Jacey

As most of the II regulars know, I'm in the Marines. I just got orders today to report to Montgomery, AL for duty on/before 31 July.

I've been heavily leaning toward getting out, moreso in the past 3-4 months, but if I refuse these orders then it's official and I can't reenlist. If I say yes to these orders, then I will be reenlisting for at least 3 more years. What sucks is that I have to make the choice now on whether or not to stay in.

The only thing really keeping me from a decision is financial situations. The job market sucks, but I'd probably be going to skool anyway. I'm guaranteed a good job from a friend in Jersey but I'm not sure if I want to go there. I'll have a lot of college classes already that will transfer, so I'll have just over 2 years that I'd need to take wherever I go to skool, as well as the GI Bill helping out.

But I don't want to hit the reset button on my life either. Unfortunately I just feel the Corps has nothing to offer me right now.

*sigh*

I'm going to have quite a few drinks tonight.

Jesus Tap-Dancin' Christ

Then DON'T RE-ENLIST. The Corps has nothing to offer--you therefore gain nothing by going. Go to college. You aren't exactly hitting the reset button on your life--no one gets to do that. All you do is is start a new path from wherever you are. What's wrong with that?

Godless Dave

Jacey, you have put in more time serving your country than most of us do. If you don't want to re-enlist, don't. The military pays bad, is dangerous, people yell at you, and you can't smoke weed. Don't do it just for the money, or so you have an easy answer when people ask "What do you do?" I think the work experience you've had there will be very helpful in finding a real-world job. If you decide to go to school, now is a good time to do it, while you have no dependents, mortgage, or other pesky "adult" responsibilities.

Maybe Howard Dean needs a media coordinator....

Richard1366

Warning... Warning... Warning Will Robinson...

If they were ever to give the earth an enema they would stick it in New Jersey!!!

HaysooChreesto!

If you aren't 100% sure you want to re-up then don't.
It's not like if in a year you decide differently you can just bail out.

I don't know how the Marine Corps works, but when I was in the Army I ETS'd at the same time as a friend of mine did. We went through basic together and got stationed at the same permanent duty post. He was looking forward to getting out but when he did, he decided that he'd made the wrong decision and rejoined 6 months later.
Also, you can join a reserve unit and if you change your mind it should be pretty easy to get back in. It doesn't have to be a rock solid permanent decision. At least that's how the Army works. Check out what options are available to you.

I think you should get out, sign up for whatever school you want to attend and see how it goes from there. Either way you're not stuck doing something you don't like. Best of luck.

Oh yeah, while I understand the pride of the Marine Corps the Army does take prior service members from all the military branches. Besides, the Army has better duty stations, equipment, food, etc. That's another option open to you.

penumbra

Based on what you've posted, I'd say don't re-enlist. Get out and try life as a civilian for a while. If you decide that was a mistake, what are the odds are that you could get back in the military, either USMC, Navy, or at least Army?

Got a friend that was Army for 9 years, got out, went to college, got a degree, and then went USAF with a commission. He'll retire in two more years with a total of 30 years active duty. Nice pension.

Sol

Having quite a few drinks many dull the pain of making a decision, but it sounds like you need to clear your head, really think about your future, what you want and make a plan. No one here knows you well enough to advise you on your future course. Best of luck to you on making a sound and rational decision. You might want to start by taking a piece of paper, divide in half, pros on one side, cons on the other.

justwonder

I only did 24 Years in the Navy and I had fun for most of the time. I retired last year. I used the Navy's tuition assistance (TA)program to get my BS degree which helped me get a job when I retired. I was also making pretty good money as a senior enlisted for at least the second half of my career.
If you stay have a goal! Get all the education you can get. Sign up for the MGIB so you can go to school when you get out too.
Oh, and have fun too. When I look back at my first years in the Navy, they were truly great. I'll tell you some PI stories later.

Dark Jedi

Jacey,

I was in for almost 9 years (USMC) when I came to the conclusion that I was doing the Marines no good, and they were doing me no good anymore.

I'd suggest that you part ways. My decision was easier, as my knees had gone out, and I could no longer run. They would have allowed me to re-enlist at that point, as I was still passing the PFT. However, that would not have lasted long. I had gone from a 17:50 to a 23:00 run in less than a year. I would not have been passing much longer, even with the old man clause. I'd have been out on Medical anyway, so I went quietly.

But, I was just not having fun anymore. I enjoyed it for about 8 years, then lost the fun. Time to go, in my book.

Ensign Morituri

Hi Jacey,

I definitely sympathize with what you are going through. I was in the Canadian navy for seven years, five of which I actually really enjoyed, while the last two years weren't to my liking at all.

The one thing that I noticed was a mindset, among otherwise intelligent people, that if you weren't in the Navy, you would be working at McDonalds' or bagging groceries for a living. These people honestly believed that there were absolutely no opportunities outside of the military. Whenever I made known my intention to de-mob, my senior officers would, in all seriousness, tell me that there would be no future for me outside the Navy.

For their part, I'm sure they were trying to assert the relevance and importance of their/my job. As far as I was concerned, they were basically saying that a career in the navy had no real practical value for anyone not willing to grow old in a uniform--not exactly a great selling point.

I may be wrong, but I'm willing to bet that a similar mindset exists in the USMC. If this attitude does exist, rest assured it is extremely wrongheaded

Just keep in mind that military experience--especially USMC experience--coupled with a degree will create a lot of opportunities for you, regardless of what the job market is like.

Good luck!

EM