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Marine Linguist? Army? Need advice
Ice-Nine
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I've been thinking about going into the Marines as a 'cryptologic linguist.' Got 99 on the ASVAB, 135 on the DLAB, so it seems I qualify for the job. But I just don't trust the damned recruiter.
About myself: I'm 20 and going to college, but I'm just not into it. I imagine life in the military would be good for me, if only for discipline, but things have never turned out to be what I imagined.
My real hope with this is that I'll go to the Defense Language Institute and learn either Arabic, Chinese, or Korean, and come out with an Associates Degree and a bunch of college credit. From there, I'm not sure what I'd be doing. I've heard there are a variety of jobs under the MOS, but I also hear I'd probably end up sitting at a desk in a windowless room decoding shit. Ideally I'd be speaking with native speakers, in an active job.
However, I have it from different sources that the Marines don't guarantee jobs. My friend joined the Corps and didn't get the job he signed up for, despite a high ASVAB, and the last time I spoke with him he said he hated the Marine Corps more than anything in the world. Naturally, this worries me, even though the recruiter says I'd be guaranteed the job I want.
So I talked with an Army recruiter who told me they're the only service that will absolutely ensure you get the job you agree to, and that I could go in specifically as an interrogator.
But I trust none of these recruiters. Can anyone tell me if there's a way to definitely get a job in linguistics, specifically one that would involve interaction with native speakers?
Which branch would be best for this? Should I just scrap the whole thing and continue with college, maybe go ROTC?
About myself: I'm 20 and going to college, but I'm just not into it. I imagine life in the military would be good for me, if only for discipline, but things have never turned out to be what I imagined.
My real hope with this is that I'll go to the Defense Language Institute and learn either Arabic, Chinese, or Korean, and come out with an Associates Degree and a bunch of college credit. From there, I'm not sure what I'd be doing. I've heard there are a variety of jobs under the MOS, but I also hear I'd probably end up sitting at a desk in a windowless room decoding shit. Ideally I'd be speaking with native speakers, in an active job.
However, I have it from different sources that the Marines don't guarantee jobs. My friend joined the Corps and didn't get the job he signed up for, despite a high ASVAB, and the last time I spoke with him he said he hated the Marine Corps more than anything in the world. Naturally, this worries me, even though the recruiter says I'd be guaranteed the job I want.
So I talked with an Army recruiter who told me they're the only service that will absolutely ensure you get the job you agree to, and that I could go in specifically as an interrogator.
But I trust none of these recruiters. Can anyone tell me if there's a way to definitely get a job in linguistics, specifically one that would involve interaction with native speakers?
Which branch would be best for this? Should I just scrap the whole thing and continue with college, maybe go ROTC?
Ice-Nine on
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If it help, think of it in dollars.
An AF Staff SGT (E-5) at 20 years makes about as much as a 2nd Lt. in their first year.
Yes, that is correct. At least it was before the new pay charts came out earlier this year, I haven't checked those yet. But regardless, it'll still be very close.
ROTC won't guarantee you a job, which sucks. However if you do well, you can pretty much pick what you want.
If you have questions, let me know. I can attempt to put you in touch with the Navy/Army/AF ROTC people that work with or on your campus if you like. They're actually sometimes better to talk to than recruiters for information because they're not actively trying to recruit you. It's more like...if you want to join, they will facilitate you doing that, but they don't have quotas or anything.
So yeah, ROTC is the way to go, in my opinion.
Also, I'm really interested in a language job, and only enlisted get to choose that. Being in college now is just so aimless and uncertain. At least in the military I'd have some kind of direction for some years.
But I have also thought a lot about ROTC. I'm getting a pilot's license, and at the flight school there are a couple ex-military pilots who are badass. Yeah, being a pilot would be sweet.
Going into the military is a pretty extreme shift from college; it’s probably not a great solution to just not being all that into college. Most college students aren’t all that into college, but in the long run it beats the hell out of being uneducated so we just suck it up and deal with it. I have five weeks until graduation, sometimes what keeps me going is reminding myself that at least I’m not dodging shrapnel in Iraq like a few old friends.
One of the reasons I'd just like to enlist is I don't like the idea of just leeching off my parents through school. I want to be independent and feel some dignity, though I know I'll get shit on being enlisted.
Get over it. Joining the military isn’t going to make you any less dependent on anyone. You’ll be dependent on the military instead of your family, you’ll just lose a lot of your freedoms, have to take a lot of shit with no option to avoid it and get paid shit for it. And if you think you lack dignity now, just imagine spending the rest of your life being spoon-fed because you were “lucky” enough to survive a head wound.
But be warned, military life is definitely not for everyone. I have always had a problem with authority, especially when I perceive the person with said authority as an idiot (which you will encounter ALOT).
As supabeast said, you will be giving up alot of your freedom, but that is what being a soldier is really about. Giving up a few of your freedoms to defend the overall freedom of your country's citizens.
It is an overall noble cause despite the current state of affairs.
Also if you decide to be an Arabic linguist, you WILL be sent to Iraq. No doubt about that. There is a MASSIVE shortage of interpreters over there, and since you will have learned to speak Arabic you definitely spend alot of time out in the streets.
Prior to enlisting, I was a network technician working for Verizon. I fucking hated it. I find serving my country more noble than serving a sleazy corporation.
And I know that the U.S. is not exactly the epitome of morality and honor, but at the end of the day, you are protecting your loved ones.
Are you protecting them from being shot at by terrorists? Thats debatable.
By volunteering are you protecting them from a possible draft? Most definitely.
Its a big decision. There are alot of pros, but there are also some pretty damn big cons.
Just thought I'd toss it in there.
Check the joining the navy thread for my advice.
Also you have to be an officer to be a pilot. (except in the army but they have goofy rules)
Being a pilot kicks more ass than most people realize.
Everyday is just like Topgun. I got my hair cut to look just like this today.
http://www.topgun-lefilm.com/personnages/iceman.jpg
Seriously though if you have any navy or pilot related questions feel free to PM me.
If you are not 100% okay with the fact that you may go to Iraq as an active combatant, do not join either of these forces. Yes, they have programs, but their priority is above your priority, always.
This also applies to the program itself. If you were to go to the Defense Language Institute right now, I can guarantee you that the language you would be learning would be Arabic, at least as far as the Navy is concerned.
PSN/XBL: dragoniemx
You don't want to be an Army interrogator. You sound like a decent kid. I'm telling you, you don't want to do that job.
With their buddy system.
Yes, sir, Ice-Nine and I are good buddies. We go way back. Put us in the same school.
Really, though, check out what the Navy recruiters have to say. Unless there is a reason you want to go Marines/Army you might as well go see what all four branches have to offer.
He may not want to be a janitor. There's so many people who enlist in the Navy thinking it's "the military" only to learn to their sorrow that they aren't trusted to hold a gun without constant supervision, are expected to clean - constantly, and to the exclusion of virtually all other tasks, and generally just end up feeling like they should have gone Army or USMC.
I've heard this of the Air Force as well, actually. If you want to see anything resembling "action" or "excitement," I recommend Army. Mostly because they will treat you better than the Marines. But in those services you will likely experience plenty of both action and excitement nowadays, then you'll never want any of either for the rest of your life.
So seriously, put some thought into it. I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying make damn sure you're actually up for it.
Definitely 100% guaranteed? No. Every last contract in the US military includes a "needs of the [insert branch here]" clause. All of them.
However, I can tell you that in the Army at least if you get an MOS (such as interpreter/interrogator) in writing in your contract, there is a 99% chance that is what you will do. And as long as you aren't an idiot, felon, or dropout, there's no reason you should be able to get your MOS in your contract (generally the only people who get unrestricted contracts that don't want them are people that needed waivers for the above). You will likely be allowed to choose any MOS that your scores qualify you for, though depending what you choose you may need to wait forever to ship for BCT/AIT. In comparison to other branches, which from what I hear quite often either restrict your choices heavily based on their needs or straight up tell you you're doing whatever MOS they choose for you.
So, on this point at least, they aren't entirely full of shit.
A note, though. Just because you join as an interpreter, and go to school and get qualified as an interpreter, doesn't mean that's what you'll actually do once you hit your unit. I had a good buddy that went to some computer networking school in the Army, and that was his MOS, but his unit ended up not needing him for that so he got to be the sergeant major's driver instead. Which kinda sucked. I've also known plenty of my fellow (at the time) tankers who wound up driving trucks, or pushing papers, or handing out basketballs at the gym instead of driving or pulling triggers. It happens. However, even in "full-up" jobs it's unlikely to happen for your entire time. And as an interpreter/linguist? Unlikely to happen at all, really.
the army has started kind of fucking people over with jobs now, too, with the whole X-Ray program. basically it's like picking a field in the marine corps. for example, i wanted infantry, but what ended up happening is they gave me an MOS designation of 11X, infantry recruit, in my contract and as soon as i got to the ITB i found out was getting reclassed as an 11C, mortarman. i believe this can happen to other MOS' as well.