Would I be a fool to get out of the military?

[Leherself]

If a one year extension is an option, then that sounds like it's probably a good idea in your circumstances, but I'll throw in a good word for the guard anyway.

I'm on the Army side of the house - got off active duty in 2010 thinking that I'd just live off the GI Bill while going to school. That didn't actually work out at all well - between delays with the VA and school processing paperwork, and the fact that the stipend only pays for when you're in school and *not* for breaks in between semesters, ended up working just as many hours as I had been while in.

Thankfully, I'd joined the guard when I got out instead of separating completely, so I still had cheap healthcare. Managed to turn my guard membership into a full-time technician gig just over a year ago. Now I'm finishing my degree using TA and saving what's left of my GI Bill (only used a few months so far) for a professional degree program that I hope to get into a couple years down the road.

If you're at all ambivalent about getting out completely, but also don't want to stay in, then the guard can be a great option - you might even like it. I was surprised at how much I did.

But that said, if you're not prepared to deal with a bit of life upheaval then I wouldn't get out. I was on unemployment for four months and ended up crashing on my parent's couch for a while - but I was and still am a single person who can deal with things like that. You may not want to take that kind of risk if you've got a baby on the way.