7 answers
Devin
Student
Dalton, Massachusetts
1
Question
Asked
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How much free time do you get in the military?
How much free time do you get in the military?
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7 answers
Jose Guevara
Pilot
16
Answers
Yuma, Arizona
Updated
Jose’s Answer
It depends on your job and your unit. If you're in a special operations unit, you have a larger budget and more frequent training. Statesside and overseas. You'll get most weekends off and some leave here and there. But your unit owns you. Your family needs to understand that. Every unit has their training events also, when you're gone for weeks or months. Long story short, just be ready to be gone a lot. If youve got an office job you'll work regular 9-5
Zach Smith
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
3
Answers
Columbus, Ohio
Updated
Zach’s Answer
Hi Devin,
I spent 14 years in the Army, including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Military experiences can vary a lot, but your free time often depends on your specialty and assignment. For example, if you're in Intelligence and deployed, you might work 12-hour shifts. Supporting special operations can mean 18-hour days, but it's incredibly rewarding! If you're with a non-intelligence unit, like providing support to a military police unit, your workload might be lighter.
I suggest exploring different specialties to see how they align with civilian jobs and your interests. I chose a specialty that didn't easily transfer to civilian work. It was amazing, but not the most profitable. On the other hand, I saw 19-year-olds in cybersecurity being recruited for great civilian jobs.
I spent 14 years in the Army, including deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. Military experiences can vary a lot, but your free time often depends on your specialty and assignment. For example, if you're in Intelligence and deployed, you might work 12-hour shifts. Supporting special operations can mean 18-hour days, but it's incredibly rewarding! If you're with a non-intelligence unit, like providing support to a military police unit, your workload might be lighter.
I suggest exploring different specialties to see how they align with civilian jobs and your interests. I chose a specialty that didn't easily transfer to civilian work. It was amazing, but not the most profitable. On the other hand, I saw 19-year-olds in cybersecurity being recruited for great civilian jobs.
Arsen Escobedo
Student, currently working for volunteer hours.
29
Answers
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Updated
Arsen’s Answer
Close to none, the military is tough; they expect you to do everything at once, but it's worth it if you're serving the country.
Hi Arsen, you mentioned the military expects you to do everything at once. Can you provide more detail around that?
Sharyn Grose, Admin
Ryan Pfeiffer, MA
Firefighter Lieutenant / EMT
118
Answers
Fort Collins, Colorado
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hello Devin. As others have said, experiences may vary! It depends on many things, including your career field, unit, duty location, personal motivation, etc. Being so wildly varied, I can only share my experience.
During your basic training, you will have basically no free time. Your days will be scheduled from before sunrise to after sunset. Any free time you're given will be spent cleaning, preparing uniforms, studying, etc. You might have time to write the occasional letter home. The exception is often Sundays where you will be allowed to go to religious services. At the time I was in, if you chose not to go to a service you had quiet time in your squad bay. It's rough, but it only lasts a few weeks. Advanced training, where you learn you job, gets a little better. You typically have evenings and weekends to yourself, though you will still need to spend some of that time preparing uniforms, cleaning, and studying. You may or may not be allowed to leave the base with prior permission.
Once you report to your first unit, you have much more freedom. Civilians tend to think that a military career is entirely like basic training, with people yelling at you day in and day out and that's simply not the case. At your unit you'll likely live in a dorm at first, unless you're older, married, or an officer. You can come and go as you please when you're off duty (for the most part - more on that later).
Your work schedule will vary more than anything. I was an intelligence analyst, so I reported to work at 2am and usually left work between 1pm and 2pm, Monday through Friday (55-60 hours a week). If you work in Security Forces (Military Police), you might work even weirder shifts. Or, you could "work" in Finance and only work 9am-11am on the 2nd Tuesday of the month (just kidding, inside joke - they never seem to be open when you need them).
Where it gets weird is technically you're never off duty. In the military, you are government property. While a normal 2-day weekend is pretty standard, it can be revoked at any time. Every weekend is technically a "two day pass." If you need to work or get in trouble or theres a national crisis your "pass" can be revoked. Its rare, but it happens. And no, you don't get paid extra. Same applies to Federal Holidays, and occasionally the commander can authorize a "family day" such as the Friday after Thanksgiving so you get a 4-day weekend. As others have said, you do get "30-days of vacation a year" - just beware, the military considers leave to start when the last saw you to when they see you again. So if you take a Monday off work that'll cost you 3-days of vacation, not one.
Deployments get a little weird. When you're serving overseas (or possibly "deployed" at home, such as flying remotely piloted aircraft or doing border security) you might have very little free time. Or, you may have more freetime. Again it depends where you are and what your job is. I worked a swing shift, so I worked about 2pm to midnight 7-days a week (56-hours a week) which was less than I worked at my home station! Even off work though, movements off base were very restricted due to security, so even though I was off-duty, "free time" is subjective. I spent most of my "free time" doing online homework for a degree, and working out. I actually have very fond memories of it; life was very simple and distraction free while deployed. Of course, a combat deployment would probably be very different.
Again, individual experiences vary. Hopefully this is one more example for your considerations. Let me know if you have any follow up questions.
Ryan, US Air Force 2014-2018
During your basic training, you will have basically no free time. Your days will be scheduled from before sunrise to after sunset. Any free time you're given will be spent cleaning, preparing uniforms, studying, etc. You might have time to write the occasional letter home. The exception is often Sundays where you will be allowed to go to religious services. At the time I was in, if you chose not to go to a service you had quiet time in your squad bay. It's rough, but it only lasts a few weeks. Advanced training, where you learn you job, gets a little better. You typically have evenings and weekends to yourself, though you will still need to spend some of that time preparing uniforms, cleaning, and studying. You may or may not be allowed to leave the base with prior permission.
Once you report to your first unit, you have much more freedom. Civilians tend to think that a military career is entirely like basic training, with people yelling at you day in and day out and that's simply not the case. At your unit you'll likely live in a dorm at first, unless you're older, married, or an officer. You can come and go as you please when you're off duty (for the most part - more on that later).
Your work schedule will vary more than anything. I was an intelligence analyst, so I reported to work at 2am and usually left work between 1pm and 2pm, Monday through Friday (55-60 hours a week). If you work in Security Forces (Military Police), you might work even weirder shifts. Or, you could "work" in Finance and only work 9am-11am on the 2nd Tuesday of the month (just kidding, inside joke - they never seem to be open when you need them).
Where it gets weird is technically you're never off duty. In the military, you are government property. While a normal 2-day weekend is pretty standard, it can be revoked at any time. Every weekend is technically a "two day pass." If you need to work or get in trouble or theres a national crisis your "pass" can be revoked. Its rare, but it happens. And no, you don't get paid extra. Same applies to Federal Holidays, and occasionally the commander can authorize a "family day" such as the Friday after Thanksgiving so you get a 4-day weekend. As others have said, you do get "30-days of vacation a year" - just beware, the military considers leave to start when the last saw you to when they see you again. So if you take a Monday off work that'll cost you 3-days of vacation, not one.
Deployments get a little weird. When you're serving overseas (or possibly "deployed" at home, such as flying remotely piloted aircraft or doing border security) you might have very little free time. Or, you may have more freetime. Again it depends where you are and what your job is. I worked a swing shift, so I worked about 2pm to midnight 7-days a week (56-hours a week) which was less than I worked at my home station! Even off work though, movements off base were very restricted due to security, so even though I was off-duty, "free time" is subjective. I spent most of my "free time" doing online homework for a degree, and working out. I actually have very fond memories of it; life was very simple and distraction free while deployed. Of course, a combat deployment would probably be very different.
Again, individual experiences vary. Hopefully this is one more example for your considerations. Let me know if you have any follow up questions.
Ryan, US Air Force 2014-2018
Zachary Weeks
Electronics Technician
9
Answers
Placerville, California
Updated
Zachary’s Answer
Hello Devon,
I'm currently serving in the US Navy as an Electronics Technician. In the Navy we have two primary types of assignments.
The first is sea duty. This is the first duty you will be required to complete. On sea duty your hours are very poor. While out to sea you will be working everyday for 12 hours a day. Don't worry though this also includes time for you to eat your meals, workout, and study. Some days you will be required to do more. For example there are times where you will work your 12 hours and then something will happen in the middle of the night that requires your attention, so you might work 14 hours that day. When your back (in homeport) you will work 8 hours a day except for days when you have duty. On duty days you are required to stay on the ship for 24 hours. Sea life doesn't give you the most time off, but it does excel at giving you experience and limits distractions so that you can apply yourself fully.
The second your is Shore duty. Typically you go to this assignment after sea duty. It is meant to be a break and give you a rest from the stressful sea going assignment. On shore duty it is treated like a normal 9-5 and you will have duty for a couple of days a month. This duty is much easier as you will be on call and have to carry a phone. This is where you get the time to work on things most important to you. You will be able to go to college, travel, and focus on the family.
The last thing I like to recommend everyone in going into the service is to research the different jobs as this will either make or break your experience. I found electronics and computers to be interesting and I loved solving puzzles so for these reasons I chose to be an Electronics Technician and that choice has made all the difference.
Good luck,
Zachary
I'm currently serving in the US Navy as an Electronics Technician. In the Navy we have two primary types of assignments.
The first is sea duty. This is the first duty you will be required to complete. On sea duty your hours are very poor. While out to sea you will be working everyday for 12 hours a day. Don't worry though this also includes time for you to eat your meals, workout, and study. Some days you will be required to do more. For example there are times where you will work your 12 hours and then something will happen in the middle of the night that requires your attention, so you might work 14 hours that day. When your back (in homeport) you will work 8 hours a day except for days when you have duty. On duty days you are required to stay on the ship for 24 hours. Sea life doesn't give you the most time off, but it does excel at giving you experience and limits distractions so that you can apply yourself fully.
The second your is Shore duty. Typically you go to this assignment after sea duty. It is meant to be a break and give you a rest from the stressful sea going assignment. On shore duty it is treated like a normal 9-5 and you will have duty for a couple of days a month. This duty is much easier as you will be on call and have to carry a phone. This is where you get the time to work on things most important to you. You will be able to go to college, travel, and focus on the family.
The last thing I like to recommend everyone in going into the service is to research the different jobs as this will either make or break your experience. I found electronics and computers to be interesting and I loved solving puzzles so for these reasons I chose to be an Electronics Technician and that choice has made all the difference.
Good luck,
Zachary
Joshua Gardner
Project Management
6
Answers
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Updated
Joshua’s Answer
Once you finish basic and job-specific training, your time off will mostly depend on your job and how busy your unit is.
Here's a simple guide:
- Regular Schedule: If your job isn't on the front lines, you'll probably work like a regular job, with five days on and weekends plus federal holidays off.
- Flexible/Shift Schedules: Some jobs need coverage all the time, so you might work different shifts. This could mean working four days straight and then having three days off.
- During Deployment: When you're deployed, you'll be working most of the time to get the job done. But, whenever possible, you'll get breaks to rest and stay in touch with family.
In the end, your free time depends on your job, the mission, and how many people are in your unit. Important missions or fewer staff might mean less free time.
The next step is determining the right branch for you, and speaking with a recruiter which is the best way to get detailed, up-to-date information.
Here's a simple guide:
- Regular Schedule: If your job isn't on the front lines, you'll probably work like a regular job, with five days on and weekends plus federal holidays off.
- Flexible/Shift Schedules: Some jobs need coverage all the time, so you might work different shifts. This could mean working four days straight and then having three days off.
- During Deployment: When you're deployed, you'll be working most of the time to get the job done. But, whenever possible, you'll get breaks to rest and stay in touch with family.
In the end, your free time depends on your job, the mission, and how many people are in your unit. Important missions or fewer staff might mean less free time.
Joshua recommends the following next steps:
This was super helpful, thank you!
Devin
Brian Nesbitt
Aircraft Mechanic
1
Answer
Palmdale, California
Updated
Brian’s Answer
During my time in the Air Force I typically worked a 40 hour work week which consisted of eight hour days Monday through Friday with weekends off. Additionally, there were several three day weekends due to getting federal holidays off. For context I was an aircraft mechanic. Also, military members earn 30 days of leave (paid vacation) per year.