<prompt> Human: Hi PF! Ive lurked for a long time, but am finally posting on a throwaway to get some feedback on an idea.x200B;My wife 28 and I 26 are barely scraping by, courtesy of 17k in credit card debt interest free till 1219 after I opened two new lines to do a balance transfer, combined 95k in student loan debt 47k each, and our mortgage 1600month. I make 52k a year and shes hovering right around 20k. Our budget balances every month, but theres no way to pay down the credit card debt fast enough to get rid of it before it will start accruing interest. Were also in a HCOL area, my car is a 1994 thats on its last legs, and weve only got 3k in the emergency fund right now.x200B;Now, I know that we obviously made some very poor financial decisions- we were both raised poor, had no financial literacy, and honestly didnt fully grasp what we were getting ourselves into. Weve learned lessons the hard way, and are now trying to figure out how to get rid of the credit card debt. x200B;I have been looking into the possibility of enlisting Army Reserves or National Guard in addition to my regular full-time job. Ive got my masters degree, am physically fit could pass the PT now, and feel pretty comfortable with what Im getting into. On prep ASVABs I consistently score in the 98-99 percentile. There is a strong likelihood I would qualify for up to a 20k sign on bonus since Im a new recruit and would be game for a 6-year enlistment.x200B;My wife is on board with the idea even having to take care of my crazy dog for 10 weeks while Im at basic lol, and Im just trying to see if there are any angles I havent thought of. Its mostly the lure of being able to pay off the credit card debt much more rapidly that is making me seriously consider this; the base pay I receive for training weekends and the other 2 weeks a year would be great to rebuild our emergency fund, pay down student loan debt, maybe take a vacation, etc.x200B;The other upside to enlisting is that my employer would be legally required to accommodate any training commitments. My day job requires substantial travel, often 5-20 days a month, which has made it impossible for me to get a regular part time job since I have no consistent availability. There are months where I could totally hold down a PT job, but then the next month I would only be able to work two shifts. Joining up avoids this problem, and allows us to get a better grasp on our finances.x200B;Okay, so this is a long rambling post, but really I just need some objective feedback on whether this could backfire, if there are specific questions I should ask the recruiter, etc. I dont take the idea of enlisting lightly, and truly want to make sure that its a sound decision before I jump.x200B;x200B;  <response>: Its a great idea financially if you think your marriage will survive it 