US ARMY

             US army has a lot of opportunities for career advancement and increasing professional knowledge and abilities. The benefits received from serving in the army make it well worth the occasional sacrifice. Some of the benefits include full time employment, college fees, free health care, learning new skills, and the pride of serving ones country. Those in the army earn a decent salary, a thirty days vacation a year, and are entitled to many benefits for their service. While on active duty in the army, personnel receive a basic pay. They get paid twice monthly on the first and the fifteenth of each month (Sherfield & Moody, 2009 ).

            Serving in the army is not just about becoming a soldier and participating in the war. There is a lot of training that is provided in addition to getting an opportunity to serve your country. The success of one’s career is very much affected by the developed professional knowledge and abilities. In the US army, there are a lot of knowledge and abilities that can be acquired. Moreover, the army provides a lot of benefits in terms of tax free income and lifestyle. The soldiers are given free houses and food, which are basic needs for survival of any individual.

            The military pension provided in the army is quite attractive and covers all the period of service. The pension is provided regardless of the age of retirement which is quite unique for a job in the civilian sector. Another benefit that adds on to the professional knowledge is the education provided in the army. The Montgomery GI Bill is available for soldiers in the active duty and veterans. This is quite significant and helps with education costs. The soldiers are exposed to college, business, technical or vocational courses. The soldiers in the army are admitted to colleges and universities that are nationally accredited. To produce professional in different fields, the army enrolls the soldiers to different colleges for diversity. The professional abilities developed through training affects the success of their careers as soldiers (Fernando, 2010).

            A lot of educational benefits are available for the soldiers while on active duty. Some technical vocational training in engineering is provided and this is paid for by the army. The educational loan repayment program helps in paying off student loans for soldiers enrolled in colleges. Soldiers on active duty can receive over sixty thousand dollars for college loans. Those in the Army Reserve can receive up to forty thousand dollars for college loans. While on active duty, the soldiers get the opportunity to attend college and this is fully paid by the army. The US army has already partnered with several colleges and universities to assist the soldiers to receive free college education.

            Another enormous gain in the Army is family medical and dental care at low or no cost at all. The army has some hospitals and clinics to help check the health of the soldiers and their families. This is a great motivation for the soldiers and improves their career. There is a lot of professional training in the army that can be used in the civilian job market. The Army has several job fields called military occupational specialties that are available for the soldiers. Some of the job fields include medical, aviation, construction, and mechanical fields. After the retirement, army personnel can look for a job in his specific field and continue to build his career. One of the notable fields is the maintenance field that gives the soldiers an opportunity of becoming a professional or a trained vehicle mechanic. After the retirement, a soldier can become an instructor in a college providing vocational training or better still run his own vehicle maintenance facility (Fernando, 2010).

            The army is also known for producing very responsible and disciplined citizens. Retired soldiers are sometimes hired to instruct young people on how to become better citizens through purpose direction and motivation. The army exposes the soldiers to supervisory and management skills that is very significant in building their careers. The soldiers are able to train and apply their management and supervisory skills while in the army and after the retirement. A soldier is provided with the opportunity of holding numerous supervisory positions during his military career. An opportunity of holding and supervising equipments worth millions of dollars gives the soldier some professional management skills (Sherfield & Moody, 2009 ).

            The army provides a good opportunity for career development through acquisition of knowledge. After getting the knowledge, soldiers’ abilities follow after which one gains the experience. The experience in the army is gained through success and failures in everyday activities. However, the army emphasizes on producing disciplined individuals decreasing the chances of failing. Achievement is got after a long struggle and after gaining adequate experience, this is typical of US army.

            Getting specialized knowledge and abilities is significant to both personal and professional success. Developing individual skills and growing professional knowledge makes the soldiers more probable to achieve a diversity of tasks and goals related to their career. The skills and knowledge are an essential aspect for success in professional career. Accomplishment is the result of running towards a defined goal. It needs drive passion and dedication and this is what is provided in the US army (Fernando, 2010).

            Acquiring professional knowledge is the key to getting a particular job or a promising career path. For instance, most organizations now need a minimum education level for most of entry-level positions. In the army, this knowledge is provided through free vocational training in colleges. It can be noted that college level education is the current standard for many jobs and therefore the US army has partnered with accredited colleges to provide the soldiers with education. College education and other professional certification give the soldiers an advantage over civilians who do not have that kind of education. To make the soldiers to be competitive, education is made continuous with an opportunity to advance to higher levels (Sherfield & Moody, 2009 ).
            Professional skill and the job experience is also a significant part of a soldiers’ life in the US army. Just like a civilian, the fast growth of industry becomes very imperative to keep pace for each person in the military. Most professions need incessant education and retraining, this is typical of the US army. There are rapid alterations in the job market and occupational technologies that demand job education for all soldiers.

            There are several issues to essentially making it as professional military personnel. Nevertheless, the exhibition of knowledge and the test of an individual’s abilities can very much affect a career in any field. A person’s hands on experience can accurately make a good professional. Success in a particular career is described various different ways, nevertheless the abilities and knowledge possessed by an individual to a great extent help the person to succeed. This knowledge and ability is particularly significant to a military career because it prepares the soldiers for the challenges ahead of them. Finally, developing professional knowledge and abilities affect the extent of success of a military career. Keeping the soldiers updated with the current and the latest technologies and techniques promote their career growth (Sherfield & Moody, 2009 ).

References

Fernando, R. ( 2010). 101 Secrets to Career Success. Chicago: Course Technology Ptr.

Sherfield, R. M., & Moody, P. G. (2009 ). Cornerstone:Opening Doors to Career Success. New York: Prentice Hall .