There are a few constants.
1) You will receive a steady paycheck. The wages aren't too bad, especially for a non-college graduate. Google military pay scale 2011 to see what I'm talking about.
2) You will receive excellent health coverage, dental coverage and opportunities for training.
3) You will do PT in the early morning, at least a few days a week. This could be anything from running and push ups while you're in training, to basketball and weight training once you're with your unit. It depends again on your MOS and your unit.
4) If you do join the marines part of your career will be having a type A, macho asshole yell at you a lot. The Marines are overrun with those guys. If that sounds like something you'd like to avoid, you might think about the Army instead. Also, since promotion is faster in the Army, the money is slightly better.
I went into the military back in 2009 pretty much blind. I didn't know anyone in the Army, I didn't have anyone but the recruiter to ask. I had been a cop, so I'd been through the police academy, but I wasn't sure how similar it would be. I read a lot of questions around here, spent a fair amount of time on Google, watched military movies, and went to www.military.com.
Since I ended up in the Guard, I was sent to RSP one weekend while I was waiting for my ship date to roll around. RSP is like a pre-basic basic. The best thing it does is show you what people in the service are like, and how to get in formation and march. I found that it took a lot of the fear of the unknown away from basic for me. I think the Army might have a similar program now.
It's a good job, bro. It will get you out of the house immediately following highschool, it will get you making your own money and paying your own bills, and it will pay for college for you. Those are all excellent reasons to join at 18.
But its a tough job. You have to have the maturity and discipline to stay out of trouble and follow orders, even when you're having a day where you just want to punch your drill sergeant in the face and catch the next bus home. You have to wake up ready to work each day of training, and on duty days after training.
One last thing: Think about what you want to do AFTER military service, assuming you don't go career. Try to find an MOS that is in line with those goals. For instance, if you want to be a firefighter, being in the infantry won't help you much, but being a medic would. If you want to work on high tech equipment, look for something in computers or avionics. If you want to be a CEO, maybe something in human resources or military intelligence.
That's another advantage of the Army. You pick your MOS. Marines are the only branch that won't let you do that.
In my opinion, the best way to serve is to be out there representing your country, but in a way that is going to help you point your life in the right direction. Make sure you get what YOU want out of service, because no one else is going to do that for you.
Hope all that helps. Good luck with your research.What is the best way to research military life?You won't find much about daily life by researching, talk to someone you know who served in the Marine Corps.What is the best way to research military life?talk to people in the militaryWhat is the best way to research military life?
The Internet!
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