Are marines a good career choice?

Question

would i be able to raise a family?
go to college?
live a life?

Answer 1

If you get a degree and get a commission in the Marine Corps the current base pay for a 2nd Lt. is about $48,000.00 a year. The base pay will raise as you pick up rank. Being a Marine officer is pretty stressful at times but it'll be worth it in the long run.

Starting out on the enlisted side is pretty much for those who are young and single. The current base pay for a Private is roughly $1,300.00 a month.

If you do the Reserves side you can go to college as you drill out your 4/5/6 year contract. The thing is, if your unit gets deployed you'll have to leave everything behind and fulfill your Marine Corps duties.

Answer 2

Okay. The answer to the first question is yes. It is a good choice. However, you need to think on how this choice will change you, change your relationships. If you are in love right now, have picked the girl (or guy) you want to be with forever, please don't do it. My ex and I were engaged. We were planning to marry after boot camp was over. He had joined the Marines with like five of his friends, all great guys. All six men graduated and came home. Not one of them weren't worse. They were still great guys, don't get me wrong, but they ha grown up away from the people they loved, loved them. And it affected everything. He broke off our engagement and all ties. No reason, no warning, just left. Before the Marines, I was all important, after Marines I was nothing.
I am definately not telling you to join. I am also definately not going to use my personal experience to influence you not to. I just want you to realize what this could mean.

They do pay for college. There is a college fund but I do think there are some prerequisites for that, I am not certain. And you can do all that and more. If you sign up now, odds are you will be in Iraq less than a month after boot is over. Just think on it, please.

Answer 3

There are good and bad points in every career choice. Certainly there have been many Marines that have done it all....family, college, life. Their responsibilities and commitments just make those things very difficult to achieve compared to other career choices.

On the other hand, the military can teach you a great deal about yourself and others that you might not know otherwise.

Think long and hard about this. If you find you are drawn toward this decision, then go with it.

Answer 4

Right now,on planet Earth,NO,you would be sent directly to a combat zone,far from your family,you will be told they own you,you have no opinion on anything except what they tell you.If you live through this first three or four year obligation,they may help you get to college,but you could have your mind twisted so badly out of shape by War that college,and education in general will be the last thing on your mindYou would live a life,the quality of that life depends on how brain washed you become,the more you release your own thoughts and get twisted by theirs,the better you get along with the ranking officers who's butts you have to kiss daily.The only good part is your fellow Marines,friendships are easily made when the misery is distributed evenly amongst you.

Answer 5

The Marines turn out some really excellent people.

Talk to recruiter and tell him you want to go to college first, and the GI bill should pay for your college. Then you would go into the marines just after you graduate. Also this way you would probably be advanced in rank a lot faster.

I would really consider the fact that if you sign up now, you are going to the middle east. You will fight a crusade against the jihad. We won't win. You may have trouble getting back to the US once you are there. Some of they guys there now have military contracts that were up years ago, but they aren't allowed to leave because they are short on guys.

If it were me. I would wait and see what happens with the next presidential election, before I signed anything. Talk with people that have served in this war, it is very sobering.

Answer 6

NO!! DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE DUMB *** people from above...Half of them do not know what they're talking about. You will DEPLOY YOUR *** OFF and will not have anytime to raise a family. the marines DO pay for college but the catch is... you have NO TIME to go to college... Being a marine is a 24/7 job 365 days year. Live a life.... not really. I wouldn't do it if i were you.. Im a marine and have 3yrs left... I cant WAIT to GET OUT! If you still are thinking about the military... look into the airforce

Answer 7

I was in the Navy and Marines are my brothers. You would still have the opportunity to raise a family, go to college and live a life. Not only that, you would have the satisfaction of serving your country. No matter what service you choose.

Answer 8

The military is a good choice. I personally wouldn't choose the marines. I chose the navy and i stand by my choice. Good benefits when you have a family. And get to travel to amazing places. Like russia, australia, japan, hong kong, singapore.... just to name a few. And you get to raise a family and go to college.

Answer 9

Be very careful. If you are doing this as a way to take care of your family... keep in mind that it will change you as a person. Maybe your significant other won't change along with you... maybe she will... you just never know.

maybe you will deploy for one year... maybe two... maybe even one long deployment after the other... no one really knows anymore.

While your family will be eligible for health care you'll have to make sure you pay good attention to all the paperwork etc... military health care isn't truly that great anyways... and everyone isn't automatically enrolled and billed. but depending on your situation maybe it is better than nothing...

It will be difficult to make time for college. My husband works 12 hour days and there are no colleges here that offer what he is intertested in... as if he could make time for that and still be able to concentrate on his job... its very technical.

Anyways... there are benefits... and naturally there are drawbacks... most of them in regards to relationships with close family.

Also stress... lots of stress... last minute changes... its a rollercoaster.

At least you get paid and have a roof over your head and you can say you fought for your country and fed your family...

Everything about my husbands deployment in the future keeps on changing and changing again... its not fun... its not comforting... but at least its the Air Force... one thing about the AF is deployments tend to only last 4 to 6 months instead of a year or more... if you have a family and children... honestly you should probably look into the Air Force before the Marines... your family will need you and its sort of cruel to expect them to persevere for an extended time without you there... as romantic as it may seem... the reality is much different... its hard to explain...

We've found it pretty difficult to live our lives the way we did before my husband signed up and most recreation seems to revolve around drinking, going to bars, going to parties, eating at restaurants, and driving fancy cars around here... nothing too interesting for an established and settled down still young couple. When my husband has days off he wants to stay at home and he doesn't want to go out and be around all the military people and things... I think it just reminds him that we are so far from home and everything we used to enjoy.

If a partying lifestyle is what one seeks... its easy to have in the military.

But really aside from strains on the relationship and the unpredictability of day to day life and long term things... its not so bad... the bills are paid and the house is still standing.

Still waiting for that deployment to start tho... probably most of what makes us so depressed these days... not that anyone expects not to be deployed... everyone knows its coming... its just that the prospect of it seems a lot easier to cope with before its actually set in stone to happen.

If you're single it should mostly be all good tho! Seems like for single people the military is a breeze!

P.S. the girl near the top mentioned the commissary and exchange as a benefit... I've used the commissary, but I prefer to shop at walmart I get more things for less money because our commissary here may have some good deals but its good deals on items I can usually find in an off brand at the local walmart for a lower price... the meat department is good at the commissary tho and fairly priced. The exchange has a small selection of electronics at comparable prices and you can get a $500 handbag from the ladies section for $300... but who really NEEDS that anyways... certainly no one on a military budget. The clothing is expensive because of the branding.... the selection of items is grim... but sometimes when they have sales you can get something useful out of the housewares section. Honestly... commissary and exchange... I live on a large dual purpose base even... and I have to say... its not that exciting... nothing worth dying for... its not anything like a glamorous exclusive shopping club... or even a Costco membership... you're better off learning to become a smart shopper, researching your electronics, and finding a good deals elsewhere. Unless you're used to name brand products and foods you can get many more grocery items to feed everyone at other places.

Answer 10

Yes, but make sure you get the college part IN WRITING. Too many people think they're getting college paid for, but there are conditions under which that evaporates.