Too late to push back ship date?

[zombieskin]

Hello, I have a question. I leave for MCRD February of 2015. I signed for an open contract because my recruiter told me I'd most likely get infantry, which is the only reason why I signed up in the first place. Little did I know about open contract at the time... So my question is... Can I request for my ship date to be pushed back so there can be a better chance for me to get infantry? Or am I screwed? Can I tell him that I won't go in with an mos I don't want? Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this. P.s. I know how stupid it was of me to sign the open contract. I clearly wasn't thinking.

[joseywales]

Everyone should get the job he or she wants.

[LCPL1341]

Remember, this is 4 years of your life. All our open contracts at bootcamp got Food service MOSs. If you dont have the job you want, dont ship. He might be mad, he might be pi**ed because he wants to make mission.... all irrelevant. This is your life for the next 4 years, be smart about it. Yes, you can still drop from the DEP and refuse to ship.

[LCPL1341]

Also, if he threatens to "charge" you, or kick you out of his pool, or any of the other ridiculous things Ive heard recruiters do, just know that he most likely wont do any of that. He STILL has to...

[PJones64]

REFUSE To ship anyway. Don't go into an outfit that tells you you cant have what you need and deserve. Stand up to the recruiters.

[josephd]

Just like a few others have said, don't ship until you get what you want. Yes, your recruiter may be upset but this is your career not his. Also, you are not a Marine yet so no matter how upset he may be he can't really do anything about it.

I would highly suggest getting what you want put in writing on a contract. Going open contract will most likely NOT get you in the infantry, especially considering infantry gets filled up quickly and usually isn't available within a few months after the start of the fiscal year. You'll end up getting an MOS that nobody wants to contract to like Food Service(which isn't really as bad as most make it out to be).