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I am considering joining the Marines as an officer and I have some questions:
Why doesn't the Marine PFT require pushups? Maybe I am looking at it wrong but I only saw pullups, "crunches", and a 3 mile run. Also, in regards to crunches, does the Marine Corps actually do crunches instead of situps?
Is The Basic School like the Officer Candidate Course or is it more laid back and geared towards academics/leadership?
Once an officer finishes The Basic School, what career field are they most likely to end up in? I know your score in TBS determines your career field picks, but what career field has the most openings? Infantry?
Are Marine officers allowed to crosstrain if they get into a career field they do not like and want to change after a few years?
I am considering joining the Marines as an officer and I have some questions:
Why doesn't the Marine PFT require pushups? Maybe I am looking at it wrong but I only saw pullups, "crunches", and a 3 mile run. Also, in regards to crunches, does the Marine Corps actually do crunches instead of situps?
Why should the Marine PFT require push-ups? Anyway you are correct. The PFT consists of p/u, crunches, and a 3-mile run. The reason Marines do crunches instead of situps b/c of the strain of the latter on your back and neck. In addition to the PFT, Marines do a CFT.
Is The Basic School like the Officer Candidate Course or is it more laid back and geared towards academics/leadership?
Reading your past posts I believe you were enlised in anoher branch. 1st off OCS is less mentally demanding/stressful than enlisted boot camp, but more physically demanding. As far as TBS, just as every Marine is a rifleman, and everyone, regardless of MOS , must go to school of infantry, every officer is a platoon commander and TBS teaches them those infantry and company grade officer skills. TBS is more "laid back" than OCS, but is still a structured student environment and not as "laid back" as the Fleet Marine Force.
Once an officer finishes The Basic School, what career field are they most likely to end up in? I know your score in TBS determines your career field picks, but what career field has the most openings? Infantry?
You get a wishlist for jobs, but what you ultimately get is subject to your scores and availability. Officers have less choice in their job than enlisted, though you can get things like guaranteed Aviation, Lawyer, or Ground. Infantry is actually harder to get b/c it has the most competition. Coming out of TBS everyone is motivated and wants to use what they've learned and applies to be infantry officers. My old OIC told me that he got his choice MOS of a fiscal officer for this reason. While everyone else was trying to be an infantry officer and not getting it and being placed wherever.
Are Marine officers allowed to crosstrain if they get into a career field they do not like and want to change after a few years? Officers in the Marine Corps tend to work in billets outside of their specific MOS alot. They'll have you believe b/c they are so highly trained they can be used in a myriad of ways. Any enlisted guy will tell you they are so disposable that one officer is as good as any other.I honestly can't tell you of specifically of the likely hood of getting additional formal training and being awarded a different mos.
I wonder why the other services still require situps even though it has been proven that situps really do not measure abdominal strength. Situps work your lower back hip flexors.
Why doesn't the Marine PFT require pushups? Maybe I am looking at it wrong but I only saw pullups, "crunches", and a 3 mile run. Also, in regards to crunches, does the Marine Corps actually do crunches instead of situps?
Pullups require more strength in my opinion. Especially now that they won't let you kip like you could in my day.
I wasn't aware they got rid of situps but crunches would definitely be harder. We used to bounce our hips way off the ground to snap back up quickly. No ab strength required.
No, all MOS's are not infantry, but the Marines have a saying "Every Marine a Rifleman". Which means that every Marine regardless of MOS learns to shoot a rifle pretty well and you qualify annually. I've served in three branches of the military and the Marine's were my favorite. But I wanted job training in a specific career field so I changed. That helped me to get a good civilian job that pays well, but the Marine Corps (and my wife marrying me) literally saved my life. I would be dead by now if not for those two.
What are your computer skills like? There is a lot of money in cyber-related MOSs these days. Even as budgets are decreasing, all branches of the service are shelling out to maintain critical computer skills. If you are looking for an MOS that will be meaningful to the Marine Corps during your term of service and has highly marketable civilian skills related, AND can get a nice bonus as well, why not do it?
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 05-14-2014 at 07:31 AM..
What are your computer skills like? There is a lot of money in cyber-related MOSs these days. Even as budgets are decreasing, all branches of the service are shelling out to maintain critical computer skills. If you are looking for an MOS that will be meaningful to the Marine Corps during your term of service and has highly marketable civilian skills related, AND can get a nice bonus as well, why not do it?
I hear so much about this that I can only imagine there's going to be a serious glut of cyberwarriors in the next few years.
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