What led you to pick your MOS?

I liked chemistry and math. he offered me chemical corps or medical lab...thought to myself, folks are always going to get sick.

When I enlisted in the Air Force back in 1966 the draft was still in full force and even enlistees didn't always get what they wanted, the needs of the service came first. You didn't enlist for a job, You got what they gave You. You could request certain jobs but there were no promises and that didn't guarantee You would get them. In basic training We filled out what were called Career Dream Sheets because if You thought You would get what You wanted You were dreaming. I remember the form well, there was even a question, "Would You accept duty in the Air Police ?" I checked NO and then got assigned to the Air Police. I did fine in that career filed and like fungus I guess it grew on Me and between the Military and civilian world worked that full time for over 40 years and even got a BS degree in Criminal Justice.

Things have changed, now people can enlist for specific jobs but it hasn't always been that way.

Me: I really want to work communications...I'm a licensed radio operator, with a broadcast endorsed license from the FCC.
Recruiter: How about Chaparral ? That has communications. [ no mention of a bonus OR critical short handed status]........... later, upon reclass for Infantry:

1977 was when I Enlisted I wanted To Go To Chef School at The Green brier in West Virginia But The Class Was Full For That Year ,So Decided to go in the Army Aug -Sept Ft Dix NJ then to E -1-5 at Ft Dix Food service Specialist 94B 10 Grad.on Thanksgiving Day 1977 Spent 15 day Leave at Home then Went To Germany Schweinfurt 2nd Batt 39th FA HHB Dec 1977 -jul 1980 Working in the Mess Hall then went to Ft Knox Ky and Worked in Basic Training Mess Hall A-19-4 Jul 1980 -1983 Jul Then Went To Culinary Art School In Louisville Ky

Back when i enlisted in the army I wanted to travel to as many bases i could. My recruiter set me up as a Parachute rigger. Basic in Ft jackson. Jump school on ft benning, parachute rigger school in Ft lee Virginia. Permanent party in ft Bragg. I got the opportunity to travel and see 4 bases. The mos was what i wanted.

the meps station said the only thing open when i wanted to go to basic was rigger, dont regret being a rigger, kunfortuantly nothing on the outside for a rigger

I started out as a 13B cannon crewman, not happy at all. Went to OCS became 11A or as Mark said Airborne Infantry, hells yea. I shifted to Special Forces great move.

You don’t state why you made this choice, therefore hard to provide an open assessment. Rigger is a very small specialty, even far smaller than your current one. You are limited by location, in promotion, and frankly with other developmental opportunities. Having said that, the top tiered personnel in all fields accel, and are able to progress very well. If an MOS is a small field, so are those that excell.

I picked my MOS for the worst possible reason - it had the biggest bonus. Fast forward 4 years and I couldn't reclass fast enough.

The SECOND time around, I had a VERY limited set of options, but I chose one that seemed to fit my strengths and desires (it didn't, but at least on paper it did).

The THIRD time around, I reclassed because my old MOS was going away. I chose from a relatively limited list based on what I thought would give me some pretty unique skills, including a language (which they did away with between the time I signed up for the MOS and the time I went to school).

And I actually DID my MOS very little beyond that first 4 years. But boy could I operate an orderly room by the time I retired.

i had 2 options, join as a 19D Cavalry Scout and go to Germany or walk down the street to the Marine Corps recruiting office. 32 years later, still the best thing i ever did.