The state of confusion you are living in will not completely go away, even after you decide what it is you want to do with your life.

Join for your own reasons, not your friend or your dad pushing you to do it. Choose anything other than my dad and friend pushed me to do it.

Get it clear that this is not like opening your sock drawer and picking what color to wear. "doing OCS" is be more like "OCS doing you" if you are not fully focused and committed to graduating on top.

"and if I fail" - You are looking at this wrong already. You go into a program like BUD's with the confidence you will succeed! Period.

I am former Navy myself, saw too much Army in the early years of my life.  My ole man lived, ate, slept, and breathed career Army for 16 years.  Hardly ever saw the man I most respected.

"Settling" for Rangers is not an option either. You decide for your own reasons about joining the Army.

You sound like the type that may do better working first before you join up.

There is a difference between having the confidence to succeed and being a smart ass. 

Good luck with your choice.

"Let's Go Downtown" - Flight of the Intruder
 

http://www.327infantry.org/second/c_co 

Same Mud Same Blood - NBC documentary filmed 1967 RVN, chronicle Frank McGee

• Finish college.
• Consider walking over to the ROTC program on campus and asking how you might participate at some level even if it has no credit for you so late in the game, no potential for entry in the service.  It would be a valuable experience! You could run PT with them, hang out get an idea of what military life might be like.

By finishing college you prove two things, you can finish what you start and if you do join the service the degree gets you an automatic E-4.  Hey that's cash dude.  If you have federal student loans, don't forget to take the statements with you, your recruiter may have a current program to forgive some or all of that debt depending on the contract you sign.

So you think Ranger might be fun, Daddy thinks Seals are better.  Hey, the competition and jokes go back 30 or more years.  You are a man now son, you have to do what is right for you and I am not going to prejudice your decision.  My dad was AirForce and I had an AF uniform by the time I was 10.  I wanted to be a Marine just so I wouldn't be in his branch.  Lucky for me the Marine recruiter was stupid.  My dad didn't push me one way or the other, he was just proud that I was man enough to choose.  Hooha!  I went Army.  Guess what Rangers can be divers too!  Seals can go to Ranger school.  This is what I know.  Rangers, Seals, Recon, SF, STAR, if you are good at any of them you will get a chance to work with all of them.  JSOC and other special warfare projects will take the best of these men and show that multi service operations work and work well.  You will find a unique pride in any you choose and there will be fierce competition between them, but a great respect as well.  Look deep inside yourself and find what it is you are good at.  You like water sports? Maybe seals is for you.  You like teaching, maybe SF is for you.  You like the woods, the camaraderie of small team play in diverse and hostile environments, the spear tip of action, hey Rangers!  You like technical stuff, want to play with nuclear warheads and security of them, oh my STAR yourself.    My point, you dah man now son, choose wisely.

To answer the question on covert: Each Bat has a mission in the picture, it used to be that 1st Bat was Airfield capture and Securing, hostage situations, urban warfare, swamp and jungle ops.  2nd Bat did mountain operations, cold weather ops, urban ops. 3rd bat did desert ops, convoy route recon, LRRP.  The missions have changed as has the Army since the war.  All of them train for special ops, the best of the Rangers compete for slots to teach, to go to other special ops units.  Competition can be fierce, but it builds character and friendships.  Lots of guys go for the dollars now and once trained become "security consultants" for firms like BW and others.  Personal body guards, convoy security experts, facilities security response team members.  There are a number of options available to Rangers, Seals and Recon while the war rages; the question will be, what will the world be like when peace comes and will there be enough work for all these fine men when the war machine cranks down? 

I will leave you with one thought from an old soldier... What do you want to be when you are 50?  What do you want to have accomplished.  How will you get there and what do you hope to achieve or learn from this experience that you will carry with you to that 50th?  And is it worth your life should it end on an EID or a sniper round?  Are you giving selflessly, will you give 100 percent and no less?  You must give 100% and without motive for personal gain if you wish to truly succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Never Quit, Never Complain, Never look back, never leave a fallen comrade...  Lead the way.

Time is relative, relatives take time.