Advice or Insights on joining the Marines.

[M1karava]

Hey,

Im thinking of joining the Marine Corps after high school which by my count is two more years. a lot of people tell me that I am brave or incredibly stupid. The navy isint for me, and I dont want to be a mechanic or a pilot. That narrows it down to the Army or Marine's. I have had recruiters come to my school and give me some advice. But most just think im wasting their time, They tell me to talk to them in my senior year.
I have always wanted to prove myself above all others and pass any challenge that someone throws at me and in my eyes the toughest most ballbusting service is the Marine's.

However I am not recieving enough info to firmly nail shut my decison.
If anyone can help your more than welcome to reply.

 

[PJ24]

Actually, the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force are all viable options if you're interested in physically and mentally challenging careers. I don't say the Navy because you didn't give a specific reason for not wanting to be in it, just that you didn't want to.

The Air Force has more than just mechanics and pilots, but outside of one career (TACP) all of our combat arms careers are Special Operations and require an intense amount of physical fitness, training and dedication.

All services have physically challenging careers that focus on combat operations and all have support careers.

I wouldn't worry so much about who seems "toughest" to you. High school talk, movies and commercials don't carry you through four years of your life and they don't depict reality.

The Marine Corps is an outstanding service and if it in general appeals to you, then start researching the jobs it has to offer. Find some that are interesting to you and research those even further. While commercials and recruiters may tell you that "just being a Marine" is enough, that's not necessarily true. What MOS you choose is a huge part of being a Marine (the same is true for any branch of service) so ensure you look towards careers that a) interest you and b) offer you something to use later on, even if it isn't tangible (ie, leadership skills.)

You have some time to go so I wouldn't stress too much about it right now. Stay involved in team sports, keep your grades up, try to get into college if you can. Keep your nose clean and stay away from trouble makers. Work out, eat right and improve your fitness.

Outside of those things. Just enjoy your childhood and worry about the military when the time comes. You won't get these years back.

 

[M1karava]

Words of wisdom

Hey thanks

Its nice to get advice especially from people who know what their talking about. Your words have a lot of truth in them, Ill keep my mind open and evaluate my options. Like you said I have plenty of time to do so. The decision will come to me, I just like to be prepared and plan early.Unexpected surprises can be nasty especially after your stuck in a branch of service that you are not comfortable in, especially when you are there until your contract ends.

Anyway thanks for the advice and suggestions.