I can second this. Most branches let you select a job (MOS/whatever the other branches call it) that have real work uses, and you can also change your job if you'd like (with some caveats of course). I certainly didn't enjoy many moments of my military career, but I value the things I learned and the opportunities it opened up for me.

Its certainly not for everyone, but with National Guard/Reserve options it's a pretty sweet deal that the vast majority of people could certainly handle.