How MOS selection works

[tim8901]

From what I hear, I'll be signing an open contract and swearing in to DEP, then after I'll be signing an additional contract with a specified MOS. That although you aren't guarenteed a specific job, you ARE guarenteed an MOS field(I'm looking into aviation maintenance, so I won't have a choice of what/what part of an aircraft I'd be working with, but I'd still be guarenteed that general field)...I just ask because while my recruiter(who has been honest and trustworthy) says thats how it works, I've also heard different. I'm probably just paranoid, but I figured I'd ask an experienced Marine who's already been there. I appreciate any help guys/gals. Thanks.

[Devil1087]

http://www.google.com/search?q=MCO+1130.53

first link, click, save and read. Yes you pick by field, but some fields are lumped together in these contracts. So when they say "here's a firefighting contract" they don't say that it also includes aviation ordnance, which most people get put into.

Some of these contracts only include a small portion of the OccField, so it's not always the entire field.

the contract itself will only show you the included fields, but if you view the document before you get to the contracts it displays every MOS within those fields that is on the contract.

[USMC2571]

You may or may not want to hear about how it worked in the olden days, long ago and far far away, but I'll mention it anyway, just so you folks can see how lucky you are these days.
We enlisted, we went to Parris Island or San Diego, we took Classification Tests in boot camp, a couple of days long, and based on the needs of the Corps and how we scored on those tests, mechanical, Morse Code, etc etc they gave us an MOS
We had absolutely no say in what MOS, they never asked us during the enlistment process, your MOS was issued to you just like your uniforms. Except for what they called Aviation Guaranteed.
It is great that nowadays one can choose his or own MOS field.
We had no idea whether we would be cooking in some mess hall, raking leaves somewhere, or fixing trucks. And the Corps didn't either, until they gave us our individual MOS

Just a walk down memory lane. You folks are lucky today to have a big say in what you get.

We also had a contract, it consisted of signing on the dotted line and the Corps owned you for 2 or 3 or 4 years.

[tim8901]

So I think I understand what you mean. I suppose the real question would be that if I sign an Aviation Maintenance contract, would I be guaranteed to land an mos working on/with aircraft?? Its been forever since I've looke
d at the contracts. Anywhere online spell this out, does anyone know? (Thank you for the input everyone)

[Devil1087]

The link I provided you spells it out pretty clearly, but yes the Marine Corps will assign you a job based on it's needs within your given contract. If you fail your MOS school, the Corps has the liberty to assign you where it sees fit.

If you took the time to skim past the first few pages of that document, it starts to detail each contract, then the actual contracts are in that document as well.

[tim8901]

that's what I was told. that you ARE guaranteed the mos field, but the specific mos in that field is up to them. Ok then no worries. I tried to open the link, but I was doing so from my phone and for some reason was unable to view it. I'll check it out now. Thanks much Marines!