People in the Marine Corps?

2111 You'd be an armorer. You could go to any unit because they all have armories. One of you will ALWAYS be on duty, hence the title "Duty Armorer." If your unit has a platoon in the field and is expected back at say 0300, then you will be there to accept weapons after the Marines clean them. If you go to a grunt unit, you have a lot more than just M16's.

My unit used to keep our 25mm cannons in the armory when I first got there; that sucked. TOW systems were kept in there as well.

If that is the job you want, hold out for it. I'm not saying anything bad about Armorers, just want you to know what you're getting into. It's not all machining barrels and making match weapons.

21xx is the Ordnance field. I was a 2147 LAV Mechanic. Loved it. Then again, fixing things is who I am. Regardless of your choice, good luck.

There are education benfits.They have improved greatly over this past year. When I was in we got full educational benefits that covered tuition, books, and some living expenses. The benefits were good for 10 years after your discharge. At one point you had to contribute for educational benefits. I think you are no longer required to contribute. Ask a recruiter or look it up. There are other educational benefits. You can attend night classes while in the Marine Corps. You can take courses by mail or on the internet. In some cases the Marines will relieve you of extra duty while attending classes. In my case, they allowed us to take the SAT test on base and helped us apply. They want you to go to college and become a better marine. The Marine Corps will pay you enough to get by. It won't be luxurious but you can make it on your pay. Some people do regret their decision and try to get out. Most of those are weeded out in recruit training. Once you become a marine you will be expected to act maturely as a marine. Your pay does not depend on any test. All marines make the same pay depending on your rank and time in the Corps. You can receive extra pay for combat, air crew, living off base and for food if you live off base. You can only live off base once you reach a certain rank. For us, it was Corporal if you weren't married. You get thirty days leave a year to do whatever you want, including visiting your family. You will get holidays so there will be some weekends where you will have 4 days off. You need approval to leave the base. You can also request extended weekends which we called 72 and 96 hour passes. Those do not count agaist your leave. You have to apply for them. You could spend years in the Marine Corps without ever seeing hostile action. Or you could be assigned where the duty is very dangerous. The job of marines can be dangerous so don't go in thinking you are just going on a boyscout camping trip. You have to have a commitment to become a marine. And you have to be prepared for whatever that commitment brings.

I don't know any fellow Marines who did not get their desired MOS. I know they're out there, just so few, I never met any - or at least became aware of it. If they didn't get the guarantee, that doesn't count, I'm not talking about them.

The good news for you is that at least you're aware of the potential issues. You've done your homework.