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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/joining
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Question
1) I am very intrested in joining the U.S. Coast Guard and I have a pet that means a lot to me. How much time do I have to spend in the Barracks, if any, before I am allowed to live off base without asking for a housing allowance?
2) How long does it usually take to get stationed somewhere? Would it be worth me starting to buy a small trailer or house to stay in for the time I am there before I get stationed, or smarter for me to rent a place?
Hi April,
I'm assuming you're not married?
I'm afraid there's no real way to answer your question. When you graduate basic training (Cape May), you'll then be sent to your first assignment.
At this point, you'll be either assigned to a ship or a barracks. If assigned to a ship, you very well may be required to live aboard the ship. Even if not, the ship you're assigned to may go out to sea for several weeks or days at a time (it all depends on the "luck of the assignment").
In short, even if you elect to live off-base at your own expense (which is possible), there may (depending on your assignment) be times when you are deployed at sea for a week, month, or more (who's going to take care of your pet, if that happens?)
2) As a single member, I think it would be unwise to buy a small trailor or house.
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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