Hey everyone,

I’m trying to make a realistic decision between joining the Army National Guard or going Active Duty.

Current ASVAB:
AFQT: 74

Line scores:
GT: 105 ST: 110 EL: 110 SC: 114 CL: 112

Current MOS options available with TS:
12Y

A little background about me:
- 21 years old
- Located in the Southeast Region
- Cybersecurity Associate Degree
-Uncompleted bachelors in business administration with 2 classes left (Biggest waste of time)
- Security+ and CCNA certified

Work experience:
- Petroleum field engineer work (diagnostics, POS/payment systems, networking, low-voltage electrical work)

- Technical business analyst role at a Fortune 500 involving a lot of coding , migrations and crm solution development.

Right now I’m considering the National Guard mainly because:
- TS clearance opportunities
- Ability to finish a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering faster using transferred credits
- Potentially position myself better long term for engineering, defense, cybersecurity, or government work

Part of me feels like Guard works best if you’re already established financially/career-wise, while Active Duty may be better if you want a full reset and stronger benefits immediately.

For people who went either route:

- Did Guard actually help your civilian career significantly?
- Was the TS clearance worth it?
- Did balancing Guard + engineering school become overwhelming?
- If you could do it again, would you choose Guard or Active?

Would appreciate honest advice.

Hey Everyone,
I recently scored a 74 AFQT on the ASVAB.

Here are my current line scores:
GT: 105
ST: 110
EL: 110
SC: 114
CL: 112

I'm trying to decide between several Navy jobs:

IT (ship or shore duty) — up to $40k bonus
Aircrewman (AW) — $20k bonus
Cyber Warfare Technician (CWT) — no bonus as of current.
Air Traffic Controller (AC) — $30k bonus

Info about me:

21 years old.
I speak 3 languages
Cybersecurity Associate Degree
CompTIA Sect and CCNA Certifications
Some corporate IT experience but it left a bit of a bad taste on my mouth.

My choices:

I originally looked at IT because of the certs, clearance, and civilian opportunities.
But I’m not sure how I’d feel about ship life or being behind a screen again.

Lately I’ve been more interested in Aircrew because it seems more active, more travel-oriented, I also heard they get a lot per diems.

At the same time, I don’t want to make a decision I’ll regret long term just because something sounds exciting right now.

For people who’ve worked these jobs:
What was your quality of life like?
Which rates actually travel the most?
Is Aircrew overhyped?
Did ship life burn you out?
If you could go back, would you still choose your rate?
Would appreciate any advice, especially from AWs, ITs, CWTs, or ACs.