Many young people have the will and the talent for college, but lack the funds. For many non-college bound youth, military service offers an opportunity for job experience and specialized training. Other reasons for joining are mentioned much less frequently. The percentages of men and women mentioning job training, pay, duty to country, travel, and discipline as reasons for joining have not changed significantly in the past few years. The most frequently cited reason for not entering military service concerns military lifestyle, mentioned by 19 percent of men and 25 percent of women in 1998.
Military service evokes images of discipline and regimentation for most youth.
These images tend to deter many youth from interest in the military. Others, however, see externally imposed discipline as beneficial. Following the 1995 and 1997 YATS surveys, DoD conducted extended interviews with young men and women who seemed likely to enter military service. It is ironic that the reason most frequently cited for not entering military service might, for some, be an important motivation for enlisting. Other reasons cited by youth for not entering military service suggest not a rejection of the military, but consideration of a commitment to other options in life.