I’m not a Marine, but my boyfriends brother was in the Marines. He was with the 40 Commandos.

The Marines are too tough, and have the most Spartan accommodations in military living.

If you want something softer and posh, please try the Air Force.

The Marines are for the bullies of our former high school bullies. Don’t join them unless you were one.

Depends which country you live in?

I am a USMC spouse- my husband is currently deployed to Afghanistan. He is also on fluther when he has free time. I am going to forward your question to him. He enlisted when he was 18 and is very close to having his 20yrs. He is also working on his BA and wants to pursue a masters in counseling when he retires. He has made many close friends that he wouldn’t otherwise have made, mentored many young men and women, traveled in the US and gone to Okinawa. This is his 3rd deployment in 3 years- 2 in Iraq and this one in Afghanistan. I will refer the question to him for what he sees as the pros and cons.

Also I am the daughter of a US Marine. He spent 30yrs working for Dept of Defense as a marine and in the civil service. Dad retired about 4yrs ago. My father enlisted when he was 18 and spent 4 years in the Corps. After getting out he went to work for NASA and got a degree in electrical engineering. He took that and spent the next 25 yrs working as a civilian for the Air Force and a joint service command. It gave him a chance to travel the world, get his masters in management, and work with alot of interesting people and programs. Most of what he did was highly classifed so I don’t many specifics. Now he is retired and working in an area that he totally loves- he is a high school math teacher and grandfather. The marines gave him direction and he went on to have a very prestigious career and was highly respected by senior military officials.

@EgaoNoGenki – my husband is a US Marine currently deployed to Afghanistan and I do not think you have any right to classify Marines as “former high school bullies” My husband doesn’t fit that description nor do any of the Marines I know. They are highly dedicated men and women that have sacrificed themselves and their families by going to Iraq and Afghanistan. Also have you seen the news lately? There are several thousand US Marines providing humanitarian aid to Haiti. The first unit that deployed from our area had been home from Iraq for just a month. They were ready to go within 48 hours and have been on the go since their boots touched the ground. The Marines may have spartan living accomodations wherever they go but they form bonds that last a lifetime.

@madsmom1030, Nothing personal; the TLC (or Discovery) documentary episode I saw about their Basic Training (and their formidable 54-hour “Crucible”) scared me away. I would fail their BMT before it was half-done.

After serving 8 years in the Army and the last 14 years in the Air Force, if there is any leeway in your final decision on which military service to join, I’d definitely recommend the Air Force. While it is a less stressful and easygoing service than all the others, it isn’t necessarily posh or soft as I saw someone call it here. You do an honest day’s work and many of them in highly technical career fields. It is both rewarding and satisfying, for me anyway, and the military is definitely what you make it. Best of luck to you in your pursuit of a military career..

Go see a recruiter…they will be your best resource to show you at your age what will be a good fit for you.

I would do your research and focus on looking at jobs in all branches. In the end its my understanding that what you will be doing that job for your 4 year enlistment.(The job you are picked for via ASVAB scores)

First thing you need to do talk to your recruiter,take a practice test or the AFQT which basically takes English and Math and gives you an ideal score of where you are at. You will need a minimum score before you can even consider joining.Honestly you will more than likely make the minimum.If you don’t you better start studying….

But you really want to do is reach the scores necessary in your selected branch to qualify you for jobs that interest you.Which brings me to my next point the branch you want may not have the job/interests for you.

I think any military is great and I equally respect them all. What you need to do is find whats best for you.

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/genjoin/a/asvabminimum.htm

My father was a Marine as are a few of my friends.They have all told me that it gave them the discipline they needed.My dad used to say that I should have been first in line at the recruiting office ;)I should’ve done it

I too am a spouse. My husband has said that apparently they are 20,000 Marines over what they want, and 2,000 over their limit, so you may not have much choice in a MOS, assuming that information is correct. As well as being spouse, I also work with Marines as a dispatcher, so I can certainly confirm that you can group so many people into such simple traits as @EgaoNoGenki has, though I’d have to agree, their boot camp is intimidating. I can’t tell you about boot camp, but my husband could. Any specific questons?

All jellies enjoy marine life.

I’m not a Marine, but I have been close with many people in other branches of the service, and I was in a ROTC unit for a few years. I understand where you are coming from, because I thought to myself before if I didn’t have a amazing girlfriend and a great job I would totally join the military. I feel that if you a young guy with and you wouldn’t miss what you leaving behind then go for it. I would recommend that you try to find something you are interested in before joining the Marines. The Marines are an elite group of men and women, and if you don’t have that same drive and passion you will fall behind. I would suggest you meet with recruiters from other branches just to see what they offer.

geez, having no direction in life is no reason to consider being a Marine – I think you should figure out exactly what you want to do before you put yourself in danger.

I meant can’t. You can’t group so many people into such simple traits. Which, actually is why I disagree but kind of do agree with @RJulia08. You don’t need passion to be a Marine, but if you want to last for more than 4 years, it’s going to have to be a decision you are glad you made. Don’t get in because there isn’t anything better to do. You’ll hate yourself for it. I haven’t talked to many Marines that have been overseas, but from what I hear, Iraq is not exciting, we’re pulling out of Afghanistan, and your MOS is likely to be boring as shit, plus you get to play janitor and crap too (typically the low-ranking guys do all the grunt-work). Sure, you’re getting free housing, but you still aren’t bring home much.

You could take a few college classes. Get your feet wet, go from there. I did that. I have 60 credit hours now, and I still don’t know what direction to go into, only because I ended up enjoying so much (then again, I’ll probably continue to take classes even after I get my bachelor’s).

You’ll have to look into it, but if you’re sure you’re going to make it through boot camp, and that you won’t terribly regret your decision during the first four years, you could go for it. You’ll meet many different people, possibly from several different backgrounds, and they may pay for schooling. I hear its changing, so don’t quote me.

By the way, Marine barracks is a sucky place to live. One complaint I hear often is that they just want to cook something, not go out, or go to the chow hall, but cook something of their own. The base I’m at doesn’t have ovens/stoves in the barracks. You get a microwave. And if you get stuck working nights somewhere, good luck finding something worth eating, since many places will be closed, and you likely still won’t have a stove/oven.

But, don’t let me talk you out of it. Just, once you get in, if you’re doing it just because, you’ll be kicking yourself.

I may not have any experience at all. I just swore in a couple days ago. I am a 19 year old female. Word of advice joining any type of branch is scary because of all the experiences that others have posted online. the truth is if you pay attention to all the bad ones or the really good ones u will be convinced to which one you want to join. the choice is yours i made mine a couple weeks ago and yes some of these same post did convince me to join the marines. reality is with the proper training, knowledge and confidence u will be great with whatever choice you make. good luck