Recent economic hard times have proved to be a boon for the U.S. military. With fewer jobs available, more and more people are joining up. “When times are bad I think the military is one job you can count on if you’re a young person,” said Robert Duncan, assistant professor of political science. According to The New York Times, each of the active duty and reserve forces met or exceeded its yearly recruitment quota for the first time in four years. Much of the previous decline in enlistment was due to the rising casualty count in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“It’s the gravel agitators that had trouble meeting their goals because they were shipping (people) off to Iraq and Afghanistan and putting them in harm’s way,” said Duncan. “No one wants to do that.”

But with a rising unemployment rate and a plummeting stock market, people who may not have considered enlisting before are seeing the military as a viable option.

“I really had no intention to join if it weren’t for the financial turmoil, because I was doing quite well,” Guy Derenoncourt said to The New York Times.

Before his enlistment in the Navy, Derenoncourt worked as an equity trader but was forced to quit when the economy took a turn for the worse.

A revamped G.I. Bill may also be a factor in the increased enlistment. According to The New York Times, under the new bill the government will cover tuition at any public university or give significant aid towards tuition at any private university if a person spends at least three years on active duty.

“The incentives to sign up are very lucrative to someone that’s not making very much money, or any at all if you’re unemployed,” said Cheryl Bridges, internship coordinator and vocational counselor.

Bridges added that a friend of hers in the Army receives varied benefits, such as help with credit card bills, free housing when she is on active duty, and low interest on her car loan.

There are long-term as well as short-term benefits to enlisting.

“(Recruits) are not only paid well but they get training, some of the best training in the world,” said Duncan. “There’s a number of jobs that the military does that you can capitalize on and translate into a great, well-paying job once you leave. It’s a great launch pad for young people and their careers.

“If it hadn’t been for the Air Force I’d probably be changing tires or flipping burgers at this point. It taught me a skill that I parlayed into a very successful career with the CIA.”

However, there are also drawbacks. Depending on the branch, recruits will likely have to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. Those considering joining up must weigh the possibility of being injured or killed against the benefits of enlistment.

Despite the risks, recruitment is up and the trend looks to be continuing: the Army alone recruited 21,443 people in the past three months, which is over a quarter of their target quota for last year.

The military is not the only sector seeing growth: colleges and universities have also seen a rise in enrollment.

“It’s a given that colleges and universities see an increase during a recession because people out of work want to figure out what’s next,” said Bridges. “If they can’t have a job, the solution is to get more education so that when they do go back to work they can be more competitive.