How hard is it to LAT move into infantry?

[VicePL]

Hello Marines, How hard is it to currently LAT move into infantry? Me and my recruiter have been going over jobs for the last few weeks now and I have been pretty persistent on wanting to get infantry but he keeps saying that there is little chance it will open up by my ship date (20120827) and that I should sign up for another job and that I would be first pick if an infantry contract were to arise. Now I spoke to one of my NJROTC instructors and he told me I should just wait it out and not sign for something that I won't want and that the recruiter is just trying to fill a quota, which makes perfect sense to me, I also heard that LAT moving into infantry is near impossible seeing as how that is the most requested MOS, so what should I do? Do I sign for a job I don't really want and hope that my recruiter come through for me, or should I stick to my guns and wait it out until the next fiscal year (which is like June?)?

[Big Boz]

If I was in your shoes and I really wanted infantry, I would wait and here's my thinking. Right now you only have to wait for an opening for infantry. Take a different MOS now and not only do you have to wait for an infantry opening, you also have to get approval to get out of your current MOS. After investing who knows how much $ in you for your current MOS, how easy do you think it is going to be for them to justify not only re-training you for infantry (more $) and finding someone else to fill your old spot (more $). With the projected drawdowns in #s I think it would be nearly impossible to lat move.

[VicePL]

Should I choose a different MOS for the time being, or just tell my recruiter straight up that I will wait for infantry and that's that?

[DevilDogJGS]

Just wait it out. Dont sign for something you dont want. Thats what I did and now Im regretting it.

[Yonkers]

Do what you think will make you happy, that's really all you can do. What you said is probably true about your recruiter, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good option..

best of luck to you,

LCpl Yonkers

[lavgunman]

If it is not on paper you will not lat move until your first 4 years are up and even then it is no garantee.

[whlee92]

if you go infantry, you going to be treated like a boot. you have to earn your way in the grunts. your going to love your job, but hate you life for about a year and a half to 2 years. stand by to send up nine lines all the time and running up and down mountains in full gear, etc. good times.

[YLDNDN6]

You have a tentative ship date, so you must have sworn in already. Question: Have they changed the oath of enlistment to say "The Corps promises to serve you and your every want, need and desire?" I'm fairly certain it is the other way around. So now comes the tough question. Do you want to be a Marine? You are being told that the MOS you want is not available. Your only real option here is to pick something off of list "B," go earn that EGA, and make the absolute most of the MOS that you wind up with. How long do you really think the Corps wants to wait for you? They're holding the door wide open for you RIGHT NOW! Jump through it, pick something, and get on with it. Any regrets you may have will be short lived. Launch.

[whlee92]

Do you want to be a Marine? You are being told that the MOS you want is not available. Your only real option here is to pick something off of list "B," go earn that EGA, and make the absolute most of the MOS that you wind up with.

I was in the same predicament when i was joining. They told me i had no chance of being a grunt, there were no slots. So i pretty much said **** it then, ill wait or join the army. I wanted nothing but to be a grunt. They called me a week later and told me I was going to be a grunt. Was is luck... maybe. But i also think recruiters need people to join, so they are going to do whatever they can if someone is qualified.

[YLDNDN6]

You make a good point, about recruiters doing whatever they can. My son is at MEPS today and tomorrow being processed in to get on the road to Marine Corps Recruit Depot. He wants the 58XX field. Currently, there are no 58XX openings. Will there be openings by October, when he ships? Who knows? But in his mind, he is willing to take what he can get in order to make that ship date. There are scads of necessary MOS openings. Jobs that are crucial to the mission of the Corps. My son understands that what he wants and what the Corps needs could be polar opposites when it comes time to settle on his MOS. Maybe based on his ASVAB scores, there is a specific MOS that would be more suited to his qualifications. I don't expect the world to conform to my way of thinking. Or my son for that matter. I just don't like to see the Corps being made to serve the enlistee, rather than the other way around. Would you tell Walmart you will only take the job if you can start as head cashier? Or tell the law firm that you will only take the job if you start right out on capital murder cases? What would they tell you? Exactly. So, how is it OK to do this with the Corps? It's just me, and my way of thinking, I guess. I honestly wish the best for anyone joining the service. I just tire of seeing where it is percieved as a God-given right to enlist and get what they want, without regard for the needs of the Corps. YLDNDN6 out.

[whlee92]

You make a good point, about recruiters doing whatever they can. My son is at MEPS today and tomorrow being processed in to get on the road to Marine Corps Recruit Depot. He wants the 58XX field. Currently, there are no 58XX openings. Will there be openings by October, when he ships? Who knows? But in his mind, he is willing to take what he can get in order to make that ship date. There are scads of necessary MOS openings. Jobs that are crucial to the mission of the Corps. My son understands that what he wants and what the Corps needs could be polar opposites when it comes time to settle on his MOS. Maybe based on his ASVAB scores, there is a specific MOS that would be more suited to his qualifications. I don't expect the world to conform to my way of thinking. Or my son for that matter. I just don't like to see the Corps being made to serve the enlistee, rather than the other way around. Would you tell Walmart you will only take the job if you can start as head cashier? Or tell the law firm that you will only take the job if you start right out on capital murder cases? What would they tell you? Exactly. So, how is it OK to do this with the Corps? It's just me, and my way of thinking, I guess. I honestly wish the best for anyone joining the service. I just tire of seeing where it is percieved as a God-given right to enlist and get what they want, without regard for the needs of the Corps. YLDNDN6 out.

That's something ive never though about before, but its probably because i got the job that i wanted. And i dont know if your son is on an open contract or not, but if he is i would seriously reconsider. i knew a lot of guys that had open contracts going into recruit training and almost all of them came out as hygiene specialists. the marine corps will put you where they need you on an open contract which is usually a very ****ty job. -LEE

[YLDNDN6]

Understood. We discussed this very thing, and he is definitely not leaving town on an open contract. There are abundant contract openings in various fields, some of which he already has an interest in. Should he not be able to get 58XX he will sign a contract for one of the other fields. Yeah, I remember the day in boot camp that the DI's came out and told everyone what their MOS was. Some of the open contract recruits just stood there dumbfounded when they found out they were field sanitation engineers or cooks. Both vital to the mission, but not what they were expecting...I also was in on an open contract, but because I somehow tested well, I was offered my choice of two fields; Presidential Support or Intelligence. I opted for Intel when I found out that I would be required to maintain all of my issue, plus 6 sets of blues....it became a non-option at that point!

[Kegler300]

You know it's nearly an impossibility when 03's are latmoving into the 01 field...

[Mindgame]

The whole just get your EGA thing is all fine and dandy. However this is the next four years to possibly the rest of your life. Don't settle for something you don't want. It will only make it miserable, and leave a bad taste in your mouth about the Marine Corps. The needs of the Marine Corps will be filled by the kids who weren't smart enough to research. He can't make you sign a contract you don't want, so my suggestion is stand your ground if it is what you want. Right now is the only time you can negotiate anything your Marine Corps life.

However......... I also suggest looking into what the Corps has to offer for jobs. Everyone isn't a lifer. Most people have to go back to their civilian life's. My first decision was based on something I could possibly use in my every day life. My recruiter looked at me and asked if I wanted infantry, I told him no. I explained how I wanted something I could possibly use in the real world if need be. Sure putting on a resume that you where a Marine looks good. But a resume for a job that you have so and so many hours of training, and experience in that field looks much better. Just some food for thought. Think of how your training can improve the rest of your life before you just decide infantry.