Today before leaving work I learned that my teaching position (music) is being cut down to part-time (53% which includes benefits) in the coming 2010-2011 school year.  This news portends a great deal of frustration and potential financial hardship that could destroy my entire adult life for years to come.  I'm not gonna lie.  I won't make it on half my salary, and the thought of returning from training and winter break in January to just begin job hunting to supplement my income is absolutely terrifying to me right now.  Now, I'll explain how this affects my army journey at present.  But before going further, I want to point out some positive aspects to this situation.  It appears to me that having joined the army when I did could not have been coincidence because a month later the Army Reserve is no longer taking recruits--it's maxed out--at least for a time.  In addition, while I am contemplating leaving the reserve component of the army for active duty, the bottom line is I have my foot partly in the door because I'm in the system.  Hold this thought 'til the end of this post.

My present predicament...

In order for me to attend initial entry training (BCT and AIT) I have taken a leave of absence from August to December of 2010.  However, I didn't qualify for military leave, so I was given personal leave.  Under personal leave my job position is not protected, but my employment in the county in general will be held.  It was further explained to me that in the event that my position cannot be held by my principal due to any directive by his boss, my position can be filled by someone else.  Otherwise, the position will remain mine with pay and benefits as mentioned above.  I made an interesting discovery in my benefits earlier this afternoon, however.  Apparently if I volunteer for active military duty I can take a leave of absence up to 5 years (with some exceptions; of which I have no info).  So in response to this I am faced with the following: 

My alternatives...

A.  Take a chance and hope that I can at least come back to my position working part-time (in light of the risks) and try to supplement my income with another part-time job somewhere in an increasingly dirt-poor economy (a gamble; prepare for the worst and hope for the best).

B.  Take a volunteer military leave of absence from teaching.  Ask my recruiter to switch me from reserve to active duty.  The pay is half my teaching salary, however as an enlisted soldier I don't think I'll be living off of it as much as I would if I were living at home with the same pay (and in fact it will be the same between both alternatives). Work as soldier, become an NCO within the next few years, and then I'll go to OCS later.  Somewhere along the way, I get deployed and make more money while getting loans paid off with military loan repayment program. Later on if I feel the desire, I'll go back to teaching without much difficulty due to the type of leave I will have taken.  Otherwise, I'll make the army a career as was planned anyway.

Part of my initial reason for joining was to make a slow transition from teaching to full-time soldier, and to get some of my student loans paid off, as I TOTALLY need the assistance.  But to reiterate, as it stands  paying back my loans with my full teaching salary is financially daunting, so I can't imagine achieving it with only half my salary.

In one day's time, this career change or transition I have been speaking of for so long has been forcefully accelerated by a bad economy.  I must make a solid decision and very soon...probably sooner than I'm currently thinking--before the end of April. 

Finally, I turned 28 on April 9th.  I couldn't have imagined how things would take such a sudden turn and bring me face-to-face with an even greater realization of my adult responsibilities.  

My happiness and livelihood (future) hang on my next move.

I'm stunned stiff....

Coming back to my talk about having my foot partly in the door (first paragraph above)...  

I've gone through MEPS and background checks have already been taken care of.  It's just a matter of a lot of paperwork to take me from one reserve to active since I have not attended basic training yet.  It is only after attending BCT and AIT that one is TRULY job-locked, as it were.  I think I still have a chance.

Shall see what happens in the next week or two.

I got off the phone with my Unit Administrator and apparently I have been charged, rather than paid for having missed a mandatory weekend drill (battle assembly).  I am PISSED and here's why.  Apparently following enlistment, reserve soldier's have a 90-day grace period in which they are not obligated to attend weekend drills.  I knew no such fact.  But in all fairness, I new that the drills were taking place, but I was not informed that I was a.  getting paid to attend drill yet,  b.  that they would be mandatory prior to basic combat training, and c.  that I would be charged/fined for not attending a drill.  So here it is, I'm off on the wrong foot. I only got around to starting in-processing at my unit last Wednesday. I'm really annoyed right now.  So I'm gonna give my recruiter an ear full today.  

Lesson learned.  Address all nagging feelings when something feels incomplete and don't depend purely on anybody when given information.  Research EVERYTHING for yourself because in the end, you take the fall for it and you HAVE to shutup and put up.  And conversely, when I become an NCO (non-commissioned officer) or officer, I will make it a point to make sure those under me are well informed as much as it depends on me.  It will not be fair that they get punished for my failure to divulge something that needed to be known.  In battle, this gets people killed, especially in light of how people get killed anyway even when everything is done right.

Teachers and students in Broward County are on Spring Break as of Friday March 26.  My days are now open and I have a lot of free time.  Today I've been lounging about the house and eating things I shouldn't--and I won't beyond today.  I got online to check on my uploaded videos to my YouTube channel and got sucked in watching videos of some subscribers that are also enlisted or are considering enlisting.  One thing led to another and I came a cross a video about Military Police.  From the beginning of my enlistment process I knew I didn't want a combat MOS to appease my mother, but deep down I really hoped with all my might that there would be a spot in the Military Police as a reservist.  Since that wasn't the case I have literally dreamed of being able to reclassify in the future.  Perhaps after OCS I will be able to choose MP then, I really don't know.  

All I can say is that I think MP is a really, REALLY exciting MOS!  I don't care WHAT it takes, I will work my way toward this dream goal of mine, so help me God!  I want a career in the military and MP is the dream job in my mind.  For now, I'll do what I have to.  ...I wish there was some blessed way to become an MP sooner than I think.