I'm interested in the enlisted side of the Navy's nuclear program, having grown tired of the lower-level IT world, but I have a few career-related questions I'd like to put to rest. Thanks in advance for your consideration; I know everyone here is a 'volunteer', and posts at his/her leisure.
I'm familiar with the fundamentals of the three nuke rates, and all sound compelling in unique ways. How extensive is the cross-training between them? Selfish though it may be, I'd like to maximize the amount of schooling/training I receive through the Navy, given that I'll be signing over six years of my life to them. EM/ET seem more comprehensive in that regard; their A-schools are longer (even if everyone ends up attending p-school and prototype in the end), and the rate descriptions make them sound more "technical". While I'm on the subject of formal instruction, what "follow-on" schools are available for the three rates? I've heard about ELT and welder schools for MMs, but EM and ET follow-ons remain a mystery. How hard is it to get selected for these schools; will I have to extend my enlistment to score one, or wait until one of my (future) ship's specialty billets opens up, or both? Is it possible to attend multiple C schools? Do nukes ever get dive billets on submarines? Regs seem to be against that, but I keep hearing captivating rumors..
If I go surface, and eventually end up an instructor at the New York prototype, my educational horizons appear considerably broader, with both RPI and the New School accomodating nukes (both great schools, from what I gather). That's a heck of a lot of ducks to get lined up, however, and submarines seem awfully interesting. What outside schooling is available for SPUs at the other prototypes (particularly the sub sites)?
How applicable is your training to the civilian world? It seems that many nukes choose to get involved in civilian nuclear ops upon seperation, but what about other occupations? Ever hear about any former nukes who became trade electricians?
Finally, which of the three rates do you consider "the coolest", or the most interesting? I realize this is an incredibly subjective question, but the answers should prove revealing.
Also, if you've got the patience to keep going, I've got a few genuinely 'absurd' questions. I'm not very serious about them, just curious...
1) Has anyone here ever been assigned to NR-1? Did you like it? How difficult is it to pull this duty?
2) Any Special Projects people? Did you like it? How difficult is this to achieve?
3) Do some nukes really make chief in 7 years? STAR folks only, or normal people as well?
Once again, thanks for your time. I know some of these questions seem awfully self-centered, but I'm really not that way as a rule; as previously established, I'm just trying to get a few nagging career issues out of the way, before I make any decisions. The ultimate goal and purpose of the program is to serve the interests of the United States, and I'm ever mindful of that. Oh, and MMs...please don't take my earlier comments personally...I wasn't suggesting that you're underqualified compared to the other two rates, it's just that the formal training for the other two is a bit longer.