View Full Version : Pros and Cons...again!!
CantWaitToSign
10-11-06, 06:52 PM
Well my last topic got deleted sooo here I am typing it again. I am 17 years old teenager. Who wants to do 0311 as my M.O.S in the Marine Corps! Wanted to do this all my life but now I finally can. It's my way of trying to be like my dad who is a Retired Force Recon Marine the badest of the bad! Well see the thing is my mom doesn't want me to joing infantry of course since the war is going on. Also because she doesn't think it will benefit me for my life after the Corps if there is I'm thinking of just doing a career as a Marine. Anyways so could some of you Infantry Marines out there please give me a list of Pros and Cons of doing infantry??
Thanks alot,
Matt
jinelson
10-11-06, 10:32 PM
Matt thanks for filling out your profile. We have a few hundred years of experience on here so you should get some answers to your question. I was motor transport, so a con to me is why hump when you can ride lol. I know many grunts and they love their jobs and wouldnt switch for anything. I think any Marine would tell you that their MOS is the best. You might try searching the Poolee Hall and Ask A Marine forum archieves as this question has been asked several times before. Do an advanced search for 03xx, 0300 and 0311.
Good Luck
Jim
outlaw3179
10-12-06, 11:32 AM
Im 03, and Ill be honest with you . Some of the best times in my life and without a doubt some of the toughest times were being an 03. <br />
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In my opinion some of the pros are the obvious. You get to...
CantWaitToSign
10-12-06, 03:39 PM
Hey Outlaw thanks alot that should really help in persuading my mom. anyone else please feel free too add their input on this cause im sure i'll need some more..
Thanks again,
Matt
STA0311
10-12-06, 04:11 PM
You will get a LOT of life experience out of it...but if you are nothing other than an Infantry Marine, then you have nothing to offer the civilian world when you get out. You need to do as many things as you can and attend as many schools as you can. Granted you will have the discipline and all that to offer. I know alot of Infantry guys go on to become cops...thats what I did. Just make your time worth it. And remember...your mom will love you no matter what...do what you want to do, not what they want you to do.
CantWaitToSign
10-12-06, 06:00 PM
i understand the whole do what i want to do not what they want to do. the only thing is my mom is all scared if i go infantry afraid i'll get hurt or killed but as long as im defending my country i'm ok with that for real
STA0311
10-13-06, 05:33 AM
You can die anytime....as I recall, wasn't a Captain Peterson just killed in a NON COMBAT vehicle accident?
CantWaitToSign
10-14-06, 10:02 AM
Yeah that is true...and I know all about car accidents already been in 3 haha 2 werent my fault and the one that was mine wasn't too bad. But yeah if I were to die in the Corps I would definitely want to die while I'm taking out as many of them as I can! Not by like some random car accident or anything like that.
Thanks again,
Matt
Marine84
10-14-06, 02:13 PM
I don't know too many Marines that had a problem getting a job after the Corps - once a company sees that Marine Corps on your resume - no matter WHAT you did for the Corps, they want you just because they know they don't have to futz with you too much after you're hired.
And, yes, God Himself could reach down and snatch you up while you're reading this post......................what's your point? Throw that at 'em one time and see what happens. Except you could say "while we're standing here arguing about it".
CantWaitToSign
10-14-06, 10:21 PM
Thanks Marine84 that is a very very good point I will definitely have to use that one on them and i believe what you say is right about the whole Marines on the resume thing
Thanks again!
[QUOTE=Marine84]I don't know too many Marines that had a problem getting a job after the Corps - once a company sees that Marine Corps on your resume - no matter WHAT you did for the Corps, they want you just because they know they don't have to futz with you too much after you're hired.
As Marine84 states, alot of times if a company sees that you had earned the title Marine, that's all it takes. Thats what happened to me at my present job. As the department manager was reviewing my resume, he said that he noticed I had served in the Corps. I told him yes, showed him my DD214, and all he said is "When can you start". Didn't ask about what my MOS meant, just hired me on the spot.
Point is, if you want 0311, then go for it. It's the backbone of the Corps. The rest of us were supporting players for those Marines on the front lines.
CantWaitToSign
10-15-06, 08:14 PM
Thank you very much Rb I know that this will most definitely help with my mom signing off on me doing infantry Thanks, Matt
SgtHopperUSMC
10-15-06, 08:16 PM
We are all riflemen first....
I was a Combat Engineer so have a lot in common with the Grunts. Just more blowing up stuff involved. No matter what you do just remember we all pack a rifle and we all have each others back. Good luck in whatever you do. Semper Fi !!!:iwo:
I had the same problem - mom didn't want me to go - but it was because my brother was killed in Vietnam in the Marines. I tried to talk my mom into signing the papers for 6 months so I could join at...
cplbrooks
10-15-06, 11:23 PM
tell your mom that you are going into the grunts because you dont want to feel like you wasted four years in the corps. If you just want a job skill then go to college. The intangible skills you will learn in the grunts like leadership, discipline and courage will serve you for the rest of your life no matter what you persue as a career. Why spend four years in the Marine Corps if you are not prepared to go all the way? (no offense meant to the Marines with other MOS')
bntyhntr13
12-13-06, 05:19 AM
I can see both sides of it Matt. I spent 16 plus years in the Artillery Community. Basically the same as grunts but with larger guns and we don't walk so much. There are very few jobs available out here unless you are looking for Law enforcement or security. I chose the latter. There is not alot of money to be made in security. If you are thinking of making a career my advice to you is do something where you can get some college under your belt along the way. In a combat arms MOS it is difficult as you are deployed constantly. Ask my seventeen year old son who I only spent three out of eleven years of his life with. Deployments can destroy families if you don't have a great foundation. There are many who can successfully maintain a career and a family life. What you need to do is plan your life about ten years from now and start establishing short term goals, and take those steps to get where you want to be. Don't get me wrong I loved the combat arms community. However, if I only could have done things a bit different I wouldn't be trying to play catch up now. What does your father do for a living now?
LeonardLawrence
12-16-06, 12:04 AM
Matt,
Much respect and thanks to your dad.
I would argue it this way, with respect to all those who haven't been in the 03 field, of course....
If you are going to be a Marine, why not do what Marines do?
(I would leave out the part about totally blowing things up, shooting things and generally creating hate and discontent....at least with Mom).
If you are going to be a Marine, you are going to end up somewhere, doing something that is dangerous...facts of life, no? Why not be part of a group that has some skills behind it to keep you reasonably safe. (Hint: dont let anyone think about this one too much...but it sounds good if you can change the subject right away :p ...
Life is dangerous....trust me,....I see the squirrels in the road on my way to work. Life could suck for anyone of us, at anytime, whether we are in the good or on a battlefield.
Just my 2 cents....
Sgt Leprechaun
12-16-06, 08:14 AM
Matt:
I never regretted going Infantry. Ever. I still carry that as my third MOS, after Intelligence and Radio Operator. Even if you 'only' do a three year tour as an Infantryman, and lateral move into another MOS, that '03' BTDT T-shirt, and the experiences you'll get, will be worth it's weight in gold.
I agree with the others, most companies just look at that big ole "USMC" and hire you, figuring (correctly LOL) that you'll 'improvise, adapt, and overcome' better than jo-blow with a 4 yr degree in basketweaving.
I've heard more non-03 Marines saying "Dang I wish I would have been an 03 instead of ______".
Camper51
12-16-06, 10:41 AM
You know, being a grunt may not give you a specific job skill, like an electrician, or a computer techie, but what it will give you is teamwork and team spirit. Many managers and supervisors recognize this and hire Marines just because they know they are getting someone who has some "stick to it" attitude. Even last year, some 28 years after I got out of the Marines, my resume with it's statement that I served 8 plus years in the Corps, got me a job. The hiring manager was a flyboy who respected Marines. He tells me every so often that he sure did not make a mistake in hiring this particular Marine...