What did you do after Infantry?

[ShakotanBoogie]

How's it going, Marines

I have a quick question. For all Infantry Marines/Grunts, What did you do after you left the Corps? What did you get out of it?

I'm headed over monday to speak to my local recruiter. I'm 23 at the moment. I just turned 23. I've been going to school for 2 years now but i've been jumping back and forth and i'm tired of it. I just feel like i could be doing more with my life and i'm wasting my youth and athleticism. I've always done "extreme" sports like skateboarding, paintballing, wrestling in highschool, racing, to competing right now in amateur Muay Thai/Kickboxing (roughly 5-6 years training). I enjoy adrenaline and pushing my body so i've been heavily considering joining the Marines to become Infantry. It feels like it's something i need. That kick in the ass along with the experience and leadership traits. I enjoy helping people and i feel like i'd have a great opportunity of doing that via humanitarian missions or helping train afghans/iraqis/Kurdish, in order to defend their countries. Or am i mistaken here? I consider myself in pretty good shape and i workout heavy 5-6 times a week. I can run a 6:40-7min mile, I can get about 60-70 pushups in one set, i ruck about once or twice a week with my friend who is in the Army for 6 miles using 50lbs. Keeping up with his pace. My pullups need work, i just don't do them much, i can bust out about 12 but i can deadlift 385 no problem if that counts for anything haha.

The only thing that has me concerned at the moment is my future and how my life will turn out after my service. I want to work in the medical field after. I have my mind set on Infantry, get my four years in, save up as much money as i can. I live a pretty humble life, i don't drink or smoke, or party much so i plan on saving up as much as possible to have a downfall when i get out and then use GI bill to finish nursing which would just be two more years or go for Physician assistant. I used to work in a hospital as an OR tech and i loved the rush. It feels like it's a career i'd enjoy later on and in my mindset, i don't know why, it feels like a good career to transition to after infantry.

I've also picked up slight interest in Air Traffic Controller-(7257). It would be a straight transfer from my service and they make 6 figures salary off the bat but like i mentioned, my heart is in the medical field and if in the future i decide i don't like ATC, then it be as if i wasted my time joining to pick up a trait, you know?

I apologize for the long post. I appreciate all responses and i hope i posted in the right section. I tried many different wordings to search for similar posts but couldn't find any.

Blessings,

Gustavo

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[ShakotanBoogie]

I had come across this video and it helped motivate me towards Infatry. Just wanted to share it here. Forgot to attach it to my post.

I can't link it but it is titled "Don't go Marine Corps infantry" by Z Mills on Youtube. It's a bait title but he speaks on his pro thoughts of what he got out of the field.

[Tennessee Top]

Was not a grunt but will just add a couple thoughts based on my experience as a career Marine.

First. You are in the correct forum.

Depending on what direction our military takes under the new administration, it's possible grunts will be doing more than just advising foreign troops. New president wants to speed up the destruction of ISIS but no indication yet what that means (like boots on the ground). 300 Marines are back in Afghanistan now and there are also 300 Marines in Norway with NATO forces on the Russian border. China just said it's preparing for war based on what Rex Tillerson and the president have said regarding the South China Sea, Taiwan, and the One China policy. Gen Mattis is going to Japan and South Korea to talk to them about the threat. War with China could break out any day and Russia is China's ally. If that does happen, look for others (like Iran) to take advantage of our forces being engaged with a major military power.

As far as healthcare as a profession. That's the route I decided on after retiring from the Marine Corps (respiratory therapy). Did use my GI Bill to pay for school. I had job offers before graduating, took a couple interviews, and accepted a full time position at a hospital before even finishing school. Kept that same job for the next 15 years including pay raises and longevity bonuses. Retired from that job with a state pension. People still get sick/injured regardless of the economy and they need licensed professionals to take care of them. But, healthcare will be impacted by the changes in the ACA. Anyway, healthcare after the Marine Corps was a good choice, and worked out for me.

As far as Physician Assistant (knew a few PA's). Definitely recommend going the RN route first to have that patient care background and develop your bedside manner (you can only do that at the bedside obviously). All the PA's I worked with were RN's who worked their way through a PA program. Same with Nurse Practitioners.

Good luck.

[crazymjb]

Prior grunt here. I was a reservist so I finished my undergrad while I was in, deployed to Afghanistan in the middle of it. After getting my biology degree I started law school, where I am right now. There are actually a lot of vets at my law school that range from ammo techs to pilots to SF dudes. I have at least one friend who was a grunt who is in medical school now. My wife was motor-T, she is in her first year of PA school now. She did exercise physiology for her undergrad. Both my wife and I won't have any student loans after finishing our degrees, which puts us as a couple 250K ahead of some of our friends. My plan is to get a job as an Attorney and hopefully get into the National Guard as a pilot.

Military service in general sets you up for success with the GI bill and other veterans benefits, as well as the leadership traits you will develop. If you want to be a grunt and go into the medical field, no use doing ATC. Its a great job, but if its not what you want to do, than why do it? If you don't have your heart set on being a grunt but love medicine and the medical field, I'd recommend either going Corpsman or army combat medic.

For what it's worth, since you need an undergrad degree for PA, my wife wishes she went BSN for her undergrad and then PA afterwards, rather than ex-phys.

Mike