Another curious youth...

[MrJonson]

okay I'll try my hand at assembling my thoughts into an understandable paragraph here, but dont expect much. First of all I am 18 years old and about to go into my senior year of homeschooling. For a while now I have been looking into various ways to become a respectable human being once I get out into the "real world" and have looked into verious scolarships and colleges and what not and at some point I came across the military ROTC programs and thought "that looks nice". So after entertaining the Idea for a few weeks and looking into everything I decided to go see a navy recruiter and check things out. Ofcourse since recruiting is what he does he played the navy up real good you know things like Technical training, benefits, and ofcourse the montgomery G.I. bill and let me tell you he was good I was almost ready to sign but I held back and thought about it. After that I told him that as a homeschool student through all of highschool I needed to take the ASVAB so he set a date and I took it recently. Now I am not going to lie to you I dont consider myself smart by any means... hell I think im quite a dumbass so I didn't go in expecting much and came out of it with an AFQT of 90% which I hear is good but as soon as the recruiter looked at it he immediatly spit out the word Nuclear and I was originally aiming for a job like Engineering Aid so since I hadn't even considered the possibility I booted up the laptop and hit the web which after many hours of research and net surfing led me here. I have looked through many topics here and found it to be helpfull and I guess I wanted to post and find a few things out myself. Okay now I like the recruiter he is a nice guy but its his job to sell the navy so it would be nice to know what I would be getting into, ofcourse in my mind thanks to all the movies and such I have this image of hellish training in my head that may or may not be true, I ofcourse know this isnt an easy thing but id like to know just what id be getting into after signing away my soul to the devi... I mean Navy. As far as the academics go after basic, I think its called "A" school, like I said earlier im no genius by any means and to even qualify for the program I need a 50 on the NFQT but assuming I get past that since im homeschooled I typicly have never had that much pressure in school... sure the classes were ten times more difficult then if I had gone to public school it wasn't like I had any structure to it. So at this point when it comes to academics Im fairly self motivated. So anyway now that my little auto biography is over lets get to the important bits. Would anyone tell me how much my life would suck if I decided to do this? Because I like the sound of the Nuclear field but I know that no matter what I do the military is what it is just like life so nothing is going to be easy but I would like to know if it gets a little easier with time. I would appreciate anyone who could offer some much appreciated advice, or for that matter bother to even read this entire thing.

[Already Gone]

Tell you what.  Keep reading this section.  Then come back and ask again.  I'll bet you can find a lot of what you need already posted here, but we'll be glad to give you any answers that are not.

[MrJonson]

Tell you what.  Keep reading this section.  Then come back and ask again.  I'll bet you can find a lot of what you need already posted here, but we'll be glad to give you any answers that are not.

Thanks thats what I'v been doing... seems really scary...

[landlubber]

Just so you can understand where I am coming from: I was never in the military, but I was trained in the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program and I trained Navy nukes for 13 years. Being a Navy nuke is hard, and of all of the enlisted nukes I have worked with only a handful would say they enjoy their jobs. Contrast that with Navy pilots, all of whom love their jobs. (The enlisted Nukes say they hate their jobs, but they are extremely proud of their knowledge, skills, and the job that they do.) You need to decide what it is you want to do with your life before you sign on the dotted line with your friend the recruiter. I certainly would explore getting an ROTC scholarship or an appointment to Annapolis before diving into enlisting.  The Navy Nuclear program is certainly a fine way to get a whole bunch of nuclear training quickly. However, is the goal to be in the Navy for 20 years, or to be in for 5 and then go into the commercial field? If you are smart enough to be a nuke, then you are smart enough to get into and graduate from just about any college engineering program.

The attrition rate is very low in the Navy nuclear trining pipeline. Most attrition is not due to academics. That means that if you are accepted, the instructors will do everything in their power to get you qualified. If you want to make it, you will. But the question is: do you really want to?

[MrJonson]

Yeah I understand what your saying... and If I do it I fully intend to go in for 20+ years, granted that may change once I see what im getting into but I am also fully prepared to give all my time to study. Now as for ROTC and college... I got a 24 on the ACT... im pushing it and I really don't want to burden my parents with my tuition but I am retaking the ACT so I'll wait till I do that to make any decisions and I still want to talk to some of the other service recruiters but this is a possibility that I would be willing to bust my ass for... its just that I see some people saying its not "too" hard while some say its like studying untill your brain melts but I guess thats personal perspective.

[navytwinmom]

Welcome to nukeworker...watch out for BZ he will be posting soon to let you know about the "search" feature on this site. Yes there is a ton of infomation and yes it is a lot to sort thru but with a little time and determination you to young grasshopper can find what you need. Also use the PM feature to send me an email and i will let you know what i know. Have twins in NNPTC right now. Oh and FYI anyone that gets a 90% or better on the test gets NUKE spit at them...Navy needs nukes!!

I have known both public and privite and homeschooled kids in the program and one is not better than another it is all about your attitude...work hard and you will do well...don't and you wont.

[MrJonson]

Welcome to nukeworker...watch out for BZ he will be posting soon to let you know about the "search" feature on this site. Yes there is a ton of infomation and yes it is a lot to sort thru but with a little time and determination you to young grasshopper can find what you need. Also use the PM feature to send me an email and i will let you know what i know. Have twins in NNPTC right now. Oh and FYI anyone that gets a 90% or better on the test gets NUKE spit at them...Navy needs nukes!!

I have known both public and privite and homeschooled kids in the program and one is not better than another it is all about your attitude...work hard and you will do well...don't and you wont.

I eagerly await being told about said search feature. On to other things, yes from everything I'v read nuke seems to be needed and its probably because not many people who are smart enough to make it in want to be in the navy and two because anyone who does get in leaves as soon as possible to make money in the civillian market yeah and from what everyone says its not easy but you get all the help you could ask for. Like I said earlier I dont consider myself smart at all I personally think I got the wrong test score or I cheated but since I don't have any proof that I did then their isn't much I can do about it.

[alphacookie]

Would anyone tell me how much my life would suck if I decided to do this?

Compared to what?  The level of suckiness as indicated on the "Suck Factor Scale" is completely subjective and up to you.

Because I like the sound of the Nuclear field but I know that no matter what I do the military is what it is just like life so nothing is going to be easy but I would like to know if it gets a little easier with time.

No!  It gets harder.  The longer you stay in, the more you learn and the more you advance.  As this occurs, more responsibility is thrown your way.  Soon, you will be on the hot seat, making the tough calls.  Very, very rewarding.  However, not very easy.

I would appreciate anyone who could offer some much appreciated advice, or for that matter bother to even read this entire thing.

Research the Navy Nuke field thoroughly.  The Navy throws large sums of money at enlistees just to sign on as a "nuke".  Why?  Do they do that for any other Navy field?

When it comes time for a nuke to get out or stay in, what does the Navy do?  You got it, they throw even larger sums of money at you.  Why?

I will tell you.  The Navy nuke field is rough.  You will have to study hard.  You WILL work harder than most other Navy fields.  You will often hear the phrases, "That's why you make the big bucks!" and, "That's why you get the bonus!", spoken by non-nukes as they are going on liberty at 2pm and you still have another 8 hours of work to do.

Despite some perceived suckiness, being a Navy nuke can be very fun and rewarding.  However, do your research.  The last thing your future LCPO, Division Officer and fellow crewmates want, is someone who gripes all the time because he is in the wrong field and it "sucks".

[alphacookie]

Like I said earlier I dont consider myself smart at all I personally think I got the wrong test score or I cheated but since I don't have any proof that I did then their isn't much I can do about it.

What are you talking about?!?  You cheated or you did not cheat.  How can you be unsure and not have proof of something you did or did not do?

Let me put it simply.

You keep saying that you don't consider yourself a smart person.  If that is true, then don't come into the Navy nuke field.  It will be to hard for you.

If you cheat or lie, then don't come into the nuke field.  Too many lives are at stake.

[MrJonson]

What are you talking about?!?  You cheated or you did not cheat.  How can you be unsure and not have proof of something you did or did not do?

okay sorry about that, it was actually a bit of humor on my part, and I know full and well im smart but I also know im nothing special anyway you've been very helpfull and I should have read around before I got all hasty and posted this but I appreciate everyone for answering me respectfully.

[Clerisy]

okay sorry about that, it was actually a bit of humor on my part, and I know full and well im smart but I also know im nothing special anyway you've been very helpfull and I should have read around before I got all hasty and posted this but I appreciate everyone for answering me respectfully.

If we didn't have hasty posters, this side of the board would be mostly dead. 

Besides, you never know when something interesting will pop up.  Even if it's in response to a question that's been asked a couple of times.

My advice is to read nearly every post under the Navy section of this forum.  Even if the title doesn't seem real applicable, you'll learn something.

[MrJonson]

Yeah I've noticed, the people on here are alot of help and for the most part I like the sound of this program, it may not be as fun as alot of other jobs you could have in the navy but I haven't seen anyone on here who did it and then years later wished they hadn't which is a good sign...

[hamsamich]

good point.  but i still want 2 fly helicopters! oh well, back 2 reading my meter......

[MrJonson]

good point.  but i still want 2 fly helicopters! oh well, back 2 reading my meter......

good luck with that!

[93-383]

Can you deal with people..... scratch that not people "nukes" and think on your feet with dynamic conditions and considerable stress. I'm not trying to stereotype but nearly every home schooled person that worked for me was a danger to himself and others due to limited social skills and common sense. They had great scores on tests and did well in A-school and power school unfortunately for them an everyone around them Prototype is not a filter anymore (it's a pump) Prototype is the place that should separate those who cannot be operators from those that can, it doesn't anymore.

[MrJonson]

I completely understnad what your saying and I mean I haven't seen anyone on here who was homeschooled to talk to. I am really more confident in my ability to handle prototype then I am in power school but thats based on what iv read so I really don't know anything. Now socially speaking I have no life my time consists of school, farm work, and for fun I'll sometimes play games on the net. When the recruiter got some basic information from me he had me fill out three refrences as friends (between the age of 17 and 24) who I talked to on a weekly basis and I just thought "oh shit" but I managed to get a few really old friends in. Ofcourse the recruiter said it was because of 9/11 but I talked ot one of them and he said that the recruiter asked him if he knew me and after saying yes he moved on ot asking him if he wanted to join the navy so I was relieved about that. Anyway I got off topic, I just wanted to say that I understand your concern and at this point I probably am not one of the socially adept, I dont like to think im defficiant either but homeschool didn't help.

[MrJonson]

Hey since this is the thread I made and all I just wanted to ask if there was anyone on here who would be interested in giving me a little help or advice about getting my fat butt into shape I would greatly appreciate it so if you would be so kind PM me or post on here and I'll PM you. If nothing else I would atleast like to use this newfound ambition to get in shape.

[JustinHEMI05]

Step 1... put down the fork.
Step 2... push away from the table.
Step 3...  Turn off and put away the video games/computer/TV and go for a walk for about an hour. Do 50 pushups a day. They don't have to be all at once. 10 in the morning, afternoon, evening, etc.
Step 4... after walking about an hour everyday for a week, start jogging for 20 minutes everyday, walk the other 40. Increase pushups by 25.
Step 5... After jogging for about 20 minutes everyday for about week, increase by 10 minutes. Increase pushups by 25.
Step 6... Continue the above trend until you are running for 60 minutes EVERYDAY and doing 100 pushups EVERYDAY... maybe take 1 day off... MAYBE.

Feel free to do other cardio besides running like swimming, biking, rowing, stairs but do 30-60 minutes of SOMETHING every freakin day. You don't have to be bored when you work out. But, if you aren't moving 30-60 minutes a day most days of the week, then you aren't serious about weight loss or your health. Remember, you have to burn 3500 excess calories to burn 1 pound of fat... IT AIN'T EASY!

You should do some light weight training 3 times a week too, eventually. You don't have to do that "focus on arms" bullshit either like some people at the gym will tell you to do. You want a whole body work out 3 times a week, unless you want to be a body builder. Then you can "focus on chest" or whatever.

Other ways to get exercise is park as far away from work/school as possible, take the stairs, etc.

As far as food... stop eating fast food. All of it. If you are eating it more than 1-2 times per month, then you are not being serious about weight loss and your health. Eat healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables. There is no limit! Eat em when you are hungry anytime you like! Cut out ALL TRANS FATS, ALL HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, ALL HYDROGENATED (partially, or otherwise) OILS. Those three things alone are responsible for American obesity (besides extreme laziness). SO start reading labels. Eat more fish and white meat like turkey and chicken. NOT PROCESSED food. It has to be real (not mechanically separated, etc) and you have to cook it. Limit red meat to 2/week max. Eat fresh salads a lot. READ THE DRESSING LABEL. 99% of dressings are HORRIBLE for you and have tons of fat. There are some tasty fat free dressings out there now, but still watch out for those three killer ingredients above. Cut out ALL processed/enriched wheat products like white bread, donuts, bagels. Go for whole grain all natural stuff and then limit those to 1-2 servings per day. Nuts also make a good snack in moderation, especially almonds. They have a lot of fat but its all good poly-unsaturated fat. A handful or two will do.

Stop drinking soda and start drinking water... tons of it. At least 16 8 oz glasses per day. It keeps you hydrated and keeps you full.

Thats about it. It seems simple but it is a complete lifestyle change. But there is no secret formula. You simply have to move your body and eat well. No pills, no voodoo, no hypnosis, no fancy gadget is going to help you. You actually have to work. You will be surprised how much better you feel by not drinking soda and eating fast food and can easily drop 10 pounds doing that alone.

Goodluck!

Justin

PS Start taking a multi vitamin. I recommend centrum silver because even though its marketed for older men, it contains stuff to help keep your eyes and prostate healthy and you can never start too early with those things.

[MrJonson]

*sigh* damn this is going to be tough... I can do it but... damn... okay might as well do this... allthough I gotta throw in crunches into that list to help tighten my stomach. Anyway I'll try my best and thanks for the advice.

[JustinHEMI05]

Damn right its gonna be tough. Crunches go without saying but you aren't going to tighten anything without getting rid of the padding.

Justin

[MrJonson]

I'll tell you what the hardest part of that will be the soda -.- I practicly live off the stuff...

[JustinHEMI05]

A lot of people do, and i am telling you if you stop drinking the stuff, you will see how much you lose. The diet sodas are pretty good these days, switch to those if you must have it.

Justin

[Nuclear NASCAR]

If it  helps any, I finally talked a friend of mine into switching to diet soda and that's all he's done.  In 2 weeks he's lost 10 pounds with no other chances. 

[MrJonson]

Well I suppose I'll start this major diet change on wednesday and im only waiting because my birthday is tuesday and my mother insists on making me a cake and if you knew here you would know your better off not arguing about something like that. but It will take alot of work and a serious test of my willpower *sigh* well I gotta go throw away some snack food so thats all for now.

[Iced Tiger]

Hope the diet goes well,  I decided to do something about my butt in January this year. So far I have lost 47 pounds, from 21 stone 5 pounds to just under 18 stone. It's been a hard slog but it's worth it in the end. I hope to get to 15 stone which should be ok at my height of 6 foot 4. Good luck with the butt reduction.