Getting your specific MOS

[Recruiter-man]

As the other Marines have said Renian, you are guaranteed an occupational field. Your recruiter should have told you all this though. The Marine Corps will fill the open position in that field that you have chosen. The main thing is that you are going to be part of the finest branch of service that America has to offer. You can not compare any of the other branches to the United States Marine Corps. That’s like comparing Diamonds to Dirt! So be happy that you have made a decision that few men and women have the guts to make in the first place. Take care and Semper Fi future Marine. P.S. Boot Camp is what you make of it and that goes for the four years you spend in the Marine Corps too.

[Eagle57]

Thought here we go again..LOL

Good sound advise...again.

They ask a question, you give them experience, cause you've been there, been fuv*ked, lol, like me and my buddy guarenteed in 1975 to "be together all the way" on the "BUDDY SYSTEM", and didn't see him after we stepped off the bus for 13 weeks!
Never saw or heard from my Great All , Be All, Viet Nam Bush Recruter in my LIFE Again!

Try and help these impressionable recruits, and they tell YOU!

It's this question all, I have my rights generation. Period.

Semper-Fi,
DDR

[Renian]

I didn't see myself as arguing. :P Sorry if that came across that way.

But this:

You can only have a guranteed MOS if you are in the reserves. If you go active duty, you pick the field and that is all. You may get to fill out a "dream" sheet but that doesn't promise you anything. If you don't want to be a radio person (and we don't want you either) or wireman, then don't sign an 06xx contract. Simple as that.

helped a lot. Thank you.

[Weenis]

Ok, no disrespect to the other marines, i will handle this, i am an 0656. i was told what my mos was when i checked into MCT, but when i got to 29 palms( fun but you will hate it with a passion), all my friends that were 0656 got put into the 0651 feild, basically your mos depends on the need of the marine corps, your field is pretty much garanteed but mos is not so certain, you will be one of the following

0651-basically a computer specialist... your gonna load windows on computers at school alot
0653- first you either complete 51 or 56 course and this is defence messaging specialist. very important
or
0656- tac.dat.net. specialists, you set up networks on the battlefield and administrate in garrison

ooohh rah
LCpl.Weese

[Renian]

Thanks, but I feel as I should give you Marines an update.

This whole topic started because I misread my contract. Whoops! For a while there, I thought for some reason a BX contract gave one a 05xx or 06xx job, and was not limited to 0511, 0651, and 0656--the jobs I want. But it is. (Granted, 0511 is the only 05xx job, but there's like 20 06xx jobs, many of which I didn't want)

This was the fabled "three-MOS contract" I was hearing about. They should have just told me that it was the BX contract to begin with. Bah. But hey, my damn fault for misunderstanding my contract.

Weenis--what exactly do 0651's and 0656's do out in the field? Just stay with the tents and work on the computers there? Drive around in a humvee and set up networks around the place?

[deppen]

Big Dog,


Heres the Gouge from a Marine Recruiter. When you enlist in the Marine Corps you sign up for a Program with a couple different MOS under that Program. The Marine Corps can not guarantee you any job unless you enlist in the Marine Corps Reserves. Once you Graduate Recruit Training you will go to MCT. At MCT the Marine Corps will assign you to a field under the Program you enlisted for. I signed up for the Legal Admin field and ended up being an Aviation Operations Specialist (7041) and lifes been good since.

Semper Fi

SSgt Deppen

[Weenis]

pretty much but you gotta remember every marines primary mos is a 0311, we are all trained riflemen and if they need bodies for a convoy, anyone can get pulled even a hygeneic equipment operator.

[Echo_Four_Bravo]

Every Marine is a rifleman, but saying that every Marine's primary MOS is 0311 is a bit over the top. A hygeneic equipment operator may know a little about infantry tactics and how to shoot a rifle- but that is a long way from being an 0311.

[Colling]

Renian, in May of 2005 I joined the DEP and signed a BX contract just like you did. I hope your recruiter was kind enough to tell you that is a 5 year contract, as opposed to most MOS's 4 year contract. The BX (Data Systems) contract will put you in an 065X feild. Either a 51 or a 56. I have heard it is the intention of the Marine Corps to combine the MOS's, so don't be too concerned about what you get. I am an 0651, at the 51 school in 29 Palms you learn all about administering a windows network. At the 56 school you learn about the tactical side of the house, setting up the network, more focused on routers and switches.

However, whichever MOS you get be it 51 or 56, is not going to matter, per say. At the completion of your course, the monitor is going to chose where you go for your first duty station. Depending on the needs of the marine corps, you may be a 51 doing the job of a 56, or vice versa. At which point you would have some OTJ training to fill in the gaps of what you didn't learn about at your school.

But all of this is down the road for you, and mostly out of your control, for now, keep working on your pullups.

Semper Fi
Colling

[killerinstinct]

So there's no way to ask the Corps to assign you a MOS when you get to school, and you are just entirely at their mercy?

it is possible. I have seen someone who got in his contract for a specific MOS, it's difficult and need lots of will power but it's doable. Also depends what MOS you want if there are any slots for that MOS open it's a huge complicated thing.

[josephplt2008]

Hey Semper FI Brothers,, I heard a reply that said only reservist get a gaurenteed MOS,, My son is going to join the Corps,,I'm so excited,, can hardly contain my self,, He want to be a 3156 automotive mechanic,, I have an auto repair buisness called MARINE AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR and he wants to be trianed in this area to be a part of the buisness,what can I do to get him this MOS, We are getting ready to go to the recruiters and they know me down there, any advice, I just dont want him to get a job as a mechanic working on amphibious assult vehicles like what happened to me, this job has no civilian prospects,i was suspossed to work at motor pool as mechanic.

[Quinbo]

Things have probably changed since I enlisted but from reading the SSgt's posts maybe not. I joined under the combat arms contract. Combat arms was tanks, artillery, am-tracs, and infantry. Yes an 03 is a combat weapon. I was chosen to go to the 03 field but just as easilly could have ended up in artillery. I am sure there are tighter contracts but when I joined it was to be a Marine and was willing to do anything but drive a desk or sling chow. You can also just roll the dice and go in open contract and take what they give you.

[josephplt2008]

My son is going in Oct, this fall his occupational feild will be mecahnics, He wants 3521 Automotive mech, since I own a Automotive repair business, so when he get out he will have somting to fall back on, what are his chances of getting that mos, his recriuter said, either this or heavy duty equipment, that will not benefit him at all in the automoitve buisness, any suggestions,,