Well it comes down to this:

In LoTR, you have a good chance of being pressed in to service for one of the big states, Gondor, Rohan or even Rivendell, the mirk (murk?) wood, (damn them elves) the grey mountains (dwarves) This sounds fine, but well what happens when you end up in battle with orcs, goblins and well the worse things which are left over from the age of the first dark lord? Heres another thing, yes the soldiers in the movies look very gallant going off to get stabbed by a goblin or eaten by a warg but hello, theres no running water, apart from that which runs naturally. It could be quite cool in some regards to be in there but it'd also be tough work if you were a farmer, deadly too since there was very little they would have been able to do about things we take for granted as curable.

Starwars universe: Well it seems in starwars everyone is out to kill each other, I mean man in bar picks fights with you, next thing you know blaster bolt to the eye! ouch! The empire and the rebels are going at one another and the empire isn't afraid to destroy planets to get at the rebels which means heck just living in the wrong place at the wrong time is bad. Also whilst in starwars they can work wonders of medical and cybernetic surgery people still die if shot with blasters. Heck even all that thick armour didn't protect the storm troopers shot by blaster bolts it hit them they died end of. Why wear such thick plated armour if all it'd do was stop a twig from leaving a bruise...lets remember vibro blades are almost as keen as a lightsaber is and designed to duel with lightsabers, so not like it's much use there. Also for the few who actually would end up able to control the force they're going to either need to go become a jedi under luke sywalker, perhaps the most inept jedi ever see how much he let palpatine kick his ass? yeah? none of it faked, he got whooped it was up to daddy to save his ass. I do not want to study under a man who got whooped so bad his daddy had to save his ass. Yoda, hell yeah, obi wan where do I sign? Qui Gon Jin...hmm ok but none of this getting a rats tail braid like you have going on. Luke? Daddy save me? HELL NO! On the other side, if you don't become a jedi they're likely to kill you to prevent you becomming a sith lord :S catch 22. Running water and medical advances don't make this all that much more attractive.

So in the end where would I go? Well I'd actually throw a spanner in the works and say I'd like to go in to the Warhammer 40,000 universe and live with the Eldar or become an Inquisitor. Sure it's eternal war, and sure, chaos is like ick and preys on the weak and humanity is little better than nazis but you know something? Atleast there yes everything can and will kill you but you wouldn't go in to a bar and forget your laspistol would you?