How Bad Is It Out There?
 

I know you're not asking for Marine's opinions really, but. I'll give my 2 cents anyway.

Do you have a job/career lined up after the Marine Corps? I'd have to say, thats your biggest thing. If so, then you're good to go. If not, and you plan on just going out in the civilian and looking for a job AFTER you're out, you might be in for a rude awakening.

Honestly, its about who you know. If you can get the hook-up and find a decent job out in the civilian world, then your straight. But, if you dont have any connections, it might be harder than anticipated.

And even if you have a college degree, or about to get a degree before getting out, that degree doesnt gurantee anything. I have plenty of friends who are college graduates that are still looking for a job, or working in something that their degree is useless in.

Location is another key. Where do you plan on going and living when you're out? Decent size city? Or middle of no where? Hows employment there? There's a lot of key factors that will determain how bad it will be for you.

All I can say is Good Luck!

Yes, have a plan. Most of the Marines I served with that reenlisted did so because they did not have a plan when their enlistment was up! You don't want to have 8 years in and then get out because you really didn't want to re-up the first time! At that point it is a waste to just let 8 years go!
My plan was to go to college. I actually worked part-time at the Home Depot before and after getting out of the Corps to make sure my finances were in order. I also had the G.I. Bill but it was far less then what you will receive. Don't let others scare you into staying in by saying that the economy is really bad or that the job market is horrible. They said the same things when I was getting out. Even though it is a tough economy now, don't let that fact alone sway your decision. Use the skills that you learned in the Corps to make it on the outside. If you are going to college (which isn't a bad plan) and you use up all of the G.I. Bill before finishing school, do not pay for the rest out of your pocket. There are plenty of employers that pay 100% tuition (some up front), so no need to foot the rest. I would suggest that you attend an actual campus college and avoid the on-line schools especially if you want the college experience. And you might want to give serious consideration to maintaining your affiliation with the Corps by serving in the SMCR because trust me, your civilian job will lack in the good qualities that made serving memorable.

-Good Luck

I guess it would depend on where you live. I've been at the same job for 3 years. I work offshore on oil rigs and pulled in an annual income of double what I was making as a Sgt. I also attend school full time and I'm taking advantage of my G.I. Bill. My wife who was also a Marine is going to school full time as well. When we decided to get out the only bills we had were our car notes. We have managed to stay out of dept , pay off both cars, and set aside a nice nest egg for a home we plan on purchasing by the end of the year. We only have a 3 year kid. A year before we got out we started planning what we were going to do and how we were going to do it. After all that planning we thought if this doesn't work we can always go back in (granted you may loose time and grade and if the Corps can't take you back there's always another branch). We decided to take the risk and for us it has worked out. For some of my friends who got out and live in states where the unemployment is higher than the national average are not doing so well. Some didn't have as such a detailed plan like I did because they didn't have a kid. It took a me no time to adjust to civilian life but my it did take my wife a little while longer. Definitely try to finish school before you get out. Competition for jobs is higher than ever due to the job market. By the time you get out things may have gotten better. If you have sustained injuries while you were in the Marine Corps when you do a claim through the VA (depending on what they rate your percentage) your wife could be put on your plan as a dependent. The price of living depends on what part of the country you guys plan on settling down at. My standards of living have definitely improved since I got out so I'm not complaining. From where I'm sitting things aren't bad at all. I hope this long and lengthy story helps.

I just want to take the time to stress what everyone else is saying here. Have a plan. Tackle the job market before you get out, and use every contact you may have on the other side. Based on how many opportunities you run into, you should leave plenty of time to have reenlisting on the table. Just remember that having military time under your belt doesn't mean that every employer is going to be standing out there with their arms wide open. I didn't have a plan before getting out however, I got extremely lucky and landed a good job. The unfortunate truth is that it very easily could have gone the other way. And having a degree means so much in the civilian world. Good luck when the time comes.

HOLY CATS!!!!
A civilized thread. I was getting disgusted with all the nastiness and negative postings on this forum . The postings on this thread are the most decent, polite and helpful I have yet read. Congratulations to all.