View Full Version : making a lateral move in the marines?
I have been wanting to join the Marines infantry for a long time now. So i was talking to my recruiter asking questions about the infantry and he said " there is no open slots in the infantry at this time". He told me that i should go and be a mechanic, that away i will have the experience and could use it after i'm out of the military. I know it would be the best choice i could make but i have a little devil dog inside me, telling me to go and lay your life down for your country. I am wanting to find out how hard is it if i go into the infantry for four years, make a lateral move and become a mechanic for another four years? What choice do you think i should make? thanks for the advice.
Sgt Leprechaun
07-28-11, 12:16 AM
No profile, no answers. Deleted until that appears. Site rules
Hotel4341
07-28-11, 12:16 AM
Every MOS actually has a goal of lat movers they let in, so as long as you have a good enough ASVAB score (which I assume you do if your recruiter is already pushing it) and don't get in too much trouble during your first four, you can ask for a lat move as a reenlistment incentive.
My advice: if infantry is something you really want to do, and you have the contract, then do it. I'm just a dirty pog, but I know plenty of guys who decided to follow the idea of doing a job with transferable job skills and backed out of an infantry contract, only to spend the next four years trying to be a grunt. To be fair, I also know a few grunts who complain all the time and wish they were on the other side of the spectrum. But again, if this is something you really want to do, do it. You'll have your chances later to do something that correlates to the civilian world.
Sgt Leprechaun
07-28-11, 12:33 AM
UNdeleted, profile complete.
GreenRam
07-28-11, 07:24 AM
It's going to be hard to find very many slots for an infantry contract right now because they are near to closing out that MOS due to the fact the Corps is cutting back on personnel and not recruiting as much anymore. If this is what you really want and you want to be an infantryman then you need to be vigilant and be on the lookout for an opening if it becomes available but you also need to have a backup plan in mind. I know when I enlisted, there wasnt an infantry MOS available at the time but I still DEP'd in because I knew I wanted to be a Marine no matter what, but I got lucky about a month before I shipped an infantry slot opened up so I took it. Just play the game right and you might come out on top! Good luck.
i figured i could go into the infantry for four years, get the devil dog out of me, then become either a helo mechanic or an aircraft mechanic. I just want to see how the infantry goes for me.