Decisions, decisions..

[Fermi2]

Thank you Honestly no one would ever dream of trying to chase a young adult off from here. One thing I'll tell you is diffeent between the Nuke and AECF is the standards. You've seen it already here by the level of feedback. As a nuke everything one does is subject to criticism or feedback. You'll come out of a job thinking you did quite well, and in fact in many fields you might be rated as doing that job nearly perfectly, in our world you might get rated average. It's the nature of the beast. Keep in mind many in here have well over 20 years experience, I have 25, navy and Commercial and compared to many I'm just a baby. My point here is they've not only survived but exceeded in an increasingly demanding industry. I dare say over 50% of the regular posters have developed processes or programs that have spread throughout the industry. To a man they want you to succeed, in fact as gruff as I am I'll help anyone who can take feedback, in fact I've helped people pass their classes, get jobs, get better at their jobs, and I'm not the only one who has done so. My overall point is, yeah you're going to get a LOT of feedback here, not all what you'd like to hear but everyone of us has been in the same boat. The reason we became successful? We internalized the feedback and put up rather than shut up.
I'm not certain how many good answers you'll get about the differences between AECF and Nuke. There aren't too many here who have been in both worlds so take what you get with a grain of salt. You will find that many who are quite knowledgable about the Nuke field won't answer your questions because they are wise enough to know to not give advice about that which they know nothing about.

Thank you for staying,

Mike

[werd]

Thanks, Mike. You authentically seem to care. What I need to do at this point is not ask you guys questions about other rates, since, after all, you're all Nukes. Nuke is definitely an intriguing option since it seems to present tons of engineering challenges. Still, I'm going to see what I can do in terms of the IT process. Also, say I end up going IT and hating it.. can I cross-rate into Nuke? I do know that its damn near impossible to cross-rate out of Nuke. Now.. I'm just not even sure what it is I want to do! One step at a time, one step at a time.

[EasyLivin]

If you are unsure about being a nuke after all the research that you have done on this site (which I hope that you have), then you might as well choose a different job. You have to realize that this field takes dedication and hours upon hours of hard work. Especially after you finish (if you finish) school and transfer to the fleet.

[Nuclear NASCAR]

It is not nice to lie.

But it's okay to change your mind.   

[werd]

It is not nice to lie.

Unfortunately for the bitter, I was being sarcastic. Kinda sad how thrilled he was to see someone chased off. Sorry to disappoint you. Now feel my wrath of redundant, go-nowhere questions! GRAA! 

[EasyLivin]

werd,

The veterans at nukeworker are here to help you if you listen to their advice. Obviously, you are presenting yourself in the wrong way. If you keep your current attitude, you WILL have a hard time in the fleet! You can turn your experience at this forum into a major advantage, if you are willing to take advice from men and women who have served in our field. Or, you can continue to present yourself as an overgrown brat. It's up to you.

Best of luck!

[werd]

Man, I was trying to make fun of myself. The last thing I am going to try to do here is have an ego or sling pride. I have read over my posts and realize that they are mostly full of irrelevant crap. Its just a little disheartening when you've got guys like Broadzilla who are really great, and then guys like Mutant who were eager to see me chased off, rather than correct my mistakes. I appreciate the professional advice and am really grateful to have this forum as a resource. I had no idea about the level of professionals here at Nukeworker. I'm trying to be as humble as possible here in admitting that my posts are 90% garbage and welcome any serious advice you have to offer. Thanks to everyone for their time spent reading my posts and all responses.

[Nuclear NASCAR]

Man, I was trying to make fun of myself. The last thing I am going to try to do here is have an ego or sling pride. I have read over my posts and realize that they are mostly full of irrelevant crap. Its just a little disheartening when you've got guys like Broadzilla who are really great, and then guys like Mutant who were eager to see me chased off, rather than correct my mistakes. I appreciate the professional advice and am really grateful to have this forum as a resource. I had no idea about the level of professionals here at Nukeworker. I'm trying to be as humble as possible here in admitting that my posts are 90% garbage and welcome any serious advice you have to offer. Thanks to everyone for their time spent reading my posts and all responses.

Yep, with an attitude like that he's probably not gonna get very far.  (Sarcasm just in case it doesn't come through)  

[Fermi2]

Good post Nascar.

Mike

[Already Gone]

You're still here, werd?  If these clowns can't chase you off -- you passed the skin density test.  It's going to be like that until you make the cut, no matter which part of the Navy you might choose to enter.

1.  It's fun to get a rise out of a touchy newbie.

2.  You really need to know how tough your shipmates are before the storm hits.

Even mutant was just pushing to see if you could take the criticism, turn it into advice, and make the necessary improvements.  But, I don't think I remember any newbie praising Broadzilla so.

I think you'll do fine.  Keep that sense of humor working.  You're going to need it.

[werd]

Well, my recruiter just told me that 90% of their funds are going to recruiting high school seniors. Males that aren't HS seniors either have to be nuke-qualified or go SEAL. Seeing as how I never planned on going SEAL,  it looks like nuke for me. I'm not 100% sure if being "nuke-qualified" in the terms that my recruit used means that I'd HAVE to go nuke, but, that would only make sense. I'm still gonna talk to the clearance guys about the IT thing, but.. after plenty of thinking, I'm not even sure if I want IT over nuke.

The way I see it, chances are that I'll go nuke and try for ET. I'm having trouble thinking about a second choice being EM or ELT. Can you choose ELT on that list of choices I hear about, or do you pick MM and happen to be selected for ELT?  I've been thinking a lot about going w/ nuke lately, and if thats what I end up doing, which it probably will be, I'm going to give it absolutely everything I've got. Might as well make the most out of a great opportunity. It would be a crime not to.

Maybe being brick-walled from IT is a blessing in disguise.

[greenbean]

Have you looked at other programs like the CIA/DIA that would help pay for you to finish school and then would employ you as an IT guy? You'd owe them a couple years (2-3) after you finish school, but its a guaranteed job as long as you do well in the program.

Look up their college/internship programs.

If you want IT, don't just go Nuke because its available, I'd think long and hard about that kind of commitment.

[werd]

Good point. I never considered non-military options aside from working 40h and doing it on my own. I should really look into that. I really do need to at least get money together to buy a car, rent a place, and pay health/car insurance. That's gonna be hard on my own.

At the time, it occurred to me that the Navy would probably be a great option. Not only that, but I'd get to meet lots of cool people and experience seeing the world and overall, having a rich life experience. I wouldn't take nuke because its my only option that is available, that is for sure. A career in the nuclear field not only seems lucrative, but a cool job as I'd be working in a nuclear plant instead of a dull office building.

IT isn't necessarily my main goal, I am just looking to get a career started and originally, I chose IT cause I've always been good with computers and IT seemed like a good choice for that. I still may change my major in college so, its not like not doing IT would be crushing my only goal. However, IT *was* my original plan.

You're right though, it is a huge commitment that I need to think long and hard about. I'm going to look into the DIA and CIA as soon as possible and compare it to the Navy because 6 years is quite a long time. I've been pretty psyched about the Navy, but.. I haven't really been thinking about it for more than a month. I hope my charge doesn't get in the way as much as it has with the Navy, even though there is no conviction and the verdict is nolle prosequi.

They want me to go to MEPS on Monday and sign up for Nuke. The jobs aren't available for another 6-9 months, and I'd definitely have time to change my mind if I find a better option. I'm not trying to say that I'd go Navy nuke just because its a good available option. I'd go because I'd have decided that it is the best decision to make in the here and now as well as the more important big picture.

Thank you for suggesting that. Excellent post.

[werd]

Damn, my posts are long. I guess I'm just trying to be complete. Sorry if it pisses anyone off. Kinda pisses me off a little. 

[werd]

Went to MEPS today. I'm pretty much banned from IT/CTI/IS. Barely anything was available, most jobs were locked up until next year. They really weren't interested in taking non high-school seniors into anything but Nuke, CTI, and SEAL. I depped into Nuke. May 18.

I may or may not submit a DAR to look for alternate options (AECF, OS, a few others) if I think Nuke was a mistake. At this point, I'm really not sure to be honest.

The 6 year thing is a bit of a hang-up for me since I never really planned on studying nuclear power or doing it as a career. Spending 2 years in nuke school earning credits that are non-transferable (according what I read today) while I already have 62 college credits toward an IT degree seems like.. not finishing what I started? I realize that the training and experience as a nuke is extremely valuable in the civilian world and that I can finish my IT degree while out of nuke school. Really, I do see the vast benefits of going nuke, and they're pretty sweet.

I figured that I may as well get something in motion. I'm definitely not saying that oh.. I took nuke cause it was all I could do. While that is partially true, I still think that nuke is a good option, in fact.. a great one.