As a Marine, you may be called upon to serve where needed, but there are many career fields you can pursue within the Corps.
Did you know that as a U.S. Marine,
you are not only part of the country's most elite fighting force but also a well-trained professional, capable of serving in many capacities? Even if you don't yet know exactly which of the U.S. Marines careers you want to pursue, there are many options that await you when you join the Marines.
U.S. Marines Careers As An Officer
Whether you would like to remain among enlisted personnel or become an officer, there are various U.S. Marines careers available to you. If you have a college degree, you can enter the Corps on either career track. You will be trained to do an interesting job, but officers are paid more and receive better perks as their jobs typically involve supervisory and leadership roles. There is a strong chain of command in the military, so as a junior officer you will report to a more senior officer who reports to someone above him. Regardless of which path you pursue, you will have the opportunity to do an exciting job that interests you.
U.S. Marines Careers As Enlisted Personnel
The Marines use medical services provided by the Navy so there are no Marine doctors, but career opportunities exist in virtually every other field. You can even be a lawyer. Many Marines have careers as field artillery officers, amphibious assault vehicle officers, intelligence officers, public affairs officers, and virtually anything else that suits their interests and talents.
The Enlisted Marines Jobs List
As a Marine, you might be trained for one of nearly 200 jobs in 80 career fields. Whether you see yourself working in aviation, administration, linguistics, ground transportation, or marketing, there is a place for you in the Marines. Many options on the Marines Jobs List will teach you transferable skills you can later use in the civilian world.
Qualifying For U.S. Marines Careers
Your Marine career will be determined by your performance on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a standardized test that measures your verbal, mathematical, and reasoning skills along with any specialized knowledge in certain fields such as electronics or automotive shop. Your scores on specific parts of the test are clustered into area composites to determine whether you have the basic skill set to train in electronics repair versus finance versus chemical maintenance. Only the areas of word knowledge, paragraph comprehension, arithmetic reasoning and mathematics knowledge are used to assess your basic qualifications. These sections make up the Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT).
With a little research online, you can find the required scores for different jobs. For example, if you would like to be an engineer equipment mechanic you must have a Mechanical Maintenance score of 100 or higher. To be a finance technician, you must have a General Technical score of 110 or more. When you show a basic aptitude, the Marines get you training to learn specific skills in that field.
Preparing To Have More Options On The Marines Jobs List
Before you take the aptitude test, you have the opportunity to practice it online. Whatever you think you want to be, you will have more career choices if you perform well. To join the Marines, you must score at least a 32 on the four sections of the Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT) mentioned above. When you come into the Marines with a GED, your minimum score requirement for the AFQT is 50. Remember that specific jobs require much higher scores.
Becoming a Marine will give you the training and experience you need to excel at careers on the Marines Jobs List. If you prove to be a competent worker, you will have the chance to handle more responsibility and receive more training to advance in your particular field.
If you're looking for an opportunity to serve your country and acquire lifelong career skills, the Marine Corps might be for you.
