I’m not too keyed in on rank but it seems that someone 30 years old who was only a private didn’t have much future anywhere.
True - most likely why she deserted.
Not necessarily. A really motivated person can go in at 30 as a private, and within 3 years could be an E-4 corporal or even an E-5 Sergeant. Depending on the MOS (job), she could have made Staff Sgt or SFC by 40, and that’s only assuming she didn’t do a degree program and try for OCS.
I myself was really hurting in my late 30s job-wise, and really looked into going back into the service. I’d have gone back in at probably PFC because I wouldn’t have been able to rejoin in my original MOS which is one of only a few that still use the SPC-4 rank I held, but I’d have been Corporal or SGT within 6 months, assuming I didn’t do OCS right away (have a MS degree). Hard? Sure, but doable.
I’m just past all the cutoff ages now, unfortunately, or I’d still be looking at options.