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If we’re talking about 10 years ago, then things can be considerably different today. The one variable we won’t know is your friends’ family’s financial situations, meaning we don’t know if they “could have afforded to pay” in the eyes of the school’s FA advisors or if they really just got the shaft. I’m not completely sold on the notion that it will be extremely difficult to gain entrance into a PhD program with certain amounts of student loan debt. A lot of PhD programs are funded through the school’s graduate program and a lot of PhD canidates are paid through a visiting professor’s research grants and such. You should consider looking into those for the school in which you plan to attend.</p>
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I understand what you’re feeling. It’s cliche to say that the ‘unknown’ is a scary thought, but it truly is when there’s a lot at stake in someone’s life. I too would probably choose safety over risk-to-reward scenarios. If I were you I would definitely try everything to stay local, unless you had another safety, like the military . . . which brings us to:</p>
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Sounds more like you’re describing prison. Er, without the whole being paid thing, though inmates are paid a small sum when they leave. The experiences you’re trying to outline will be greatly influenced by the type branch, and more inportantly, of the job that you choose to enlist into. For example, infantry train in the field most weeks, blowing and shooting stuff up (in a nutshell, of course) while not showering for days in all types of incliment weather. However, many administrative MOSs (Military Occupational Specialties, or your job) stay around office spaces on a base 9-5 (excluding physical training for about 1 hour in the morning) like any regular job. You are paid based on your rank (E-1, E-2, E-3 etc) and you advance in ranks automatically until E-3 or E-4 depending on the branch. After that you’re indirectly competing with all the other people in your grade (rank). So, if you want to be paid more, then you do your best to advance your rank. The longer you are in service, and the more senior you are in your unit, then generally the more likely a promotion will come around eventually anyway. It’s not uncommon for service members to make E-4 or even E-5 in 4 years. Here’s the kicker withyour underpaid inquiry: if you’re single you live on base in the barracks with 1 or 2 mates (kind of like a college dorm set-up where you all have your own space/corner of a large shared room and bathroom). For free. So you don’t have to pay for rent, utilities, garbage, or any of that. You also get to eat at the base chow halls (dining facilities) for free - you just have to drop by when their hours are open which is typically 3 meals every weekday and 2 meals on weekends. So the pay may not look like much if you’re thinking about paying bills and such, but then you realize you have no bills. I think I remember getting about $800 every paycheck (get paid every 1st and 15th of the month) and all I had was a $100-150 cell phone bill. So I had $1,500/mo to do whatever with. I remember thinking that I didn’t even know what to do with $1,500/mo as a 18 y/o who was in the field most weeks (so only had the chance to spend on the weekends) and had everything else provided to me. If I bought anything on base it was tax free too. If you’re married, you can live on base for free, or live off base and you will recieve a living stipend to pay for rent (the same living stipend you get with the GI Bill).</p>
<p>So yes, service members are typically underpaid for the commitment they make, but they certainly aren’t living in destitution and will be well taken care of in regards to basic neccessities (while not deployed anyway).</p>
<p>Back to the job thing - like I mentioned before there are a good variety of jobs between the different branches. Some will have you in the barracks every evening, so will have you in the barracks only on most weekends. Some will let you be more independent in your work, others will require a supervisor check everything you do - and another supervisor checking everything that that person does. I’m not sure there’s a job specifically related to physics, but there’s a lot of technology jobs that may be of interest (I don’t even mean computers and communications tech, I mean like meteorology equip and stuff more related to what you’d like). The Navy and AF will have the higher availbility of those positions. The Navy and Army also have MOSs titled “Chaplain Assistant” if you’re in ine with keeping up the religious aspect. I knew a Chaplain Assistant in the Navy pretty closely and he helped the Chaplain plan religious events, organize units’ families’ requests stuff, and acted as a “body guard” if that Chaplain deplyed (since Chaplains do not carry firearms). The Chaplain Assistant gig is an example of something that is almost stricktly 9-5 (or 8-4 or whatever) and your only “boss” is the Chaplain himself.</p>
<p>I hope that answers a few of those questions. To find out what is specifically available you can view each branch’s websites and they usually have a page where you can view available career options. Also, you could speak to a local recruiter if you become more serious about it. Only use them for completing what you would need to do to enlist and to get job information - don’t listen too much about what they say life in the military is like. I wouldn’t say they lie, but they are trained to persuade and word things a certain way to appeal to a prospective enlistee. Rely on others’ third party experiences like on this forum or other military related ones for that.</p>
<p>EDIT: Forgot to mention that you’re not confined to base while you’re “off-duty”, or not working at your apointed place of duty. You can leave base every evening and weekend if you choose. Technically, every service member is “on call” 24/7 because emergencies do happen, but generally you won’t be called back to base during liberty (off time) unless there’s been a security or safety risk somewhere on base. That’s happened to me like once or twice in 4 years and I was in a more demanding MOS. Yuor superiors don’t really want to see you any more than they have to.</p>