Many people consider joining the military because they want a stable career with opportunities for advancement through its promotion structure and medical, dental, and retirement benefits. Military people enjoy so many benefits. While these benefits sound great, it’s important to recognize many requirements to join the military. This guide will walk you through the many requirements to meet in order to join the U.S. military.

The military does perform background checks on potential recruits and may disqualify candidates for offenses that include, but are not limited to:

1. Job skills

The job skills required to join the United States military are reading comprehension, writing skills, and physical fitness. A soldier must be able to read and write effectively in English. This is important because they need to understand orders, reports, communications, and documents.

2. Education

Military recruits must have a high school diploma before enlisting. The jobs available within the armed forces are becoming more technologically advanced, and a higher level of education is needed to master these jobs. Many military careers involve learning technical skills, which require a solid foundation in math and science.

3. Overall good health

Can you join the military with diabetes? Can you join the military with psoriasis? Unfortunately, the military requires that all of its members are in top physical condition, and as such, several medical conditions, such as mental illness, may automatically prevent you from joining. Not only is diabetes on this list, but also psoriasis, asthma, and ADHD. This means that even if you have no problems with your skin or your blood sugar, you still might not be able to pass the physical exam in order to enlist. Essentially, the military wants all of its members to be healthy, so they work to ensure that their soldiers can train at full capacity without any health issues getting in the way. When you join the military, you’ll have to pass a physical health exam. It’s a good idea to be in shape before you try to enlist, but even if you don’t meet the requirements, there are ways to ensure that you pass your physical with flying colors. The physical readiness test is a standardized test used to determine whether or not you’re physically fit enough to enlist in any branch of the United States military. The test measures your performance in four categories: body fat, abdominal circumference, body water percentage, and muscular endurance.

4. Mental health wellness

The military is the largest employer of psychologists in the United States, even more than private hospitals. The military uses many techniques to help screen out recruits who are not mentally fit for service. To join the military, one must be in sound mental health, and one must complete an exam by a qualified psychiatrist.

5. Criminal record history

The United States military has many requirements for joining, including drug screenings and criminal history checks. The purpose of these drug screening and criminal history checks is to ensure that people who join the military are not a danger to themselves or others. This process begins with the initial application to join the military; anyone who wants to join must complete an application form. The applicant must note any illegal activities they have engaged in, including any convictions for such activities. The applicant must be truthful on this form because lying on it is against the law and could mean being discharged.