Questions about joining the Marines at 25

As the title suggests I am currently getting back into shape in order to be considered for the Marines. It has been a personal goal of mine to join the military and the Marines has always been my first choice. I am currently 25 and at the rate I am training I will be more then ready in 3 months. I have a college degree but it would not be competitive for OCS so infantry is my first choice. I've been doing loads of research already but its still hard to find personal accounts of what I would be going through as a recruit that is 6 years older then the average. I completely understand that I will have DIs and superiors younger then me and have no problem taking orders from someone who has earned that right. I was wondering if any current Marines on this board enlisted at or around 25? What was your experience like and is there any words of wisdom you could share on being an older recruit? Thank you in advance for your time.

I was 23 when I DEP'd into the Corps and I turned 24 at boot camp. The only suggestion I can really give you is to be very humble when you are at the depot for boot camp. And same goes for once you hit the fleet. Your fellow recruits and DI's don't care how old you are or if you have a college degree. They only care about molding you into and making you a Marine. You will have guys older than you that have no business being a Marine, you'll have 17ye old Recon contracts, and everything in between. Just remember everyone is there for the same thing. As a 25/26 year old with a college degree, your time to shine will come when you hit the fleet and you can show that you are more mature and better able to accomplish a task/mission than the others in your peer group/pay grade.

I turned 28 in boot camp. You'll get some extra attention for your age, but likely not as much as I did. I was older than two of my three hats. Nevertheless, whether or not your age makes Recruit Training harder for you will still depend on whether or not you're a sh!tbird. You will be expected to be more mature at that age, which you should be. If you prove to be mature and level headed, you'll likely end up in a leadership position while you're there. If you're 6 years older than everyone else, and nobody can tell that based on your actions and performance, you'll get even more negative attention.

This was exactly what I was looking for and has boosted my confidence and determination. Thank you very much for your responses. Another question I have is, was there anything particularly difficult to do or get used to specifically related to being older?

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Originally Posted by cafe2fighter

This was exactly what I was looking for and has boosted my confidence and determination. Thank you very much for your responses. Another question I have is, was there anything particularly difficult to do or get used to specifically related to being older?

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Keeping your mouth shut when stupid games start getting played and the younger recruits act like ------- children.

Also be prepared to take orders from someone who is the same grade as you but a good 5 to 10 years younger than you. This happens after you leave boot camp.

During recruit training your age wont matter i was 27 when I went I was as old as my Senior and my Heavy i was a good 6 years older than my 3rd hat too. Hell I am older than everyone in my platoon in the school house even my NCO's are younger than me im older than some of the instructers here, luckily my primary joined the Corps at a late age so she knows what I am dealing with. But it is what you signed up for, after recruit training your age wont matter till you get to the school house and the fleet because MCT is just another hasefest like boot camp just not to the same extent.

After reading everyone's responses and talking to a few past Marines, it does seem like putting up with bull **** will be the hardest part. I wont lie and say taking orders from someone who may not know anything besides high-school then military will be easy, but it seems as long as I keep myself squared away, the bull **** will just slide right off. If obeying a direct order from a superior causes a problem or I know is completely wrong in execution not morality, can I get in trouble for it or does all the blame rest squarely on the person who gave the order?

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Originally Posted by cafe2fighter

After reading everyone's responses and talking to a few past Marines, it does seem like putting up with bull **** will be the hardest part. I wont lie and say taking orders from someone who may not know anything besides high-school then military will be easy, but it seems as long as I keep myself squared away, the bull **** will just slide right off. If obeying a direct order from a superior causes a problem or I know is completely wrong in execution not morality, can I get in trouble for it or does all the blame rest squarely on the person who gave the order?

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No you will get in trouble because of them too either they will show up late or their uniform will be out of regs or a number of other things like they didn't field day properly or something. The Marine Corps likes mass punishment they do punish the individuals sometimes yes but more often than not mass punishmne is the name of the game

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Originally Posted by cafe2fighter

After reading everyone's responses and talking to a few past Marines, it does seem like putting up with bull **** will be the hardest part. I wont lie and say taking orders from someone who may not know anything besides high-school then military will be easy, but it seems as long as I keep myself squared away, the bull **** will just slide right off. If obeying a direct order from a superior causes a problem or I know is completely wrong in execution not morality, can I get in trouble for it or does all the blame rest squarely on the person who gave the order?

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It depends on what you mean by "get in trouble." Will you get NJP'd for folowing the lawful order of a superior grade? Doubtful. Will you get put on blast for doing what you're told? Sometimes. It depends on whether or not they ask you why you're doing it. "That's retarded Marine. Why are you doing that?" "Sergeant so and so told me to sir." It won't always work out that way though. We were standing around the Corporal one day, and she told one of the Marines to take out his cell phone and save an email address in it. As she was reciting it to him, the 1st Sgt walked by and saw an NCO addressing a PFC, and it looked as though the PFC was ignoring her and sending a text message. He lost it, and blasted the PFC, despite the Corporal's best efforts to explain the situation.

The fact is, however, that by the end of boot camp you don't really care much about that kind of thing. You just shrug it off. It's the Marine Corps, not too much gets sugar coated.

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Originally Posted by cafe2fighter

I wont lie and say taking orders from someone who may not know anything besides high-school then military will be easy, but it seems as long as I keep myself squared away, the bull **** will just slide right off.

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No It won't be easy, and If you (and I stress IF!) you become a Marine you need to get rid of the attitude that because your older and more educated, you know better. Having said that, Strive to learn something from everyone you meet, and believe me you will.


Some of the Smartest people I met in my service had H.S. diplomas,or less(back then you didn't need one to enlist) heck 1 Master Gunny had a G.E.D. and was the Smartest E.O.D. Tech I ever knew, Get rid of the holier than thou attitude and you'll be better for it.

Thats How I read it. Good Luck and Keep us posted, We are all rooting for you.

Thank you all again for the great responses. You have all been a big help. An update on my situation: I've started a running regimen but cant kick the CrossFit addiction. Its pretty much powerlifting so I'm gaining muscle too quickly. One of my most proud and largest accomplishments so far that was done with the Marines in mind, is after a long battle with cigarettes I am 8 days smoke free. It has been a ***** to quit but with such a lofty goal in mind, its helping me tremendously. I'm a bit nervous to talk to a recruiter until I'm in better shape because I will require waivers to enlist, moral and drug. I want to show that I am worthy of a chance to enlist and have dedicated a large portion of my life to becoming Marine. I have cracked open an Asvab study book and highschool nostalgia came rushing in. I took a practice exam and got a 98% so lets hope I can destroy it when it comes time to take the real thing.
The hardest thing so far about this journey is not the physical stuff, its explaining to people and loved ones who do not understand why I have chose this path, why I am doing what I am doing. But that will hopefully come in time.

Those who don't understand why you are doing this and don't want you to join are simply doing it because they care about you and don't want you to leave. Once they see how much you want to be a Marine, then they will start to understand. Once they do start to understand, they'll all be very proud of you. They'll all be talking about their brother/son/friend/uncle/cousin/et cetra who is a Marine. Go for your goal and understanding will come in time. A quick little point on the original topic, I've found it helpful being a bit older than most. The maturity and knowledge of the world will help you a lot and can set you apart from your peers. Also, it's definitely a good thing to be over 21. I've seen NJP's over underage drinking and that will ruin your career. Best of luck getting back into shape, we believe in you and support you and hope that you may one day join our ranks.

When do you plan on seeing a recruiter? Their is an age limit for enlisting and your clock is ticking. Your enlistment process will be slowed down due to waivers being submitted to higher headquarters and awaiting adjudication which does not happen overnight. Actions speek louder than words; it's past time you got your a$$ in gear. Let us know how your visit with the recruiter goes. For your sake, it had better happen tomorrow.

I was in a similar situation to you when I left for boot. I was 22, had a college degree, worked for everything my whole life. I also had to work hard to get myself in shape to leave, crossfit helped me a bit too. Make sure to tailor your workouts with them to focus on your weaknesses and it should balance everything out.

What everyone is saying is completely right, you have a lot of bull to put up with in boot and in the fleet. The hardest thing is to not get mad. Most of the guys who I've known through boot and up to now have been older. We have a tendency to stick together because we see past some of the "games'. I've found the hardest thing isn't putting up with someone because of their age, but their life experiences. Most of the people who are the most annoying are the ones who have never had a job or worked for anything. They exist regardless of age. Do not let your college degree, age or anything be an excuse to do anything. You will get reamed out for it, and it does not make you better than anyone else around here. Your rank and your Marine age are the only things that really make a difference.

Get ready to get reamed for anything and everything. Ass chewings are a part of daily life around here. Most people just take whatever useful information they can get from it and ignore the over-the-top aspects of it. You will save yourself from a lot of them and other bull because you are old enough to drink. However, that doesn't mean you wander around the barracks plastered.

If you got a 98 on your ASVAB I wouldn't worry about that at all. It is extremely hard to bring your score up much past that. I understand the situation with your family and friends. They won't get it, not many people do. My family had a hard time, but once they saw what I was putting into becoming a Marine possible they got behind me entirely. You should know by now that those who care will always back you regardless of if they enjoy it. Be ready for a never ending series of questions though, and some you never expected to be asked.

If you do not at least try to go the officer route when you already have a degree you are retarded. Don't buy into that garbage that being enlisted first earns your more respect.