Couldn't find an exact, up-to-date "Career Progression" graphic, but here's one that may be of interest:
View attachment 35911
Source link:
https://www.mcrc.marines.mil/Portals/95/E-O/Naval Programs/Aviation Information/Marine Corps Aviation Brief.pdf?ver=q3z2dAQDcdL31yQ5Rhwi0g==
Additionally, here's an old post from AW member Hurricane12 in the forum "Marine Corps Pilot":
To give you some perspective on career timing:
-flight school and TBS (plus the FRS) will take 2.5-3.5 years for helos and 3.5-4 for jets. C-130s are closer to the helo side since they don't have a real FRS. Showing up to the fleet you will be a 1stLt or very junior Capt, but your rank is largely irrelevant.
-your first tour will be around 3 years (jets) to 4-5 years (helos). Leaving your first fleet squadron, you will be at around 8-ish years time in service and at some point soon coming up for Major.
-at that point you'll go to a B-Billet somewhere else in the Marine Corps. This could be an Air Officer (think slightly bigger picture FAC) tour, fly the president around at HMX-1, a flight school instructor, an exchange tour with the Army (or the Australins or Royal Marines), Boot Camp series commander, or a whole bunch of other things.
Generally there are a few "handpicked" billets like exchange tours or MAWTS IP or MARSOC Air Officer that are excellent for your career and go to water-walkers. For the rest of us schlubs, the farther you progress "backwards" to be an instructor the "worse" it is for your career. So instructing new students in your platform at the FRS is good, instructing new
jet pilots is okay, and teaching kids how a jet engine works at API is bad.