CT Only: An Academic Marine

[BlindGuy]

This guy was remarkable. I have no idea how he ended up with such a high education stat, but I guess that's what backstory is for.

Robert Gamon, 8858D8 revolver-2, rifle-1, cutlass-2, computer-1, vaccsuit-2, medical-1, tactics-1. 34000 CR, TAS, high PSG 5 terms.

He initially tried out for the navy, but was drafted into the Corps. He barely survived his first term, but after that it got better. They ejected him just as his age was starting to show. I imagine he's kind of resentful towards the imperial bureaucracy in general.
I'm thinking of using this guy in a solo campaign of some sort—he has enough medical skill to qualify as ship's medic, and can obviously hold his own in a fight. hOw'd he get so darn educated, though? It was initially C, but the mustering tables were kind.

 

[atpollard]

I remember an interview on TV with one of those SEALs or RANGERs or some Special Forces types who was in Afghanistan and had a Masters Degree in something or other ... he had lots of free time between missions and I guess the Special Forces tends to attract over-achievers in general.

 

[atpollard]

I also found this from the USMC:

"EDUCATION PROGRAMS
The Marine Corps offers career education at every level in the officer ranks. Not only is formal schooling provided to enhance the professional development of officers, but the Marine Corps has an extensive correspondence course program available to all officers.

Especially inviting are the various graduate education programs made available to qualified officers; the Special Education Program, the Advanced Degree Program, the Excess Leave Program-Law, and the Funded Law Education Program.

Special Education Program
The Special Education Program (SEP) is a fully funded program designed to build up the Marine Corps’ pool of officers with specialties in both technical and non-technical disciplines. Officers accepted into and completing the program earn master’s degrees in designated disciplines by attending the Naval Postgraduate School, the Air Force Institute of Technology, or approved civilian schools.

Advanced Degree Program
Under the Advanced Degree Program (ADP), expenses for the cost of a master’s degree are partially funded. Officers are selected to study in a particular technical or non-technical discipline and may attend the accredited school of their choice. While in this and the SEP program, officers continue to receive all pay and allowances.

A sample of the types of disciplines officers may study while in either the ADP or the SEP includes space systems operations, defense systems analysis, management, public relations, computer science, electronic engineering, and telecommunications management.

Excess Leave Program-Law
The Excess Leave Program-Law (ELP-L) provides qualified Marine Corps officers the opportunity to take time off from active duty to attend an accredited law school at their own expense. While participating in the ELP-L, officers receive no pay or allowances.

Funded Law Education Program
Under the Funded Law Education Program (FLEP), Marine Corps officers attend an accredited law school of their choice, with the Marine Corps paying their tuition and expenses. Full pay and allowances are provided to those officers in the FLEP."

 

[BlindGuy]

Thanks

I also found this from the USMC:

That's definitely interesting. Gives me more grist for the background mill. Ironically, if I were playing T5, I guess the rules would actually support that kind of education. One of these days I want to generate a character in it, but it seems both intimidating and inaccessible.

 

[epicenter00]

There's always unusual people in the military. I remember some book I read where a guy was recounting how one of his fellow Marines or sailors or something was into refined culture. He was basically just a lowly seaman or grunt or something yet when on shore leave, the guy would attend operas and visit art museums while the rest of the guys were rotting in fleshpots.

It's entirely possible the character decided to take full advantage of the educational opportunities that service provided him (or her?) as it was a cheap way to get a good education. Maybe that's secret reason why the character was kicked out, of course the actual reason is something else, but eventually they figured out that someone who fully exploits the educational opportunities is costing the Imperium lots of money.

 

[BlackBat242]

You didn't note whether he was an officer or enlisted.

So he took a lot of advanced-education classes in high school (like me - while in high school I received college credits in chemistry and literature, and just missed getting college credits in math [calculus] - I could have tried for college credits in history, but didn't).

And maybe he took some college classes while serving - I got college credits in Language (Japanese), PE (Scuba certification), and electronics (FAA Radio Operator's License) at Saddleback Community College in 1983 - the USMC paid for the tuition, I paid the pool/equipment fees for the Scuba course.

Oh, yes - I was a Corporal at the time.

 

[BlindGuy]

Oops…

You didn't note whether he was an officer or enlisted.

So he took a lot of advanced-education classes in high school (like me - while in high school I received college credits in chemistry and literature, and just missed getting college credits in math [calculus] - I could have tried for college credits in history, but didn't).

And maybe he took some college classes while serving - I got college credits in Language (Japanese), PE (Scuba certification), and electronics (FAA Radio Operator's License) at Saddleback Community College in 1983 - the USMC paid for the tuition, I paid the pool/equipment fees for the Scuba course.

Oh, yes - I was a Corporal at the time.

I didn't. I was copying the character from a tweet, so didn't have room to include the rank. He topped out as a Force Commander, so definitely an officer.

I appreciate all the insight into how the corps can provide an excellent education. It's an aspect I wasn't aware of—I'm not a vet of any service myself.

 

[CosmicGamer]

I appreciate all the insight into how the corps can provide an excellent education.

It's great to see how one's education might be gained while in service but is this your characters case?

It was initially C

C to D is not a whole lot of education during their career. Just a little very high level education.

 

[BlackBat242]

Yes - most of his education was pre-enlistment/commissioning, coming from a very high-quality early education.

A friend of mine in High School (he was in the AP English class with me) was taking all the advanced courses he could in order to stave off boredom. He had all the minimum credits needed to graduate two full years before the system would let him.

He was studying both Farsi (Iranian language) and Russian on the side as well. He was basically genius-level intellect, and was learning more on his own than the state system was teaching him.


Your guy has a good-but-not-genius Int score - so it was probably tutors and teachers pushing him, and a hard slog of effort before he turned 18.

 

[kilemall]

I'll get into this more with my IMTU entry, but I equate education with two things- years in schooling, and a tendency to consistently acquire knowledge and remain 'in touch' with general events and areas of specific expertise.

I treat the education stat as 1 per two years of school.

So using the US system, a sixth grader is EDU 3, HS grad is 6, Associates Degree is 7, Bachelors is 8, Master's is 9 or 10, PhD/MD is 10 and above, with a really high score indicating multiple majors and/or graduate degrees.

So your guy would be one of those officers who got all manner of graduate degrees during his service, possibly posted to a service school for a time.

I also use the education stat to execute knowledge checks, for general background info or add in skills for specific checks to know an obscure bit of data or rare procedure (like how to restart a reactor in 250 seconds when it's normally 1000 seconds).

 

[Golan2072]

If he started with EDU C, then it probably means he got to this level before the age of 18. He is slightly smarter than average (INT 8), but probably was very interested in educating himself and read almost anything available to him, probably taking correspondence/online courses during high school.

But the Military has its own needs. In many cases (this I recall with many people here in Israel who are drafted into IDF infantry forces), if you're physically and mentally fit ("profile 97"), in many cases you'll be an infantryman, though you could volunteer to more elite forces (Paratroopers, Sayarot [recon and special forces] or Naval Commando for example). In some cases this is regardless of education as the need for quality infantrymen takes precedence over other branches of the military (such as intelligence).

So the Imperial Marines needed him in an assault unit rather than in a rear formation doing something technical, operating a Battledress (hence the Vacc Suit-2 skill) He later learned additional military skills and was possibly a combat medic, and soon became an officer.

 

[samuelvss]

Well education is not just what you are exposed to, but what you retain, which is far more important. Could be well-read and got some college material before 18, and retained much more of what he was exposed to. A good deal of graduate material is material that you may have been exposed to at the undergraduate level, but they assume you mostly forgot.

Lots of education, formal and otherwise, in the ranks. Some of the most educated are the least schooled, generally, however. Had a master sergeant with a PhD in my unit. Think how much dead time an IM has; enough to get a few grad degrees...

 

[kilemall]

Well education is not just what you are exposed to, but what you retain, which is far more important. Could be well-read and got some college material before 18, and retained much more of what he was exposed to. A good deal of graduate material is material that you may have been exposed to at the undergraduate level, but they assume you mostly forgot.

Lots of education, formal and otherwise, in the ranks. Some of the most educated are the least schooled, generally, however. Had a master sergeant with a PhD in my unit. Think how much dead time an IM has; enough to get a few grad degrees...

I also look at Education as a HABIT- the habit of continually reading, keeping track of what is going on, to look up anything as it comes up and use instruction and lifelong learning as a pattern.

The undereducated, below 7, do not value learning as much, but they need information too. They tend to get information by word of mouth, the 'I heard it from a guy' school, so for them I would give them an advantage to roll for rumors rather then knowledge checks.

Just like Law Level conveys both harassment checks AND bribery chances, and like I am using Social Standing for both fiscal and power gain from advantaged resource checks, but also lower SS gives better chances for Streetwise checks.