So I'm 18 and currently working towards my associates in automotive technology and then to become ASE certified. After that I want to enlist in the army to be a wheeled vehicle mechanic. Is this a good plan? Any insight is appreciated.

 

I can't speak very much towards the Army side of things as I am Navy. However, I can give you some general advice. Before you sign any enlistment contract be absolutly sure that you are guarenteed to be a mechanic if thats what you want. If a MOS (Military Operational Specialty) is not put on your initial contract the Army can give you any MOS they want.

 

I'm a retired 251A CW2 (Chief Warrant Officer 2). I'm a computer geek by trade and profession but still tinker with my S-10 Blazer.

With all of the incentives for recruiting, and as long as your scores are high enough, you should be able to write your own ticket in your future Army career.

Just remember one thing - no matter what the recruiter promises you, make sure you get it IN WRITING. Do not take anything that is said to you as gospel. If it isn't written down and signed, as far as Uncle Sam is concerned, it didn't happen.

Also keep in mind that it is very hard to join the military these days and not get deployed. That is something to think about. If you aren't ready to deploy overseas, then don't sign up.

Good luck to you.

 

Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic is the 91B MOS, which used to be the MOS I was before the Army changed the MOS structure around. 91B was the old Combat Medic MOS, which got folded into the 68W MOS... so someone who never left the FOB held the same MOS I did.
Enlist with a two year degree, and you'll go in as a PFC (E3). Everyone who enlisted with you as E1s will catch up with you by the time you get pinned E4. Go into the Army as a mechanic, and you'll simply be a parts changer. I mean, it gives you something, but when you're side-by-side with techs who've been working on the civilian side for as long as you've been doing it in the military, you'll find yourself on the disadvantaged side.
As for me, I enlisted as a Combat Medic in 98, did my four years with a tour in Kosovo (KFOR 1), a hardship in Korea, and a tour in A-Stan (OEF 1), then spent the next four in the National Guard, and got a tour in the big sandbox (OIF 1/2) with them. I came back from that... not in the best of ways, and lost any desire to remain in the medical field. I worked as a truck driver/equipment operator for a bit, then took the Diesel Power Mechanics program. I started off as a heavy equipment mechanic... now I work on tractor-trailers for an over-the-road freight hauling company.

 

Hate to sound like a downer maybe cause its my last day in the army today, but I've honorable done my contract and worked in a maintenance unit for the last four years. Don't be disappointed if you join and never get to work on a truck, I've seen it plenty of times, you don't NORMALLY ever get to take apart an engine, when an engine goes down you just pluck it out and put a new one in. Most mechanics I know hardly get to work on trucks and when they do it is normally services IE fluid change packing hub bearings with grease. Granted sometimes all youll be doing is working on trucks plucking and chucking parts most of the time. Most of the good mechanic work to be done is in Afghan and that is winding down youll usually do alot when training problems come around IE spending a month out in the woods playing soldier or in Cali at NTC. The army will put you where they want you and your unit will put you doing work that they need to most like most of our mechanics in Afghan drove trucks where I was at(everyplace is different I had friends on different FOBs that got the dog **** worked out of them working on trucks).

That being said the Army has a great career path if you like it, good pay and benefits, youll be able to afford your toys and projects as long as you dont take out a huge car loan with high insurance rates cause your young like most new soldiers do. Expect 630-800 PT 900-1130 and 1-5 work call and getting of earlier on fridays, except when there is **** to do then they will keep you as long as they need you. It really isnt that bad but if your love is to work on trucks and thats all you really wanna do you will be disappointed alot cause in the army your a soldier first MOS second. I'm glad I joined and glad I'm getting out I hardly ever got to do my MOS but its whatever got to do other work.

My advice if you join sign the least amount of years to the contract that way, if you like it you can reenlist earlier, and if you dont like it you can get out earlier. People can give you all the advice in the world but sometimes you just gotta go do it and figure it out for yourself cause the army life is different.

I'm not a mechanic but there is about 200+ mechanics in my company and if you want to go in the army and have a better chance of ever becoming sergeant choose 91S stryker mechanic, the promotion points for them have been significantly lower than 91B for the past few years. I havnt seen a 91B promoted in a long time because of the points. Also in AIT if they give you a chance todo HOTEL8(h8) school DO IT, it may mean your a tow truck driver but almost all of tow truck drivers have more fun pulling trucks out of the mud and turning over flipped trucks and usually I see them get to fix the badly damaged vehicles, also mean you might see some dead bodies in Afghan cause youll pull out the blown up trucks and whatnot but if your joining the army you never know what your gonna see I never saw anyone killed in Afghan but I went through a class to pick up dead people/body parts and got to watch 2 autopsys at the morgue was actually pretty cool even if it sounds gross.

 

I retired from the Army after 25 years. My wife is still in at 26 years and both of my sons have/are serving. So you will probably understand when I state that I will first answer your question that time is something I would always recommend. Set aside for a moment the mechanic specifics and I will speak specifically about the Army. Joining the Army at your age gives you a significant jump on your life skills above your peers. I'm writing of the things you learn that can be applied in any situation. Things like critical thinking skills and problem solving. While your peers are in college reading about these things, you are actually living them. So you have a about a 4-year head start in those skills that will serve you your entire life. Some of what you take away will never be learned by someone who has never served. I am definitely not knocking college at all, it is important that you include some type of post-secondary education into your life plan, be it college or technical training IMHO.

Back to your original post, there are several answers which branch off into different possibilities. So you do have a lot to consider. Many answers have been provided specific to the mechanic side and I would agree with the statements. One inaccuracy though is the Army will put you where they want if you don't pick an MOS. That's not how it works. I am Combat Arms by trade (Artillery) but I also spent some years working in the Recruiting Command. When you process before you go to MEPS, you have to have chosen 3 MOS's in order of priority. The Recruiters are not allowed to take you to MEPS to enlist unless you have done that. You list them in order of preference. The reason for this is because while you're going through your physical there are people working in the background (Guidance Counselors) trying to lock in a training "seat" for you for your top choice. If for whatever reason they can't, they move to the second choice and so on. Maybe 25% of the time they cannot get the first choice. So basically it is looked at as wasted effort (and higher chance of losing the enlistment) if they do not have other MOS's to look at for you at hand.

After you have completed your physical and other processing you end with the Guidance Counselor who sits you down and walks you through the contract. If they could not get your top choice, they will explain it to you and let you know they got a ship date for your second choice. The document they are explaining to you (which is on computer now) is the contract. You do not have to sign that. You can stop everything right there if you choose. But if you were happy with the 3 choices you had, then move forward and enlist.

You may want to look at 4 years for active duty, or 6 years for National Guard/Reserves. Those tend to give you the best benefits, GI Bill, maybe a bonus of a few thousand dollars, etc. But ask these questions of your Recruiter. The bonus schedule changes monthly just about and they might offer a bonus for 3 years also.

I will tell you this...when I enlisted I had a very high ASVAB score and could choose any MOS I wanted. The Recruiter was trying to use that to my advantage and he knew of my interest working on cars. He was really trying to push me to select a rotary wing aircraft mechanic position. He knew that this would help me after the army if I wanted to work on cars for a living. But at the time I thought that if I was going to go in the Army, I wanted to be Combat Arms. So I chose Artillery (because I thought it was a tank). I've never regretted that choice and served most of my active time with the 82nd Airborne Division. But, if your interest rests solely on technical skills that apply outside the military, go for one of those Support positions. That's where it really comes down to you and your personality. If that's the case you might want to look at the Air Force. One of my sons is a radar technician and he is knee deep inside the radars. Not just changing parts.

Another direction you could go is to enlist into one of the Reserve forces of the National Guard. Depending on the State you live in, you could accomplish both of your goals at the same time. When you are finished with basic training and your MOS school you will come back home and the State has money for schooling for National Guard Soldiers/Airmen. So you could do the ASE schooling at the same time you are serving in the Guard. Depends on your State though. If nothing has changed in the last few years, California is the only State that does not provide the tuition assistance. CA still doesn't, but I'm not sure if any other states have recently dropped the TA programs. You still get Federal assistance, but the State adding on its part is really significant when combined.

Expect to be deployed at some point(s) in your enlisted time. May or may not happen. But expect it so you go in with eyes wide open.

If you have more questions in regards to my response, PM me.

 

Retired Navy here so I can't speak much on the Army side of things, other than my time in Iraq. That time was not spent with mechanics.

I can speak on the Navy side of being a mechanic. Take a look at the SeaBees, in particular being a Construction Mechanic. On the boat side of things, an Engineman.

Not to sway you to one side or another but do yourself a favor and talk to all of the services. Find out which one has the job you like the best and which will be the best fit for you. Remember, you are the one in the driver's seat. You get to dictate what you want and expect (providing you have the ASVAB scores and qualify otherwise).