I'm two weeks into nuke school (ET by the way). But I'm starting to have 'second thoughts' about whether or not I should have chosen to go nuke. I DO NOT regret joining the Navy at all; probably the best decision I've ever made in my life, aside from getting my bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
However, this tedious life at nuke school has me wondering if all the challenges I have ahead of me for the upcoming months is worth it? I didn't select nuke because of the big bonus. In fact, my folks are always telling me that I chose the navy, the navy 'chose me' for nuclear. I went nuclear because I wanted a rating that would make me exercise skills I'm good at, that's why we all take the ASVAB, so the service can see what our strengths are.
But all in all, is being a nuke worth it? I'm not talking about in terms of big bucks, I mean in terms of job enjoyment, sense of belonging, stuff like that.
So I will preface this saying that what I say might seem harsh, but given the rash of terrible new people coming to our boat I feel it is necessary.
You joined the Navy and you chose to be a nuke, regardless of what your parents say. Period. Is it possible that you weren't entirely sure of all being a nuke would entail? Absolutely. I would wager that very few nukes had much of an idea of what they were getting into when they signed up. Since this is not a job that allows you to quit, I can only assume that you are asking us to give you a reason not to make them drop you (either going sad or purposefully failing out). If you are the kind of person who is going to quit on me just because we have to go into shift work to get a nuclear instrument replaced so that we can go on a patrol, then I don't want you to finish the pipeline because I can't count on you. You shouldn't be a nuke. It might sound like two different things, but it really isn't when it comes to commitment and having a work ethic. I don't know if you're two weeks into A-School or Power School, but either way you are in for a long road. It only gets progressively more difficult. You will put in long hours and still be expected to adhere to all of your military obligations as well. Once you finish the pipeline (including qualifying Reactor Operator at prototype), you will go to a boat. On the Submarine side: You will get to the boat as a completely unqualified nub. Coners will probably give you crap for it, even though there's nothing you can do about it. The nukes won't bother you too much as long as you are studying, working on qualifications, and NOT going dinq (Delinquent in Qualifications). As a potential RC Div member, everything your division does is under the scrutiny of everyone important because your maintenance and paperwork are directly related to reactor safety. Forgot a decimal place? Critique. Missed a small step in the procedure? Critique. Manipulate the incorrect switch? Critique. Are you seeing a pattern here? Being a nuke does not get easy, the material and amount of responsibility you are handed grows with you (unless you prove yourself unreliable).
Now for the hugging part.
For the most part, nukes have a great sense of community and I really enjoy 95% of the people I work with. Do we bicker over stupid things sometimes? Sure, but at the end of the day there is a mutual respect for what we do (at least on my boat). Being a Reactor Operator is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things I've done in my life. While there are times life really sucks, it is sucking for everyone. So there is that sense of camaraderie that is built from everyone's shared experiences in that climate. You will also develop a closer working relationship with the officers (on Submarines) because they are nukes first. They are also trained by enlisted nukes when they are junior and standing EOOW. As for the pay, even without re-enlisting my wife and I have had more than enough to afford anything we'd want (within reason) and still save money.
In closing, I can't tell you what to do. I would be lying if I said I never thought about quitting during the pipeline (prototype), but I am very happy I didn't. Also, a word of advice: If you get to a boat, no one expects you to be a superstar. By all mean be a superstar if you can be, but when you see some of the new people you work with you will realize that doing your job and not going dinq is like having a superpower. If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.
ET1 (SS)
