How "SAFE" is engineering major or engineering job???

sakky
Thu, 28 May 2009 20:30:07 +0000

Some people want to be infantry. They want to put bullets through the skulls of America’s enemies. They enjoy combat, as it’s obviously something that is very exciting when the bullets do start flying.



I believe somebody - perhaps John McCain - once said that the soldiers who are the most eager to engage in combat are usually precisely the ones who have never done it before.

Regardless, I am quite sure that many Americans would eagerly join the military if they could be guaranteed that they would never be sent to combat. But of course the military will never provide that guarantee. That is, after all, the whole point of having a military: to fight if necessary.



You cannot be guaranteed something like a role as a fighter pilot - that is up to you. When you go to flight school if you graduate at the top of your class you get to pick what you want to do. So, in a sense there is a contract stipulation that says you can do whatever you want, you just have to make sure you put in the effort.



It’s not just about putting in the effort. After all, there are only a certain number of total fighter flight slots available and numerous candidates are competing for them. There is a strong chance that you can work as hard as you humanly possible and still not get a slot simply because others are more naturally intelligent and physically capable than you are (and also put in the effort).

Furthermore, you may not even be selected for any flight training at all. Many people enter OCS or the Academy hoping to become pilots and then are relegated to some other training.



There are units that do not deploy abroad. For example, if you are analyzing surveillance received from Predators with you will be doing it in America (at least I know of one unit that does not deploy). While there is always a chance you might get sent somewhere, it’s extremely unlikely.



But how do you guarantee that you will get into one of those units? Simply put, you can’t. There is no guarantee that you’ll get the unit you want. You could very easily find yourself in a forward area.