Navy might make better use of your skills.
I think Navy is a better career move, and I’m ex Air Force.
Watch some fighter jock videos and go for pilot.
I would lean toward finishing your PhD, but it depends on what you wan to do with your life. Remember, you are frustrated now with academia but the Army always looks better when you are a prospect than when you are a customer.
Depends on what you want to do as far as service branch goes. Do you want to kill people and break things? Army or Marines is your best bet (I’m kind of partial to the Army myself—Infantry, Rangers, Special Forces, etc). Do you want to make use of your technical knowledge? Probably better off looking at the Navy or Air Force.
I went through the Infantry Officer Basic Course with a lot of OCS guys. They were glad to be done with it, especially after Basic Training, but once you’re commissioned, it gets a lot better.
Graduate school will always be there, but you are correct, your chance at OCS will not always be.
BTW, you might also consider med school, engineering, or business, as opposed to a PhD in chemistry.
FYI, BS Chemical Engineers make more money than PhD Chemists.
I would encourage you to go Army (or Navy) but for the fact that we no longer have actual military forces.
They’ve morphed into uniformed social experiments. (And not very good ones.)
What do you want to do in the military?
Use a systematic approach to making your decision. If you have a MS, there’s a chance that you could get into a technical field either as a civilian employee or as an officer in any branch of service. Ask the military liaison at your school what he/she would do.
I don’t know. If you have your masters, how much more time in do you need for your PhD? Finish what you’ve started, and then go into the navy. Sounds like you can have a promising future.
The semiconductor industry looks for MS/PHd in Chemistry.
Much better pay but limited locations.
Contact Intel in Hillsboro, OR or Phoenix, AZ.
Talk to some officers in the chemical corpse.
However, as an Army LT, you'll have much more fun as a Platoon Leader.
In my 4 years in Germany, I served in the following positions:
Platoon Leader: Chaparral and Towed Vulcan (18 mos)
Systems Maintenance Officer: about the only job I had that flat out sucked.
Asst. S-3 (Battalion Opns Officer).
S-4 (Battalion Supply Officer). My degree was Public Accounting, basically it was a matter of balancing several checkbooks. My NCOs & CW2 were the key to our success. I handled the high level stuff, and allowed them to do their jobs...usually to perfection.
If you like the challenge of being moved around in different positions, Army's the way to go.
My son is in the Army right now. They are being very picky with new recruits, and it is VERY easy to either get out or be kicked out. Of course, if you do get in and change you mind you really want to be honorably discharged. My son is loving his experience.
On the other hand, a friend of mine was in the Navy in their nuclear subs. He now makes big bucks in the nuclear energy field.
Hope that helps.
I know that a lot has probably changed since I got out in 1972, but keep in mind that whatever a recruiter promises you is not necessarily going to be what you get. If you enlist for OCS, you will get sent there. The question is what happens if you wash out? I don’t know if the current terms of enlistment allow you to walk away in such a case or if you would be obligated to complete your term of service in whatever field they choose. Be certain of what you’re getting into.
The Army has more options, more variety.
You are 27 and have a BS and an MS degree?
How about get a job?
My father was an OCS graduate. He was proud of his accomplishment and said he saw more than one man quit and get walked right out the front gate. I don’t know if it’s as grueling now as it was for him way back when, but it’s definitely a ‘feather in your hat’ once achieved.