Thinking of Joining the Military

I am seriously considering joining the military this week. The reasons are pretty serious but the primary thing is that I'm not stupid enough to get myself killed anywhere else that I've been, and North Oakland is probably still more dangerous than certain parts of Afghanistan. This is not to say I'm ready. I'm not. It's just to say that I understand that isn't a job, and I'm not stupid enough to forget that you can get yourself killed pretty fast. It's like signing up to live in a cage with a Dragon. Keep the Dragon well fed, you can live on the scraps. But stop feeding the Dragon. And he eats you.

Some guys need adrenaline in their life. They're just not complete unless they've got something that they can focus their energy on. So, Ok. I didn't win my research grant. That's not a problem. I've met with someone who can retool it and help me resubmit it. It was under the wrong program in that submission. I won't stop the work in my research.

The problem is that the life I'm living isn't quite right. I can do more with my life. There are benefits to military service as well. And I'm fairly clear about the fact that once I'm in-country - the orders that are given are the orders I will take. Something tells me working with more on the line that just money - will help me out. Tour of duty, maybe 5 years.

I don't know. I'm considering it. What do you think I should do?