There is a major misconception about what you do when you go into the military. Most people would think of soldiers in green firing arms on the battlefield. But this is actually only one of the many jobs available. Not all jobs involve combat!
There are over hundreds of different jobs in the military in total, and it is varied in each branch. So if you are about to enlist, it is helpful to know the list of jobs in the US military. Fortunately, this is the topic in this article today.
Continue to find a few lists of jobs in the military.
Table of Contents
Working for the Military? Check These Military Job Lists
Since there is a lot of information to deliver, the best way is for us to work through each of the 6 military branches. The order will be the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.
1. The Army
There are over 200 jobs available in the Army, so you can surely find one that is right for you.
The six career categories in the US army jobs list are as follows:
- Science & Medicine: Under Science & Medicine, you can choose from 105 jobs. Some offer up to a 400k bonus.
- Support & Logistics: There are 45 Support & Logistics jobs.
- Signal & Intelligence: 34 jobs are offered under Signal & Intelligence. A bonus can go up to 40k.
- Aviation & Aerial Defense: There are 27 Aviation & Aerial Defense-related jobs. You can get a bonus of up to 40k.
- Mechanics & Engineering: There are 34 jobs under this category of Mechanics and Engineering. A bonus can reach 27k.
- Ground Forces: In this category, there are 21 job options. Like a few of the other categories, the maximum bonus is 40k.
You can also consider and narrow down the long list of Army military opportunities by:
- Job Mode: Full-Time or Part-time
- Rank: Enlisted Soldiers or Army Officer
- Personnel Type: Active Duty or Reserve or National Guard
Other job opportunities in the Army include:
- Army Civilian Careers
There is a broad range of careers that you can consider pursuing. Here are the in-demand ones:
1. Management & Administration
2. Finance & Budget
3. Contracting
4. Cybersecurity & IT
5. Medical & Dental
6. Education & Information Sciences
7. Logistics
8. Security & Intelligence
9. STEM
10. Special Operations
11. Specialized Careers:
- Army Medical Department (AMEDD)
- Army Judge Advocate (JAGS Corps)
- Army Cyber
- Army Aviation
- Army Chaplain Corps
- Army Linguistics
- Army Band
If you are still in school, regardless of whether it is high school, college, or graduate school, you can pursue student work programs that give you experience and training.
2. The Marine Corps
You can become an expert in any of the 300+ MOS offered in the Marine Corps after completing Marine Corps Recruit Training.
Other options include the Musician Enlistment Option Program and Judge Advocate Division.
Training can be:
- College credit and graduation certificates from formal schools
- On-the-job training, hands-on experience from field professionals
- Advanced formal training for occupational field expertise
Here are the main MOS fields for Marines:
- Personnel & Administration
- Intelligence
- Infantry
- Logistics
- Marine Air-Ground Task Force Plans
- Communications
- Field Artillery
- Training
- Utilities
- Engineer, Construction, Facilities & Equipment
- Amphibious Assault Vehicle
- Ground Ordnance Maintenance
- Ammunition & Explosive Ordnance Disposal
- Signals Intelligence/Ground Electronic Warfare
- Linguist
- Ground Electronics Maintenance
- Supply Administration & Operations
- Distribution Management
- Food Service
- Financial Management
- Motor Transport
- Morale Welfare & Recreation
- Legal Services
- Communication strategy
- Music
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear Defense
- Military Police & Corrections
- Electronics Maintenance
- Aircraft Maintenance
- Avionics
- Aviation Ordnance
- Aviation Logistics
- Meteorology & Oceanography
- Airfield Services
- Air Control, Air Traffic Control, Air Support & Anti-Air Warfare
- Navigation Officer & Flight Crew
The following are a few of the key Navy fields of jobs offered:
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports & Media
- Installation, Maintenance & Repair
- Office & Administrative Support
- Construction & Extraction
- Architecture & Engineering
- Food Preparations & Serving
- Transportation
- Management
- Health Care
- Production
- Computer
- Legal
As with the other military branches, civilian jobs are available in the Navy. For example, a quick search on Indeed shows you that you can become:
- a mail clerk at the Naval Supply Systems Command in Kings Bay
- a materiel handler at the Naval Supply Systems Command in Pearl Harbor
- a resources assistant at the Naval Air Systems Command in China Lake
- a food service worker at the Navy Installations Dahlgren
- an administrative specialist at the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command in San Diego
4. The Air Force
The 4 in-demand job fields in the Air force are special warfare, security forces, SERE — survival, evasion, resistance and escape, and explosive ordnance disposal.
The featured Air Force career is being a pilot. But specialty careers include healthcare, chaplain, and JAG.
For these, the maximum age limit is 48. You need to have a degree related to the career and also be licensed to practice in the field.
In general, there are 21 logistics & administration jobs, 17 maintenance & repair jobs, 15 science & technology jobs, 15 intelligence jobs, 13 aviation and flight jobs, 12 space jobs, 9 law and order jobs, and 9 combat and warfare jobs.
To find the career that suits you best, you can consider taking this personal career assessment.
The enlisted path will require you to:
- Be 17 years old to 39 years old
- e a U.S citizen or legal and permanent resident
- Have a high school diploma, GED + 15 college credits, or GED
- Complete the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
- Go through physical and mental screening
- Complete Basic Military Training
The officer military career path has 4 options:
- Graduate from Officer Training School
- Graduate from the U.S Air Force Academy
- Graduate from a college and complete an AFROTC program
- Enlist and rank up
You need to be a U.S citizen who is at least years old and younger than 39 years old and have a Bachelor’s degree. Aside from these criteria, you must pass the:
- Air Force Qualifying Test
- Physical and Mental Screening
- Selection Board
5. The Space Force
Like the other military branches, the Space Force categorizes its job opportunities. Specifically, careers in the Space Force are categorized as enlisted and officer opportunities:
1. For the Enlisted
- Cable & Antenna Systems
- Client Systems
- Computer Systems Programming
- Cyber Surety
- Cyber Systems Operations
- Cyber Transport Systems
- Fusion Analyst
- Intelligence Analyst
- Knowledge Operations Management
- Radio Frequency Transmission Systems
- Signals Intelligence Analyst
- Space Systems Operator
- Targeting Analyst
2. For the Officers
- Acquisition Manager
- Cyber Warfare Operations Officer
- Cyberspace Operations Officer
- Developmental Engineer
- Intelligence Officer
- Space Operations Officer
There are also Space Force civilian jobs opportunities. If this is what you are interested in, look at this site.
Nevertheless, all the career paths work towards the same mission: solving the hard problems of space.
Here are the requirements to pursue a job in the Space Force:
For Enlisted:
- Be between 17 to 39 years old
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Have a high school diploma, GED + 15 college credits, or GED
You will need to apply through a Space Force recruiter. This is possible via telephone, your local recruitment office, or the Space Force website.
In addition, you must complete the ASVAB, which evaluates your capabilities in
- word knowledge
- arithmetic reasoning
- mathematics knowledge
- paragraph comprehension
Plus, you will be screened to ensure that moral and physical standards as set by the Space Force, federal law, and DoD are met.
Finally, you will be placed in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP) to await selection and departure for Basic Military Training.
For Officer:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Have an undergraduate or postgraduate degree
Note: Your unit commander’s recommendation is needed if you apply after enlistment.
You can apply through a local recruiter or online.
Somewhat similar to the requirements for enlisted personnel, you must pass a test: Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) and screening.
After the Officer Training School Selection Board reviews and determines where you fit in, you will be assigned to the Basic Officer Training Course, which is held biannually in February and August.
6. The Coast Guard
You can become any of the following as part of the Coast Guard:
- Aviator
- Aviation Electrical Technician
- Aviation Maintenance Technician
- Aviation Survival Technician
- Boatswain’s Mate
- Damage Controlman
- Engineer
- Electrician Mate
- Electronic Technician
- Environmental Manager
- Gunner’s Mate
- Machinery Technician
- Operations Specialist
- Intelligence Specialist
- Information Systems Technician
- Lawyer
- Storekeeper
- Quartermaster
- Yeomen
All types of jobs in the military have general benefits in the following aspects:
- Base Salary/Pay
- Education
- Insurance
- Healthcare
- Food & Housing
- Retirement
- Recreation
- Vacation & Travel
Conclusion
Hopefully, after reading this post featuring the list of jobs in the US military, you are aware of the various military opportunities and military roles that you can pursue. If you still have further questions or thoughts, please reach out to us in the comments below! Feel free to bookmark this for future reference of the military careers lists, too!
Also, did a job interest you? Which are you considering upon enlisting? Share your answers with us in the comments! We are super excited to hear from you!
I am Everett Bledsoe, taking on the responsibility of content producer for The Soldiers Project. My purpose in this project is to give honest reviews on the gear utilized and tested over time. Of course, you cannot go wrong when checking out our package of information and guide, too, as they come from reliable sources and years of experience.