Enlist vs. OCS

[bandit080000]

Hello everyone,

I've wanted to become a Marine ever since I saw the caliber of person that the Marine Corps has the potential to produce.

That being said, I'm currently in my 3rd year of college and would like to separate the differences between enlisting and working my way up the ranks vs. going to OCS and getting my "butter bars" as I've been told they're called, and working my way up from there. I guess my biggest concern is that as an officer, am I going to get to go outside the wire? I just don't want to end up in a situation where I'm pushing paper. Now, with that last statement, I certainly don't mean to offend any Marines, but I've been searching online for awhile, and about the best answer that I've come up with is that an officer is a "leader of Marines". However, that's an incredibly vague answer. I haven't been able to come up with much information about what the life of a Marine Corps. officer is like.

I guess my question boils down to this: Will I get to see action as an officer, or is my shot at seeing action going the enlisted route?

Thank you for any advice, and thank you for everything that you do Marines.

[Wyoming]

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Common sense and knowledge - FAIL

[Lisa 23]

How about doing a search here on Leatherneck, as this topic has been covered many times before.

[bandit080000]

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Common sense and knowledge - FAIL

Common sense response: I realize as an officer I'm not going to see the action that an enlisted force recon Marine will see, but I don't want to end up pushing paper. I've talked this over with my friend and lifting partner who served in Iraq/Afghanistan from 2001-2007 as a Marine, and he says that once we're out of the Middle East, I'd likely end up behind a desk pushing paper. This is why I asked the question, to confirm that. If I wanted to push paper, I may as well stay a civilian and get a job that I hate like the rest of America.

[Lisa 23]

Every job in the Marine Corps is important....even paper pushers. You need those paper pushers in Admin so you can get paid, get travel pay, get your orders and so on, don't you? You need those paper pushers in Supply so you can get some gear, don't you?
It's great that you want to fight for your country, but don't go knocking down other MOS's. They are all very vital to each other.

[bandit080000]

Every job in the Marine Corps is important....even paper pushers. You need those paper pushers in Admin so you can get paid, get travel pay, get your orders and so on, don't you? You need those paper pushers in Supply so you can get some gear, don't you?
It's great that you want to fight for your country, but don't go knocking down other MOS's. They are all very vital to each other.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I was knocking the other MOSs. I realize that all of the positions are vital to the operation, otherwise the Marine Corps. wouldn't have lasted since 1775. I was just trying to iterate that it's not what I personally want to do in the Marine Corps.

[ArtyOps]

Common sense response: I realize as an officer I'm not going to see the action that an enlisted force recon Marine will see, but I don't want to end up pushing paper. I've talked this over with my friend and lifting partner who served in Iraq/Afghanistan from 2001-2007 as a Marine, and he says that once we're out of the Middle East, I'd likely end up behind a desk pushing paper. This is why I asked the question, to confirm that. If I wanted to push paper, I may as well stay a civilian and get a job that I hate like the rest of America.

Common sense and knowledge double fail. Keep digging youself deeper.

When we leave the Middle East...

Infantry will do infantry training.
Artillery will do artillery training.
LAR will do their training.
AAV's will do their training.
Pilots will fly and the ground crews will maintain/repair aircraft.
Admin will do paperwork, here or there.

Notice I didn't specify between Officer and Enlisted? The reason I didn't is because Officers and Senior Enlisted will plan this training based on their experience and the experience of those that came before them. Then, when the planning is done, the Officers and Enlisted will both go out on these training exercises and do the same stuff they would do in the Middle East or wherever the global hot spot is at the time.

I was enlisted and the higher I got the more paper pushing I did so I can tell you from personal experience that pushing paper as a Marine is much better than pushing paper as a civilian.

[Wyoming]

Common sense response: I realize as an officer I'm not going to see the action that an enlisted force recon Marine will see, but I don't want to end up pushing paper. I've talked this over with my friend and lifting partner who served in Iraq/Afghanistan from 2001-2007 as a Marine, and he says that once we're out of the Middle East, I'd likely end up behind a desk pushing paper. This is why I asked the question, to confirm that. If I wanted to push paper, I may as well stay a civilian and get a job that I hate like the rest of America.

Force Recon was never mentioned previously.

ArtyOps give good advise.

[afraziaaaa]

Common sense response: I realize as an officer I'm not going to see the action that an enlisted force recon Marine will see, but I don't want to end up pushing paper. I've talked this over with my friend and lifting partner who served in Iraq/Afghanistan from 2001-2007 as a Marine, and he says that once we're out of the Middle East, I'd likely end up behind a desk pushing paper. This is why I asked the question, to confirm that. If I wanted to push paper, I may as well stay a civilian and get a job that I hate like the rest of America.

You are operating on the assumption that you have what it takes to serve as an officer in my Marine Corps. FYI, the attrition rate at OCS is around 35%. Officer duties are largely administrative, including infantry officers. Wearing my Eagle, Globe and Anchor should be your first priority. If the type of work you are doing is your first priority then do yourself and the Marines that you would potentially be leading a favor and serve in the Army. I say that not to insult you, but if you are doing a job that you hate, and your Marines can see that then they will not respect you as their leader and you will hate life even more.

Your first step is contact a local recruiter. He will screen you and tell you if you are even qualified to enlist. If you are, he will sit down with you and go over the Marine Corps and what we are all about with you. If you decide that being a Marine is for you, then he will refer you to the Officer Selection Officer in the region for you to have a sit down with him and put in an application.

Good luck.

[Lynn2]

Officer vs Enlisted? Your call.

There is no one right answer for this. Some have what it takes for management some do not. You should have a better feel for this than anyone else. Or at least a good intelligent guess.

But Title vs The Job?

Now that is something you should be clueless about at this point in time.

But clueless or not it is a very important question to answer-----before you join.

I had it both ways so I can speak from some first hand experience.

I got the rate I wanted----Corpsman. But the super smart Navy took a hard charger that had Marine Ground as his first choice and Marine Airborne as his 2nd (yes I realize now that option was real only on the what may have been WW2 forum I filled out) and sent me to a Naval Hospital.

Now that was as important work as I have ever done in my life. Brought an infant back to life whose heart had stopped beating late one night. Eased some pain and suffereing. And made a LOT of beds.

But important or not all I could think of was-------"how do I get out of here and to the FMF? "

Day in and day out this was my one and only goal in life.

If I had never had my chance I would be a semi-haunted unhappy whiner today (OK some would say I got that anyway :-) )

But then VN came along and in a few months I was on a Recon team running with some of the worlds finest.

The difference between a job you really want and one that you have to settle for----or one you do not like----is night and day.

And screw this argument that it was an important job-----it was not a happy job----and four or 5 years is a long time to have a job you do not at least like if not love.

Even in the worst most unhappy I hate the world and the Corps days in VN-----I never once wished I was back working in that hospital.

Not after drinking rice paddy water and crapping pitch black stools for weeks on end, not after being surrounded and having to run for our lives, not after being ambushed.

I wanted Infantry or Recon and nothing else. Why settle?

If I was going to be an officer----if I still wanted nothing but infantry or recon----I would go to the service that gave me the opportunity to do that work. I'd never pick the Corps. The selection process is far to unpredictable as far as an officer mos for me.

If I wanted Team work. Recon or Spec Ops . I'd think about SEALs and the Navy or Army and a shot at their Ranger BN. I'd think about them because I would have more control over the chance to earn one of those titles and more importantly to me------do that kind of work.

Studying Marines on the internet over the past years and watching what they say about their time-----there are a lot of folks out there who wished it had been different.

Unhappy or defensive ---"I was a real Marine also :=( " about the job they ended up doing or the lack of combat they saw.

If I were you and wanted to train as a warrior and go off to combat as a professional trained warrior I'd enlist with an 03 contract in the Marines.

Or I'd think that with that education and gung ho spirit about combat I'd think of being a Navy SARC Corpsman. Hands down the best combat job in the world for enlisted.

Or I would use my brains decide I might have what it takes to be a combat officer in the grunts or on a Team and I would stop in for a chat with the Army or Navy.

Someone who understands it better can explain how Marine Officers pick their MOS. Then you might understand better why I say what I say.

Good Luck no matter what path you take.

But try to take the path that will make YOU the most satisfied.

[Isrowei]

Good Luck no matter what path you take.

But try to take the path that will make YOU the most satisfied.

This sums it up pretty well. Life is too short to look back with regret.