Have a degree, but not joining as an officer?

[d2789]

I'm in my last year at uni now, doing speech and language sciences (basically a communications degree with a bit of science thrown in) and I am going to apply as soon as I hand in my final assignment. However, any time I tell people that i'm not joining as an officer they tell me I am wasting my degree. The thing is, I am a confident lad but also think its important to be honest about your abilities and I do not believe that i'm mature enough or have the right characteristics to be an officer, so it doesn't interest me. Am I wasting my degree, or does having a degree as a commando help too?
any advice would be great, cheers

 

[Rob20]

Mate most blokes in the Corps are qualified to be officers. It doesn't mean anything. Just because lads have a degree doesn't mean they're automatically suited to be an officer. If you want to be one of the lads, crack on. It's no lesser an achievement.

I got told the same thing by my HR rep when leaving my old firm, funny old thing the old boy had zero military experience. Do what you want.

 

[ThreadpigeonsAlpha]

I'm in my last year at uni now, doing speech and language sciences (basically a communications degree with a bit of science thrown in) and I am going to apply as soon as I hand in my final assignment. However, any time I tell people that i'm not joining as an officer they tell me I am wasting my degree. The thing is, I am a confident lad but also think its important to be honest about your abilities and I do not believe that i'm mature enough or have the right characteristics to be an officer, so it doesn't interest me. Am I wasting my degree, or does having a degree as a commando help too?
any advice would be great, cheers

You aren’t wasting your degree at all.

Yea, you have the qualifications to join as an officer, but if it’s not what you want, then you don’t have to.

I know plenty of lads with degrees in Other Ranks, a couple with 2! I know a few that took open uni degrees while serving aswell.
You probably won’t have use for it to be honest but it’s a great background and depending on your SQ it could be a nice bit of knowledge to have.

Plus your degree will still serve you when you decide to leave the Corps and join the civvie world.

Ultimately it depends what you want to do, do you want to be an Officer or an Other Rank?
And does officer not interest you because you don’t feel mature enough or because you prefer the role of a Marine?

 

[d2789]

Mate most blokes in the Corps are qualified to be officers. It doesn't mean anything. Just because lads have a degree doesn't mean they're automatically suited to be an officer. If you want to be one of the lads, crack on. It's no lesser an achievement.

I got told the same thing by my HR rep when leaving my old firm, funny old thing the old boy had zero military experience. Do what you want.

thanks for that, exactly what I needed to hear

 

[Chelonian]

However, any time I tell people that i'm not joining as an officer they tell me I am wasting my degree.

Many people are ill-informed and cling in ignorance to perceptions which date back to the 1950s. They are free with their opinions despite having zero experience or knowledge of military career options.

It's worth bearing in mind that a high proportion of Other Ranks in the Royal Marines are academically qualified for Officer.

Coincidentally the forum currently has a junior doctor considering Regular and Reserve service as an Other Rank.

 

[d2789]

You aren’t wasting your degree at all.

Yea, you have the qualifications to join as an officer, but if it’s not what you want, then you don’t have to.

I know plenty of lads with degrees in Other Ranks, a couple with 2! I know a few that took open uni degrees while serving aswell.
You probably won’t have use for it to be honest but it’s a great background and depending on your SQ it could be a nice bit of knowledge to have.

Plus your degree will still serve you when you decide to leave the Corps and join the civvie world.

Ultimately it depends what you want to do, do you want to be an Officer or an Other Rank?
And does officer not interest you because you don’t feel mature enough or because you prefer the role of a Marine?

thats what I keep thinking, thanks mate. and yes if I am honest being an officer has never interested me much. just want to be a royal marine.

 

[ThreadpigeonsAlpha]

thats what I keep thinking, thanks mate. and yes if I am honest being an officer has never interested me much. just want to be a royal marine.

Nothing wrong with that at all. Get it smashed!

 

[Chelonian]

Another observation: the academic and work environment of the twenty-first century is unrecognisable from the past. This fact appears to be overlooked particularly by the further education industry.

Military service arguably offers a grad opportunities to develop portable skills far beyond that of his civilian contemporaries.
Someone who has a university degree (regardless of subject) and a service background might well create his own USP for future careers.

 

[d2789]

Nothing wrong with that at all. Get it smashed!

thanks mate, will do!

 

[TheRents]

I don't for one minute think your degree will be wasted, but even if it was, better to waste a degree than waste a life.

If, later on, you choose to leave The Corps you will be one of those rare people that possess good academic qualifications and a bucket full of real life practical skills. Trust me on this, that is the Holy Grail for all employers!

just want to be a royal marine.

Nobody is 'just' a royal marine. When you march off that square you will be a Royal Marine Commando and you never need to apologise for aspiring to be one.

Go grab your dream

 

[G_commando]

Just want to mirror what above have all said. Quite a few marines are actually far more educated than officers as the only requirement is 2 a levels.
I personally have worked with a few marines that have had 2 degrees but didn't want to join as an officer.
Also some times people don't want to wait. When I worked in a careers office we had a candidater that applied and passed 2 years in a row but didn't get selected for the batch.