An Honest BS assessment to a plan

[shadow_hedgehog]

Good evening all my aviators, what's goin on? As most people, I have looked around the site for a while, and decided it was finally time to ask a question about the situation I am in.

I am currently a 21 year old future Poly Sci Grad (in May). I currently have a 3.5 GPA, and a pretty good grounding in Math and Science, almost too good. Also, I was able to stay in good shape in college, show PT is not much of a problem. However, the main problem I have is that I do not feel that I am mature enough for a leadership position my degree. After a couple of years debating, I went to talk to a recruiter about Navy, Air Force, and Marine Aviation. All mentioned the Aircrew program. Sounded interesting to me, except for a little skepticism So, I have came up with a couple of plans in order to acheive my goal.

Plan 1:Enlist into the Marine Corps (branch I am interested in)with a designation in either C-130 Flight Mechanic or Loadmaster. Bust a$$ from basic all of the way to the end of my first command (estimating about two years after completing all of the train, so about a total of 3 years in) then start applying for OCS

Plan 2o everything in plan 1, except
A: Join the reserves
B: Go back to school, under a comp sci major
C: Go to a school with a NROTC

So, any ideas/criticisms towards any of these plans?

 

[NuSnake]

apply to ocs now man, especially since you have a degree, why waiste time as an enlisted(nothing wrong with it at all), because you want to be a pilot right??? You wont be piloting anything as a Pfc in the USMC. Just a thought...but thats what I would do.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
--Edmund Burke

 

[phrogs]

Just go the officer route if you can!!!! I'm not sure if I understand what you meant. You don't think you're Mature enough because of your degree??? Reguardless of the reason, SNA's are in flight school for about 2 years. That doesn't include TBS for the Marines(I think they still do that?) So it will be 2-3 years before you are put is a REAL "leadership position" You'll be doing stuff to get through flight school, Learning how to stay alive in the air! By the time that's overwith, you'll be a "mature" 1LT or Captain in the Marine Corps ready and willing to accept the greater resposibilities!!! As far as what your degree is in...IT DOESNT MATTER!!!!! I don't even have a degree, but I think I've done well as a Naval Officer!!!

Phrogs 4 Ever!!!!

 

[NuSnake]

how are you an officer without a degree?

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"
--Edmund Burke

 

[WFU2USN]

snappy,

If you already have a degree, I'm pretty sure you're ineligible for an NROTC scholarship. Check www.nrotc.navy.mil.

Good luck!

Robin
IS2(SCW)

 

[Taxman2A]

The information Caruzzo posted isn't entirely accurate-

Originally posted by caruzzo
If it's leadership skills you're looking for, the Marines have something called PLC (Platoon Leaders Class) in which they teach you leadership skills after OCS. It is the only branch to offer a program specifically for that purpose. I think it is ten weeks long.

PLC is not a separate program from OCS, it IS OCS. It is just completed while you are still in college, as opposed to OCC, which is OCS completed after college. Caruzzo confused PLC with TBS, which is a 6 month school all newly commissioned Lieutenants go to before their MOS school.

Originally posted by caruzzo

Also, if it is TIME that you think you need in order to mature then you should know that all pilots and I think all officers as well have to go through officer infantry training, which is six months long. This is in addition to all your other training and it is unique to the Marine Corps. So don't worry, it will be about 3 years before you have the responsibility of leading troops anyway no matter which path you take.

The 6 month training referred to here is TBS. If you do go flight, then it will be quite a while until you reach the fleet, possibly 2 and a half years (or even longer). However, if you take a ground contract you could be leading troops less than a year after your commission.

Going enlisted wouldn't necessarily be a bad way to go if you feel you truly aren't mature enough. Without knowing you personally though, I would say your credentials (graduating with a 3.5 GPA) show that you have at least some degree of maturity. It is understandable if you still don't feel you are ready to lead yet. Only you can make that decision.

My question is this- with plan #2, why would you want to go back through college with a separate degree and going through ROTC? Would the entire reason be to put off becoming an officer? If the sole purpose of it is to put off being a Marine officer, than I would recommend enlisting on active duty (plan #1) over the reserves. You will have more opportunity to learn about your future job as an officer, and save ALOT of money not paying for an extra degree.

Semper Fi

 

[prior0]

I was in the exact same boat. I actually got my commission a month before my 21st birthday. I was pretty green (although had 2 yrs enlisted) but I'd suggest going straight to being a commissioned officer. As for the maturity thing, the second I got my platoon after commissioning, I found my Plt Sgt and let him know that I was going to take the first 6 months to learn my job. Who's kidding who...the NCOs have been there and done it so who better to learn from.
I would highly suggest going for your commission right from the start. If you go enlisted, you never know whats going to happen between now and the time you decide to process for OCS.

 

[wildflyin69]

I don't know for myself yet, but I think that you'll find out for sure if you have what it takes at OCS. not to mention if you don't make pilot on your first application you'd want to keep applying, and that 27th birthday comes along quick. (I think that's the age limit anyway)

"Push the stick foward, the houses get bigger; pull back, the houses get smaller... unless you keep pulling back, then they get bigger again."

 

[Taxman2A]

Originally posted by caruzzo
Taxman2A, you're right. That actually clears it up for me too because I was wondering how OCC differed from OCS but is OCC the same as OCS or does it include PLC as well?

caruzzo
GO GATORS

Think about it this way- OCS is the actual school in Quantico, Virginia that all future Marine Officers (exept for academy grads) attend training. PLC and OCC are just different designators for HOW you go to OCS.
If you break it down, the course of instruction (and more importantly EVALUATION)at OCS takes 10 weeks to complete from start to finish, its just how you go through those 10 weeks that makes the decision.

OCC- All 10 weeks at once, then receive your commission, and head to TBS.

PLC Combined- The same exact thing as OCC, all 10 weeks at once. The difference is that PLC Combined candidates go back and finish a semester or two of school, then get their commission. This is the way I went through OCS, in my situation the OCC and PLC COMB candidates had a nearly identical training schedule.

PLC Split Summers- For college students earlier on in college, who have more than 1 summer "vacation" left before graduating, they will have you attend OCS two different times over the summer, both of them lasting 6 weeks. Basically, the first 6 week session matches up with the first 5 weeks of OCC or PLC COMB, and the second 6 week session matches up with the last 5 weeks of OCC or PLC COMB.

NROTC/MECEP "BULLDOG"- This is an interesting OCS option in which the entire course of instruction lasts only 6 weeks. This means that there is no down time with this class, and the usual 10 week period of instruction is crammed into 6. This is reserved for NROTC candidates and select enlisted Marines who are recommended for a commission. These two categories of individuals are assumed to have a good knowledge of what is required at OCS upon arrival, and are thus given less time to acclimate.

No matter what program you choose to go through, you are still going to go through OCS, take the same tests, and run the same courses. Basically then, OCS is the school you go to, PLC, OCC, or NROTC are just the kind of car you drive to get there.