hello everyone! i am planning on joining up here soon. my question is this- i'm am still undecided on going enlisted or officer. of course the recuiters want me to go enlisted, but many others have advised me to go through an officer program. now i want to get into intelligence and either way i eventually would like to become an officer, i just don't know what rout to go. any advice on either?
-thanks!

Do you have a college education?

if you havnt had a college education i would recommend doing an enlisted term to find out what its like to be on the enlisted side, it gives you a good idea of what the entire Marine Corps is like and will make you a better officer when you have to deal with your troops and to know what they are going through. the enlisted troops will also treat you with more respect knowing that you have done what they are doing. you will be known as a "mustang." if you do go enlisted there are so many different options for you to go to school for free and have them pay you. ex. MECEP. if you have had a college education i would recommend going to OCS just b/c it would be a waste of your knowledge and time and degree to get paid almost nothing for what took you 4 years of your life to learn. i have been in for 3 years now as enlisted so FWIW and whatever questions you might have feel free to ask.

Where to begin!?

First and foremost let me say this: please forgive me for comparing the USMC to the Civilian world.

We can only give you insight on the two "sides"
The enlisted side in my opinion is like being a blue collar worker. Do as your told. Carrying out the mission with an extreme sense of urgency. But don't worry... There is plenty of room for advancement and your training never ends. That is the best part of my job i think, very day i really do learn something new.

The officer side (as far as this ENLISTED MARINE can see) seems to be white collar type work. You WILL be in charge of enlisted Marines right out of MOS training. You will be in charge of their actions and responsible for them. You will rely heavily on your senior enlisted to keep you informed and also as mentors as they are experts in their MOS. You WILL be responsible for reporting your progress and status up the chain of command on a daily basis. You WILL have to take care of your Marines.

I have never heard of an officer getting in to or back in to the enlisted side. In the MECEP program you don't get to choose your MOS per se but you do get to rate your MOS choices and your MOS will be decided on what the USMC needs at the time.

Keep in mind this is only a brief synopsis based on my OBSERVATIONS. you won't truly know until you are in up to your eyeballs but I hope this info helps.

Questions:
What kind of job experiences do you have?
Do you have any one in the USMC that knows you and can discuss this with you?

" I have never heard of an officer getting in to or back in to the enlisted side." b/c they cant, once you are commisioned you either get out or stay a commissioned officer.

i have started my first semster in college. i wanted to enlist straight after high school but i went to college first because of my family situation... anyway i started thinking since i am already going to school why not do an officer program and get my degree. sounds pretty good i would think, but i'm not sure it's the best way.
(i wasn't talking about going from officer to enlist though that doesn't really make sense)
...my boyfriend is enlisted and advised me to go officer. so i have talk about it with someone other than the recruiters. i guess he didn't really give me the answer i was hoping for so that's why i came to you guys. i really appreciate your advice!
the respect issue that MilidarUSMC brought up make a lot of sense and i totally agree with him.
also i am female. does this play into either option at all?

Originally Posted by MilidarUSMC

if you havnt had a college education i would recommend doing an enlisted term to find out what its like to be on the enlisted side, it gives you a good idea of what the entire Marine Corps is like and will make you a better officer when you have to deal with your troops and to know what they are going through. the enlisted troops will also treat you with more respect knowing that you have done what they are doing. you will be known as a "mustang." if you do go enlisted there are so many different options for you to go to school for free and have them pay you. ex. MECEP. if you have had a college education i would recommend going to OCS just b/c it would be a waste of your knowledge and time and degree to get paid almost nothing for what took you 4 years of your life to learn. i have been in for 3 years now as enlisted so FWIW and whatever questions you might have feel free to ask.

I don't believe that being a Mustang gives you automatic respect. Officers are respected by their Marines based on leadership not based on prior enlisted service. I served on Mustangs who great and I served under Mustangs who were less than stellar.

MECEP is highly competative with a limited number of highly contested spots.

Get your degree and apply for OCS. Contact an Officer Selection Officer in your area they can explain your options better than an enlisted recruiter or a message board.

alright thanks everyone for the imput. it really helps. if you have any more i would be glad to hear it! thanks!