Is it possible to join the Marines and be able to do Aeronautic Engineer

The military is a great way to start a career! The great thing about the Marines or the military is that you can server your country, acquire many skills, and work on your career aspirations like Aeronautical Engineering as well as earn money for college.

I was asking your exact same question almost 20 years ago except I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to be yet other than I was interested in engineering. I knew I could get some experience in the military but I realized getting a college degree would be critical but I couldn't afford tuition. So I joined the Marines and enrolled in their college fund program that would pay for my educations after my service which was the best decision I ever made. If you enter the military I would highly encourage you to enroll in a program that will help pay for your education.

The Marines may have a job specialty that is related to aeronautic engineering and I would encourage you to apply for those specific jobs even if they are not directly related. When I joined they had computer programming and engineering.

I would also contact a couple of universities that may specialize in aeronautical engineering and get a list of course work they require. Keep in mind, while you serve you can take college courses through various programs offered that will transfer as credits to a university when you get out.

That way when you get out you will likely have obtained very applicable experiences from the Marines, have completed several required courses in the subject you are interested in that can be applied directly to your degree, and will have money to pay for your tuition.

Good Luck!

A great question - with a bit of a complicated answer.

First, all of the Armed Services (Army, Navy, Air Force & Marines) have opportunities for individuals to join that service as an Officer after obtaining a college degree. You can obtain your degree and join the service in a few ways: 1. Attend a military academy (e.g., the Naval Academy for a Marine Officer Commission: see www.usna.edu). The academies are also great places to study engineering. 2. Attend one of many universities to get your degree and attend Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) classes. ROTC can help fund your college and you have wide latitude in selecting your major (Check out the Navy ROTC website at www.nrotc.navy.mil). 3. Attend college on your own and then join the service of your choice, either through Officer Candidate School if you want to be an officer (probably more suitable for aviation or engineering service) or through enlisting in the Marines.

Second, you should decide if you want to study aeronautical engineering and/or be a practicing engineer. You didn't indicate if you want to fly or not and that might also influence your choice - each service's website can tell you more about the requirements for becoming a pilot. Typically the actual engineering done for military aircraft is done by civilians, though military test pilots in all services work to evaluate the flight performance of these aircraft. The bulk of the practicing engineers in the uniformed military are civil engineers (eg, the Army Corps of Engineers).

Finally, you should decide if the career you pursue in the military is the one you want to pursue for your life, or if you are willing to hold another position while in the Marines and pursue applied engineering later. If that is the case, my recommendation is to obtain the best engineering degree you can and select a military job that will challenge you and reward you. Military service will provide you with tremendous leadership opportunities and opportunities to pursue advanced education as well.

I hope this helps - and feel free to follow up with any additional questions on military service, aviation service, commissioning options and college decisions. Good luck!

Yes, you can be both a Marine and an aeronautical engineer.

However, the Marines do not exactly have "aeronautical engineering" positions. No worries though...after completing your aeronautical engineering degree at college, you can commission as a second lieutenant and serve in a variety of engineering-related fields. There are combat engineers, pilots and industrial engineering Officers who all rely on their college education in the Marines. Service contract length varies from 4 to 8 years, after which you are free to continue serving or leave for another opportunity.

I fly for the Marines, and plenty of my fellow aviators have aeronautical engineering degrees. Some plan on making this their career while others are leaving when their contract expires and joining the large network of veterans employed at aero firms such as Boeing, Sikorsky and Northrop Grumman.