Marine Corps Careers / OCC

[mrh001]

Hey guys,
I've been considering a military career for a number of years now. I am a senior in college, planning to graduate in Dec. '06. I've been looking at the Navy's Intel Program for a while, but I'm also very interested in the Marine Corps.

I apologize if some of these questions have already been beat to death, but I haven't had much luck finding them. First of all, if I was going to apply for the Marine Corps OCC class for next summer, when is the deadline? Second, once your in the Marine Corps, I know you can branch Aviation, Ground, or Law. But within those branches, are there specific communities such as Intel? Also, if I you plan on being a December graduate are you still eligible for the 10 week OCC class? Finally, how does TBS compare to OCS?

Any insight is greatly appreciated!
--mrh

 

[Blip]

I can answer a few of these.

1. Contact your OSO as soon as possible. Only your OSO can give you deadlines for when things need to be in. If there is one thing I have seen on these forums its that everybody's OSO gives them a different date. So talk to yours. The sooner you get it done, the less you have to worry about.

As far as aviation, ground, and law you will need to again talk with your OSO. My understanding is that to get into the intel world you have to go ground. More than likely you will then sign a ground contract. However, I believe that if you don't sign a contract and go through OCC you can pick an MOS if it meets the needs of the Corps. Just my understanding, somebody correct me if I am wrong.

OCC is a ten week interview, TBS is where you learn to lead Marines.

Blip

 

[HueyCobra8151]

Why plan so early on making a career of it? Do it until you stop liking it.

 

[openbah]

Second, once your in the Marine Corps, I know you can branch Aviation, Ground, or Law. But within those branches, are there specific communities such as Intel?

Take a look at the MOS Handbook for an overview of each Marine Officer Military Occupational Specialty. You can download it here. Pages 13-19 describe Marine intel.

 

[Crowbar]

If you don't have an air or law contract, don't get your heart too set on a certain MOS...unless that MOS is maybe logistics. Our company with ~150 ground officers had ten or twelve intel slots, and that was the total for ground, air, signals, and human intel.
The MOSs with the most slots were logistics, comm, artillery, and infantry.

 

[Taxman2A]

If you don't have an air or law contract, don't get your heart too set on a certain MOS...unless that MOS is maybe logistics. Our company with ~150 ground officers had ten or twelve intel slots, and that was the total for ground, air, signals, and human intel.
The MOSs with the most slots were logistics, comm, artillery, and infantry.

To add on to what Crowbar is saying- the Company you end up being in will determine the breakdown of MOSes. For instance, Fox '03 had 3 spots for Comm, Alpha '04 had 19 slots. Why? because Alpha and Bravo companies graduate right before a comm school class starts, where as the Lts from Fox who got comm had to sit around for 3 months waiting to class up. My class only had 1 human intel slot, 1 signals intel slot, 1 air intel slot, and 3 ground intel slots for 210 Lts. In addition, we had 2 or 3 MOSes with 0 billets. Keep in mind that the greatest determining factor in which MOS you get is the opinion of your SPC, and his willingness to go to bat for you during MOS assignment.

 

[mrh001]

A Few More Questions:

What does SPC stand for?

My understanding is that you're not obligated to take the commission after OCC. Don't get me wrong, if I went through OCC, I can't see myself backing out, but I'm curious if this is correct?

Can college graduates attend OCC? Perhaps in the spring after the December graduation? If so, when are you commissioned?

Once you're selected for a MOS, are you sent to a specialized school, like intel or comm. school, similar to the Navy's?

Thanks again,
mrh

 

[skidkid]

SPC-Staff Platoon Commander (the realtively junior Captain who decides the fate of many yougn Lts)
No obligation until you swear in as a LT
Commisioned right after OCS if youa re a graduate
Yes, you will go to an MOS school to learn your job

 

[mrh001]

So, I assume that if you go ground, you're assigned to a company after TBS, and you 'choose' your MOS there, and then you're sent to your MOS School? Is this correct?

Also, Is there a contract option for OCC that guarantees a specific MOS, similar to the Navy's system of choosing your designator before attending OCS?

How do secondary MOS's work? Is it possible to change your MOS after your first tour or even mid-career?

As far as success rates go, I understand the Marine Corps is going to weed out people from OCC that don't meet the standards of the USMC. I know rates will vary, but in general how many candidates enter a class, and how many end up graduating?

Thanks again,
mrh

 

[DocT]

I'm not qualified to answer your TBS and MOS inquiries, but I'll take a stab at the attrition rates.

You're right, it varies. The OCC classes probably have a higher rate of DOR's and NPQ's if you look at the number who report to training and then leave before graduation. This is probably due to the large number of candidates unfamiliar with the Marine Corps. and the military in general, decided it's not for them and DOR. Also, having only one shot at training with OCC, there are probably more who show up unprepared and get NPQ'd because they get hurt or fail PFT's etc. With the juniors/seniors route there is less direct attrition. They get a warm-up with juniors, and get a pretty good taste of what's to come in seniors. This allows them a unique opportunity to properly prepare for seniors or decided during the break after juniors that the Marine Corps. is not for them.

It seems that you want hard numbers here. You may have heard this figure. Charlie and Alpha are the 10 week companies on deck right now at Brown Field. A week or so before I graduated they had their first chance to DOR on monday of their 4th week. Between the two companies there was right around 78 candidates who quit. That was considered a pretty high number by the staff. The number of seniors who showed up this summer however was unusually high (around 70%). Our attrition rate for Echo was between 10 and 15 percent, which I believe is the norm.

 

[mrh001]

Were the majority of those forced-out, or do they leave voluntarily?

 

[Taxman2A]

When I went through OCS we had 1 volunteer to leave, 14 sent home because of poor PT/ Leadership, and 2 or 3 go home on medical.

 

[kimphil]

Here's the deal with intel in the marines--if you have your mind set on being an intel officer in the marines, go navy.

Whereas you can get a guarantee in the navy that you get the MOS you want (save attrition ruining your plans) there's no guarantee like that in the marines when it comes to ground contracts (of which intel is a part of). All TBS classes have relatively few ground slots for intel, and unless you are the number one graduate of your class (in which case you can pick any ground MOS) your ability to select the MOS you want, especially intel, becomes a crap shoot.

That said, there are a number of things to consider. Thanks to the "war on terrorism" the marines provide each TBS class with more intel slots than in the past. You have a better chance of getting intel now in the marines than in the past (if you call a 1 in 15 chance vs a 1 in 20 "better").

Also, again thanks to the "war" on terrorism, the intel MOS with the most slots tends to be ground intel. Ask other marines about this MOS and they may tell you different, but as a company level offficer, and based on your own "luck" and individual experiences, there may be little difference between ground intel and infantry. Infantry is no joke, especially in the Marines. Are you prepared to be a grunt?

One more thing, even if you join the marines, go to TBS and don't get an intel MOS after graduating from TBS, that's not the end. For whatever reason, the intel MOS is in high demand in the Marines. A lot of marines in the intel community join after making a lateral move from another community (best place to do this from--a combat arms MOS like infantry or artillery). So even if you don't get the MOS you want at TBS, there's a possibility that you can move after your first tour in the marines.

If you have your heart set on being an intel officer (not necessarily the best MOS for a number of reasons that I won't go into) go for the guarantee of MOS that the navy provides.