Enlisted or officer?

[Anonymous]

I got sick and tired of working for corporations that care about nothing but money, so I've decided to join the Marine Corp. I thrive on taking on a lot of responsibility and am very interested in learning high quality leadership skills so I had intended to sign up for the officer option. But the recruiter tried to talk me into signing up as an enlisted first, then join an officer program 2 years down the road.

I already have a 4 year degree, so wouldn't it be faster to go the officer route directly? What advantage would being an enlisted Marine first give me?

Also, I'm already 25 years old. Is it true that the cut-off age for Marine OCC is 27?

tperng@yahoo.com

[Anonymous]

It would make more sense, time wise, to go through OCS directly instead of going enlisted first. However, I honestly believe you'll be given more respect off the bat if you go enlisted first; your junior Marines and other enlisted will know that you've 'been there, done that' and had the same sh*t jobs as them (an officer, even a junior one, isn't tasked with taking out the trash or other menial chores). Of course enlisted are 'required' to show proper respect for any and all officers, we know the difference if you truly earn it or not. We have to respect the rank, not the person; and I will work harder for an officer that I respect as a person as well as for his/her rank. Also, I know a prior enlisted who just went through OCS at 29, so you might be okay. Good luck with your decision. Cpl. F

sfirmiss@rwbaird.com

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice!


:
: It would make more sense, time wise, to go through OCS directly instead of
: going enlisted first. However, I honestly believe you'll be given more
: respect off the bat if you go enlisted first; your junior Marines and
: other enlisted will know that you've 'been there, done that' and had the
: same sh*t jobs as them (an officer, even a junior one, isn't tasked with
: taking out the trash or other menial chores). Of course enlisted are
: 'required' to show proper respect for any and all officers, we know the
: difference if you truly earn it or not. We have to respect the rank, not
: the person; and I will work harder for an officer that I respect as a
: person as well as for his/her rank. Also, I know a prior enlisted who just
: went through OCS at 29, so you might be okay. Good luck with your
: decision. Cpl. F


tperng@yahoo.com

[Anonymous]

It is not always about prior service or not. It is about being a good officer. I am an officer with no prior service, but I take the initiative to do the best I can do. I'm not trying to brag, but most of my soldiers assume I'm prior service and are shocked when I tell them I'm not. Yes, I may not have gone through boot camp, but I still know what it is like to do crappy jobs ( I grew up on a farm ). So if you want to skip the enlistment part, go for it. Just work hard to be cognizant of your soldiers' needs and learn how to do your job well. And for the record, some of the worst officers I've every worked with were prior service. So basically, it comes down to the old adage "Don't judge an officer by his/her cover."