That's a really good point about the technology. My adviser in the Nuclear Department warns me that going to the Navy will have me working with out-dated machinery/techniques. He's all for me going straight to grad school, but he's got his bias' also
Truth is that the Navy has these big cool toys and I'm still young at heart. Sitting in a lab calculating new mixtures of fuels and doing hundreds of test/data analysis is good and all, but that doesn't involve steaming along to new ports under the power of an intensely-hot Nuclear reactor. "Image of standing on bow of ship with arms out to the wind" ... *laugh* Just kidding.
But seriously. Those of you who have served can say you worked your tail off on a Nuclear Sub or worked in the belly of a massive air craft carrier as a Nuclear Operator/engineer/mechanic... There is something cool and honorable about that. You put some of your time and sweat into service to your country which now offers you these excellent careers making fat checks and doing the things you want to do.
I'm going to wrap up this degree and likely look to serve as a surface/sub officer. I hope to learn new skills, make new friends, build relationships, go new places, and serve my country in a real and physical way. If I'm over-qualified for the position, then so be it, I'll brush up on the techniques I've fallen behind on and look at a Masters degree.
Thank you all for the advice, especially about completing the degree before serving.
