Yup… I backed out of my contract with the Navy.

A few days ago I have made my decision to pull out of the DEP (Delayed Entry Program) with the Navy. Making my decision was not easy, honestly I am still disappointed at myself but it is something that I will have to live with. I am disappointed because enlisting in the military is something that I have wanted to do since I was young and my heart is still telling me to go. However my head is telling me that I have to be an adult and make a smart decision.

Finances are the main reason that I backed out of my contract. I had a contract with the Navy where my rate would had been AECF (Advanced Electronic Computer Field) and learned the ins and outs of computer electronics. The schooling for the job would have been six to eight months on top of two months of basic training. While at basic and A school, I would be losing roughly a third to half of my current income. Even though there are almost no expenses while at training, I still had responsibilities that I have to take care off such as rent, student loans, credit cards, insurance, etc. Even though there I had options on handling my finances, I did not want to defer my student loans, nor pay the minimum balance of my credit cards, and did not want to become a financial burden to my girlfriend while away on training.

If I went to the Navy, after schooling I would had either went back to the job that I had before leaving for basic or start a new career in computer electronics. There were no guarantees that I would had found job in the civilian world in computer electronics, if I would had landed a job within that field then it would more than likely had been at an entry level position. If I did go back to the job I had, it could set me back on my career as well as stunting my growth with the company. Also that means the skill that I learned would had turn into a hobby, which is an expensive investment just for a hobby.

A few years ago I graduated with a bachelors degree in Interior Design, currently have a job that I love that pays decent, and I am establishing my career in design. I am at a point in my life where I can make something of myself instead of starting over fresh. If I went with the Navy, I would had enlisted as an E3 (Seaman (SN)) since I had college degree. Enlisted service members with no prior college credits or degree would normally start at the lowest rank of E1 (there are ways to enter basic as an E2). Even though E3 is not the lowest rank, I felt that I would be selling myself short since I have invested in myself by going to college and getting an education. Taking a huge pay cut as well would definitely be selling myself short, literally.

As an adult I had to make the right decision and that decision was to not set myself back in life by taking two steps back to take one step forward, which is what I would had done by enlisting with the Navy.

There is nothing wrong with enlisting with any of the military branches, I just decided to enlist at the wrong time and wrong stage of my life.