,,, looking at the same issue for a bored 16 yo two years from now...have him take as many free personality/career tests which give an idea of aptitudes and then look for a guaranteed training school in that area, even if he doesn’t love it, knowing a trade will allow him to pursue what he does love in free time. Also suggest the small book Strength Finder by Gallup which helps him hone in on strengths to be sharpened and will are help him to shine as a star in an area where he has skills and interests, I think it runs $20, and the testing is online with a key from the book. I would suggest looking at Air Force and Navy and getting the most technical training possible, then you are less likely to get RIF’d in the distant future of smaller military footprint...
Good luck,
ymmv
Darn Good Advice.
My almost 16-year-old grandson lives with me. I strongly advised him to join the JROTC when he began high school last year ... which he reluctantly did. It has since become his favorite class. He’s learning leadership skills and this year he was promoted to Flight Commander. There’s a photo of him on the bottom of my ‘about me’ page.
If he chooses to go to college, an JROTC scholarship will cover most or all of his tuition costs, plus he’ll receive a monthly cash allowance.
If your son’s school offers a ROTC program, he might want check into it.