Quote:
Originally Posted by rickroll
garick, when you were a young man in a uniform did you ever think you'd go so far as to become a doctor and rewarded with getting stationed in alabama?
LOL. I thought I was going to do four years and get out. Then they offered me a bonus to sign up for six years instead and I decided if I did that I could finish my Bachelor's degree while I was in and save up some money, so I said sure. As I neared the end of that six years, they offered me a much larger bonus and a gig teaching Arabic in Monterey, CA if I re-enlisted, so I did.
Once I actually finished the Bachelor's, I was already at 9 years, so I figured I was going for 20, and should apply to officer training. I was planning on the command track, but while I was a First Lieutenant, I had a new Second Lt come work for me, and he mentioned taking Arabic at the Academy, which I didn't know they offered. When I asked if they needed teachers, he emailed his old Prof to find out. Next thing I know, the Academy is paying for me to go get a Master's, because that's required to teach at the University level.
At
that point I started imagining being a PhD some day. I ended up back on the command track, but got command in a school unit, so kept my feet in both worlds.