<p>I am a sophomore in hs. I am smart, as in, smart enough to get through Medical School. Medicine has always interested me, at least more than anything else.</p>
<p>However, anytime i read, hear, write etc. anything about soldiers and the military, I get an uncontrollable desire to join. </p>
<p>I have no idea where this came from. I have every reason NOT to join (im a Brazilian, and the army here is considerably outdated + uncooperative parents and a MUCH lower pay than i would receive as a physician)</p>
<p>However, considering everything, i feel i will never be happy doing anything else. Just the other day, I was reading Journey's End and i got so excited over it and the military life, even if it is described as crap!)</p>
<p>i say if you want to join the military, don’t let anything stop you. maybe you can combine both passions and become a medic or a military surgeon, i’m sure there are many options :)</p>
<p>your parents may not be happy about it, but i believe parents should support their children in all that they do- ESPECIALLY if they’re pursuing something they feel strongly about</p>
<p>Well we all have to consider our natural interests when thinking of jobs, though you have to make sure that it’s more important than the money, stability and such…</p>
<p>I actually really want to teach high schoolers… but I’m def. not going to do that for a job.</p>
<p>I want to become a DNA mutater person. And an Atomic Engineer that can convert compounds into other compounds to create stuff. And perhaps store matter into miniature pieces of atom.</p>
<p>The military is awesome. Go to the army first and let them take care of you. My brother took the military path and couldn’t have made a better choice. He loves it.</p>
<p>Doesn’t Brazil have compulsive military participation? Therefore you’re required to do at least 12 months? Why don’t you do those first 12 months and then decide whether or not you want to pursue a military career?</p>
<p>It’s different than many things. It’s exciting and almost a way to escape the perils of everyday life? Is that why? Maybe. Military medic is a good consideration to make.</p>
<p>Military training in Brazil is ‘compulsive’ in that, they do take a certain amount of boys to do training, however, since it’s kind of a birthday lottery, if there are too many boys born on the same day they discharge some of the boys from the requirement. This happened to both of my male cousins.</p>
<p>Doing the training might be good to help you choose. However, are you hoping to go straight into the military or to the military police? I recommend watching Tropa de Elite if you haven’t yet - it’ll show you some of the brutal sides of committing to the military. I’m unsure whether the military itself is that violent, but…it might be good reference. </p>
<p>It might also help others here understand a bit of the OPs situation by mentioning that Brasil is not a country where going into the military is as stressed/advertised as it is in the US. Joining the military isn’t as big of an option, and you definitely don’t have as many people who do it straight out of high school like you have here.</p>
<p>It might also be an option if you do the Vestibular and don’t manage to pass in medicine. What year are you in? I’m assuming you’re already in the colegial? Have you tried the vestibular yet?</p>
<p>P.S. Sim, sou Brasileira. Nao sabia que nao tinha cirurgiao militar…o.o; Mas, porque que voce que ser parte do exercito se o Brasil eh um pais que nunca entra em guerra? Eu nao cresci no pais entao nao conheco muito a presenca do exercito dentro do Brasil…</p>
<p>I guess id love the responsibility, the rank, the command, the prestige…then again, all those can also be applied to being a dr…i mean, just the though of being a LT and being in charge of a platoon sends a shrivel up my spine!</p>
<p>The pay for a 2nd LT is R$ 5000, about USD 2700 (a COL earning about RS 8000: about USD 4500), which is the same as the US, vs USD 40k at residency and 200k at attending. Considering it takes 4 years military college to get there, which is free, vs 8 years uni, which will cost about 350k, it looks like a terrible deal financially.</p>
It sounds like you may have an overly romanticized idea of the military. Granted, you aren’t nearly as likely to die as a soldier in the United States military, but I don’t imagine that it is a good life. You may say that you are okay with it being a tough life, but until you live it, you cannot know. My cousin grew up with tough circumstances and saw the US Marines as a great way out. Shortly after he entered, he began counting the days left. It changed him. Then again, that was because he fought on the point of the spear in Afghanistan twice in his four year service, but even base life is bad. He gets out in October, and they cannot offer him anything enough to get him to stay.</p>
<p>Is there any guarantee or likelihood that you would even be an officer, like you say you want to be? Or could you be stuck as a private (or equivalent) for your full service? If you do have the option to serve for one year, maybe you should try that, instead of for a long period of time right away.</p>
<p>I can imagine being a soldier sucks. How do they survive with wearing bulky uniforms + being outside/running around all day in 105+ weather? poor things :/</p>
Nao sabia que nao tinha cirurgiao militar…o.o; Mas, porque que voce que ser parte do exercito se o Brasil eh um pais que nunca entra em guerra? Eu nao cresci no pais entao nao conheco muito a presenca do exercito dentro do Brasil…</p>