Yes, joining the military offers significant financial aid for college, including tuition assistance for active duty, competitive scholarships (like ROTC) that can cover 100% of costs in exchange for officer service, and powerful post-service benefits like the GI Bill for veterans, though "free college" often requires commitment to service, strong academic performance, and utilizing specific programs.
If you qualify, the CAF will pay 100% of your school fees, including your tuition, books and academic equipment!
If approved, you'll have your fees paid for, earn a salary while you complete your degree, and walk straight into a great ADF role following graduation. Once you have been approved for Defence sponsorship and joined your chosen service, most of your time will still be devoted to study.
The Military Tuition Assistance (TA) program is an important quality of life program that provides tuition for college courses taken by active duty personnel during off-duty hours. TA is capped at $250 per semester hour (or $166 per quarter hour) and is restricted to a maximum of $4500 per fiscal year.
CH33 is a commonly used benefit at Harvard University. CH33 provides up to 36 months (4 regular school years) of education benefits to eligible service members (Active Duty, Guard and Reserve) and Veterans who have served at least 90 days on active duty since 9/10/2001.
The Army offers a variety of benefits including financial stability, education and training, health care, family benefits, and more to support you and your family.
Yes, $130k is a very good salary in Australia, placing you well above the median income and in the top earnings bracket, but whether it's "comfortable" depends heavily on your location (high-cost cities like Sydney/Melbourne vs. regional areas) and lifestyle, as high rents can still strain finances, though it generally allows for a solid middle-class life with budgeting.
The defence force is more than just being a soldier. Across the Australian Defence Force (ADF), there are more than 200 career opportunities, featuring worldclass training and education. The defence force offers a clear path, guaranteed salary and superannuation, and the chance to progress in your career and education.
Get a degree
Kick-start your career with a fully funded world-class University of New South Wales (UNSW) degree while receiving military leadership training at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA).
In Australia, many jobs pay over $100,000, spanning sectors like Tech (ICT Manager, IT Specialist), Healthcare (Psychiatrist, Dentist, Pharmacist), Engineering (Mining, Aerospace, Construction), Finance (Accountant, Business Analyst), Construction (Project Manager, Site Manager, Trades like Electrician), Sales/Marketing (Business Development, Digital Marketing), and Management (HR Manager, Project Manager, Store Manager), with high potential in specialized trades, public service (Air Traffic Controller, Police Detective), and even roles like Pilot, often requiring specific skills, experience, or certifications.
If we want to boost numbers, it might be worth considering why else young people do not want to join the armed forces at present. Let's start with the obvious. The pay is low. Just three in 10 members of the armed forces think their salaries are fair.
By law, a Soldier with over eight years of active Federal Service is eligible for disability compensation even if the condition is Exist Prior to Service (“EPTS”). The eight years of active service do not have to be continuous; however, you must be on active-duty orders of more than 30 days for this rule to apply.
Each branch of the military has age limits to enlist in active duty: Air Force: 17 - 42. Army: 17 - 35. Coast Guard: 17 - 41.
The U.S. continues to dominate as the world's most powerful military. With a budget nearing $900 billion, it invests heavily in advanced warfare systems, from cyber capabilities to space defense. It fields the largest air force globally with over 13,000 aircraft, including stealth fighters like the F-22 and F-35.
President Donald J. Trump announced last night that nearly 1.5 million service members would receive a $1,776 bonus to both thank them for their military service and to commemorate the 250 years the U.S. military has been defending the nation.
To be in Australia's top 1% of individual taxpayers, you generally need an annual income of around $375,000 to $390,000, though figures vary slightly by source and year, with higher thresholds for households (around $530,000). For context, the median individual income is much lower (around $55,000), and while top earners often include surgeons and anaesthetists, reaching the top 1% of net worth requires significantly more wealth, often exceeding $7 million.
Most Americans Earn Far Less Than $100k
According to last year's YouGov data, only 18% of U.S. adults earn more than $100,000 annually. And the biggest earners are mostly men—25%—and those aged 35 to 44—25%. For comparison, just 12% of women make six figures.
The average Australian full-time worker is now earning more than $2000 a week for the first time in history. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show the average ordinary full-time weekly earnings for adults hit $2011.40 before tax in May.
Netflix does not offer a military discount, but there are still ways service members and families can save. Learn how Netflix pricing works, carrier bundles that include Netflix, and which streaming services do offer military discounts. Netflix is one of the most popular online streaming services.
Defined Benefit: Monthly retired pay for life after at least 20 years of service (so if you retire at 20 years of service, you will get 40% of your highest 36 months of base pay). Retired pay will be calculated as follows: (Years of creditable service x 2.0%) x average of highest 36 months basic pay.
The weekends are mostly free still depending on MOS and DS. It is completely varied by ait but mostly sat/sun are free time but that doesn't mean they can leave to do stuff. There are still rules.
You have to sign a contract, so your position is a contractual one and you have to honor that document. This means that you have to serve the term that you agreed to serve, at which point you can decide if you want to stop or sign up for another term. There are ways that you can quit, such as asking for a discharge.
Except when discharged pursuant to the approved sentence of a court-martial or for physical disability, any Soldier who has completed 18 or more years of active federal service will not be involuntarily discharged or released from active duty without approval from HQDA.
In the Indian Army, commission officers can serve in this field for a period of 10 years. After the commission period ends, they have two choices: they can opt for permanent commission or opt out of service. Those who don't get elected for permanent commission have the option of extending their service for 4 years.