Am I too old for the Marine Corps? (beware...long post)
I'm not quite sure if this is the correct forum for this question so I ask the moderators to please move this if you feel it belongs somewhere else.
Ever since I was 15 years old I considered joining the Marine Corps but decided otherwise mainly due to pressure from my parents. After high school I thought about it again but decided to try the 9-5 M-F desk job. After three years I became increasingly bored and decided to enroll in college to pursue pyschology with the intent on becoming a psychiatrist. Now I'm on my third year and just completely tired/bored of it.....and I realize there is no way I can do this for another five plus years (you have to go to med school if you want to do psychiatry). So now I feel that I'm back at square one again...and seriously considering the Marine Corps once again (and this is by far the closest I've come to joining).
Now that I'm 26 I feel that I might be too old to join the Marine Corps. Yes, I have a two year degree right now which could give me more opportunities regarding where I want to go in the corps but that really doesn't matter since I'll be signing up for infantry anyway.
So I have a few questions....
-If I join at age 26/27, will I be considered an "old fart?"
-Will I get treated differently because of my age? (more responsiblities, looked down upon....etc.)
-What is the maximum age for someone in the infantry? (at what point do they say, "We need to find you a different position...you're too old for this.")
-Is it common for people my age to join?
I have absolutely no objections to taking orders from someone younger than me so that will never be an issue. If I decide to sign, I would like to go to basic training in the next six months. I'm already in great shape but that will give me even more time to prepare and get in even better shape.
I know that all of these questions could be asked to Marine recruiters but I'm looking more for candid replies and I figured the replies here wouldn't be sugarcoated.
Sorry for such a long post and I really appreciate any help/answers. Thanks
thanks for answering my question
Quote:
Originally Posted by gwladgarwr
I went to OCS at age 30. Yes, I got some flack, but still managed a 300 PFT. I got broke so I had to go home.
I went back at age 32 (I won't go into detail but I didn't get my commission.)
I then went enlisted and turned 33 on Parris Island. I was the oldest recruit in the battalion, and I sure did get a lot of grief for it. All my fellow recruits were between 17 and 24. I was the oldest, and there was a 31-year old in my platoon, as well as a 27-year old. The "kids" were really mean to me about the age thing, saying things like "You couldn't hack it in the civilian world so you had to finally turn to the military" and "You ought to be ashamed of going to boot camp at your age - this is a young man's game". That's OK - I had plenty going for me in the civilian world and a nice little college degree, so no, I didn't need the Marine Corps for the bennies. It didn't hurt that I don't look my age (37.75 years old now.)
The 27-year old and I scored number 3 and number 1 in the final company PFT. Yours truly got the battalion high PFT. Not bad for an old man, eh? Another 27-year old in another platoon got the 2nd highest PFT score. And yes, I was older than even my Series GySgt and my company commander, as well as all the DI's in all the platoons. I have to admit, it did bother me a little at first, but I never let it show. After a week or so, I was too tired to care. Besides, they knew that they didn't have to worry too much about me since I wasn't as likely to goof off. Heck, I was doing my taxes at boot camp; I had my friends send me my W-2's and forms sent to me, and I did my taxes after taps.
So, it depends on your outlook on the age thing. I still get flack for it; you don't see very many 38 year old Corporals unless you hang out around the brig. Just remember that everyone superior in rank to you got there because they earned it (most of the time, anyway.) They deserve the respect and deference that their rank entitles them. Age is just a number; performance and maturity is what makes the rank, not your biological number.:marine:
Thank you for answering my question. I'm 31 myself. I was in a Jr. ROTC type cadet program in HS and expected to make a career out of the Marine Corps. Life, it seems, had other plans for me. A failed marriage and two kids later, I find myself with a decent city job, but longing to be a part of the brotherhood of Marines.
Until I read your post I assumed that was not an option for me anymore. I am enthused and excited about the possibilities for my future.
Thank you,
Vic