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I mentor a 16 year old boy who has been in quite a bit of trouble growing up. His dad is in and out of prison a lot with felony convictions. The 16 year old has been kicked out of school due to his behavior and has had physical trouble with teachers...several fights I believe the 16 yr old started. He currently goes to an alternative school that will take him 4 more years after all his friends have graduated, to graduate due to lack of credits. He wants to become a seal, what chance does he have at reaching that goal in his current position?
Hi Tessa,
To be blunt, not good.
First of all, his behavior problems will require a waiver (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/neurotic.htm). Whether or not a waiver would be approved is anyone's guess (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/medicalwaiver.htm).
If he has any criminal history, that would require a separate waiver (see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/moralwaivers.htm).
The military divides education into three tiers:
Tier I: High School Diploma, or at least 15 college credits.
Tier II: Alternative school, home school, or GED
Teir III: All others
Over 90 percent of all enlistments are from Tier I. Unless he gets at least 15 college credits, following graduation from alternative school, his chances of enlistment are much smaller.
For more information about the US Military, feel free to visit my US Military Information website at http://usmilitary.about.com
Hope this helps!
Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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