Ship Date and Job Choices

[Jack12399m]

Hello Marines,

I swore into the DEP in the beginning of April. My ship date is November 27, which I am told is a good ship date because new jobs come out October 1. My recruiter is new (I am his first to put into the DEP) and although I do not doubt he has the best intentions for me I also understand he is new and may not know everything yet about being a recruiter.

My first choice, far and away, is military police (5800). I turn 18 on June 1, and would like to send my top three choices up around then so I could sign a contract for 5800. However, he told me that he would not send my list of choices up until September or October, when the new jobs come out. I thought this seemed odd as everyone else seemed to have their choices sent up right away. I do not want to delay, as it makes sense to me that if I wait that long, all of the MP slots will be reserved. Is this correct or is there no reason to worry about my choices being sent up in October?

Respectfully,
Jack

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[Tennessee Top]

Are you sure he has a 5800 contract to offer you right now? He may be waiting till then because there are no 5800 contacts available right now and he's hoping his recruiting station will get one when the new allocations come out on Oct 1st (new fiscal year).

Make sure he explains to you 5800 includes both MP AND corrections (prison guard). What you end up with depends on the needs of the Marine Corps when your primary MOS is assigned. That will happen about a week before you graduate from Marine Combat Training (MCT) after bootcamp.

Active duty Marines cannot enlist for a specific job (MOS) - reserve Marines can. Your recruiter may come back and say he can get you a MP job but, with a reserve unit. Just because your recruiter gets you the 5800 contract you want, does not mean you'll be a MP. You could go to bootcamp with a 5800 contract and still end up in corrections.

You also need to know there are two types of MP's. The type of MP you become will be up to the needs of the Marine Corps at MP school (if that's where you end up). There are garrison MP's - they drive patrol cars, give driving citations, arrest people, etc (like your local police officers). The other type are field MP's - they're attached to infantry units and provide security for vehicle convoys, conduct traffic control, guard/control prisoners, etc.

[Jack12399m]

Thank you for the information!
I am aware that 5800 has more than just MP. I would be content with any of the 5800 MOS choices. I also turn 18 on June 1, so I would be unable to sign a contract for 5800 until then.
I am unsure if there is a slot for 5800 right now. Is there anything I can do to ensure landing a 5800 slot for a November 27 ship date? Would letters of recommendation help? My GT score on the ASVAB was a 123. I would rather not leave anything to chance. Do you know of anything I could do?

[Tennessee Top]

I don't know of anything you can do. Your ASVAB score is fine. Don't know about letters of recommendation - you need to ask your recruiter about those. Your recruiters and their bosses will not make these decisions. The Marines who will make the decisions work in the Manpower Management Branch at Headquarters Marine Corps in Quantico VA. Their decisions will be made based on the needs of the Marine Corps while you're in Marine Combat Training (MCT) after bootcamp. What someone else thinks of you has no bearing on what the Marine Corps will need at that future time. If the Marine Corps needs prison guards at that time, then that's the MOS you'll be assigned (regardless if someone happens to think you're the best thing since sliced bread). Only thing you can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best (maybe pray if you're the religious type).

I can tell you this much. Every graduating class at MCT has a group of disappointed Marines because they did not end up with the primary MOS they wanted/hoped for. It's a fact of life (because no specific MOS is guaranteed). On the other hand, there is the group who get exactly what they wished for - because the Marine Corps just happened to need the same thing.

[Jack12399m]

I would not be disappointed with any of the MOS options within the 5800 field, they all seem interesting to me. I do not really care one way or the other for a specific job within that field. However, I do care about signing a 5800 contract. If that is my top choice out of my three, is there any way to determine the probability of landing my top choice?

[Tennessee Top]

No. Because nobody can determine what the Marine Corps will need in the future.

MOS populations fluctuate all the time for myriad reasons (people getting out of the service, reenlistment rates, lateral move authorizations, etc). If the 5800 field does not need any new bodies, they are not going to add you to it - that is poor manpower management. If one of your other choices is underpopulated, they will stick you there, to help balance that MOS population.

You need to accept the fact what primary MOS you ultimately end up with is completely dependent on what the Marine Corps needs at that time. What you need/want is irrelevant. It may work out and you may be a happy camper - then again, it may not. If not, then you'll just have to "embrace the suck" (suck it up).