Cortillaen
12-04-10, 07:36 PM
One quick question to start: Would it be appropriate to preface posts like this with "Good [morning/afternoon/evening], ladies and gentlemen." by way of courtesy? As I understand it, Poolees are to extend proper military courtesy (excluding salutes since we are not uniformed) to Marines, so I'm trying to get in the habit of doing so.
I finally got to swear in Wednesday, which was like a dream come true after working towards it for over ten months. Unfortunately, now I'm even more torn on what MOS to aim for than before, and I only have the next 26 days to get it figured out (not to mention the first-come-first-served nature I've heard about). As far as availability goes, I got a 98 ASVAB with line scores going from 134 to 145, so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm mechanically-inclined, love all weapons from swords to automatic rifles to missiles, and enjoy both the abstracts of engineering and hands-on machining. My dream job would be working in military R&D; designing, building, and testing new weapons systems and upgrades to existing ones. To that end, I plan to pursue an officer commission while enlisted, whether through MECEP or just taking college courses a little along, since I'm given to understand that only officers would do the kind of work I want most.
My problem is this: I have a (completely irrational) desire to spend some time as a grunt, to see if I have what it takes. I feel like skipping that will leave me always wondering, and I hate regrets. I also feel that usage experience might be of benefit later in my career. On the other hand, my recruiter has told me that I should go straight into whatever field I want to make a career of. If any Marines have some advice for me on this, I'd really appreciate it.
Since I have a few other questions, I'll go ahead and stick them here to avoid needless clutter.
First, am I right in looking at 2111 as the best direction for an enlisted man aiming for R&D as an officer someday? So far, I haven't seen any other MOSs that would offer as much experience and understanding with a broad array of weapons systems, but my knowledge of Marine Corps enlisted MOSs is far from encyclopedic.
Second, several older threads on 2111 have stated the possibility of going out on patrol on occasion. Is this still the case? If so, is there any way to request such an assignment?
Last, I need some information on MECEP. My recruiter has told me that anyone is eligible so long as they can finish their degree before age 31, but I haven't been able to find any confirmation of that from other sources. Every online source I've checked puts the age requirement at simply no more than 26 to apply. Online sources also mention needing to be at least a Corporal (preferably Sergeant), which will be impossible for me unless I somehow managed to get promoted three or four times within less than a year and a half (and that's assuming I graduate boot camp with no delays). As much as I want to simply believe my recruiter, I want even more to not be blindsided by reality. Can any current or recently retired Marines give me some insight here? Also, will my poor performance in past college (from a couple years ago before I decided I needed to get my head screwed on straight; more details (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93538)) kill any chance I might have had?
Thank you in advance for the assistance, Marines.
I finally got to swear in Wednesday, which was like a dream come true after working towards it for over ten months. Unfortunately, now I'm even more torn on what MOS to aim for than before, and I only have the next 26 days to get it figured out (not to mention the first-come-first-served nature I've heard about). As far as availability goes, I got a 98 ASVAB with line scores going from 134 to 145, so that shouldn't be an issue. I'm mechanically-inclined, love all weapons from swords to automatic rifles to missiles, and enjoy both the abstracts of engineering and hands-on machining. My dream job would be working in military R&D; designing, building, and testing new weapons systems and upgrades to existing ones. To that end, I plan to pursue an officer commission while enlisted, whether through MECEP or just taking college courses a little along, since I'm given to understand that only officers would do the kind of work I want most.
My problem is this: I have a (completely irrational) desire to spend some time as a grunt, to see if I have what it takes. I feel like skipping that will leave me always wondering, and I hate regrets. I also feel that usage experience might be of benefit later in my career. On the other hand, my recruiter has told me that I should go straight into whatever field I want to make a career of. If any Marines have some advice for me on this, I'd really appreciate it.
Since I have a few other questions, I'll go ahead and stick them here to avoid needless clutter.
First, am I right in looking at 2111 as the best direction for an enlisted man aiming for R&D as an officer someday? So far, I haven't seen any other MOSs that would offer as much experience and understanding with a broad array of weapons systems, but my knowledge of Marine Corps enlisted MOSs is far from encyclopedic.
Second, several older threads on 2111 have stated the possibility of going out on patrol on occasion. Is this still the case? If so, is there any way to request such an assignment?
Last, I need some information on MECEP. My recruiter has told me that anyone is eligible so long as they can finish their degree before age 31, but I haven't been able to find any confirmation of that from other sources. Every online source I've checked puts the age requirement at simply no more than 26 to apply. Online sources also mention needing to be at least a Corporal (preferably Sergeant), which will be impossible for me unless I somehow managed to get promoted three or four times within less than a year and a half (and that's assuming I graduate boot camp with no delays). As much as I want to simply believe my recruiter, I want even more to not be blindsided by reality. Can any current or recently retired Marines give me some insight here? Also, will my poor performance in past college (from a couple years ago before I decided I needed to get my head screwed on straight; more details (http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93538)) kill any chance I might have had?
Thank you in advance for the assistance, Marines.