Enlist or officer

[Das Pferd]

Enlist and go active duty or reserves, then do college while your in. Then you can finish college and do PLC or any of the ROTC programs and get your c[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']ommission.[/FONT]

[UMDStudent24]

Leading Marines is a privilege. There are no better people in the world than enlisted Marines, and receiving an appointment to the rank of a Commissioned Officer makes you responsible for those Marines. If you're not completely determined that you want to lead Marines, do yourself a favor and do not become an Officer.

There are too many people who assume that the Officer route is the way to go because of the pay and the benefits. They choose that route for selfish reasons. There are too many people who assume that the achievement of a basic college education means the Officer route is the way you should go. There are many enlisted Marines with bachelors degrees and higher. Some of the best NCOs you can meet have post graduate educations.

If you want to be an enlisted Marine, become an enlisted Marine. If you find that your opportunity to go to school is too good to pass up, go to school. When you finish, become an enlisted Marine. If you want to become an Officer, do what it takes to become an Officer.

Either way, this is a question that you need to answer within yourself. If you really need to come to this forum to determine what you should do than you're certainly not ready to do either.

[UMDStudent24]

The Marine NCOs and SNCOs I've met since I began my journey to become a Marine Officer 2 years ago all gave me very similar advice.
You shouldn't need to "win" the respect of the Marines in your command. If you're true to the Marines, and you're truly there to serve them, you will gain their respect. If you're there for your own selfish desires, the Marines will see that and they will not respect you.
Mustangs have a unique perspective that can help them better understand their enlisted Marines. Ultimately though, it is not the amount of experience you have, not your PFT of CFT score, nor your final graduating position in OCS or TBS that determines how your Marines will respond to you. It is your attitude. Officers are supposed to serve the enlisted Marines. Our only job is to ensure that the enlisted Marines have the training, equipment, and direction necessary to accomplish the mission. If you're main desires behind pursuing a commission are not in line with that role, you're only doing a disservice to yourself, to the enlisted Marines, and to the Marine Corps.

[VEWenneker]

I had exactly the same choice back in 1965. I enlisted. Why? No money for college. But had their been money I certainly would have gone to college and then become a Marine Officer. I served my 4 years, rose to sergeant, racked up 12 different ribbons...and to this day, the greatest mistake of my life...was not becoming a Marine Officer. I pray you make a satisfactory solution to your quandry.