Lets say you put 8 years into the military, and lose $30k per year of potential extra income. That saving of $100k of debt just cost you $240k. I am not saying that the military is always this bad of a deal, but I am saying that sometimes it is a bad deal.
And it can be an amazingly liberal place. You get thrown in with people of all sorts of sexualities, and have to form a strong team with them.
My oldest son did well in the Navy. He had a BS in electrical engineering and worked for WorldCom. We all know what happened to *them.* After losing his job when they folded, he ended up going into the Navy and began there as a lieutenant after going to officer school. He served six years on a nuclear sub and started a masters program while in there. He works as a senior engineer now in a nuclear power plant in Louisiana.