[OT] I'm Going To Enlist In The Navy

[BV210]

As a prior Air National Guard enlisted troop (8 years) and a current Active Duty Air Force Captain (my Major's board meets in December - woo hoo!), I can definitely say that there are ups and downs to this job. In my case I've had more ups.

Fist let me say, what CTD said is truth. Active recruiters will hand you a line in a heartbeat. However, if you want to be able to pick your job and your unit, look to the Air National Guard. The recruiter for that unit recruits for that unit only. Also, he can only offer you jobs they have openings for. The downside to the ANG is that if the people above you don't move away or die, you can hit the glass ceiling.

Either way, Guard or Reserve, you'll have one weekend per month and two weeks in the summer (typically) to serve. That bit of money sure came in handy when I was in college and then just starting out. But, you can be called up and deployed for anywhere from 30 days, 90 days, 120 days, 179 days, or even a year (or more, just ask those folks in the Army National Guard).

As a member of the USAF, I'm going to shamelessly plug us blue-suiters. Basic Training is only 6 weeks long (yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before, you Marines) at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX. How long your follow-on technical school is depends on your job. Air Traffic Control? Figure close to a year, I think. Most are 3-6 months at least.

I forgot you said you were in college. If possible, try to get into the ROTC. Or, you can try to apply to Officer Training School. That's a 13-week course here in Montgomery, AL (Maxwell AFB) that ends with you getting your shiny gold bar. Having been both enlisted and officer, if possible, try to get your commission. At the very least, the pay is better.

All this being said, I applaud you for even considering a career (full-time or part-time) in the military. You won't find much harder work anywhere but it is also extremely rewarding. Plus the uniforms are snazzy.

I've been in a total of 15 years and (so far) only had one lengthy deployment. I spent 120 days in Sarajevo back in 1998. As a newly wed, the timing wasn't the best, but in hindsight, it was a great trip. I was fortunate enough to miss Desert Storm by the skin of my teeth. Near future? Not a clue. As an Air Force communications officer, there's no telling.

Anyway, I just wanted to put my two cents in. Best of luck to you whatever you choose.

 

[Kilmore]

CTD is right. If you have a clear idea of what you want to do, you should stand up for it. I went in wanting to work in communications, but ended up a nuclear missile mechanic on a submarine.

BTW, if the money's the thing, Submarines is a good way to go. They pay extra for that, and they all need nuclear plant technicians. If you're on a missile sub, you spend half the year on shore, but you don't get to travel anywhere. Also, I don't think we'll be using the SLBM's anytime soon, so you don't have to hurt anybody.

Though they are turning a few of them into Tomahawk missile batteries, and I think those will be emptied on a more regular basis.

 

[Psion]

ASVAB I did good on. I can't remember the scores, but I know I scored higher then 90% on both Math and English ... 92/95 as a guesstimate. They said as a result of that, good SAT, no criminal record, no traffic violation, I can (correct me if I'm wrong here) join as an E-2. After 6 months of training I'd be an E-3, and then go try the Nuke Program which is where the $ is at.

Whoa, I missed this part. Especially the nuke part.

Let me advise you: if you are going into the nuclear program, you are about to enter THE single hardest working program in the navy. Trust me. I was one. Yes, nukes get more money than their conventional counterparts... but they typically work a lot longer hours.

Further, when I went in, you could sign up for the Nuclear program entering. If you fail to qualify, you could get out. Further, when I went in as a nuke, I went in as an E3, and got E4 upon graduating from power school.

Looking back, the extra money I got for being a nuke was peanuts for how hard I worked. The machinists mates used to have a D&D game they played on weekends that I could not regularly participate in because the nukes were always fixing stuff or drilling. I would occasionally break away to play a game of risk after watch, but usually found that I had to call my games off because something else broke or something needed attending to.

If you are a really disciplined person with a strong work ethic, consdier nuke. Otherwise, reconsider it.

If I had it to do again, I would go in one of these "6 years programs with 2 years active and 4 years drilling reserves" that has the GI Bill and Navy College fund. I don't know if they still have that, but new people were coming in about the time that I got out that did that and it sounded like a SWEET deal to me. If I had done that, I would have only "squandered" 2 years of my life instead of 6, and if you decide the navy is for you, you can go active.

Further, you mentioned some college experience. If at all possible and you qualify, try to get in on an officer program before you even CONSIDER going in as enlisted. I spoke with some officers while I was in, and some of those deals are pretty sweet. It's not to likely that your recruiter will be too vocal about those deals as they have different recruiters for enlisted and officers, but defininetly look into officer offerings first.

 

[SemperJase]

Being a recruiter is job experience for a future career as a used car salesman.

Recruiters will make you feel that they are looking out for you. You'll think, "what a great guy!" The truth is, they have their own quotas. They will tell you ANYTHING to get you to sign that paper.

Serving in the military is honorable and provides great life experience. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Still, get it in writing. If it isn't, use the previous advice to take you home. On the incredibly rare event they do take you home, you can always enlist later when the terms are more favorable for you. Remember, they need you more than you need them.

My recruiter screwed me over. I was supposed be promoted to E-2 after boot camp. Strangely, I found out in boot camp, that wasn't going to happen. The only reason I did get E-2 was because my senior drill instructor gave me the promotion for his own reasons (completely unrelated to what was "suppposed" to happen). Don't count on that happening for you.

The military is infamous for keeping promises only when they are in writing.

Semper Fi,
Jason

 

[Eosin the Red]

Lips are moving - the recruiter is lying, even the nice ones. Get it in writing and DO NOT GO IN WITHOUT A RESERVED JOB. You will be chipping paint off of the side of ships without a secure job and classes.

Now, game stuff. You will not want for a lack of games, especially if you live in a dorm. When I left the military I had something like 27 different players in 3 different groups that met weekly and over 3 years I had ran games for approx 100 people in and around the dorms [back then I even got to play once in a while]. You can have a core group or two that stays fairly stable and have a floater game to recruit good players/GMs. At least that worked well for me.

 

[Azure Trance]

Try to reply to all points here:

Whoa, I missed this part. Especially the nuke part.

Let me advise you: if you are going into the nuclear program, you are about to enter THE single hardest working program in the navy. Trust me. I was one. Yes, nukes get more money than their conventional counterparts... but they typically work a lot longer hours.

Further, when I went in, you could sign up for the Nuclear program entering. If you fail to qualify, you could get out. Further, when I went in as a nuke, I went in as an E3, and got E4 upon graduating from power school.

Looking over the info arrayed in front of me. Join in as E-3, do recruit training, get 3-6 months of training, advance to E-4, and then go to Nuke Power School at Charleston, SC. When you say 'fail to qualify , you could get out' do you mean out of the Nuke Program to another Program, or out of the Navy entirely?

Looking back, the extra money I got for being a nuke was peanuts for how hard I worked. The machinists mates used to have a D&D game they played on weekends that I could not regularly participate in because the nukes were always fixing stuff or drilling. I would occasionally break away to play a game of risk after watch, but usually found that I had to call my games off because something else broke or something needed attending to.

If you are a really disciplined person with a strong work ethic, consdier nuke. Otherwise, reconsider it.

Most likely I will probably have to reconsider it, at least before contract signing time.

If I had it to do again, I would go in one of these "6 years programs with 2 years active and 4 years drilling reserves" that has the GI Bill and Navy College fund. I don't know if they still have that, but new people were coming in about the time that I got out that did that and it sounded like a SWEET deal to me. If I had done that, I would have only "squandered" 2 years of my life instead of 6, and if you decide the navy is for you, you can go active.

I'll ask about that as well; never heard of that option.

Further, you mentioned some college experience. If at all possible and you qualify, try to get in on an officer program before you even CONSIDER going in as enlisted. I spoke with some officers while I was in, and some of those deals are pretty sweet. It's not to likely that your recruiter will be too vocal about those deals as they have different recruiters for enlisted and officers, but defininetly look into officer offerings first.

Some others above mentioned going ROTC; I'll have to dig up info on that but as everyone seems to swear by the benefits of joining ROTC compared to enlisted it might be an option (must see what colleges near here are ROTC colleges).

 

[Regdar]

Go Navy. Join ROTC if you can, make your plan before you join.

 

[Azure Trance]

Being a recruiter is job experience for a future career as a used car salesman.

Recruiters will make you feel that they are looking out for you. You'll think, "what a great guy!" The truth is, they have their own quotas. They will tell you ANYTHING to get you to sign that paper.

... perhaps I should have looked for cloven feet under the desk.

Serving in the military is honorable and provides great life experience. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Still, get it in writing. If it isn't, use the previous advice to take you home. On the incredibly rare event they do take you home, you can always enlist later when the terms are more favorable for you. Remember, they need you more than you need them.

[...]

The military is infamous for keeping promises only when they are in writing.

Semper Fi,
Jason

So when I go to the Processing Center and meet the Job Counseler, they are whom I should get a -in-writing- agreement with, as recruiters have no say of what my career will be.

 

[Psion]

Looking over the info arrayed in front of me. Join in as E-3, do recruit training, get 3-6 months of training, advance to E-4, and then go to Nuke Power School at Charleston, SC.

That sounds more like what I did. Except when I was in, Power School was in Orlando.

When you say 'fail to qualify , you could get out' do you mean out of the Nuke Program to another Program, or out of the Navy entirely?

Well if you fail to qualify for the nuke program (which I almost did... I was sick as a dog when I went in and I failed some blood screenings that have to do with your ability to take radiation), you won't be going in the nuke program, that much is obvious. But yes, under the program that I went in under, if I got screened out in boot camp, I could have got out.

That said, I know some people who screwed up later who were obligated. I think once you are in A-school, you are in it for 4, and for each month of power school, you are committed to part of your remaining 2 years.

But like others have said, don't assume that this deal applies to you unless you see it in writing.

Some others above mentioned going ROTC; I'll have to dig up info on that but as everyone seems to swear by the benefits of joining ROTC compared to enlisted it might be an option (must see what colleges near here are ROTC colleges).

I think there are other programs other than ROTC if you have a certain amount of credits (I forget what they are called). Or it might have been a subset of ROTC.

 

[Psion]

Lips are moving - the recruiter is lying, even the nice ones.

That's not totally true. We had a recruited in our home town who was a totally straight up guy.

Of course he got in trouble for not making his quotas and the cheif over him was constantly riding him...

But yes, exception that proves the rule...

Now, game stuff. You will not want for a lack of games,

I should point out that most of my current players are in the Navy. I work on a Naval Air Station.