This guy goes to barber school. A Nuke barber, go figure.
Hey, I was a nuke barber too. I almost got to go to jump school in the national guard during my stint there. I would have been an airborne sub nuke barber. That would have been sweet. Ranks up there with SEAL and Walmart Greeter I'd say.
Pertaining to the original question, since I am very opinionated about such things, being a Navy Nuke blows. Anyone who tells you different is either a liar or a diggit (and a diggit is a type of liar who lies to himself). But, it's one of those horrible things that is worth doing, and when it comes down to it, you have to consider if going through all that crap is worth the rewards you might reap in the future. The question of "staying in" also requires that same risk vs. rewards analysis. I can honestly say that, given the choice, I would not do it again. But that's because I have already done it once, so doing it again would be silly.
But, seriously, I don't regret it at all. I almost went to college instead of joining the Navy and going nuke, and there is no guarantee that going to college will make you attractive to the work force. Going nuke is the closest thing to such a guarantee. Take the present economic situation for example. People are losing jobs left and right, and getting a new one is near to impossible...unless you are an ex-nuke that is. My co-workers at my last job whined and cried about our hour/pay cuts and how they were stuck with it because finding another job was not an option. And here I just waltz into not only another, better job, but with a pay raise. Why? Because I am an ex-nuke, that's why. One of the EE engineers I worked with couldn't find another job. Want to know why? He was nuke waste! That's right, he failed out of prototype, went to college, and now I am making more than he does.
Ok, I know some of you are disagreeing about the being a nuke blows thing. I am sure there were good things about it, but trying to remember those good things whilst sorting through all the memories of orse workups, field days, and endless deployments is tough. But it all gets better after boot camp right? Or after NPS right?

Rates...EMs are best. PERIOD. Why? Because I was an EM. Actually, it seems to me that EMs have alot of workforce flexibility. I worked in the steel industry the last 6 yrs. I also hated it and finally came back to the nuke world. I also was able to get a Master Electrician's license without taking a test...just for my military experience. Most industries can take a former EM nuke, slap a meter in his hand, and say go to work. Most industrial mechanics are expected to be able to weld, and do alot of it. Can you weld MM's? Well, it's easy enough to learn I guess.
For the twidgets...there's always Walmart I guess. Maybe you guys can operate those Tritium exit signs in their stores that I read about in another post.
