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Pros and cons of joining the Marines

The pros of joining the marine are that you will learn experience and travel, a challenging and rewarding career, Job security, education, and world-class medical care. The cons of joining the marines are the stressful and dangerous working conditions, Limited access to civilian life during deployments, and Risk of injury or death. So here are the 16 pros and cons of joining the Marines. 

Here are the listed of top 8 pros of joining in Marines:

  1. Experience and travel
  2. When enlisting in the marines, women can serve in the majority of positions
  3. Education & Traning
  4. Medical and dental services:
  5. You are now eligible for the servicemember’s group life insurance coverage
  6. The marine will help you get in the best shape of your life
  7. Joining the marines will boost your self-confidence
  8. After joining the marines, you can quickly earn a living stipend through the GI bill

Here are the listed of top 8 cons of joining in Marines:

  1. As a junior enlisted member, you are not allotted a private room
  2. For the next 13 weeks, your life will revolve around basic training
  3. Age Limits
  4. Your daily schedule may have changed
  5. Tattoos, body art, and piercings are strictly prohibited in the marine corps
  6. There are fewer job prospects in the marine corps
  7. A difficult physical fitness test
  8. Prepare more discipline

Related article: Pros and Cons of Joining the Navy

Top 8 Pros of joining the marines:

First of all, let’s have a look at the pros of joining the marines and these are as follows:

Experience and travel:

The marine offer travel opportunities to its enlisted men and commanders. Marine bases can be found all around the world, including Japan, Korea, Germany, and Hawaii. Furthermore, the marine corps delivers one of a kind life experience that ex-marine resume stands out. This is especially true for officers, who lead teams of 20-40 individuals in their early twenties, a chance not available to people of this age in the private sector.

When enlisting in the marines, women can serve in the majority of positions:

Women can enlist in the united states marine under current standards in all jobs expect those requiring combat weaponry specializations. That implies you can’t join the crews of tanks, infantry, or amphibious tractors. Some exceptions may apply in specific circumstances, so chat with your recruiter about how you want to serve and protect your country.

Education & Traning:

One advantage of joining the marine is the training available. Enlisted members receive technical training that is either expensive or unattainable in civilian life, additionally is provided at no cost. During their term of duty, marine recruits can learn to be electricians, construction workers, or computer technicians.

Medical and dental services:

You will receive free medical and dental treatment while on active duty. You can also enroll your family in these benefits at a low fee. There is a requirement to use the medical facilities on the base where you are stationed, but if you are on active duty, your immediate family can see local providers.

You are now eligible for the servicemember’s group life insurance coverage:

When you are an active-duty marine, you have the option of purchasing a life insurance policy in increments of $50,000 up to a maximum of $400,000. You can also choose to enroll in family life plans so that your dependents are covered as well. This benefit is extremely affordable, and it covers up to 120 days of free coverage following separation. Current premiums remain at 2014 levels, which equates to $0.07 per $1000 of insurance.

The marine will help you get in the best shape of your life:

The marine has one of the most difficult boot camps available in the American military today. Your physical conditioning is a top priority for your initial trainers, which means you will be sore and tired for the first few weeks. You will also notice that your strength and fitness improve, and you will be able to get into the best shape of your life with their assistance.

Joining the marines will boost your self-confidence:

If you are able to successfully enlist in the marines, you will gain confidence that is incomparable to other branches of the military. Although the marine has a reputation for breaking things and murdering people, your service is more complex than that. At an authentic level, you will be who you are. Instead of issuing commands from behind, your officers are always in front of you or alongside you. That is, the respect you receive for yourself, others, and your country is a tangible benefit that never truly fades.

After joining the marines, you can quickly earn a living stipend through the GI bill:

When you earn the title of Marine, your contracted time is frequently the period of service required to get a GI bill living allowance. You can use this choice to push for a civilian career one day, move your military expertise into law enforcement, or even have a substantial enough stipend to potentially retire without having to serve nearly as long as someone in a civilian post. The strength of these benefits is heavily influenced by your rating and the reason for discharge.

Related article: Pros and cons of joining the coast guard

Top 8 Cons of joining the marines:

Now let’s discuss the cons of joining the marines and these are as follows:

As a junior enlisted member, you are not allotted a private room:

Although all other branches of the military are attempting to establish programmers that allow all junior enlisted members to have a private room, the marines obtained an exemption to this regulation through the secretary of defense. Their plan asks for two junior service members with pay grades of E-3 or lowers to share a room and bathroom in order to enhance unit cohesiveness and team-building principles. You would not have had the choice of a private room until you reached E-4 status.

For the next 13 weeks, your life will revolve around basic training:

When you work with a recruiter to join the marine, basic training will take up 13 weeks of your time. This is where your first battles will be won, but it will also cut your off from your family and friends while you dig deep until there is nothing left to offer. You will face a dread of the unknown right away, whether in San Diego or Parris Island, as you prove to your drill instructors that you are fit to continue every day.

Age Limits:

To join the marines, you must be 17 years old. If you are over the age of 28, you are ineligible to join the US marine corps. That age threshold is substantially lower than that of other branches of the military, for example, the air force now accepts recruits as old as 39, while the army allows you to join at 35.

Your daily schedule may have changed:

A typical day for a marine begins at 0500. You will go through your daily fitness regimens, learn how to use a weapon, and prepare for your assigned rating task. A typical day at boot camp will end at 2100 hours. Even though your assignment is stateside, it is fairly uncommon to be stationed for at least 24 hours on a specific task if you are on active duty.

Tattoos, body art, and piercings are strictly prohibited in the marine corps:

Officers in the marine corps are permitted to no more than visible tattoos in the regular PT outfit. There are various prohibited sites for installation, including above the collar bone, two inches above or one inch below the elbow, and two inches above or below the knee. A single tattoo or a cluster of tattoos must be large enough to be covered by the individual’s hand.

There are fewer job prospects in the marine corps:

The united states marine corps does not provide enlistees with the same amount of selection for available employment as the other branches of the military. The scarcity of medical professionals is a prime illustration of this disadvantage. If you join the marines you will be employing navy medical staff whenever they are needed throughout your active service, even if you are in a position that qualifies for hazardous pay. If you want to be a medic, nurse, or doctor one day, this is probably not the branch of service for you.

A difficult physical fitness test:

Every year, the marine conducts tests to assess soldiers’ war readiness. The examination focuses on your physical fitness and stamina. The test is equally applicable to both genders, and every one must pass it. The combat fitness test is scored on a 300-point scale that applies equally to both genders. Men and women must complete the same workouts, which include a timed 880-yard sprint.

Prepare more discipline:

The marine provides the most disciplined environment one can ever encounter. There are laws and regulations for everything, and you must agree to and strictly adhere to them. Because the military forces are not democratic, troops in higher ranks determine the rules that must be followed.

Explore more information:

  1. Pros and Cons of Joining the military
  2. Pros and Cons of Joining the army
  3. Pros and Cons of Joining the airforce
  4. Pros and Cons of Joining the army as a woman
  5. Pros and cons of the National Guard

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Divya Chauhan
Divya Chauhan is an expert writer with 10+ years of experience as a content writer. They specialize in making complex topics like IT, Health, and general topic easy to understand. Divya has written over thousands of articles to help people with their content. Prior to joining Way2benefits’s editorial team in 2020, Divya worked as a Professor of BCA college and freelancer blogger.

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