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Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard/Does a GED affect me getting into the Marines?
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Question
Hows it going?
I'm planning on becoming a firefighter, but first I want to enlist in the Marines for 4 years before starting my fire fighting career. I would like to know if lack of high school diploma will prevent me from joining the Marines?
I have a GED and I'm getting a associates degree in fire science. I once I graduate I will have 22 general ED credit hours, 8+ elective credit hours, and 75 credit hours in courses related to fire fighting. Also are there any MOS's that are related to fire fighting in the Marine Corps? Thanks a lot for your help.
Kai
Hi Kai,
In the Military, there are "Tiers," related to education levels for enlistment.
"Tier I" is a high school diploma, and/or college degree, or 15 or more college credits. "Tier II" is a GED, or some other alternative credential, and "Tier III" is anything else, such as a high-school drop-out without a GED (I've over-simplified it, but these are the basics).
If you have a GED and at least 15 college credits from an accredited university, you are Tier I, and are on the same level (for enlistment purposes) as anyone with a high school diploma.
For Marine Corps MOS's (enlisted jobs) see: http://usmilitary.about.com/od/enlistedjo2/a/marinejobs.htm
Also see: http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/marineenjobs/bl7051.htm
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Answers by Expert:
Rod Powers
Expertise
Rod Powers is considered one of the premire experts about U.S. Military career information on the planet. He has more than 30,000 articles about U.S. Military career information on the About.com U.S. Military Careers Information website at: http://usmilitary.about.com. Additionally, he is the author of "ASVAB for Dummies," "ASVAB AFQT for Dummies," (available in Dec 2009), and "Veteran Benefits for Dummies," all published by Wiley Publishing. He is also the author of "Barrons' Guide to Officer Candidate School Tests," published by Barron's Educational Series.
Experience
Rod Powers is a retired Air Force first sergeant, with 23 years of active duty service, 11 of those years as an Air Force First Sergeant. He has helped thousands of military members, recruits, and military applicants since he took over the About.com U.S Military Careers Information site in 1999. He has a reputation for "telling it like it is," so questions may not be answered based on "what you want to hear," but will be answered based of the bast available information, concerning the service/situation.
Education/Credentials
Rod is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Noncommissioned Officers Academy, the Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy, and the Air Force First Sergeant Academy. He also holds an Associates Degree in Personnel Administration from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF).
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