So I want to join the Military, Marine of course. But I dropped out of school, I finished 9th grade then I dropped out during the summer, before I went into 10th grade "I did pass 9th grade" So I over slept today, woke up went down stairs and my dad told me Sgt. Johnson was here to talk to me about the Marine Corp, why? Because I filled out an app on the Marine website, I had no clue someone was coming by, he just dropped by without warning. Anyways, he asked my dad if I was home, then he asked where I graduated. My dad told him I dropped out, he said Don't worry about waking him up then, there's no point because he didn't graduate. Hmmm, I said you think he still would have talked to me? But no he just left.

My GED is legit, when I took it I made sure it was Military capable, I don't know if that has anything to do with me going in the Marine Corp. But I thought it would help, it was more like schooling online, I had to take classes online in order to take the Final. So I finished doing all the classes and the work they gave me. Took the Final and passed it. They sent me everything in the mail looks as if I were to have graduated from school.
Sgt. Johnson said I needed to attend to college for more credits.
Can anyone explain this more to me please?
I'll give you my schooling information or what ever you need, joining the Marines is my dream and I dont want to stop trying because of this.
Thanks!

-Jonathan

quote:

Originally posted by 18071480:
Sgt. Johnson said I needed to attend to college for more credits.
Can anyone explain this more to me please?

All GED slots for the Fiscal Year (1 Oct to 30 Sep) are closed.

Plus the number of qualified applicants applying (HSD or better with no waivers needed) is up.

If you earn 15 college credits in 100 level courses or higher, you applicant status gets upgraded to Tier I - high school grad applicant.

Your other choice would be to wait until 1 Oct when the new policies come out. They may allow for more, less, or -NO- GED slots, all depending on the needs of the service.

Not very good odds.

Also, even if you are lucky enough to grab one of those GED slots, you will still be subject to GED restrictions.

So it would behoove you to get those college credits regardless.

How bad do you want this? How much work are you willing to put into it?

If you put your effort into it, you'll get more. If you do the bare minimum or less, that's what you get.

Your choice.

With rare exception the requirement if you have a GED is to complete 15 credit hours of post(beyond) high school eductation.

I just read your other posts. Man, you really need to stop putting the cart before the horse on this one!

You're worried about getting tats before joining and getting jump qualified, but you're NOT EVEN QUALIFIED TO JOIN YET!

First things first! (As I told you in another post!)

quote:

Originally posted by SgtLtUSMC:
I just read your other posts. Man, you really need to stop putting the cart before the horse on this one!

You're worried about getting tats before joining and getting jump qualified, but you're NOT EVEN QUALIFIED TO JOIN YET!

First things first! (As I told you in another post!)

Yeah I know im not worrying about tattoos now. Just trying to figure this whole thing out. Also just narrowed it down to joining the Marine Corp instead of anything else. I honestly thought that with the GED I had I could join without a problem into today. I'm really confused still on what I have to do in order to go in the Marine Corp, I just wanna go talk to a recruiter, go to meps, figure out my mos etc and then leave and come back a Marine. Then carry on with MCT etc, im motivated, This is what I want, i'm willing to get the courses I need done. But not sure what I need or how to even go about this.
Would it be best if I called the recruiter, and explain everything to try and figure it all out?

quote:

Originally posted by 18071480:
Would it be best if I called the recruiter, and explain everything to try and figure it all out?

Sure, you can do that, you'll just be told the samething: knockout those college credits!

It's not guaranteed that when 1 Oct rolls along that they will take GED/Tier II aps. If they do, you can bet that others like you will be scrambling to grab those coveted slots.

Again though, those aren't very good odds.

There should be a fall semester coming up at your local junior college. You can knockout the 15 this coming fall and perhaps be ready to ship next year.

Whatever you do, you better decide quick.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtLtUSMC:

quote:

Originally posted by 18071480:
Would it be best if I called the recruiter, and explain everything to try and figure it all out?

Sure, you can do that, you'll just be told the samething: knockout those college credits!

It's not guaranteed that when 1 Oct rolls along that they will take GED/Tier II aps. If they do, you can bet that others like you will be scrambling to grab those coveted slots.

Again though, those aren't very good odds.

There should be a fall semester coming up at your local junior college. You can knockout the 15 this coming fall and perhaps be ready to ship next year.

Whatever you do, you better decide quick.

Yeah I figured im still going to call tomorrow and see what they tell me as well. If it's going to take me a year or more to get these college credits, then i'm going to really be confused with life. I thought I had it all figured out, if its not one thing its another. I have and had so many things putting me on hold, I went this same problem once before but then I got a diffrent diploma. See my situation is weird because what I did was more like online schooling then it was getting a GED. I didn't just take a test and if I passed then I got my GED. I actually had to take classes online in order to take the final. It took me about three months to finish all the classes, then the test was over 400 questions.
If this fails and its going to take me over a year to join the Marine Corp. Then i'm going to have to settle for less, even though I really don't want to go in the Army. I'll go 82nd most likley or infantry, because I want to go 0311 in the Marine Corp. Well wish me luck and thanks for the help I really appreciate it.

"Keep giving advice, i'll keep lisening."

quote:

Originally posted by 18071480:
"Keep giving advice, i'll keep lisening."

Hey knucklehead... we aren't a Corp. (corporation). How many more freggin times will you continue misspelling Corps!?

quote:

"Keep giving advice, i'll keep lisening."

The point here is not about listening, it's about taking action. SgtLt is telling you exactly like it is and personally challenging you with "How bad do you want it?"

How bad do you really want to be a Marine and why???

quote:

Originally posted by HollywoodMarine:

quote:

Originally posted by 18071480:
"Keep giving advice, i'll keep lisening."

Hey knucklehead... we aren't a Corp. (corporation). How many more freggin times will you continue misspelling Corps!?

Simple error, im not the only person who's said Corp... You do not pronounce Corps like Corpes!? So tell me sir, how is it you pronounce Corps?

quote:

Originally posted by Deanosaur:

quote:

"Keep giving advice, i'll keep lisening."

The point here is not about listening, it's about taking action. SgtLt is telling you exactly like it is and personally challenging you with "How bad do you want it?"

How bad do you really want to be a Marine and why???

Of course its about listening, if I wasn't listening how would I know what to do and how to do it? I want to be a Marine thats all there is to it. I've felt like this for years now, nothing can change my mind and my decision on becoming a Marine.

quote:

Originally posted by 18071480:
Simple error, im not the only person who's said Corp... You do not pronounce Corps like Corpes!? So tell me sir, how is it you pronounce Corps?

Simple error my a$$! I counted 7 times, including the title. You may not be the only person, but you are the focus. As for pronouncing it... who the freak do you think you are talking to!!?? You have better stand down you little wise a$$!

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by HollywoodMarine:

quote:
Originally posted by 18071480:
"Keep giving advice, i'll keep lisening."


Hey knucklehead... we aren't a Corp. (corporation). How many more freggin times will you continue misspelling Corps!?



Simple error, im not the only person who's said Corp... You do not pronounce Corps like Corpes!? So tell me sir, how is it you pronounce Corps?

Well Devils, I think we've got our first live one of this upcoming year.

Slow down Son. First off we take responsibility for everything we post here as a matter of respect. You made a mistake and got called on it. A simple apology goes much further than trying to minimize your error by saying "every does it." Think long and hard before you reply to this post as the backside chewing you save will be your own.

To answer your legitimate question corps is pronounced "core" as the "s" is silent. Even though the word corps itself is written in the plural form, it's still pronounced in the singular.

No I'm not an English teacher. I'm just like every other Marine in this Forum. We simply take pride in the way we communicate with others out of respect for you and ourselves. We expect the same in return.

We're Marines. We don't have anything to prove to anyone and we're here of our own free will because we care enough about you to help you in any way that we can. This includes correcting you if warranted.

Are you up for coming to us correctly or are you going to be a kid needlessly trying to justify your actions when a simple "I'm sorry" will suffice? Your call Tiger, make it a good one for you. We will one way or another.

quote:

Originally posted by 18071480:
If it's going to take me a year or more to get these college credits, then i'm going to really be confused with life. I thought I had it all figured out, if its not one thing its another. I have and had so many things putting me on hold. . .

Well, if you want it that bad, then you'll go however long it takes.

ONLY YOU are the one KEEPING YOU FROM REACHING YOUR GOALS.

Take general education courses (like Math, English, etc. Remember 100 level courses) or something interesting. There are some PE courses out there that can get you in shape

quote:

If this fails and its going to take me over a year to join the Marine Corp. Then i'm going to have to settle for less, even though I really don't want to go in the Army.

Don't join any branch if you're going to settle for less. The 82d ABD is no place for people who only do the bare minimum.

In fact, the Army in general is also tightening their enlistment standards now that they're making retention and recruting missions. That means they're granting less waivers and taking less GEDs now. Even in the Army; if you put in less, that's what you'll get in return.

You need to stop wallowing in self pity or whatever it is that's making you confused or keeping you from your goals. You'll just go no where! People who do that just stay in the same place whether figuratively, literally, physically, professionally and mentally.

You want to be like that? Here's an example:

Jason Snuffalufegus (pseudonym only) was a fellow Marine I met at my first unit. He's about the same age as me and he joined a week before I did. He had family problems, his dad got thrown in the slammer for tax evasion and things at home fell apart.

He let it affect his job, he felt sorry for himself and thought people should feel sorry for him too. So everyone was hard on this guy because of that fact (self pity). Even though he was competent in his MOS he did a substandard performance as a Marine. He got out after four years.

Fast forward to last fall. I finally catch up to Jason on LinkedIn.com, we're in our late thirties now! What was his last job? A sandwich maker! He had to quit that job because he lacked his own car and had to rely on public transportation which only operated until a certain time.

I saw his resume on LinkedIn and all the jobs he held were odd end jobs that a HS grad can do. Nothing wrong with being a sandwich maker or the other jobs he held, but had he maximized his educational and/or vocational opportunities after he got out, he would have had better careers than those.

I surmise that he continued to wallow in self pity after he got out of the Marine Corps and he didn't really maximize his potential as he's still at the same level he was at 19 as he is now at 37!.

I remember Jason had big plans to go to law school and/or become an officer in the Marines. Apparently he didn't want to work his ass off for those goals. He thought his self pity was more important.

What's my point? If you feel sorry for yourself and/or at the sametime, you do the bare minimum to get by in this world then you just end up like my buddy---LEFT BEHIND with the little effort you put into life and what it has to offer.

Jason is a good guy. But being a "good guy" is not enough. Jason should be light years ahead of me in the civilian world since he got out of the Marine Corps years before I did. He didn't have the big bad Marine Corps to pick on him after he became a civilian, he had all the time in the world to make something of himself when
he got out, and should be living decently in his late thirties and have his own car.

But where is he now? He's back to the beginning before he joined the Corps: WITH NOTHING!

Maybe it is easy for me to say these things since I never had the problems you or Jason had. But I know others who had been in much worse situations and have been able to lead productive lives whether in school, the military or the civil sector, some all at the sametime!

Yeah, it's easy to blame his dad or the Marine Corps for where he is today, but they didn't put him there. He brought it on himself!

If you want to be at the same place at the age of 37 where you were at 16, then be like Jason (and it don't matter what you accomplish or not in life either, be it education or career).

But if you have a goal (the Marine Corps seems to be it for you), but you have an obstacle that you need to overcome to get there, then you got no choice but to face it.

Again, HOW BAD DO YOU WANT THIS? How much are you WILLING TO GO THROUGH to get what you want?

Once again, you can try the Army, but see how far you go there if you settle for less. Yeah, we as Marines like to laugh at the Army just for fun, but when it comes to business, they are just as structured as the Corps. Like the Corps, if you decide that doing enough to get by is how you work, then you have no real future there either. They'll take notice and keep you until they can't promote you anymore.

Your choice.

One more thing. . .

I'm trying to join the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer. Unfortunately for me, I didn't score high enough on their written test to proceed to the next screening process.

I have to wait ONE YEAR before I can retake the test!

Hey, I'm bummed as hell, especially since I have to wait one more year, but I'll do what it takes!

In this year before I retake, I can prepare more for the exam and brush up on my foreign language skills.

What's my point? It's going to take awhile more for me to get to my (next) goal, but I plan to use that time wisely.

You say it can take you a year to get those 15 credits? Well here's a thought to ponder: (again) take classes that you can apply in the Marine Corps or beyond (like English, Math and PE). Make that year it will take to get your credits productive.

Again, only you can make it happen. Like I can (still) become a Foreign Service Officer if I put more effort into it!

Make the time before you join count!

Yo, Numbers boy.....before you post again, read the Tatoo thread at the top of the topic list. then make post acknowleging you read it...thanks

Doubtful he will. He didn't the last time we advised him, so pretty sure he wont this time around. Something is amiss in his "brain-housing group".

Why would it take you a year to complete 15 credits? That's just one semester. Go to the fall semester and enlist during the spring.

Get out of your own way and actually look into things before you get all depressed about your situation and you might find out it's not as big an obstacle as you make it out to be in your mind.

quote:

Originally posted by TomHansen:
Yo, Numbers boy.....before you post again, read the Tatoo thread at the top of the topic list. then make post acknowleging you read it...thanks

Yo, I posted one thing about the Tattoo policy. That was before I saw the Post obviously. I don't know why you feel like you have to say something about it. Because I asked about that a good month ago. Thanks

quote:

Originally posted by HollywoodMarine:
Doubtful he will. He didn't the last time we advised him, so pretty sure he wont this time around. Something is amiss in his "brain-housing group".

haha nice try, do you really have nothing better to do then talk bull ****? Pathetic, by the way I did read it after I was advised there was a Tattoo Policy thread.