Pros
Joining the army was one of the best decisions I made in my life. I was 18 broke, had a criminal record, expelled from multiple schools, barely graduated due to fighting at school, and cleaning horse stalls for a job. My grades were pretty good though. The recruiting process was a mess, I needed 3 waivers and an FBI background check. I was lied to by my recruiter but I knew what I was getting in to. I had a 127 GT but my criminal record made it nearly impossible to get the jobs I wanted. Basic training is hard because troops are a little slow. Just follow the rules, eat healthy, try hard, and do as you are told and you will graduate. AIT is where most guys get in trouble, because you get a little bit of freedom. It's not that hard to do the right thing. Just remember you volunteered: you chose this. I was stationed at fort drum which was cold and not great. I did get to deploy to Afghanistan and made some life long friends, had experiences that helped define me as a man and got to see some of the best and worst leaders I may ever see in my life. The army will destroy some of your relationships and at 21 my marriage was on the brink of falling apart by the time I came back from Afghanistan. Listen to your significant other, communicate honestly, call your mom all the time, there is always more to learn as a soldier. It was one of the hardest times of my life but I am glad I completed my contract and was discharged honorably.
Cons
Generally: you will be blamed for things you didn't do, nepotism is rampant, most officers are self serving morons and 20% of soldiers do 90% of the work. DEBT IS A TRAP: buy your car with cash, build credit slowly or you will be stuck in the army forever. Female soldiers are rarely punished but also are rarely promoted to leadership roles. Enlisted promotions are not based on MOS related skill but on a point system that grades general soldiering. This means many mechanic NCOs know very little about maintenance, most good mechanics get out and move on to the civilian sector like I did. This means the quality of maintenance is significantly reduced across the army. I still learned valuable skills (I make 36 dollars an hour now as a semi truck diesel tech) however I did need to re learn a lot when I got out. The army maintenance system as a whole needs a massive update and reform. There are more effective ways to get a job done than just throwing more man hours at it. The army is trying to keep up with modern culture but it sort of stumbles around and just comes off as goofy. That being said a good 1ST Sergeant can change your life. Ultimately I got out because I wanted to take time off when I wanted, travel where I wanted, and live my life on my terms.