I'm considering the marines after high school. is it worth going into? are benifits good as well?

Question

i am a senior in high school and i wanted to know if i joined the military if it would be a good enough experience that would make it a good decision for my life. i dont want to make a dumb decision based on nothing and i feel that just reading the marines website might be biased since its goal is to make you join. i am directing this to people who maybe have been in the service so that i can get a true answer about wat is smart or not. also is there maybe a different thing i can do as far as the service that is also smart? thanks

Answer 1

I would actually recommend the Army, nothing against the Marines though. If you score well on ASVAB you can take whichever MOS you want. Don't let them try to mess with you though when you go to MEPS. They will lie to you and say certain MOS isn't available just look them in the eye and say "ok bye maybe the Marines will give me the contract I want." Remember the military needs you more than you need them. Also once you have a contract they have to Honor it (of course if you don't keep it with you then it doesn't technically exist. This includes the guaranteed sigh on bonus. Remember, get it all in writing.

+++Addition+++

The Army is not all combat soldiers like everyone seems to think, they are trained differently from the beginning based on what MOS they have chosen. Here is a great link to what is available and how well you have to score.
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedjobs/a/arjobs.htm

Answer 2

Joining the military is a commitment that will affect your entire life. If you are mentally and physically strong, and motivated to have a job where you never know where you will be assigned or exactly what you will be doing tomorrow, then it can be the most rewarding experience in an otherwise boring world.
I joined the military at the tender age of seventeen. After basic training I was stationed in Japan for three years and immersed in an alien culture. For me it was the ultimate experience. Later on I had to go to Viet Nam and live from day to day thinking my life was over. I survived, and became a career soldier and was assigned to good places and terrible ones. I always held my head up high and wore my uniform with pride even through thos times of peace when we soldiers were disdained and scorned. When Desert Storm came along we rose in the culture's esteem and I was again faced with the prospect of death or injury performing my job. Now after thirty years of service and well into retirement, there is not a day that I would say it was all worth it. Life time retirement of 75% pay, full medical and dental benefits. PX and Commissary rights. As a young man these were not important, but as an older person working full time, these benefits have allowed me to live the life I always dreamed of.
However, I again caution you, it is a life for the strong, not the weak. You will have to endure many hardships and situations a civilian would have a nervous breakdown over, but in the long run I would not have changed a thing.

Answer 3

First off the marine corps isn't for everyone, Make sure you can mentally and physically take what the marines will expect of you.The marines have all types of jobs infantry is just one of them. Everything from cooks to aircraft maintenance are available.
Boot camp for Marines is 13 weeks, about a month longer than the other services. It is very demanding on both the mind and body so be prepaired for that. (and they don't train men and women together so the training isn't watered down, so the women can keep up) after boot camp you'll go to basic infantry school (every Marine is a rifleman when needed) then it's off to training for whatever job you've chosen. After schooling you'll be assigned to a duty station to do the job you were trained to do. It's not a bad deal really. Good luck

Answer 4

no matter Which Armed force you choose to join
you will probably end up being a better person for it.
Not everyone in the world is "soldier" material
and can't meet the demanding standards they require.

I spent 10 years in the Airforce and I wouldn't trade them for anything else in the world.

GOto all the Armed Services websites and look them over. WOuld you rather work on a fighter jet or a submarine or a tank, Or rescue people lost at sea, or help curb drugs being smuggled into our country?

Each service has its own selling points.
Some are more physical than others, some have better technical schools.....

Most have the same benefits since they are all ran by the Department of Defense.


Thank you for wanting to be a patriotic citizen.

Answer 5

Dont just look at one, look at all of them...

MARINES
NAVY
COAST GUARD
ARMY
AIR FORCE

look at what you want to do in life, and what do you like. I liked electronics, I joined the navy and worked as an avionics Tech for 5 years. I got out and started college. It was a great choice, only because I had long term goals. I joined at 17, today I am 25, I am an MBA student, a small business owner, and a veteran of 2 wars. I found it rewarding and good, sometimes difficult and sometimes easy.


On a personal note I dont advise the Army, or the Marines, you have a high chance of dying in those two, and personally I like to live.

I do like all branches, just I would not consider these as good choices for my future goals, plus I thought the marines would be much more difficult for me.

Answer 6

Any branch of the service is worth going into, as long as you do it wide-eyed and accept authority. Your worry about benefits is pretty high on your list, but think service to your country first, the benefits will come. All the military sites try to make you join..it's salesmanship, nothing more. Your spirits must be involved in protecting your country, helping freedom reign, and serving others, as well as developing yourself. I was in 23+ years, and don't regret it one bit. Got some college out of the way, went a lot of places, did a lot I'd never have done on a job at home.

Answer 7

If you think travelling in Midle eastern country's sound exciting, you might like it. Personally I think getting an education would be the best thing. That way, when the war is over, if it ever is, you would have a leg up on the competition for jobs. You would be ahead of the game. If you are just trying to get out of your parents home and escape the life you are now living, I still think it would be a mistake. If you want to do service for your country why not join the peace corp? Find somewhere else in the world that would be glad to have your services.

Answer 8

I want to tell you it's not worth it. Because one day when your older you won't have time with your wive and kids... And you can't just quit once that wife of yours pops out her first kid. Unless you have the right reasons. My dad was in the military and I hardly had any time with him when I was younger. Eventually I became too expensive and when I was about four or five he had to quit because the benefits wern't good enough while Clinton was president and we couldn't afford our our apartment.
It's also very dangerous with all the terrorist attacks. But when you think about it the military isn't like the army. They won't send you out there unless your ready. But with Bush as our president there's no telling how bad things can get.
But it's a very patriotic respected thing to do knowing that your in training to fight for your country and all the people in it if it comes to that. My cousin joined the military because his grades were pathetic and he's doing ok. He has just graduated boot camp but he has the respect of his enitre family, and his peers. It's worth it in some ways but not in others. You don't want to go to the marines unless your in shape so if your some skinny kid with shaggy hair be prepared for a nightmare because it's hard.
I know that wasn't really an answer but I hope it made you think.
=)

Answer 9

I looked at all branches of the military before I joined. The Army and Marines are great if you want to learn self defense. The Air Force and Navy are great if you want to prepare yourself for life after the military. This is the key question you need to ask yourself. I chose the Air Force because they offered more jobs that I can use in the civilian life.

Answer 10

I served in the US Navy and married a Marine. It was a life learning experience which I do not regret. The benefits are very good. Free education, free medical and dental. The basic pay is not very good in the lower ranks. But when you consider your room and board and meals and health insurance are free, you learn to live with the low salary. My husband, who recently got of the Marines, after 10 years, and transferred to the Army to become a retention NCO (recruiters get civillians in the Army, Navy, etc., retention NCO's KEEP soldiers IN the military) If you do not get the answers you are looking for, feel free to contact me via email and I can put you in touch with husband. He would be more than happy to talk to you about the Marines and give you guidance so you dont get stuck with a crappy MOS (job). Good luck! And Semper Fi!!!