OCS as an Internship

[JZAB]

Hey all
I have the opportunity to qualify my PLC-C as an internship, but I need to relate it to the business world and if possible Finance. I have a few ideas on how to relate it to the business world i.e. leadership, problem solving, task completion, and motivation. But I am at a loss for the finance side, is there any? Also I need to take the focus of the schooling aspect and relate to the experience aspect (what you get out of it). The dean does not want to give credit for a “class or course.” Maybe some real world applications? I am running into a few problems and any help and or ideas would be appreciated.
JZAB

 

[DocT]

You'll get a transcript from OCS. It has a number of hours for PT, ethics, leadership, etc. You'll be really stretching it to work finance into it. There really is absolutely none at OCS. That is unless you include setting up direct deposit or collecting money for PX runs or haircuts as a squad leader.

I'm a little confused as to what you mean by relateing the school aspect and the experience. I'm assuming you're referencing the class work with what you do at OCS. The academics at OCS are geared towards classroom learning, then practical application...at least as far as the tactics.

 

[JZAB]

I guess I should clarify....since I can't get credit for a "class" or a "course" which OCS more or less is, I'm looking for some experience you gained (those of you who have already been through OCS) while you were there...leadership, motivation, etc. I'm trying to tie this all into Management and the Business aspect of the military. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[TheFurr7198]

well i guess it could relate to the business world as to having deadlines and having to meet them. As squad leader or up you'll have the obligation to make sure that everything like, the squad bay is clean, out in formation on time, getting everyone accounted for, and everyone is either ready for the rack or doing what they are suppose to be doing. Now its not a meeting giving a presentation about this quarters earnings or what not but there are practical applications to the real world. You will have to do off the cuff speachs on certain topics deemed nessesary by your Platoon commander. Thats alot of the little stuff, its alot of little stuff that goes on there.

Also i had to give a speech on who would win in a fight. Spider man or The Hulk. Nothing to do with business but Spider man would kick his butt.

 

[DocT]

You will fill billets while you're at OCS, those are direct leadership positions. From fire team leader all the way up through Candidate company commander. As far as experience gained at OCS, I learned to be more stress proof. You learn not to lose your bearing because things are chaotic around you. I learned a million things while I was there...it'd be impossible to relay all those things to you.

It's a leadership school. I think there's a difference between leadership and management and there is little management at OCS other than time management.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

I call BS on using OCS as an internship. Yes, I know that even the website referenced lately (www.illinoismarineofficer.com) calls OCS an internship. However, when you ask yourself what an internship is (i.e. it is NOT a course, seminar, etc) you'll see that trying to fit the OCS square into the internship circle is most likely futile. At OCS, you'll be working under controlled conditions in a training envrionment. In an internship, you are getting real world experience and exposure to what really happens compared to the classroom theory of what should happen.

 

[JZAB]

I not am trying to pass off OCS as an internship. I know take it truly is not. However, if I can qualify it saves me one class from taking next fall, which would really help. I am just trying to get some ideas on how to persuade the application reviewers. On the basis, how OCS would be beneficial to the business world, ect.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

I not am trying to pass off OCS as an internship. I know take it truly is not. However, if I can qualify it saves me one class from taking next fall, which would really help. I am just trying to get some ideas on how to persuade the application reviewers. On the basis, how OCS would be beneficial to the business world, ect.

It builds individual confidence, reinforces teamwork, and fosters esprit de corps.

 

[Killer2]

The Wharton Business school goes there close to every spring and fall for a day. I would look somebody up at that school and ask them how the relate it to business. Good luck.

 

[bdhallsey]

I call BS on using OCS as an internship. Yes, I know that even the website referenced lately (www.illinoismarineofficer.com) calls OCS an internship. However, when you ask yourself what an internship is (i.e. it is NOT a course, seminar, etc) you'll see that trying to fit the OCS square into the internship circle is most likely futile. At OCS, you'll be working under controlled conditions in a training envrionment. In an internship, you are getting real world experience and exposure to what really happens compared to the classroom theory of what should happen.

Lol you don't like my OSO's webbie? LMAO...Sometimes the captian stretches things abit to make a sell...oh well

 

[Mel920]

The Wharton Business school goes there close to every spring and fall for a day. I would look somebody up at that school and ask them how the relate it to business. Good luck.

Here's a link to a few articles about the Wharton program; they're at the bottom of the page under Wharton Leadership Event. http://www.themarinecorpsway.com/News/news.htm
The Marine Corps is a popular topic in MBA programs and business publications; a number of articles and books have been written on it (if you have access to Lexis-Nexus you should be able to find a "scholarly" article or two). Speaking from a finance perspective, it's a stretch to relate OCS to a finance internship. For starters, every finance internship I've ever heard of required using a computer for part of the day; I'm pretty sure that you're not working in access or Bloomberg at OCS. However, if you look at job openings in finance, common themes include having confidence to interact with all levels of managment, meeting multiple deadlines under tight time frames, being a team player, and motivating peers in project work. I'll leave it to the OCS experts to decide if OCS helps you out with any of that. Best of luck.

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Lol you don't like my OSO's webbie? LMAO...Sometimes the captian stretches things abit to make a sell...oh well

The website is nice. I do like it. OCS as an internship though?? Sorry, I don't buy it.

 

[JZAB]

The Wharton program seems good. It gives me lots of ammo to use in my persuasion of the Dean to allow my OCS as an internship. The website for it is http://leadership.wharton.upenn.edu/l_change/trips/Corps.shtml

 

[Thisguy]

Yeah, they like to throw the word "internship" around at career fairs, mainly because a lot of students are looking for a summer internship. The fact that both of these happen in the summer is probably where the similarities end.

Here's the thing, as an intern, you're doing a job for the company while learning about the industry. I would argue that the Marine Corps gains nothing from training you for six weeks until you're a 2nd Lt, filling a billet.

 

[JZAB]

Got word back today... The dean said NO. Her response was "I do not want to give credit for a school no matter how well it teaches leadership." I guess the real problem is that she is a liberal democrat and hates the military. Oh well it just means one more class in the fall, I will take 5 instead of 4.