Help with deciding between enlisted vs reserves

[RFoster87]

First, I would like to apologize if this topic has been covered before. I searched this forum and did not find a thread covering this.

I am 23 years old with a college degree and a full time job. I have decided to join the Marines for a variety of reasons, but the main one is to serve my country and join something greater than myself. I look forward to the challenge of completing something that will be the hardest, yet most rewarding thing I will ever do in my life.

My only question moving forward is to enlist or go reserves. Since I have my degree I have looked into OCS, but currently right now it is extremely competitive. I have great SAT scores but a below average gpa, and an underage drinking offense. I talked to my local OSO, and he recommended I look into going the reserve route. I would go to boot, then after I finish my MOS as a 0847 I can apply to OCS as a Marine. This will strengthen my application greatly.

My other option is to enlist and try for the ECP program. This timeline will take a bit longer. Most likely 3 to 4 years, but I will be able to get the MOS I most desire, which is Intel. I feel like enlisting will give me everything I am looking for out of this experience, while also preparing me to be a better officer. If I go reserves I could be in OCS next summer as compared to possibly 4 years from now. I feel deep down that if I really want to become an officer, it wont matter that I wait a few years. I was hoping I could get some insite into both options. Possible pro's and con's.

Thank you very much for your time answering this question, and to your service to our country.

[Tennessee Top]

The only insight I can contribute is my experience of dealing with USMC officers over a 22.6 year career. Obviously over that time, I served with some truely outstanding officers and some who did not rate wearing the rank on their collar. All of the "mustangers" (enlisted to commission) fell into the outstanding category I would assume because of their enlisted background (they know life as a Marine on both sides of the fence which has to be an advantage).

So, based on my experience, if you want to be a better officer, I would say go the enlisted route first.

Unfortunately, it appears there are only a handfull (if that) of officers on this board so I don't know if you'll get any useful feedback from them. There may be a forum out there for USMC officers and maybe you could post your question on it.

Good luck with your decision and let us know how it works out.

[Marine1011]

Going the enlisted route will not necessarily make a better officer. All officers rated the wearing of the rank or they wouldn't have been commissioned.
True, some were better than others. But perhaps the outstanding ones were just outstanding, and not because they were prior enlisted. If that were the case, then every enlisted Marine would be outstanding and that isn't the case.

[RFoster87]

Thank you for the responses. I am mostly concerned with the fact that if I go reserves and then to OCS I will be missing out on the time and experience gained from enlisting. Is this something you have heard before?

[03Mike]

Just to chime in with an officer's perspective.

ECP is very, very competitive. I haven't checked the order recently (MCO 1040.43A) so I can't really comment on if it is still as competitive as it was a few years ago. I have known more enlisted Marines who decided to EAS and apply to OCS and get commissioned than I've known that have commissioned through ECP.

In my personal experience - I have known many outstanding officers and serveral that had no business leading Marines. Their commissioning source had nothing to do with whether or not they were good officers. I knew several infantry officers who were prior enlisted who were absolutely top notch leaders of Marines. I've also known some who weren't - two in particular, one spent a year with a rifle company and we eventually pawned him off for FAP duty with Marine Corps Base special services (I believe he ended up at Range Control). The other, well, he had a couple of Battalion Commander level NJPs.

So what am I saying? Being enlisted can lend perspective on your judgment as an officer. Will it make you a better officer? Who knows. Will it guarantee that you'll be a great officer? Nope. It all depends on YOU - your character, your sense of duty and integrity, your leadership potential.

So, enlist active duty or reserve?

Active Duty: One thing to keep an eye on is your age. Going active duty may mean that you have to wait until your initial enlistment is over before you can go to OCC. That would put you at 27 or 28 years old. Talk to your OSO about that.

Reserve: I spent time in the reserve, and I have great respect for the Marine Corps reserves as a whole. In my opinion and experience, what makes the Marine Corps Reserve so good is the number of excellent NCOs, SNCOs and officers who are in the reserve units and who also have multiple active duty fleet tours under their belts. Your experience in the Select Marine Corps Reserve (SMCR) will likely be limited. It will give you an experience - a flavor of life as an enlisted Marine.

Neither experience will ensure that you are a good officer. They may help and they will lend perspective - but how well they impact what kind of officer you are? I personally don't believe that lacking that experience will make you less of an officer.

My advice: Figure out your primary goal. Is it to be an Officer of Marines? If so, I'd recommend that you closely examine the reserve route.

[RFoster87]

03Mike, thank you very much. You have helped me a great deal.