You are right, the post 9-11 tuition benefits are great through the military. My son decided to join the Air Force instead of college and just separated this past month after 8 years. In those 8 years he was able to fulfill credits equal to three years of college, Business IT degree. He had many very good companies recruiting him for the past 4-6 months and took a contracted position as a systems engineer for more than 6 figures. He will now have to backtrack about one semester to switch his major but will have an engineering degree within the next two years, a great paying job, and tuition benefits for any children he might have in the future. Most importantly, he did this all while being paid, not piling up student loans that would take him into his 30s to pay off. Its not for everyone, but it should not be looked down upon either just because someone is capable of getting into a top school (my son could have got into a good school as well). I couldn’t be more proud of my son serving our country, too bad more kids didn’t think of it as an option.