Which is easier, Military Life or Civilian Life?

SSG Adam Reed — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 12:45:32 -0400

Have you experienced enough of both the Military Life and the Civilian Life to make a good assumption on which one is "easier" to live?

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2015 12:56 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 12:56:24 -0400

They present very different challenges. The answer to this question would pre-dominantly be personality dependent. At least that's how I feel.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2015 1:01 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 13:01:08 -0400

I think deployed life is a lot easier. You concentrate on doing the mission, all other stuff is taken care in an easier manner, however resting periods are short, your life is simpler. Having experienced active and reserve side, and civilian (Was 37 when I signed up) I can tell you that I find reserve a little more challenging, as you have to deal with a full time civilian/government job and take care of reserve side matters on daily basis at time, in addition to family. Not trying at all to minimize what the active component does, but the challenges in themselves what they represent. Sometimes is like having 2 full time jobs.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2015 6:12 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 18:12:49 -0400

I have experienced enough of both since I have an eight year break from 1999-2007.

Each has different stressors. Over all I believe that civilian life is easier though. Especially as a Leader.

The reason I say that is as a Leader I am concerned constantly for my Soldiers and their well being. While n the Civilian sector you just do your work and go home.

In the Military (ARMY) you get at least one four day weekend a month. There are definitely not as many holidays in the civilian employment and definitely no training holidays.

These days both require extreme "Political Correctness" and that makes both work environments very hard.

The hardest thing for me in the Military is not living where I like. Of course the upside is that I get to see different places which I may never have visited.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Apr 4 at 2015 6:59 PM

SrA Matthew Knight — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 18:59:38 -0400

I would say neither one is necessarily more difficult or easier than the other. It is all dependent on your career and how well you manage your health, finances, etc. I would say my old civilian job as a tour guide was way easier than military life. On the other hand, a civilian contractor over in Afghanistan has a much more difficult life than I do working as an Air Force weather forecaster. Just depends on what you do.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2015 7:15 PM

CW5 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 19:15:17 -0400

Good question, SSG Adam Reed. I think it depends on several factors. In general, though, I think civilian life is easier than military life.

Response by LTC John Shaw made Apr 4 at 2015 7:16 PM

LTC John Shaw — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 19:16:03 -0400

I have been in the National Guard/Reserve since 1986 and have worked civilian and military simultaneously for the last 28 years. I LOVE being a citizen soldier and don't desire active duty, but I am very proud to be called up during training and time of war. I believe citizen soldiering is critical to society, just as the early settlers modeled for us.

Which life civilian or military is easier? It is completely dependent on the personality of the individual and how they adapt to change.

Military life is great if you thrive on structure, training and organizational feedback. You typically don't realize or value the opportunities you have in the military until after you leave it. When you leave the military you can get the filling of remorse, missing that critical role that you played in an organization and that no one cares about you and your family. No military org structure to come and check in on how you are doing.

Civilian life is great if you don't need the military discipline and organizational structures to survive. You get significantly less feedback on your work, training, fitness, outside responsibilities, family life, everything. It is tremendously freeing to know your schedule is your own or to be worked out with your family/spouse and employer. You have time for hobbies and weekends without implied commitments.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Apr 4 at 2015 8:55 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 20:55:04 -0400

Both, Neither.

Military life has A LOT of challenges, however there are some that just removed.

Imagine being highly challenged, but in a specialty environment, so it appears easy. Then compare it to civilian life, which is less challenging, but none of them are removed. It makes it appear more difficult.

Little perks like not having to worry about food, rent, clothing, long term employment (next 4~ years) just remove so much "day to day" struggle, but the actual environment is more rigorous.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2015 9:21 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 21:21:03 -0400

It was easier when I was a civilian...my mommy took care of me...

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 4 at 2015 11:24 PM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 23:24:40 -0400

Being a civilian is 10 bazillion times easier, and I am grateful that I am able to appreciate the freedoms and not take it for granted.

No military politics.
No duty days
No WEEKEND duty days
No watch
No deployments
No uniforms (depending on your job)
No working parties
No mess cranking
No double standards
No special liberty chit to drive more than X miles away during my "free time"
No leave....and waiting for an approval to buy plane tickets home and getting stuck with a crappy ticket price because you didnt want to risk wasting money to purchase the ticket if your mean chain of command wouldnt approve the leave. In the civilian world, you simply take "vacation time."
No "big brother" looming over your EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE.
Best of all, NO MICROMANAGEMENT.

Civilian life is a piece of cake.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2015 12:25 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 00:25:28 -0400

Military life. Things CAN get stupid or hard, but civilian, at least for me, showed me how important having people who understand and know you really is. There is a designated support channel built in to the military structure. For people like me, that is huge. Part of the reason why I came back in from the IRR after a year.

Also, I used to think USAR and NG were slackers... boy was I wrong. Some of the most trained soldiers I have come across were in the USAR and NG. They have to pack a months worth of training into 2-3 days and then go live as civilians. Impressive to say the least.

Response by MAJ Monique Salinas made Apr 5 at 2015 8:05 AM

MAJ Monique Salinas — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 08:05:48 -0400

Military. No one fires anyone for incompetence; the person gets shuffled around if someone doesn't like their performance. Bad evaluation? Unless it violates UCMJ, there is no bad evaluation, neither negative counseling statements. If you write one, it won't get processed because it will seem like you are attacking that person. Then EO and IG complaints start rolling in. No one wants to deal with that so the only solution is to transfer that person.

In civilian life, if you aren't helping the organization succeed and be better, adios! They have probationary periods to mitigate those decisions.

Response by PO1 John Meyer, CPC made Apr 5 at 2015 10:30 AM

PO1 John Meyer, CPC — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 10:30:43 -0400

Both have their up sides and down sides, but I think this depends on the individual.

Some people need a more or less strict structure on their life. These people find military life easier.

Some people need more personal freedom in their life. These people find civilian life easier.

I've find difficulty in both just as I've found some things easier. Like...

Civilians don't have to wait until the end of an enlistment to fire the office idiot while the military has to deal with the moron until the end of his/her enlistment.

If you want more money in your pay check, you can ask your civilian employer for a raise or more hours. Good luck with that in the military. Oh, and if your civilian employer says no, you can simply look for another job that will.

Paying rent or a mortgage sucks!

Paying for your health care sucks!

Trying to figure out who is in charge of what can be difficult as a civilian since there isn't always a clear cut chain of command.

Politics are politics; military or civilian.

Not having to prove how physically fit you are... PRICELESS!!!

Response by SPC Mark Beard made Apr 5 at 2015 7:54 PM

SPC Mark Beard — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 19:54:36 -0400

think both have there pro s and cons in the military there is a chain of command you know who to go to to get things done in civilian life its called sometimes stepping on toes

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made Apr 6 at 2015 3:35 PM

SGT Jeremiah B. — Mon, 06 Apr 2015 15:35:05 -0400

I don't know if "easier" is the right word. Both have unique challenges that are really hard to compare. One advantage military life has is that it's clearer, more focused. It provides a purpose, stability and structure that simply doesn't exist in the civilian world. You're a little safer and the physical demands generally a little lower in the civilian world.

I think which one you thrive in is going to be very dependent on the individual.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Apr 7 at 2015 5:29 AM

PO1 John Miller — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 05:29:09 -0400

Definitely military life. With the exception of military bullshit like not trusting me to shave, shower, make my bed, and dress myself without being inspected every day, it is easier than civilian life.

A great example is, in the military if you had a problem with someone you would generally talk directly to that person (unless they were a higher rank than you) and handle it like a man. As a civilian, even working as a contractor on a military base where my co-workers are Air National Guardsmen and contractors who are also vets, it doesn't work like that. Someone has a problem with me and they go running to my supervisor. GROW A PAIR AND TALK TO ME LIKE A MAN, instead of acting like a female dog!

Response by MSgt Manuel Diaz made Aug 28 at 2015 2:59 PM

MSgt Manuel Diaz — Fri, 28 Aug 2015 14:59:20 -0400

I think that depends on what you do and if you are single or married with a family.
If your single military is easier if not in a war zone. Have food lodging medical provided
Civilian not living with parents single life can be easy if you have a good job, no job not with parents is very tough. No food no lodging no medical doing odd low paying jobs anything to survive.
What comparisons are you looking for

Response by SGT Rick Ash made Oct 5 at 2015 4:11 PM

SGT Rick Ash — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 16:11:00 -0400

No question, civilian life is "easier". My military service for 6 years was good too, I was never stationed anywhere that played "ARMY" to the max....

Response by SFC Christopher Taggart made Jan 6 at 2017 7:14 PM

SFC Christopher Taggart — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 19:14:36 -0500

I say military life, because I didn't have to worry about a steady paycheck. My housing, food, clothing and cost of living allowances were all paid for...my biggest worry, was being deployed again and when I was able to take my next leave. Since leaving the military six and half years ago, I'll finish up a Masters Degree this Spring. Everything else, is very stressful, day by day.

Response by PO2 Randall Mitchell made Feb 18 at 2017 10:05 PM

PO2 Randall Mitchell — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 22:05:02 -0500

I spent 6 years in the Navy and I've been separated going on 5 years. So far, I believe the military life was easier. In port we would muster at 0700, wait around until 0800 for mandatory PT to start, then complete PT at 09-0930. After PT, we would shower and get ready for the workday. Usually I would be done with showing and putting on my work clothes by 1000. I'd do some maintenance until 1130 and then go eat chow. Chow would end around 1230 and then I would work again until around 1600-1700, then the day was pretty much over unless you had duty. If you do the math I only really worked 5-6 hours per day. At sea, I would stand watch and do a few hours of maintenance per day, totaling about 8 hours for the day. In the private sector, you are expected to be working as soon as you clock-in until you clock-out, 8 solid hours (minus a 30 minute lunch).

Response by CW4 Craig Urban made Mar 15 at 2019 11:30 PM

CW4 Craig Urban — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 23:30:19 -0400

Military for sure

Response by SGT Larry Braswell made Jun 11 at 2019 11:55 AM

SGT Larry Braswell — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 11:55:53 -0400

Easier? In the ranks, you are given a mission, you are expected to fulfill the mission. You have rules to follow in fulfilling the mission. You have expectations placed on you by your leaders and your brothers. You have the guide rails of MOS and UCMJ, and fraternity. You had people that counted on you and that you could count on.

Out in the world, You got the law. you either work your job and follow their rules or make your own job and build your mission. In a right to work state, you never know which day is your last with the company you work for. It is a colder more hostile environment where friends can turn to enemies in nothing flat and if you aren't practicing good situational awareness, it can catch you totally by surprise. I don't think either is easier. For my mindset there is only that which is preferable. For my money, it's in the service.

Response by SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM made Aug 11 at 2019 8:20 PM

SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTM — Sun, 11 Aug 2019 20:20:24 -0400

Military Life!!