"Youth is wasted on the young." And "if I only knew then what I know now!" In my teen years I couldn't be bothered with trying to understand those cryptic phrases; didn't I already know everything I needed to know? I never dreamed that the decisions I made in my relatively youthful years would have such an impact on my future. I always felt that I would never look back upon my life and say "I wish I had taken more time in considering my choices." But I have found myself doing just that. If I were able to rewrite history, I would pick a different career when I reenlisted in the Army, I would seek out opportunities to enhance my future job options, and finally, I would have done better while in high school.
To begin with, it's understandable that I wouldn't know what I was getting into when I first enlisted into the Army. But when the time came for me to reenlist, I knew to research my options better than what I really did. Instead of choosing a new career in the Medic Corps like I knew I should, I elected to keep the same job. Given a second chance, I would choose to be an X-ray Specialist. After I graduated my class, I would take the Florida State certification exam so I could become licensed to work in Florida; by the time I completed my second enlistment, I would have developed very marketable job experience.
Secondly, I would have gone to college more while I was in the service. As I've just begun the long walk toward my goal of a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice, I can't help but kick myself for not starting sooner. The military pays for seventy-five percent of a college course; after paying my tuition last term, I realized just what a great deal that really was. I also would have taken all the medical correspondence courses that the Army offers. While the courses aren't of much practical use, the points earned for the completion of each course helps greatly when trying to get promoted to Sargent. Instead of just...