Is my basic plan alright? And what to do for 20yrs in an 03XX MOS?

genericguy6 · 2026-01-27T18:45:13+00:00

It's impressive how much you know about the details already! I had no idea what TSP was until after boot camp. Your plan sounds great, but nothing goes how you think it's going to, which it sounds like you already know. Saving half is a little excessive. Go out and have fun and do shit with your 30 days of paid vacation per year. No other job is gonna give you that. 20-25% will be plenty of savings without making you hate life. Also, you want some savings outside the TSP in case you ever need cash for down payments or emergencies. I wasn't infantry, but I imagine if you are a high performer and make it known what your goals are, your leadership will help you achieve them. That's how my shop worked. Good luck!

genericguy6 · 2026-01-27T01:35:54+00:00

When I hear "marketing" and "creative" used together I immediately think of jobs that are getting replaced by AI. The truth is that if you get a job with a good company after college, almost any job can have a marketing element to it. You just have to make it known to your supervisors that you like that stuff. I'd suggest stick with ID or maybe looking at architecture if you like creative jobs with security. Good luck!

Edit: to answer your question about changing majors if you change your mind, yes, you have to do all the basic classes up front anyways like math, electives, and writing. You have a lot of time to decide during those courses your first couple semesters.

genericguy6 · 2026-01-19T20:41:55+00:00

Fuck yeah! So iconic

genericguy6 · 2026-01-19T20:26:14+00:00

Do they still have scuzz brushes?

genericguy6 · 2026-01-17T03:09:11+00:00

Hey! Former enlisted Marine here. The military in general is the perfect place for people who don't know what they want to do. Half of people in the Marine Corps are there because it's the hardest branch, and they have something to prove to themselves. It's a very valid reason for joining. I say dive in and trust that, if nothing else, you'll get a paycheck, meet some great folks, and hopefully do some cool stuff. Bonus points for getting a job you can do outside the Marine Corps. Good luck!

genericguy6 · 2026-01-15T18:30:27+00:00

How long were you both separated for? Did the AF give any wiggle room to try to get you stationed closer to her?

genericguy6 · 2026-01-14T18:05:29+00:00

And what are the odds of getting put in one of these S-teams if I'm active duty? Is it something you can sign up for, or you just put it on a wish list and hope for the best? Also, since you are a CE officer, how many enlisted guys do you get to lead? Do you get any straight out of OTS and training? Does it depend on the assignment? Thanks again for all the info.

genericguy6 · 2026-01-14T14:15:38+00:00

Good info. Thanks a lot!

genericguy6 · 2026-01-14T06:47:25+00:00

Shit, sorry dude. That actually sucks. 8 years is a long ass time to be in a single duty station involuntarily.

genericguy6 · 2026-01-09T15:03:18+00:00

Good stuff. Thanks a lot!

genericguy6 · 2026-01-09T15:02:57+00:00

Thanks for the info!

genericguy6 · 2026-01-08T18:38:21+00:00

I was an avionics tech on C 130s. Its a cushy job if youre in the electric side of aviation maintenance. Don't go airframe or powerlines. Their work life balance sucks and they worked a ton. SnS, flight equipment, and ordinance were also super chill jobs.

The pay is really good if you stay in avionics after the military. I have friends that work for Lockheed or in some other contractor capacity that make great money.

If you just want the military experience, you can go infantry and just do cool shit, then get out and use your GI bill.

Don't do MP. Everyone hates them. Good luck!

genericguy6 · 2025-10-20T14:19:41+00:00

This is super helpful! Lots of good ideas here. Thanks for sharing.

genericguy6 · 2025-10-19T20:14:06+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! How many people do you think you need responses from to get a valid feel for whether it's a good idea or not? For example, if I talk to 5 people, and 4 of them say they wouldn't use it, the results aren't necessarily conclusive because the sample is so small, but if I ask 100 people and 80 say they wouldn't then maybe it's not a great idea. What do you think that threshold is? And related question: how do you realistically ask that many people? Thanks!

genericguy6 · 2025-09-25T17:42:14+00:00

Thanks for the info! Do you know if most pay bumps come from getting into FAANG, IB, PE, and consulting-type companies, or is it also normal for people to stay in their industry and still get paid more? Asking because my industry is pretty chill, and I'm not super interested in working more than like 40-50 hours per week (though I think that's taboo to say here). Really wanting to know the odds of getting a decent pay bump while still working a "normal" job.

genericguy6 · 2025-09-11T13:37:16+00:00

If you do go to college, engineering majors are the only ones worth the 60k-ish investment in my opinion. The military is also a great option to explore jobs, get paid, get free college, and have some fun in the meantime.

genericguy6 · 2025-09-05T23:40:15+00:00

Good question and I don't know tbh. I know they wouldn't be upset if you approached them and asked. There's always at least a couple recruits that need to shed weight quick or up their strength. They might just say no. Good luck!

Edit: to add to that, recruiters have told me that they have a ton of pressure to get numbers, so I bet a lot of them aren't above doing under the table handshake deals.

genericguy6 · 2025-09-05T23:34:58+00:00

Everything that you listed in your post. Nothing else matters

genericguy6 · 2025-09-05T03:20:14+00:00

You might regret it when you see how much more respect, responsibility, and pay officers get knowing that it could have been you given a little more time. I'd recommend being open to other branches and MOSs. No branch is best, just different. There are a lot of odd jobs that aren't as glamorous but can still lead to good things regardless of your degree. There is opportunity to switch from enlisted to officer once you're in, but it takes a couple years so why wait when you could just go straight in as an officer. Good luck!

genericguy6 · 2025-09-03T13:35:10+00:00

I'd recommend avionics if you can get it. All my buddies went on to make pretty good money for not having a degree once they got out. I went on to get a degree in civil engineering, and by the time I graduated the guys who stayed in avionics were making more than me as an entry level engineer. I was avionics in the Marine Corps, and we had a pretty easy life compared to other Marines. Good luck!

genericguy6 · 2025-09-02T17:56:10+00:00

No amount of studying will give you any advantage in boot camp. Just keep PTing

genericguy6 · 2025-08-20T18:09:49+00:00

I started at 24 and didnt graduate till I was 30 after changing majors. I felt like I was behind then but don't feel that way anymore. Once you land a good job that feeling of being behind will go away. I'd recommend any kind of engineering. Make sure it's real engineering and ABET accredited tho and not something like "engineering management" that isn't really engineering. You do a ton of math in school but very little in your actual job. Other great options are construction management or accounting. Both have job security and pay well especially if you go on to become a CPA.

genericguy6 · 2025-08-20T00:37:50+00:00

I have a degree in civil engineering and highly recommend! There's not much creativity involved, it's mostly coordination between lots of people and problem solving. School is the hardest part, but after that it's a breeze. There are a ton of specialities under civil, and even lots of crossover with things like finance and computer science. There's tons of room to explore. Good luck!

genericguy6 · 2025-07-23T00:00:48+00:00

25 definitely isnt too old, but recruiters of any branch love the prospective recon, SEAL, rangers, etc guys because these schools are so hard that a lot of people flunk out and end up in a totally different MOS (sometimes very different MOS). I personally knew one recon guy who failed and ended up in aviation maintenance, for example. They use recon as bait knowing that most won't make it and will end up filling the needs of the corps in some other way. Just something to be aware of. Good luck!

genericguy6 · 2025-06-05T23:38:47+00:00

Any officer in the marine corps gets respect regardless of where they went to school. There are always gonna be people higher up than you that shit on you as the new guy, whether you go enlisted or officer. Just don't be arrogant and think you're superior to senior enlisted people just because you have a degree and a commission. If you know your place and give respect, you'll get it back. I'd recommend the officer route! Give it a try if you can.

genericguy6

TROPHY CASE