First, Post 911 GI Bill is not the only tuition assistance available. The National Guard has federal tuition assistance. While it does not cover all the tuition depending on the cost of the school ($250 per semester hour), it can take a significant chunk out of the tuition.
Army National Guard
www.nationalguard.com
Second, while you cannot get the Post 911 GI Bill unless you have active duty time, there are other GI Bills available to National Guard members who do not have active duty time (Chapter 1606). This in conjunction with the federal tuition assistance is usually enough to take care of the tuition of most state schools. Also there are GI Bill Kickers that are given to specific MOS's and people in certain units
Army National Guard
www.nationalguard.com
I went through college on the Federal Tuition Assistance, GI Bill, and got a kicker for being 11B. I had no access in college to the Post 9/11 as I had no active duty at that time. You do not need to go active duty to get educational benefits.
Another option that some do in college is to do the ROTC program. If you become a contracted cadet, when you do your one weekend a month drill, you get paid as an E5. Also If you become a contracted cadet, you get a living stipend. This is another option to help with college expenses if your son is looking at becoming an officer.
I will add that the MOS's your son should pick should be one that will give him some kind of marketable skill outside the military. I was one of the dumb ones that picked 11B because I wanted to feel like a hard ass and get the $20,000 signing bonus. This job gave me next to no jobs skills that translated to the civilian world; things like technical skills or professional certifications. There are several different jobs that give you all kinds of technical and professional certifications that allow you to walk into great jobs on the civilian side. I can remember when I was a commander in the National Guard, I was counseling one of my soldiers as his contract was coming to an end. His MOS was 35T Military Intelligence Systems Maintainer/Integrator. Part of this soldiers training was to get some of the highest levels of professional IT certifications. Add to this the soldier had a Top Secret clearance because he worked on networking Top Secret systems. After I gave this soldier the typical retention speech, this soldier who had only done 6 years in the National Guard, he responded; “why would I stay in when I make six-figures in my civilian job?” A job he got based primarily on his training and certifications from the Army.
Also try not to let the bonuses for different MOS’s drive his decision. While that money sounds cool up front, it is better to choose an MOS that will give you skills and you will be happy with. Often too the recruiters try to push the bonuses because the bonuses are directly tied to the Guards vacancy and needs. If they recruit into those critical vacancies, it looks good for them. However, it does not mean it is good for your son.
Obviously the available MOS’s you can enlist in are dependent on the units your state has and their vacancies. However, if your son has any knack for computers, I would look into the new cyber jobs as those will only continue to grow in demand. Also he can look into intelligence and maintenance of the systems. If he is more interested in the mechanical side of things, look into being a maintainer of airframes. The Air National Guard is a great option for fixed wing, and the Army Nation Guard focuses more on rotary.
Final thing I will say is on the ASVAB. The overall score is not the only thing that matters. There are various sections that determine if the person can do different jobs. For example the GT is one that is commonly held in high regard.
Your ASVAB score will determine which Army jobs you qualify for. Each Army MOS has different ASVAB score requirements.
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