Why is the grass always greener?

[iamspartacus]

The grass is always greener on the other side right? 6 months ago I finished a 4 ½ year enlistment. Recently I’ve been going though some typical feelings of wanting to get back in. Specifically to go to OCS and try to get a commission and then finish out my 20 years. I’m not in a bad place right now or anything. I’ve got a good job and have a great life. But, like most people, I hate wondering about what could have been. So I’m curious to hear from other Marines who are/were going through the same thoughts. Pardon my obsessive need for organization, but I made a quick survey. I’d appreciate your thoughts if you were a marine who got out and then a. got back in or b. seriously thought about getting back in but didn’t. Thought it might stimulate some good discussion. Obviously feel free to add any other thoughts.

Why did you get out in the first place?

Why did you change your mind and want to go back in? (i.e. There were obviously deciding factors in wanting to originally get out. What changed your mind about those factors?)

For those Marines who got out, thought about getting back in but did NOT: did you regret not going back in? If so, why?

For those Marines who got out and DID go back: did you regret going back? If so, why?



A friend of mine told me an interesting quote. Maybe you all have heard it before: “the grass is not greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.”

[EGTSpec]

Look up GSEMarine94 on the site. He was a Cpl in tha Marines and re-enlisted in the National guard as a LT. Last we heard from him he was being deployed to AzzCrackistan.

[Supersquishy]

I got out of AD and after 8 years or so decided to try the Reserves. I decided that after getting out the first time and doing everything that I ever wanted to do in the civilian world, that the ground side of the reserves is/was my next challenge( I was an airwinger before). Now I get to learn and enjoy everything that I can before my time is up in life. I figure that You only get to live once, and if I have not done this that when Im in my 60's I would be looking back and kicking myself in the ass for not taking the oportunity to get back in. Sorry for the run-on sentances, I just ordered my Grammar for Marines MCI.

[AlohaMarine]

I may not fit the criteria: I've been on AD for almost 4 years, I'm just about to get out.

I'm a Sergeant and life is good. The grass is bright green in the Marine Corps. For some reason mentioning that you are EASing to senior SNCOs garners the "Oh you can't hack it" mentality. No idea why, maybe its because so many who get out can't. If I couldn't hack it, I doubt I'd have these chevrons...the Marine Corps seems to be giving out Corporal, but damnit I earned Sergeant.

But there are other opportunities out there. Lets face it, in this economy you can't go anywhere in life (except as an enlisted man in the military) without a degree. Even with one, its still tough but that doesn't negate the necessity of it.

Sure, its easy to be on active duty and take online classes...if you work for Base G-6 and never go to field ops, deployments, and have a reliable 0730-1630 schedule. Otherwise, what do you do when you go live in a 2 man tent for 8 weeks? How do you finish school then?

With the new GI Bill, my tuition will be 100% paid for and I will make about $300 a month less in BAH attending school full time than I would on active duty.

Read that again. On active duty I make $XXXX per month. Going to school I will make $XXXX-$300. Who the hell would stay in with a deal like that? That's 36 months of guaranteed income, and if you treat school like a job, there's no reason why you couldn't graduate a full year early. School has always been easy for me, my SAT scores and high school grades were off the charts (summa cum laude) so maybe I'm speaking of my own preference, but still. You don't have to be a genius to get a degree.

Now, its understood that the GI bill while almost matching the pay of active duty per dollar doesn't include a place to live and free chow hall food...but who cares? It doesn't include formations, rank structure, duty, field ops, MREs, weapons maintenance, police calls, field day, shaving, uniform inspections, leave requests, safety stand downs, liberty briefs, PWACOs, or civilian attire regulations either.

[Covey_Rider]

Ok I'm going to throw in my 2 cents here...

I had the same exact mindset as AlohaMarine in regards to getting out of the Marines. However once I got out and began attending school I absolutely hated my life. With rent, medical insurance, car, etc. I still had to work 2-3 part time jobs in order to have the type of lifestyle that I was able to lead while in the military. I hated living the lifestyle of a starving college student. However for me, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the people. Maybe it was due to the fact that I had just returned from Afghanistan, or maybe I it's the fact that I'm short fused. Either way, I hated the people the most.

I have also been looking at getting back into the Marine Corps. I decided to go a different route however and for now, I am a contractor. For me this is perfect right now. I get to be around like-minded people and I get a six figure a year income.

I miss Marines, however I don't miss the Marine Corps as much. Civilian life has it's own set of hurdles as I'm sure you already know. You just have to figure out what you really want out of life and create a route that can take you there. One thing I learned about myself is that job satisfaction in a huge priority of mine. However at the same time, you have to do what you have to do, until you can do what you want to do.

[AlohaMarine]

Ok I'm going to throw in my 2 cents here...

I had the same exact mindset as AlohaMarine in regards to getting out of the Marines. However once I got out and began attending school I absolutely hated my life. With rent, medical insurance, car, etc. I still had to work 2-3 part time jobs in order to have the type of lifestyle that I was able to lead while in the military. I hated living the lifestyle of a starving college student. However for me, that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was the people. Maybe it was due to the fact that I had just returned from Afghanistan, or maybe I it's the fact that I'm short fused. Either way, I hated the people the most.

I have also been looking at getting back into the Marine Corps. I decided to go a different route however and for now, I am a contractor. For me this is perfect right now. I get to be around like-minded people and I get a six figure a year income.

I miss Marines, however I don't miss the Marine Corps as much. Civilian life has it's own set of hurdles as I'm sure you already know. You just have to figure out what you really want out of life and create a route that can take you there. One thing I learned about myself is that job satisfaction in a huge priority of mine. However at the same time, you have to do what you have to do, until you can do what you want to do.

As far as money goes:
I definitely should've included that I am married, and my wife has a salary paying job with insurance. Makes it alot easier. My GI bill will go toward rent alone, she will pay for everything else. I also paid off my car already (I don't know why you didn't in Afghanistan?).

If you are single however, medical insurance through the VA or through the college is ridiculously cheap, and if you live in the dorms "rent" is pretty much nill. You get a part time job and you will be set. I'm not in those shoes so I can't speak from experience but I can't see how $2000 a month in BAH would be eaten up by gas, a cell phone bill, rent for dorms, and car insurance without leaving any for food or spending money.

I've also saved 15% of my paycheck for the entire 4 years I've been in, so I'm sitting on a nice savings account too. Another 10% went to mutual funds. I pretty much took the average of what my buddies spent in alcohol and tobacco for a month, and saved that much.

I've never gotten how people can come out of a 4 year job, especially with deployments (not saying you did Covey, just in general) and be completely broke.

[EGTSpec]

I've never gotten how people can come out of a 4 year job, especially with deployments (not saying you did Covey, just in general) and be completely broke.Try sending most of your paycheck home to your wife thinking because she is staying with her parents while you're deployed she won't need that much and you'll have a nice nest egg when you get back. Only to find when you get back that she spent every dime of it partying with her friends and paying for everybody who was broke. Which at that time was most of them. Never ever send all your money home. Get a savings account where-ever you're stationed, or in an account she can't access unless you're dead, and just send enough home for necessities. Let her get a job and help with the daily expenses. I trusted her to save, and she screwed me good. I know, it's the screwing I get, for the screwing I got. I only wish someone had advised me better. That's my story.

[Phantom Blooper]

Why is the grass always greener?


Grass is always greener over a septic tank.

[EGTSpec]

Grass is always greener over a septic tank.Or where all the Bullsh!t is spread. :D