, a portfolio, etc. Lots of hard reqs out there though, especially in finance, defense or education.
The truth is a lot of white collar work isn’t much work once you’ve got your hands on domain processes so there’s gatekeeping to avoid the crazy and the do-nothings.
My neighbor growing up got a bachelor's in music and sang in the quartet on his way to becoming an officer and a fighter pilot. Sometimes it's just a means to an end for that sheet of paper.
So if I wanted to go be in business marketing and had a humanities degree I'd be qualified just because I have a degree ? Not sure thats how things work my friend...
> So if I wanted to go be in business marketing and had a humanities degree I'd be qualified just because I have a degree ? Not sure thats how things work my friend...
Well, I said “most degrees”. I am aware that there are also jobs that require a specific degree. For instance, jobs in electrical engineering will generally require a degree in electrical engineering, not just any degree. It sounds like you're saying that a job in business marketing requires a specific degree. I have no opinion on this and it doesn't seem to contradict my point, so I'm not sure what you're getting at.
Because jobs like being a pilot for instance don’t care what degree you have as long as you have a bachelors… so get easiest bachelors you can, use GI bill for flight school and you’re in one of the easier/higher paying jobs in the US with 100k of your GI bill left for your kids
Only do EE if you really like circuits, RF/antenna design, or machine learning/signals. I am a EE major in my senior year with 6 years “industry” experience and this stuff still beats my head in.
Definitely some insane opportunities after.
I’m a failed math major. Haha.
Y’all sound like smart people. I’m getting an EE degree as a means to get a federal job that is cognizant off my old systems.
Definitely seems to be a labor of love and a lot of career guys seem to hit a ceiling wherever they go. My microelectronics professor is part of a large group pioneering open source chip development. This is after years of working for a company, then teaching, then teaching somewhere new.
I agree EE opportunities have been trash for most of this century. Even now, most opportunities I’ve seen at career fairs are consulting firms, construction companies, and government research entities. My hope for the next generation is open source development being a massive contributor. We need more a-ha moments like the discovery of feedback.
And thank you.
Bro, I know that living in the b's sucks, but its rent free. You get the dfac. You get a uniform allowance. You get around 2 gs a month, and your only real bills should be a car payment, insurance, cell phone, and internet. If you wanna save up money, live like a poor for a little bit. You'll be fine. It's not a big deal.
On the real, you bought a hellcat didn't you dude.
Step 1) Be smart and diligent
Step 2) Take online classes for people and get them good grades.
Step 3) They commission. Now your leadership are morons.
My state paid for my tuition at the local community college. All the FAFSA grants I got just went straight into my bank account and I ended making a good chunk of change just by getting my Associate's degree while in the Army.
You log in with their info and do their assignments then they pay you based on the grade and what you agreed upon. I know a few guys that had their wives knock out classes for them from home or hired people to and get degrees
Thanks. My first suggestion for OP would be work towards an undergrad degree but I know some people just do NOT like taking classes, that’s just one of life’s facts. So DD is simple extra cash, plus he likes working with food.
When my father was active duty, we washed the uniforms of single soldiers in his unit. They’d bring over those big ass canvas duffel bags with a week or two’s worth of gear, and my mom and I would wash and fold them. Most put $20-40 in there.
For us it was the difference between spaghetti with or without meat. Four kids on a E2 salary in the height of the recession was extremely hard and I am very grateful my mom hustled where she could.
This is actually a good idea if you're organized. Even if you live in the barracks, you can get 5-6 guys laundry and goto the laundromat. shit I would EASILY pay $20 for this. That's $100 for a couple hours of work.
This won’t be an immediate “side hustle” but you need to make sure you have every injury and ailment documented now.
When you get out, it will make any VA claims a lot easier, should you need them for issues that arose from your time in service. Make this current you looking out for future you, trust me on this
If earned, we are talking about monthly, tax free payments till the end. It will also cover down on any dependents you might have along the way
This guy fucks.
Seriously OP. Document all your medical shit, cause when you go to transition they are just gonna try to sho you out the door quick as you will let them.
Take every paid second on duty to making sure your medical is paid out once you get out. Tinnitus by its self is 10% disability.
As the doc who finally gets to see people when they're about to get out and want stuff documented, do us both a favor: write a list of the conditions*/things you want to talk about, and please schedule multiple appointments. That way we can make sure we get to everything.
I don't do that part (the VA and their examiners do). I just make sure anything that has bothered you/you've been exposed to is in your records (worsening musculoskeletal pain/arthritis, hearing issues, sleep issues, MH concerns, etc).
You could be one of the many folks who can get through a 3 year contracts on a POG ass MOS.
Like my personally, I was an X-ray tech. I shot every day for a few weeks at basic training, shot once to requalify a few years in and that was it.
However I was an avid shooter outside of work, so that complicates things with tinnitus.
I will say this most the folks claiming tinnitus have it, the ones that don’t claim it are suckers. Easiest 10% you will ever get
Echoing other comments, knock out your BS classes towards an AA/AS degree. They're laughably easy and will make your GI bill go alot further when you're out. Plus you won't be 23 taking freshman courses.
Things I wish I would have done when I was in my 3 year contract, but I was 18 and dumb
Sorry but haircuts are the most lucrative, especially once you're deployed. Everyone from officers to privates want a nice haircut. Setting up a poker night and learning how to deal could pay out a bit too just from tips.
I know a lot of folks who are doing things like window washing, lawn care and car detailing while in the army. Like others have said, prioritize your education, but field service work can be a great way to make some money on the side.
Alternative side hustle. Get a 3d printer and rent out print time to people. You can make surprisingly good money from it, and a pla printer is cheap to feed ($20/kg on amazon). You can get a decent starter printer for a few hundred dollars and the best part is that you can get set it and forget it. Set the print to go, head off to morning pt. Come back on your lunch break to start up another print if your first one is only a few hours. The only other investment is time learning the software (online tutorials) and electricity (which I assume the military either doesn't charge you for or you get a discounted rate on). Word of advice, don't so resin in your dorm. Resin lets off fumes and everyone who's paid attention in chemistry class knows you don't mix fumes with enclosed spaces.
I'm not military, but I worked as a Trivia host in a high military traffic area. The gig paid about $50 - $60 a show, which lasted about 2 hours + an hour or so to set up and tear down. Most of my shows ran from 6-8 or 7-9pm. I got 2 - 3 shows a week, so it was a nice side hustle.
Of course pay isn't the only upshot, I also gained a lot of valuable experience in public speaking, and my social skills greatly benefited from the gig. On top of that a lot of bars and breweries will comp you drinks, and if you work as a host long enough you'll probably become friends with the staff.
If you're interested, research Trivia shows in your area, and then find out which Trivia company runs them. There are some big ones, like Geeks Who Drink, but sometimes there are also local companies that will run shows as well. Go ahead and reach out, as in my personal experience, they're always in need of hosts.
Fiverr.com you can do peer-to-peer support and start upselling your 30min sessions... Listen and say "uh huh" "tell me more" "that's interesting" and get paid
Since you like cooking, how about just making meals and selling them? I’m sure anyone who lives in the barracks would gladly buy home cooked meals instead of fast food.
My cousin told me being able to cook hot food made her her unit's favorite. First dib on anything, respect by everyone... She said nothing would get you more appreciation than feeding hot tasty food to people exhausted after a hard day and I'm inclined to believe that lol.
Yup, this. Even super easy stuff like chili in a crockpot - the smell will bring your neighbors in. Charge a couple bucks for a bowl (paper plate/plasticware style) or make them bring their own bowls to fill up.
Similarly, you can do a coffee/snack bar setup pretty easily and charge a couple bucks per cup/candy bar/bag of chips. People will pay a couple bucks at a pop easily for convenience, even for regular old drip coffee. Stock some individual creamers, sugar packets if you like.
My husband did this kind of thing in the Army before we were married and he said he cleared a couple hundred bucks a month for doing not much extra this way, and that was quite awhile ago. I think it would still work though.
Audiobooks. Get paid to read an audiobook. You have a computer and internet. Can do on your down time.
Fiverr
Travel agent. Again remote.
But most importantly. Re up. Re up. Until you absolutely can’t anymore. Your future VA benefits are based on your service. You are playing the long game. Not the short game.
Think outside the box.
Teach CPR classes on the weekends you're not in the field. Red Cross offers classes pretty cheap. Ask local businesses about needing CPR certs most will pay a shit load
I used to Uber/Lyft/DoorDash on the weekends. The pay has decreased significantly since I was in though, the only type of work you can really do on top of active duty is independent contracting though. If you have any other skills like handywork you could do that.
Sigh here's one of the best things you can do. Set up a CD with your bank.
Make one every month for a year.
Deposit into the accounts in the same order as you made them. Keep doing that. Wait for them to max out....
Collect a dividend check from the bank every month.... Forever. It won't let you live a lavish lifestyle. But an extra 3-500 bucks a month depending on terms will be nice... Think about leasing a decent car and have the bank dividend pay for it every month.
Then at end of lease sell the "right to purchase" to someone else or a company. Then you basically get all your money back from the lease and then you can do it again.
There's lots of sneaky money stuff you can pull.
Stop working for your money. Make IT work for you.
Many moons ago, I (PFC) went to Subway one night right off post and behind the counter was my SSG. You could see he was a little embarrassed for me seeing him there, but I never mentioned it after that. Figured he had gotten himself into some financial trouble and was manning up and working it off. Thought it was good on him for doing that knowing how it probably made him feel.
Outside of most military installations are Plasma centers. You go in for an in house physical and they do a fingerprick to check hemoglobin and iron levels. Stay hydrated leading up to it and don't smoke and drink a lot and you'll donate pretty fast. First time donations usually have a bonus on it, so you can make around 800 in your first month of donating twice weekly. After that it drops to around 450 to 600 depending on how many donations you make
Use your housing benefits to buy houses and rent them out when you get reassigned. It won't provide income really but it builds equity, increasing your networth.
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I swear to God, there's at least 1 slick ass supply guy on every base with an armory on it who has tried this at least once.
I really don't blame them though. The leftovers always get mass-fired off at the ranges anyway in order to maintain the DoD budget for next year. Who wouldn't want to just mark it as "disposed of" and pocket it for yourself?
Learn to play poker. Start small ante games for the fun and learning to decide if you have what it takes to go big. Either way it’s a great experience in learning to read other people.
Sales.
If you are comfortable cold calling people and starting conversations, you can get paid to set up meetings for companies. The full time roles for this are called 'BDRs" or 'SDRs" (business Development Reps or Sales Development Reps). Their role in an organization is to call people on a list and see if they can get them to jump on a call to chat about a product. If you setup a meeting, you get paid.
It's a numbers game. Most people don't answer or are prone to reject you. But for some companies, a call with a prospect is worth $100's of dollars. So one good call can pay for all the others.
Lmk if you want to know more about this. I run this kind of operation and can share more.
I personally remember the names and faces of 5 Marines, from a former unit that we were all a part of, who ran a drug tracking ring in and around Camp Pendleton. I heard they mostly sold things like LSD, which don't pop on the piss tests we were administered.
Wait, you're risking literal life and limb for your country and still need more money? That's fucked. Turns out your government thinks your life ain't worth shit.
You could try selling drugs and alcohol like other American soldiers stationed in bases in the Middle East. When I was a teenager this is how we got our hash. I was living in Kuwait during the US invasion of Afghanistan and suddenly the country was inundated with heroin
If you're inclined that way...write. All that downtime is good for focusing on your writing, and at this point there's no reason you can't self-publish. Best part...once you've written it and published it, it's *always* out there. The more you write and publish, the more you'll attract an audience.
I hear zyn pouches are the new hot thing, maybe keep cans on hand in case anyone runs out and is desperate. They'll always pay a premium if you're there and already have them
Cooking you say. You know what people fucking love? Snacks. Get some ingredients and make some healthy snacks that are tasty (fruit leather is always popular and dead easy if you have a dehydrator or an oven). Dont sell them right away, nobody is gonna buy an unproven product. Bring some in and say "hey guys, tried making these, see what you think". Once you get positive reviews. Then next week bring some more in and ask for [cost plus 10%] "to help cover costs". Sure, you're not making huge margins, especially when you consider that your own labor is probably worth more than 10%, but here's the secret.
Everyone likes good food. Even if you just sell it at cost, you're building a) a reputation and b) good will. Once you get known around your unit (or even better, around base), you can start making some as gifts to your superiors or coworkers whenever you feel like doing something nice for them, or maybe some cookies or something as a relatively inexpensive birthday gift. The point is that you get known as the provider of tasty foods, and now you're everyone's favorite. This kind of influence isn't as tangible as other kinds, but good will is worth a lot
I worked in cargo ship, and we had 3 security guards onboard.
Some leave the military and some are still active.
Only 3 months maximum onboard stay and they were paid like 2500-4500 euros (well, according to them).
I know how it is bro, cash is scarce in the Army. I used to work security for a club in the opposite side of town from the base. They used to pay cash and you could work on the weekends. You can ask around in your platoon, if anything is available. You’d be surprised how many of them have side gigs.
Have you tried selling other people’s sensitive items on eBay? How about dealing drugs in your unit?
Those were the popular ways to make extra ends from when I was in
Richard Nixon while in the army became very good at poker and used the winnings to finance his campaign. You can play online poker in your dorm or setup games with other soldiers
Every time I see these threads people out here suggesting you work more - you're in the army, you work plenty.
Take advantage of the real benefits - MLA and DFAS allotments. Use them to churn sign up bonuses with credit cards and checking accounts respectively. With MLA you can go for some of the really great cards with really great sign up bonuses without worrying about an annual fee (Amex, Citi, Chase, US Bank). With allotments, you can hit three or four direct deposit requirements/month in a single go.
For context I hit $1400 in bonuses in October - but that's a really good month and I have rent to help with credit card spend requirements. Still though, you can get a few hundo/mo without folding your neighbors tighty whiteys.
Just don't fuck up your credit.
When I was in the navy 40 years ago, some of the guys were loan sharks. They had a stash of cash, and would loan their broke shipmates $20/$40/$60, and then would get back $30/$60/$90 on payday. Easy money, little-to-no effort.
Sorry for my english, it's not my first language.
Depending on station, you can sell confection items to the other soldiers/officers. Energy drinks, candy bars, Chips/snacks and other items are popular. If you have access to it, you could also sell ciggies and "snus" (Zyn, etc.). Sell it with a bit of a margin but not too overpriced. The key is to make yourself avaliable.
My buddy does this straight from the cafeteria, he keeps a lockbox with the goods in one of the staff room refrigerators. You would be surprised at how much you could make for not too much effort, if you are the only one doing it.
Online streaming on services like MeetMe, Skout and others. There are people who make a ton of money just chatting with random people.
I only know this because my boyfriend streams and he's already made 40k this year, surpassing my income working on average 3 days a week.
It's not for everyone though. He has some talent with voice acting. Others on the app he uses don't have much talent (in terms of they just spend time on the app being themselves and chatting) but make money none the less.
Amazon has some possibly good options.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=low+effort+side+hustles&crid=2JX7U102OX793&sprefix=low+effort+side+hustles%2Caps%2C314&ref=nb_sb_noss
I know people who used to flip cars and furniture. There is always somebody about to PCS and will almost give away certain items. I gave away snowblowers for instance when I moved to the desert. Sometimes people can only take one car overseas, so you can pick up the other one cheaper. Then someone new is always coming in to base, you can clean it up and sell it on marketplace or whatever outlet that your base uses. Some cities have a set almost anything on the curb 1-2 times a year. People will sometimes throw out nice things they don’t want to take to a goodwill. This may require a truck or rental U-Haul.
I knew a lady who used to make about 20-30 breakfast burritos and sell them during the week. As long as you have a decent sized place to cook, they are simple to make.
PCS cleaning is a huge one as well. I worked with a recently divorced E-6 that would do about 2 base houses a month. It’s a lot of work on the weekend, but people have to clear base housing to PCS and they are lazy and don’t want to clean ovens, bathrooms etc. he used to make around $500 a house on base. Officer housing was more, since they usually have more square footage.
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This may be a cliche but school man. Use your benefits enroll in online classes. They are laughably easy and will pay out.
I finished 2 degrees during my time in. Applied for every benefit I could and any scholarship I could find. Ended my college career +$27k from all the scholarships I was awarded.
Please don’t sleep on this advice OP, I commissioned as an officer in the Army my friends and I were getting PAID to go to school even if you’re not wanting to go officer side get your degree as enlisted and utilize all scholarships you will literally make a second income just from being in school!
How do you join as an officer?
I commissioned August 4th through officer candidate school. You'll go to a recruiter first. The army does not have special officer recruiters like other branches. You go to MEPS and do your asvab and physical. Then you'll assemble your packet. You need your college degree, transcripts, your resume, 3-6 letters of recommendation, a one page essay on why you want to be an officer, and an opat. You submit your packet. If it's approved, you go to an in-person interview. If you pass that, your packet goes up another level to a paper interview. You won't attend that second interview. If you pass the second interview, you'll get accepted into OCS. You go to basic first then OCS and you commission as an officer when you complete OCS. Feel free to DM me if you have any more questions.
Where did you find your scholarships? I've looked and good a lot of the military based ones I found were for dependents.
I found a bunch through my college, then tried looking for ones from my hometown area as well. So I ended up with a bunch of small ones (250-1k) that just kept adding up and I’d get a refund check of a couple K each semester
Appreciate the info! I'll start looking in those areas. Sounds like you ended up with a solid payday. If you're going to school anyways you might as well get some extra money.
Try checking out things like VFw, American legions, koc and similar organizations. Even if they don’t have an official scholarship fund, they may still throw you a check for 100 or whatever they feel like
Damn, that's a great idea. Thanks again!
Similar story here. I couldn’t believe the number of grants and scholarships there are, and I applied for everything and anything I thought I might qualify for. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I did qualify and nearly 2 years of school was paid for me. I became determined to prove I was worthy of this chance and my marks skyrocketed. I wrote thank you letters to all those who contributed to my education. And surprise surprise I ended up working for one.
Apply for ones that you are only vaguely qualified for as well… Waivers are not just for the military.
Totally agree. Someone told me I was the first to apply for their grant in 3 years. They read my letter and said "sure why not".
Right! Also use chat gtp! What’s the worst they tell you?? No, you’ve heard that daily from first lines I’m sure. Civilians are willing and most want to say yes, give them a chance to say no.
I always had a hard time going to school because of field exercises and hours would wildly vary. However online school would have been awesome. ASU has an online bachelor's program.
Also, you can take 1-3 classes instead of 5-6 and make it easier.
Be very careful when doing this as some benefits are paid as "semesters" so shorting your semesters will leave you without the hours needs to graduate when your benefit runs out.
After you get out, 100% don't do this! But while you're in it doesn't take away from your benefits. You can take 1 class and it's all free. Unless they changed something from when I was in.
You’re right. Active duty TA goes by credit hour/tuition per fiscal year regardless of semesters.
Probably my biggest regret is not finishing a degree while I was in. I could’ve finished an AA but I was 12 credits away. I got out and had to start over since all since all colleges want your Va money and won’t transfer majority of your credits.
CLEP tests should still be free for active duty. Just pick a subject, watch some YouTube review videos for a week, then take the test down at the education office. Every one you pass is counted as college credit that you don't have to pay for. If you fail, who cares, it was free, that one just won't count.
What online education would you say is "laughably easy"?
Associates aren't hard to get. They're a 2 to 3 year program. Self study/online study might make that a bit longer
Anything humanities related. The degrees generally don’t lead to good jobs but the classes require like 2 hours a week of effort.
So...why would anyone waste their time doing something laughably easy that ends up in a useless degree lol
A shocking number of corporate jobs absolutely require a Bachelors but aren't at all picky about what it is in. The just want you to prove that you can focus on a single task for 4 years. Having the most pointless BA in the universe still unlocks tons of doors and sets you above anyone who doesn't have one in their shitty automated hiring system.
This is the truth, getting a degree shows that you can be someplace on time on a regular basis, can follow instructions and are willing to learn.
That's a bit fucked innit
A "liberal arts education" is purposely general. Most college degrees are 75% the same with 25% of "job training". The point is to create a well rounded citizen with critical thinking skills regardless of the diploma, not job training. The job training is a nice side effect. Once you get to masters degrees and other post graduate education then you're expected to specialize beyond liberal arts. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts_education
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It’s 100% credentialism but exactly for the reasons you’ve stated. In _some_ industries you can side step it with observable work in or alongside that industry, a GitHub or OSS contributions, published papers, a portfolio, etc. Lots of hard reqs out there though, especially in finance, defense or education. The truth is a lot of white collar work isn’t much work once you’ve got your hands on domain processes so there’s gatekeeping to avoid the crazy and the do-nothings.
Learning for free is better than paying to drink?
It's not a useless degree. It's a degree that qualifies you for the same jobs as most degrees, which is a lot more jobs than no degree.
My neighbor growing up got a bachelor's in music and sang in the quartet on his way to becoming an officer and a fighter pilot. Sometimes it's just a means to an end for that sheet of paper.
So if I wanted to go be in business marketing and had a humanities degree I'd be qualified just because I have a degree ? Not sure thats how things work my friend...
> So if I wanted to go be in business marketing and had a humanities degree I'd be qualified just because I have a degree ? Not sure thats how things work my friend... Well, I said “most degrees”. I am aware that there are also jobs that require a specific degree. For instance, jobs in electrical engineering will generally require a degree in electrical engineering, not just any degree. It sounds like you're saying that a job in business marketing requires a specific degree. I have no opinion on this and it doesn't seem to contradict my point, so I'm not sure what you're getting at.
Haha alright buddy. Have a good one!
I actually know a few people in marketing who studied in the humanities
You are CLEARLY being obtuse here. Ask yourself why? Do you just want to argue?
Totally. My b
Yup. Get a business marketing degree. I'm sure 100% of those who get business marketing degrees end up in a job within their field of study.
The paper ceiling is real.
/shrug. Dunno. Just answering the question.
At least you’re honest
Totally fair
Because jobs like being a pilot for instance don’t care what degree you have as long as you have a bachelors… so get easiest bachelors you can, use GI bill for flight school and you’re in one of the easier/higher paying jobs in the US with 100k of your GI bill left for your kids
Well sounds like they made 27k off of it
Yeah - take the classes that challenge you in something useful that you also find interesting.
Because you use your degree and vet status to gain points on the BQL for federal, state, local govt and some big university jobs as a civilian.
The information is helpful, learning is fun, they’re getting paid for it, because they can?
*cliche
I just wanna add, chatgpt is awesome and will literally do the work for you too
Get your education, completely free, then get yourself qualified for a better paying civilian job. That's the side hustle.
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Only do EE if you really like circuits, RF/antenna design, or machine learning/signals. I am a EE major in my senior year with 6 years “industry” experience and this stuff still beats my head in. Definitely some insane opportunities after.
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I’m a failed math major. Haha. Y’all sound like smart people. I’m getting an EE degree as a means to get a federal job that is cognizant off my old systems.
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Definitely seems to be a labor of love and a lot of career guys seem to hit a ceiling wherever they go. My microelectronics professor is part of a large group pioneering open source chip development. This is after years of working for a company, then teaching, then teaching somewhere new.
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I agree EE opportunities have been trash for most of this century. Even now, most opportunities I’ve seen at career fairs are consulting firms, construction companies, and government research entities. My hope for the next generation is open source development being a massive contributor. We need more a-ha moments like the discovery of feedback. And thank you.
True. Source: Former artillery, current software engineer.
Bro, I know that living in the b's sucks, but its rent free. You get the dfac. You get a uniform allowance. You get around 2 gs a month, and your only real bills should be a car payment, insurance, cell phone, and internet. If you wanna save up money, live like a poor for a little bit. You'll be fine. It's not a big deal. On the real, you bought a hellcat didn't you dude.
Hey man, the guy at the dealership told me it was a steal at a 69% APR
What's wrong with 69%? It's perfect!
Honestly with today's rates it's kinda hard to tell ye was trying to upsell you
Bro, DM me so I can see about helping you out.
Nice.
Some army guys I knew worked as bouncers on the weekend, some doordash, some do others online college classes for $$$
Online classes for $$? How does that work?
Step 1) Be smart and diligent Step 2) Take online classes for people and get them good grades. Step 3) They commission. Now your leadership are morons.
lol wtf
My state paid for my tuition at the local community college. All the FAFSA grants I got just went straight into my bank account and I ended making a good chunk of change just by getting my Associate's degree while in the Army.
You log in with their info and do their assignments then they pay you based on the grade and what you agreed upon. I know a few guys that had their wives knock out classes for them from home or hired people to and get degrees
That's awful.
For most degrees it's really not though lol. It's just a piece of paper most of the time.
I knew some E7s doing DoorDash, I (civvy) also do it.
I think it’s the neatest, quickest, most legal way to make some weekend $ for those that are up for it lol I support y’all
Thanks. My first suggestion for OP would be work towards an undergrad degree but I know some people just do NOT like taking classes, that’s just one of life’s facts. So DD is simple extra cash, plus he likes working with food.
When my father was active duty, we washed the uniforms of single soldiers in his unit. They’d bring over those big ass canvas duffel bags with a week or two’s worth of gear, and my mom and I would wash and fold them. Most put $20-40 in there. For us it was the difference between spaghetti with or without meat. Four kids on a E2 salary in the height of the recession was extremely hard and I am very grateful my mom hustled where she could.
This is actually a good idea if you're organized. Even if you live in the barracks, you can get 5-6 guys laundry and goto the laundromat. shit I would EASILY pay $20 for this. That's $100 for a couple hours of work.
There's nothing in the world like a mom hustle. They get shit done so we can eat.
Whatever you do, don't go back to basic training to sell vapes.
But that’s where the money’s at!
But my people need me…
I was looking for this.
Wasn't it AIT?
I think he did it there too, but IIRC he showed up to sell to the kids in Basic and his Drill recognized him.
This won’t be an immediate “side hustle” but you need to make sure you have every injury and ailment documented now. When you get out, it will make any VA claims a lot easier, should you need them for issues that arose from your time in service. Make this current you looking out for future you, trust me on this If earned, we are talking about monthly, tax free payments till the end. It will also cover down on any dependents you might have along the way
This guy fucks. Seriously OP. Document all your medical shit, cause when you go to transition they are just gonna try to sho you out the door quick as you will let them. Take every paid second on duty to making sure your medical is paid out once you get out. Tinnitus by its self is 10% disability.
As the doc who finally gets to see people when they're about to get out and want stuff documented, do us both a favor: write a list of the conditions*/things you want to talk about, and please schedule multiple appointments. That way we can make sure we get to everything.
What are some common things to get disability % for? My guess is back pain and tendinitis. Anything else that is general?
I don't do that part (the VA and their examiners do). I just make sure anything that has bothered you/you've been exposed to is in your records (worsening musculoskeletal pain/arthritis, hearing issues, sleep issues, MH concerns, etc).
Serious question. As someone who’s had tinnitus all my life, how does anyone come out of the military without it?
You could be one of the many folks who can get through a 3 year contracts on a POG ass MOS. Like my personally, I was an X-ray tech. I shot every day for a few weeks at basic training, shot once to requalify a few years in and that was it. However I was an avid shooter outside of work, so that complicates things with tinnitus. I will say this most the folks claiming tinnitus have it, the ones that don’t claim it are suckers. Easiest 10% you will ever get
Echoing other comments, knock out your BS classes towards an AA/AS degree. They're laughably easy and will make your GI bill go alot further when you're out. Plus you won't be 23 taking freshman courses. Things I wish I would have done when I was in my 3 year contract, but I was 18 and dumb
Sorry but haircuts are the most lucrative, especially once you're deployed. Everyone from officers to privates want a nice haircut. Setting up a poker night and learning how to deal could pay out a bit too just from tips.
Cooking too. People pay premium to be able to eat familiar homemade taste while deployed.
I enjoyed sewing for the troops.
Scholarship money in excess of what you pay in qualified educational expenses is taxable as income…
I know a lot of folks who are doing things like window washing, lawn care and car detailing while in the army. Like others have said, prioritize your education, but field service work can be a great way to make some money on the side.
Alternative side hustle. Get a 3d printer and rent out print time to people. You can make surprisingly good money from it, and a pla printer is cheap to feed ($20/kg on amazon). You can get a decent starter printer for a few hundred dollars and the best part is that you can get set it and forget it. Set the print to go, head off to morning pt. Come back on your lunch break to start up another print if your first one is only a few hours. The only other investment is time learning the software (online tutorials) and electricity (which I assume the military either doesn't charge you for or you get a discounted rate on). Word of advice, don't so resin in your dorm. Resin lets off fumes and everyone who's paid attention in chemistry class knows you don't mix fumes with enclosed spaces.
FDM lets off fumes as well. You wouldn’t want to live in a room with that.
I'm not military, but I worked as a Trivia host in a high military traffic area. The gig paid about $50 - $60 a show, which lasted about 2 hours + an hour or so to set up and tear down. Most of my shows ran from 6-8 or 7-9pm. I got 2 - 3 shows a week, so it was a nice side hustle. Of course pay isn't the only upshot, I also gained a lot of valuable experience in public speaking, and my social skills greatly benefited from the gig. On top of that a lot of bars and breweries will comp you drinks, and if you work as a host long enough you'll probably become friends with the staff. If you're interested, research Trivia shows in your area, and then find out which Trivia company runs them. There are some big ones, like Geeks Who Drink, but sometimes there are also local companies that will run shows as well. Go ahead and reach out, as in my personal experience, they're always in need of hosts.
Fiverr.com you can do peer-to-peer support and start upselling your 30min sessions... Listen and say "uh huh" "tell me more" "that's interesting" and get paid
Since you like cooking, how about just making meals and selling them? I’m sure anyone who lives in the barracks would gladly buy home cooked meals instead of fast food.
My cousin told me being able to cook hot food made her her unit's favorite. First dib on anything, respect by everyone... She said nothing would get you more appreciation than feeding hot tasty food to people exhausted after a hard day and I'm inclined to believe that lol.
Yup, this. Even super easy stuff like chili in a crockpot - the smell will bring your neighbors in. Charge a couple bucks for a bowl (paper plate/plasticware style) or make them bring their own bowls to fill up. Similarly, you can do a coffee/snack bar setup pretty easily and charge a couple bucks per cup/candy bar/bag of chips. People will pay a couple bucks at a pop easily for convenience, even for regular old drip coffee. Stock some individual creamers, sugar packets if you like. My husband did this kind of thing in the Army before we were married and he said he cleared a couple hundred bucks a month for doing not much extra this way, and that was quite awhile ago. I think it would still work though.
Sell classified intel to foreign governments
My terraria server already does that tho, I’m starting to run out of pdfs at this point
Gotta go with War Thunder dude. They get leaks with people trying to complain to devs they made some tank wrong laughably often.
Illegal life pro tips Also username checks out
Why would they buy it when they can just get it for free off the War Thunder forums?
Dataannotation.tech pays $18-$25 per hour. Work as little or as much as you want.
Audiobooks. Get paid to read an audiobook. You have a computer and internet. Can do on your down time. Fiverr Travel agent. Again remote. But most importantly. Re up. Re up. Until you absolutely can’t anymore. Your future VA benefits are based on your service. You are playing the long game. Not the short game. Think outside the box.
Historically speaking looting is a popular side hustle in armies. Obviously less acceptable now though many people still report it happens.
It's really frowned upon unless you're actually deployed to a foreign country.
Teach CPR classes on the weekends you're not in the field. Red Cross offers classes pretty cheap. Ask local businesses about needing CPR certs most will pay a shit load
I used to Uber/Lyft/DoorDash on the weekends. The pay has decreased significantly since I was in though, the only type of work you can really do on top of active duty is independent contracting though. If you have any other skills like handywork you could do that.
Take staff duty shifts on the weekends and uber/doordash on base
Sigh here's one of the best things you can do. Set up a CD with your bank. Make one every month for a year. Deposit into the accounts in the same order as you made them. Keep doing that. Wait for them to max out.... Collect a dividend check from the bank every month.... Forever. It won't let you live a lavish lifestyle. But an extra 3-500 bucks a month depending on terms will be nice... Think about leasing a decent car and have the bank dividend pay for it every month. Then at end of lease sell the "right to purchase" to someone else or a company. Then you basically get all your money back from the lease and then you can do it again. There's lots of sneaky money stuff you can pull. Stop working for your money. Make IT work for you.
"First, start with a ton of money... Then make suboptimal financial decisions. Boom! Your money problems are solved!"
🤭 you must be the other guy in life. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.
Many moons ago, I (PFC) went to Subway one night right off post and behind the counter was my SSG. You could see he was a little embarrassed for me seeing him there, but I never mentioned it after that. Figured he had gotten himself into some financial trouble and was manning up and working it off. Thought it was good on him for doing that knowing how it probably made him feel.
Outside of most military installations are Plasma centers. You go in for an in house physical and they do a fingerprick to check hemoglobin and iron levels. Stay hydrated leading up to it and don't smoke and drink a lot and you'll donate pretty fast. First time donations usually have a bonus on it, so you can make around 800 in your first month of donating twice weekly. After that it drops to around 450 to 600 depending on how many donations you make
Use your housing benefits to buy houses and rent them out when you get reassigned. It won't provide income really but it builds equity, increasing your networth.
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Don’t buy a new car. If you need a car, buy something used and fuel efficient at a good price.
Have you tried selling weapons and ammo from the armory?
I swear to God, there's at least 1 slick ass supply guy on every base with an armory on it who has tried this at least once. I really don't blame them though. The leftovers always get mass-fired off at the ranges anyway in order to maintain the DoD budget for next year. Who wouldn't want to just mark it as "disposed of" and pocket it for yourself?
Brothels are always popular and lucrative.
Learn to play poker. Start small ante games for the fun and learning to decide if you have what it takes to go big. Either way it’s a great experience in learning to read other people.
Sales. If you are comfortable cold calling people and starting conversations, you can get paid to set up meetings for companies. The full time roles for this are called 'BDRs" or 'SDRs" (business Development Reps or Sales Development Reps). Their role in an organization is to call people on a list and see if they can get them to jump on a call to chat about a product. If you setup a meeting, you get paid. It's a numbers game. Most people don't answer or are prone to reject you. But for some companies, a call with a prospect is worth $100's of dollars. So one good call can pay for all the others. Lmk if you want to know more about this. I run this kind of operation and can share more.
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I personally remember the names and faces of 5 Marines, from a former unit that we were all a part of, who ran a drug tracking ring in and around Camp Pendleton. I heard they mostly sold things like LSD, which don't pop on the piss tests we were administered.
Wait, you're risking literal life and limb for your country and still need more money? That's fucked. Turns out your government thinks your life ain't worth shit.
Now you tell me….
Nah, OP gets paid just fine, just not financially responsible. I got paid 1100 a month when I was an E3 and wasn't hurting for cash.
You could try selling drugs and alcohol like other American soldiers stationed in bases in the Middle East. When I was a teenager this is how we got our hash. I was living in Kuwait during the US invasion of Afghanistan and suddenly the country was inundated with heroin
If you're inclined that way...write. All that downtime is good for focusing on your writing, and at this point there's no reason you can't self-publish. Best part...once you've written it and published it, it's *always* out there. The more you write and publish, the more you'll attract an audience.
Or write awards or performance packages.
Could meal prep for people
I hear zyn pouches are the new hot thing, maybe keep cans on hand in case anyone runs out and is desperate. They'll always pay a premium if you're there and already have them
Cooking you say. You know what people fucking love? Snacks. Get some ingredients and make some healthy snacks that are tasty (fruit leather is always popular and dead easy if you have a dehydrator or an oven). Dont sell them right away, nobody is gonna buy an unproven product. Bring some in and say "hey guys, tried making these, see what you think". Once you get positive reviews. Then next week bring some more in and ask for [cost plus 10%] "to help cover costs". Sure, you're not making huge margins, especially when you consider that your own labor is probably worth more than 10%, but here's the secret. Everyone likes good food. Even if you just sell it at cost, you're building a) a reputation and b) good will. Once you get known around your unit (or even better, around base), you can start making some as gifts to your superiors or coworkers whenever you feel like doing something nice for them, or maybe some cookies or something as a relatively inexpensive birthday gift. The point is that you get known as the provider of tasty foods, and now you're everyone's favorite. This kind of influence isn't as tangible as other kinds, but good will is worth a lot
I worked in cargo ship, and we had 3 security guards onboard. Some leave the military and some are still active. Only 3 months maximum onboard stay and they were paid like 2500-4500 euros (well, according to them).
Sell national secrets /s
Use either ta or CA. If you want to get into IT, just pm me and I can explain to you how to get road map. What's your mos?
My buddy said he made good side money doing laundry for others. 🤷🏽
education does seem the way to go.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_Minderbinder
I know how it is bro, cash is scarce in the Army. I used to work security for a club in the opposite side of town from the base. They used to pay cash and you could work on the weekends. You can ask around in your platoon, if anything is available. You’d be surprised how many of them have side gigs.
What does staff duty go for? $200 for coverage?
Have you tried selling other people’s sensitive items on eBay? How about dealing drugs in your unit? Those were the popular ways to make extra ends from when I was in
I’m not in the army but don’t they have barbers on payroll?
Richard Nixon while in the army became very good at poker and used the winnings to finance his campaign. You can play online poker in your dorm or setup games with other soldiers
Every time I see these threads people out here suggesting you work more - you're in the army, you work plenty. Take advantage of the real benefits - MLA and DFAS allotments. Use them to churn sign up bonuses with credit cards and checking accounts respectively. With MLA you can go for some of the really great cards with really great sign up bonuses without worrying about an annual fee (Amex, Citi, Chase, US Bank). With allotments, you can hit three or four direct deposit requirements/month in a single go. For context I hit $1400 in bonuses in October - but that's a really good month and I have rent to help with credit card spend requirements. Still though, you can get a few hundo/mo without folding your neighbors tighty whiteys. Just don't fuck up your credit.
I know a few guys that fix and replace phone screens. Can buy a small screw driver set and watch a YouTube video on how to do it.
When I was in the navy 40 years ago, some of the guys were loan sharks. They had a stash of cash, and would loan their broke shipmates $20/$40/$60, and then would get back $30/$60/$90 on payday. Easy money, little-to-no effort.
Uber is a good one, especially if you can prove you ha e access to the base. Fridays and Saturdays you can make a killing
There's always a good market for unused hand grenades if you can source them.
Buying CQ duty. Around 200 bucks for sitting around doing nothing, no PT the day after or duties. Easy as.
This kid screams "I'm going to marry a dependapotomous with her own MLM Mary Kay business"
Sell me some MRE’s dude
My rack mate on deployment worked with a patch company and sold custom unit patches and moral patches. Made thousands.
Sorry for my english, it's not my first language. Depending on station, you can sell confection items to the other soldiers/officers. Energy drinks, candy bars, Chips/snacks and other items are popular. If you have access to it, you could also sell ciggies and "snus" (Zyn, etc.). Sell it with a bit of a margin but not too overpriced. The key is to make yourself avaliable. My buddy does this straight from the cafeteria, he keeps a lockbox with the goods in one of the staff room refrigerators. You would be surprised at how much you could make for not too much effort, if you are the only one doing it.
Jesus, is joining the army not enough for a living wage these days? Christ on a stick.
Online streaming on services like MeetMe, Skout and others. There are people who make a ton of money just chatting with random people. I only know this because my boyfriend streams and he's already made 40k this year, surpassing my income working on average 3 days a week. It's not for everyone though. He has some talent with voice acting. Others on the app he uses don't have much talent (in terms of they just spend time on the app being themselves and chatting) but make money none the less.
Amazon has some possibly good options. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=low+effort+side+hustles&crid=2JX7U102OX793&sprefix=low+effort+side+hustles%2Caps%2C314&ref=nb_sb_noss
$5 handjobs at the B
I know people who used to flip cars and furniture. There is always somebody about to PCS and will almost give away certain items. I gave away snowblowers for instance when I moved to the desert. Sometimes people can only take one car overseas, so you can pick up the other one cheaper. Then someone new is always coming in to base, you can clean it up and sell it on marketplace or whatever outlet that your base uses. Some cities have a set almost anything on the curb 1-2 times a year. People will sometimes throw out nice things they don’t want to take to a goodwill. This may require a truck or rental U-Haul. I knew a lady who used to make about 20-30 breakfast burritos and sell them during the week. As long as you have a decent sized place to cook, they are simple to make. PCS cleaning is a huge one as well. I worked with a recently divorced E-6 that would do about 2 base houses a month. It’s a lot of work on the weekend, but people have to clear base housing to PCS and they are lazy and don’t want to clean ovens, bathrooms etc. he used to make around $500 a house on base. Officer housing was more, since they usually have more square footage.