Chances at an 0300 MOS in 2016?

[ronaldyi]

Hello Marines,

I am 23 years. For the past 3 years, I have been working at a fast food restaurant and despite making 11/hr I decided I can't see myself doing this for another couple of years. I've spent time in college and want to be a Chem or engineering teacher one day but I do want some life experience for myself and "grow up". I want to join the USMC. My father was an 11B in the Army for over 20 years and served several tours in Iraq. I want to follow in his footsteps as an infantryman in the Marine Corp. I am in excellent shape, I workout everyday. I simulated a PFT and scored(according to the PFT calculator) a 264 which I still have room for improvement. In other words, I feel like I am physically and mentally ready to begin my transformation into a Marine. I am going to see the recruiter this thursday which is my only off day to look into going 0300. However I am nervous that I will end up in DEP and before I go they will tell me there are no slots available for 0300 and I will have spent more time and be 24 awaiting 25 by then(I've heard it can become a long wait). I know it fills up fast but this is what I want. A friend of mine was denied 0300 but that couldve been because he was out of shape. If I enlist, can I be aggressive with my decision and pressure them into giving me a chance to become an 0300 or is it set in stone once they tell me its full? Thanks a lot for this long read sirs

Also I can score well on my asvab, have a clean record, no tattoos and motivated. will these traits help convince them to give me a 0300 slot or is it just first come first serve?

[Rocky C]

First come first served on those slots.

Best of luck to you.

[Tennessee Top]

A few thoughts.

As you're already aware, infantry contracts are hard to come by and disappear quickly (because everybody wants one). Not to say you won't be offered one. The odds are just not in your favor. By limiting your MOS choices, you're increasing the odds you'll have a long wait, and the chance to become a Marine.

Don't be surprised if your recruiter says they can get you an infantry contract - but in the reserves and not active duty (happens often).

Today, and at least for the foreseeable future, grunts do not fight. They train a lot, and they are used to train/advise foreign troops. They also deliver humanitarian aid when ordered to. This could possibly change with a new president in November but who knows. You must ask yourself, is this what you really want to do.

The commandant wants to increase the number of cyberwarriors. As an offshoot to the infantry situation, he is contemplating taking qualified grunts and training them to be cyberwarriors (takes 2 years to accomplish). If they are not going to fight, he wants to get better use out of them. What this means for you is, the number of grunts will diminish - resulting in fewer infantry contracts needed.

Females are now entering infantry MOS's. That means, the competition to get an infantry MOS has just gotten stiffer. There is a lot of political pressure to put females into infantry, armor, and artillery units. More so than putting a male into one.

New MOS allocations come out at the beginning of the new fiscal year (Oct 1st). It's likely your recruiter will say they do not expect any infantry slots to open up before then (each recruiting station only has a handful of infantry contracts for the entire fiscal year). When they do open up in Oct, it is only fair those slots will go to the poolees who have been waiting for one the longest. If you elect not to join the DEP, you should not expect to be offered one of those infantry contracts. This is something to talk to your recruiter about.

You can be as aggressive with your recruiter as you want to be. Thing is, recruiters don't make these decisions - they make the sales pitch. Recruiters get their orders/direction from their district headquarters. If district is pushing reserve contracts, that's what you'll be offered. Recruiters are under a lot of pressure right now to sign qualified female applicants because the Secretary of Defense wants a higher percentage of females in the military. District headquarters gets their orders from the manpower management folks at Headquarters, Marine Corps based on the needs of the USMC (and then pass down to their recruiting stations). What your recruiter tells you, is what they've been told to say. So, you should not expect much flexibility on their part.

Good luck with your visit to the recruiting station, and let us know how it went.

[0351 Corporal]

Never thought I'd hear of a day when the Marine Corps had too many bullet sponges. If you've got college credit in sciences that means your smart, and as much as I would love to talk up the awesomeness of pounding sand with my fellow enlisted, the Corps needs smart people like you if we are to survive the next 500 years. If you want to be a Marine, be an Officer. If you truly believe you belong in infantry, then become a Marine Infantry Officer.

[jab116]

If you are willing to wait to Oct. 1 you should have a good chance but it's all dependent upon the recruiting district as they get a limited number of boat spaces. Worst case scenario there are pretty sweet other mos's that work with inf like arty, RO's, and combat engineers.

[Rocky C]

^^^^ This :thumbup:

[ronaldyi]

I want to thank everyone who took their time to read and answer my question. I met with the recruiter and he told me they are able to secure an 0300 spot for July. I just need to go to meps and complete the whole process. Thanks again everyone.

[USMC 2571]

Maybe you can keep us updated on this same thread, just resurrect it, it will have fallen to page 50 or 100 in no time if no one else posts, but let us know how things turn out. Good luck to you.