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On July 17th, I will be shipping out to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for Basic Training and will be trained as a Field Artillery Tactical Data Systems Specialist. I will not have access to a computer during that time, and will be back in November.
I will then be attending school at Oregon State University for a Chemical Engineering degree. I will then be commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
I have been wondering lately about what most people did at my age (18), and what their plans were, and how they turned out.
Would anyone be interested in sharing?
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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I went to basic between my Junior and Senior year (Ft. Bliss, El Paso, TX 1992) and AIT the next summer (Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX). I trained as a combat medic. I was a medic in the Oklahoma National Guard for a total of seven years. I took that medic training (EMT Basic) and worked in the Emergency Room at Tulsa Regional Medical Center (Now OSU Medical Center) for almost three years. I worked from 7 PM to 7 AM Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. What a time to work in the ER.
When the hospital went through a rough time, I was laid off (last one hired, first one fired). At this point, I was tired of the medical field and worked construction while I finished school. I got very interested in engineering while working construction and pursued that in school. I got out and got a drafting job. That job trained me in a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) program named Pro/ENGINEER. I got very good at that program and was offered a job in Houston working for the company that makes Pro/ENGINEER. I took my new family and moved to Houston. After one year, that company started running into rough times (as many technology companies did then) and I floated a resume out to Johnson Space Center for a position as an administrator for Pro/ENGINEER. I got it!
I worked as the Pro/ENGINEER Admin at JSC from 2001 until 2005 (through the Columbia accident and investigation). Since 2005 I have been working as a consultant for NASA. I live back in Tulsa, OK and travel as necessary.
I attribute so much of my success to the military. The discipline I learned there has proven invaluable. There were tough times. Times when I hated the Army. Times when I wanted to quit. At 17, basic was very tough. I was not a very physical person. I hated to go to sleep at night, because I did not want the next day to come. I stuck with it and look back at that as the point where I became a man.
Go, work hard, have fun, learn, and grow. I'll be praying for you and look forward to your return to the forums in November.
Godspeed. Keep your head down.
--Jack Lyons
edit: I didn't mean for this to turn into a landmark for me. Posts: 1766 | Registered: Feb 2006
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Thanks for the response. I am glad to know that this is an action that has turned out well for others. I think I will undoubtedly be doing my best to fly under the radar.
I also would like stories from everyone, regardless of what they did at this age. I am curious about the life of humanity, and how it has been changing.
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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During the year I turned 18, I had my first full-time job. It was just a gas station, but I worked 40 hours each week.
Then I went to university, and spent the year re-learning to have a roommate and living on my own. I got my lifeguarding certification, and my first "real" job, which was at a l'Arche community. The lifeguarding has turned up useful a few times, though it's never been a big thing in my life.
The l'Arche, however, changed everything for me. I learned a lot that summer about people and relationships and intentional communities. But more importantly, it got me interested in mental disability in general. I went back for a second term, and later spent a summer as the inclusion coordinator for a camp. My next two jobs were as an educational assistant in the local school board, and as a personal support worker. I still have those two jobs, and they've paid for a lot of schooling for me. Still further along, I have become interested in the history of disability, and intend to do my doctoral dissertation on it.
That one summer has really shaped who I am today. It's been huge. I really have no idea who or what I would be right now if I'd taken a different job that summer. Since I rather like who and what I am, I'm immensely glad I had the year I did.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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That is exactly what I am looking for. I want to hear how the actions they took at my age shaped their lives. I really am trying to find a perspective on how I am shaping myself/
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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When I was 18, I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I took a job at a daycare center and resisted pressure to go to college-- because I knew it wasn't for me, not right then at least. I knew I wanted to find a husband and get married and have kids, soon, and, well, I did. I started e-mailing my now-husband when I was 18, we met before I turned 19 (although it was very close) and we were married a month after I turned 20... We celebrated our 4th anniversary a few weeks ago, and have two daughters, and are trying for a third child. We've had our share of highs and lows but we are very happy together.
I disagree with people who say 18 and 19 is too young to make major life (or life-changing) decisions. I agree with the ones who say you should do it with caution and get as much information and perspective as you can before making those choices. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Nothing really big happened when I was 18. I've known for some time what I wanted to do with my life (be a history teacher, write when I can, marry a geek girl, have a whole mess of kids), so it was just the first year of school towards getting that done.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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(Can I just interject that it will be a mess of kids. They are worse than monkeys, Lyr. Seriously. )
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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You'll be coming to Corvallis right after I leave it!
Well, not *right* after, if you're coming in November.
Personally, I've found Corvallis to be a little bit on the boring side - it's pretty small. But it has an excellent engineering program, so you should be set. Or something.
Posts: 1466 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Yeah, I think small town won't be too bad. I hail from a much smaller town.
And I won't be too social, as I plan to take about 20 credits a term. semester? trimester? I do not know what it is called. I will spend time with friends, many of whom will attend, but I doubt I will wander far from campus.
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Good luck, RunningBear, and stay in touch when you can.
When I was eighteen, I ran away from home to go to college (instead of the convent). I worked as a live-in housekeeper and at a pizza place, and I went to university on scholarship, planning to apply to medical school.
I'm now a physician who is teaching medical students while getting licensed in Canada. It was a long, winding road to get here, but I am glad I made those first few steps. My first steps were dramatic, but only because of the nature of that change -- for most of the rest of the time, it has been putting one foot in front of the other while keeping an eye on the long-term vision.
90% of life is just showing up on time. It's amazing how easy it is not to do so: to skip classes, to come in late to work, etc. But the military won't let you fall into that trap, I'm thinking.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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It was quite an experience. And yes, we had distinct consequences for tardiness. We are not late. Ever.
I have seven weeks of advanced training but that will be a breeze. I might have to write about it here when I get a chance. I still am on the sleep four hours work twenty schedule.
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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My husband was too arrogant to give me the time of day before he went in the military, but they beat him down for me. Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Congratulations on making it through. Do you get some leave before advanced training?
quote:Originally posted by RunningBear: I still am on the sleep four hours work twenty schedule.
I know the feeling. Made me appreciate sleep more than ever.
I meant to post in this thread when you started the thread, but I'll post now.
When I was 18, I graduated high school and spent the summer volunteering in a national park in Pennsylvania and one in California. It was a busy summer, but good. I entered the University of Michigan College of Engineering in the fall. Besides a general interest in solar energy, I had no idea what I was doing. Over the next two years, I failed to engage in school, find direction, or maintain a decent GPA. The only good points of my time in Ann Arbor were the rugby team and an outdoors society I joined.
After my sophmore year, I dropped out - at least a semester too late. The following summer, I hiked 1/5 of the Appalachian Trail (I had planned to do the whole thing). Living at home, I took EMT classes and became a certified EMT-B (which I loved). While taking those classes, I decided to enlist in the Coast Guard. I lost the necessary weight and went to boot camp this past March. So far, so good. I am currently stationed in Alaska and will be going to mechanic school in November (in the CG, we generally don't go straight from boot to school).
It was a mistake for me to go to college straight from high school and it was a mistake for me to not drop out earlier. I mostly went to college because I wasn't sure what else to do and it was the default choice. Since I've dropped out, I've been much more successful. I may yet return to school, but not until I have a good idea of what I'm going for.
quote:Originally posted by ClaudiaTherese: 90% of life is just showing up on time. It's amazing how easy it is not to do so: to skip classes, to come in late to work, etc. But the military won't let you fall into that trap, I'm thinking.
This is one of the (many) reasons I decided to enlist. When other people are counting on me to do my job (and do it well), I work much better than when the only one affected by my failure is myself (like in school).
Posts: 2149 | Registered: Aug 2000
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RB, Congrats. It took a little while to get used to sleeping more than four hours a night. There is no fireguard at home.
When my parents picked me up from Basic, they were amazed at how fast I ate my meal. I had to make a conscience effort to slow down and look up from my food.
I went back to high school after my time at Basic. It was fun to show everyone my abs and out pushup the football jocks.
posted
Oh, I had a friend graduate on June 8th. Since she kept having to cycle back because of health issues, she spent more than 8 weeks there. So I was curious about the possibility of you guys crossing paths.
Another random question—were you lucky enough to avoid catching the cape may crud?
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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It's possible, though I can't think of any females from our company who were rephased for medical reasons. Do you know what companies she was in? Or how many weeks she was there? I'd also be able to tell by her last name, but I understand if you don't want to post that.
No, I had the crud. Not bad enough to lose training time, but my nose was running like a faucet, I coughed all the time, and my throat was ridiculously painful. Not many people got through without some symptoms.
Posts: 2149 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Everyone here got sick at some point but I personally refused any treatment because I did not want to be recycled. I already have to spend 18 weeks here so I had no desire to lengthen my stay.
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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"My husband was too arrogant to give me the time of day before he went in the military, but they beat him down for me."
You have said this several times over the years. I still haven't figured out what you're thinking when you say it. Should that trouble me?
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
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You become extremely polite to civilians for some reason. They seem strange and I feel like I should not act normal around them any more. Your clothes are weird.
Posts: 883 | Registered: Aug 2005
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