I figured the post was long enough without saying why I wanted to join, but if it's important, I've always wanted to join because I've just always wanted to serve, and be a part of a team that helps people (as well as right now, I'm going to have a difficult time getting hired by most companies because I was trying to be an amateur bodybuilder instead of working while I was in school, so I have no experience, which is rough at 24). I want to do join after high school, my parents told me I had to go to college, and I did; don't regret it obviously, never bad to have a degree.

After college, I had applied to a Master's program just to have options on the table, but planned on joining. When I got in a army vet family friend told me to get any education out of the way first because I wouldn't want to go back to school once I was older/started working/potentially had a family. So I took his advice and put it off again.

Even though I'm about 80% through with the degree, I never liked it, and now I'm at the point where I'm starting to do poorly in it because I can't even stand going to class, so It's not worth continuing at this point, and I want to finally go through with my initial dream I've wanted since I visited West Point at 5 years old with my Army vet grandpa.

I don't know what I said to make the media thing squishy; I do want to do that. Ideally I'd like to work as a reporter some day for a major news network, but first and foremost, I want to serve before I start any civilian career. If I don't I'll wake up 20 years from now angry at myself for not doing what I've wanted to do since I was a kid.

My question wasn't whether or not to join, it was just (looking back now an overly long way of asking), "Would it help me more to enlist in a job more related to media or take a chance on an OCS slot if I wanted to work in media after serving? Thanks!"

So that's the really longer version if it helps.

And after 4 years it's unlikely to become and NCO coming in as an E-4? I was under the impression it could take 18 months. People have responded here saying they made E-6 in 4 years enlisting with a degree starting at that point.