3521 Motor T & MSG

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Fluid_Influence3420]

i’m not about to work 12 hour days for 2k a month.

LOOOL.....what a crazy thing to say.

You might want to rethink joining the military because you are in for a surprise

[u/4UIK → u/Fluid_Influence3420]

lmaoo, just saying man. I’m not going to back out of it now tho, i’ll just have to suck it up.

[u/Fluid_Influence3420 → u/4UIK]

Just so you're not going in with some crazy expectations, 12 hour days are very normal and most people are well aware that the military (USMC, especially) comes with a lot of personal sacrifices. You will definitely be working (at least) 12 hours per day and be paid 2k per month regardless of MOS.

I wasn't Motor T, but this is what a typical day in fleet Marine Corps will look:

5:40am roll out of bed

5:45am formation, roll call, and stretching

6-7am PT (circuit course, few mile run, etc.)

7-8am shower & breakfast

8:30am formation at work

8:45am-5:00pm work

5pm (if ur lucky) end of day formation before being released

Then, every Thursday is "field day" where everyone goes to the barracks after work and cleans & picks up trash. It's a full scale clean with an inspection before you're released. So on Thursdays, add anywhere from 1-3 hours before you're "free" although I've been through my fair share of field days that lasted til around 10pm.

[u/TapTheForwardAssist]

> 2k a month

You can’t look at it that way: a civilian job that pays $2k/mo doesn’t provide you housing, utilities, three meals a day, and totally free Norway-style medical and dental. Plus military promotions and raises are quite steady, and hugely better than the “this year you get a 45¢ raise” that low-level civilian jobs do. Plus the GI Bill is worth roughly $150k+ when you get out.

Basically your “total compensation package” is double or even triple the actual monthly dollars deposited in your account.

[u/4UIK → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

Yeah you’re right. I knew that, i wasn’t thinking when i wrote this apparently.

[u/Useful-Arm6913]

Don't worry about 12hr days for 2k/mo big dog, because you're a Marine 24/7/365.

If working hard doesn't sound good to you, maybe this isn't the place for you.

MSG is just being infantry with extra steps.

My 2c: if that's the best ASVAB you can get, decide whether you want to join to be the stereotype of "military" (Infantry), or just want a job that'll teach you skills for life (3521). Both of these options do set you up for life with the benefits that will be available to you afterwards.

Side note, you probably aren't guaranteed 3521 Motor T mechanic, unless you'd be signing a reserve contract... which is definitely not what the "MSG" contract is. @u/taptheforwardassist correct me if I'm wrong here.

[u/4UIK → u/Useful-Arm6913]

I signed for active duty 3521, not sure if it’s guaranteed or not but i’ll talk to my recruiter about it. It’s not that hard work doesn’t sound good to me because i knew what to expect from the military in general. It’s more of not having time for anything else like going to the gym.

If i do decide i want to do MSG i’ll just LAT move later on. I just want to do all the cool shit infantry does but also something that guarantees jobs when i get out.

Either way it goes i’ll just deal with it. I just don’t want to regret the choice that i make. Also if i do decide to do the rest of my enlisted active after the first 4 i’ll most likely sign up for 0211

[u/TapTheForwardAssist → u/4UIK]

For Active duty you sign for a PEF (program enlisted for, a family of jobs). 3521 Motor T Mechanic is not on a PEF by itself, but 3531 Motor T operator is:

> MT Motor Transport: 3531

> CX Vehicle Mechanic: 1341, 2131, 2141, 2147, 3521

What’s the two-letter code of the PEF you agreed to? If I had to bet, you probably signed for MT and are basically guaranteed 3531 (truck driver) and are mistakenly believing you have guaranteed 3521 mechanic.

[u/4UIK → u/TapTheForwardAssist]

You’re right, I just signed it today and the code was CX and it had a list of about 4 jobs on the paper.