Advice on joining.

[Central]

I'll be frank, and to the point.

I've been mulling over the possibility of joining the military for...Hell, a year now. I've yet to come to a definite decision, but I believe I'm close to making one now.

The problem is, I'm...rather, out of shape. I'm your run-of-the-mill geek, who can barley manage a few push-ups, and don't ask me to run very far, or I'll cough up a lung.

I've tried college, but I've gotten so far dug in my ways of procrastination, I'll ruin my GPA if I keep going. I want to, with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, shove my attitude out of it's current rut, and get going with my life. I've always wanted to be in the military, I just didn't know what to do about my personality.

I'm not the best with taking critique, much less getting shouted at. I boarder on the stereotyped 'nerd' - save for I'm 30 pounds overweight, not slim and thin.

I really do want to join the Marines. I've always wanted to make something of myself, and do something with my life that wouldn't be centered around me, and, from what I've heard, it's rather difficult to fail boot-camp (Just quitting, I've read, is nigh impossible), and I need to get myself somewhere where I have nowhere to go but up.

So, I guess my question is, could I make it, or, even, should I try?

[USCFIGHTONUSC]

So, I guess my question is, could I make it, or, even, should I try?

Only you can answer those questions.

But let me say this. If you think that by enlisting into the USMC that you will change, then you may be asking for trouble. Who you are now is most likely who you will always be in life.

The Marines do not take a geek/nerd/spazz and turn him into a jock who is now popular and can kill you at a moments notice.

Remember that many join the USMC because they feel it will change them and give them instant respect. Sure you may change a little bit, but the core of who you are never changes. And as time goes on the motivation wears off and you revert to how you were before you enlisted.

Just ask yourself this. What happens to you if you do not like the USMC and its ways? The answer is that you will be 100 times worse then you are now. The issues you have now can be made worse if you allow them to. There are no guarantees when you choose to enlist.

My question to you is this..Why do you want to join the USMC? There may be other branches out there better suited for you.

In the end you must make the decision and part of being a Marine is making that tough decision.

[Central]

Thanks for the reply.

I don't intend to join to gain respect, or to become a 'jock'.

I do want to change, I've had an easy life, never challenged, never pushed to go beyond the norm. I want a challenge, and I sure as hell want to prove to myself - not to others - that I can do it, if nothing else.

If I don't like it...Well, hell, it won't kill me, and it defiantly won't hurt to have tried.

Why a Marine and not another branch? That's tougher to answer.

When you're in another branch, you're in the Army, or, in the Navy, Airforce, et-cetera. When you're in the Marine Corps, you're a Marine. I want to accomplish the highest bar I can set for myself (Realistically). Nothing would make me more proud of myself - and hopefully my family - than to accomplish that goal.

I have no doubt I could mentally buckle down and force myself through. I'm more worried about the physical end of things.

[Alisium]

Thanks for the reply.

I don't intend to join to gain respect, or to become a 'jock'.

I do want to change, I've had an easy life, never challenged, never pushed to go beyond the norm. I want a challenge, and I sure as hell want to prove to myself - not to others - that I can do it, if nothing else.

If I don't like it...Well, hell, it won't kill me, and it defiantly won't hurt to have tried.

Why a Marine and not another branch? That's tougher to answer.

When you're in another branch, you're in the Army, or, in the Navy, Airforce, et-cetera. When you're in the Marine Corps, you're a Marine. I want to accomplish the highest bar I can set for myself (Realistically). Nothing would make me more proud of myself - and hopefully my family - than to accomplish that goal.

I have no doubt I could mentally buckle down and force myself through. I'm more worried about the physical end of things.

It sounds like you want to join for all the right reasons.

As far as the physical end of things goes, the human body is a machine. Like every other machine, It has a predesignated peak and all it takes is a little maintenance to get there and stay there.

Just start running and working out. It'll suck at first. But each time you do it, it'll add to what you can do. Do five push ups today. Do them every day for a week, then next week you'll be able to do more. Jog a 1/2 mile every day for a week. By the end Saturday, it won't take you as long and it wont suck as much as it did on Monday.

It's all progressive. Even if you only do a little, it's way better than doing nothing. Your body was made to run for days after prey and cause their heart to explode. We're meant to climb, jump and sprint away from predators. Your body is an athletic machine. It just needs your mind to make it do a little keep up.