Info from Marines about post USMC life

[jmsadair]

I am currently 17 years old, and last year I decided that I was definitely going to enlist in the Marines. However, when I recently told my parents my decision to enlist right after I graduate, a few problems arose.


They believe that if I enlist right out of high school without going to college first, then I am not going to go to college at all after I finish my time in the Marines, and that most people who join the military end up being poor or having very little success after serving (My overall plan was to serve and then use the GI bill to attend college after I completed my service).


My parents told me that I am too smart to enlist, and that they just want the best for me. I tried finding some statistics of Marines/ military members who attended college after serving and completed it but I was unable to.


I guess my question is: Will I seriously screw up my future success in life if I enlist in The Marines right after high school?


My parents seem very convinced that I am wasting my life and destroying my future by doing this; however, I believe that I'm still going to go to college after the USMC and I will have a good job as long as I'm hard working.


If those of you who enlisted provided your experience after serving, it would be much appreciated. Either way, I will be enlisting.


I was just looking for a little bit of clarity on this issue between my parents and I. Also, I wasn't quite sure where to post this. The Ask A Marine section seemed to best fit my question, however, if I am incorrect about this, let me know.

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[josephd]

I don't know of any exact number or statistic but I am willing to bet that the number of Marines who get out, go to college, and lead great lives/careers is pretty high. I can't even count the number of people I know and have met in the last year or so who are prior service/retired Marines who now have college degrees and have very successful professions or own their own business.

The Marine Corps and your life/future after is all what you make of it. If you take the self discipline you learned and apply it to school and your personal life the sky is the limit as to what you can accomplish. But if you're one of the guys who get out and think everyone owes you something for your service you will end up in a sad state of affairs.

[crazymjb]

Umass has over 400 students drawing from the GI bill. If your family doesn't have a lot of money, have fun paying back 60 THOUSAND+ in student loans. The military offers a great opportunity to help pay for school, as well as have a pretty great and varied experience. That said, don't be an idiot about it. If you are smart, save your money, don't marry some random chick and have kids, buy a car at 100000% interest, etc. Plenty of military guys make a lot of bad decisions, plenty make a lot of good decisions, that will rest on what kind of a person you are.

You can leave the military after 4 years with 20-30k+ in the bank and a free ride through college. Or you can never make anything of your life, and have no money and unemployment checks which go straight to booze and strippers. Like much in life, the military is what you make of it. The too smart for the military thing is the biggest line of bull**** there is, however.

Mike

[jmsadair]

Thanks for your replies, josephd and crazymjb. Hopefully, ill be able to gain my parents support with my decision after talking to them again. I don't need their support but it would be nice if I had it. I truly believe that the Marine Corps will make me a stronger person.

[doc h fmf]

Join the Marine Corps son, as a former corpsman I see a lot of My Marine Brothers in leadership roles and medical I have a friend who is a Chiropracter and TOP TENNESSEEE was a Respitory Therapist,so it is not a mistake I think it is to your advantage to enlist. Good Luck son

Stephen Doc Hansen HM3 FMF

[devilbones2]

I did very well in school and went to recruit training two weeks after I graduated. The Marine Corps teaches you many skills that do not come from books but rather experience that you will never get from school. After getting out I have done very well and use my GI Bill to pay for my school. I have been in the work force for over 12 years and everyone can tell that I am a Marine, just by the way I get things done, I dont complain and have the ability to work with others. Remember your parents are going to be Marines, you are. Do it for yourself, not for them. They arent going to be there holding your hand. Besides you are not wasting your life serving your country. If it werent for men and women such as yourself they wouldnt have the freedom to make that type of rational. They could be savaging the landfills looking for plastic to recycle wishing that somebody would have stood up for them. Good luck and do what you feel is right.

[fl1946]

Wow, grasshopper. Your question is a circular answer, i.e., there is no one correct answer. As one poster said it's what you make of it. You are privileged -- and it is understandable that your parents want what's best for you. Bottom line though, you'll have to make your own life decision. Now's good time as any.

Philosophy aside, we can list countless benefits having served in the Marine Corps. For me it was the closeness of being part of a brotherhood which no other service can match. This is stuff you can't capture in a jar and sell it, but surely if told to a stranger that you were in the Corps, they will look at you differently! The Marine Corps does not have open enrollment. It's harder to get in. It looks only for the "Few." Good luck. Be well. Be wise.

Semper Fi,

[jmsadair]

Once again, thanks for the replies, Marines. The things my parents told me about former military members/ Marines just scared me a little bit. While I'm extremely enthusiastic about enlisting in the Marines, I still want a successful life after I serve. My parents made it sound like the chances of having a successful life after serving were very slim, and that in most cases, regardless of effort, former military members hardly ever go anywhere after they serve.


Thanks to the Marines on this website, I now fully understand that my future is what I make of it. My mind is 100% made up at this point and I will be visiting the recruiter for the first time very soon.


Also, understand that the opinions I posted of Marines are those of my parents, I just wanted to be clear about that because I understand that they could be offensive to some Marines.

[fl1946]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ates_Marines#E

Above is a link listing some highly distinguished people who were Marines. While no one can guarantee that you will achieve such honored status, we guarantee that you will walk amongst them as a Marine! There are hundreds and thousands of Marines -- like here on the chat site who are quite accomplished in their own right. More importantly, we are the only ones who can proudly call ourselves "Marines."

Good luck with your recruiter.

[jmsadair]

Thank you very much for the info, fl1946. I think I may show this to my parents to demonstrate that many Marines are successful and hardworking people. Like I said before, I am enlisting whether they support me or not; however, it does bother me that they have such a negative opinion of the Marine Corps. On another note, I grow more eager and excited each day to enlist. I look forward to boot camp and the day that I will earn the respected title "Marine".

[crazymjb]

In the end you don't need to justify your decision to anyone. Your parents are fortunately very mistaken. There are stigmas that come with being a veteran these days. Number for number, I'd guess those who serve in the armed forces end up more successful than their civilian companions. Think about what you are getting: Discipline, camaraderie, financial aid, networking, civil service preference, etc. Sure, some who serve don't end up going anywhere. Plenty of kids I graduated high school with who now have four year degrees are back living with their parents and out of work, nevermind those who never went to college, or didn't even finish high school. I am about to finish my BS, my fiance (also a Marine and veteran) just finished hers, not only do we not have student loans, but we have money in the bank. I am considering law school, she is almost certainly going to med school. the VA is helping both of us with grad school due to simple wear and tear injuries from service. I work with a bunch of veterans, all either with degrees or in school. I have gotten jobs with the aid of veterans preference, use it on my resume as a firearms instructor, etc.

If your parents truly believe military service disadvantages those who serve they need to do a little research. I find it more likely they just don't want their kid serving in the military, the Marine Corps no less. This is normal, especially after over a decade of war. Be respectful but in the end you are your own man and make your own life choices.

Good luck, and remember, go infantry or go home

Mike

[jmsadair]

Thanks for the advice, crazymjb. Also, I do plan on going infantry, hopefully Ill get the recon contract I've been dreaming of.

[Changster]

I didn't realize there was a clause for recon. I'd bet it's more for a shot at it cause most fail the indoc. Maybe work on getting airborne at least...that's an easy one to get into and through! Anyway, lots of great advice on your decisions. Parents are simply that...they coddle, they overstate the tiny successes and filter the failures of their children. They clearly did not serve in the military, so the opinion is normal. I went to the corps cause it was the most challenging. I couldn't be prouder and neither could my parents. The thought of not doing well in life after service is garbage since it's entirely up to your own motivations in life. I'm retired now after enlisting. I have a Masters degree and am considering getting more. Success is based on personal interpretation, so you need to make decisions for yourself and based on your beliefs. I just know that I look for people of have served because they have character, they get the job done, no complaints, no job too big or too small, they're team players, they understand leadership, or when to follow, many have clearances, many are just motivated, they are all trainable!

[03GyRene]

(My overall plan was to serve and then use the GI bill to attend college after I completed my service). GOOD PLAN.

My parents told me that I am too smart to enlist, and that they just want the best for me. I tried finding some statistics of Marines/ military members who attended college after serving and completed it but I was unable to.
"too smart to enlist"?? Well, for one thing, being smart and having degrees are two different things. I have a Master's Degree, but I know plenty of people with no college education that are way way smarter than me. The myth of "dumb" enlisted people, especially Marines, is a myth that has been around since the poor, uneducated masses had to fight wars and the rich guys paid their way out of it. It is BS. Serve, get your degree, be successful, and prove them all wrong.
I guess my question is: Will I seriously screw up my future success in life if I enlist in The Marines right after high school?
One of the MANY GREAT THINGS about growing up in this country is that we can chart our own paths in life. Seriously. The only way you will screw up your future sucess is if you fail to plan. so, make a plan! Start with...i will serve my country, earn the title of United States Marine, kick ass and take names, then I will get out and go to college here, major in this, get a job doing that, etc etc. It is easy to get side-tracked and spend all your money and spare time on wine, women, and song (hehehe...trust me)..but that will be on you. Make a plan...then WORK THE PLAN. You can do anything that YOU WANT..don't let ANYONE put you into some category. You decide what you want, being a Marine is an experience that i would do over, and over, and over again with no regrets.

p.s. Remember the 6 p's: Proper Planning Prevents **** Poor Performance.

[Rocky C]

Ask your parents if you can bring a Marine Recruiter over the house to speak to them.

I guarantee by the time he/she leaves they will have gained a whole new insight and perspective about The United States Marine Corps.