Thinking about joining.

[ruffo]

I was talking to my recruiter and I took the asvab and got an 88 with 255 in EL 255 in NUC and 258 in OPS.  He said i can join the nuke program and it looks interesting to me.  Im currently in community college just taking all the boring classes thinking about transferring to a UC and getting bachelors in math maybe.  I have about 40 credits under my belt.  I really dislike where I am right now, very boring classes and people arent very cool here.  So im wondering if its really worth it to just to just sit here for 3-4 more years getting my bachelors and apply as an officer or if i should just enlist now and get some responsibility and away from my parents. (not that i dislike them, but its time, im 20)  Like is it really worth it to become an officer? And also, is it relatively "easy"  to get a bachelors while in the navy, or is that only for the super insane 99 asvab score people.  

I really want to enlist now and go but I dont want to make any hasty decisions. And want to see what others think.

[co60slr]

I was talking to my recruiter and I took the asvab and got an 88 with 255 in EL 255 in NUC and 258 in OPS.  He said i can join the nuke program and it looks interesting to me.  Im currently in community college just taking all the boring classes thinking about transferring to a UC and getting bachelors in math maybe.  I have about 40 credits under my belt.  I really dislike where I am right now, very boring classes and people arent very cool here.  So im wondering if its really worth it to just to just sit here for 3-4 more years getting my bachelors and apply as an officer or if i should just enlist now and get some responsibility and away from my parents. (not that i dislike them, but its time, im 20)  Like is it really worth it to become an officer? And also, is it relatively "easy"  to get a bachelors while in the navy, or is that only for the super insane 99 asvab score people.  

I really want to enlist now and go but I dont want to make any hasty decisions. And want to see what others think.

How do you know you won't be bored at the Navy Nuclear Power School?  Are you currently pursuing a career goal and using education as the pathway, or are you just coasting with no direction?

In any event, enlisting in the Navy or requesting to be commissioned is a pathway to a military career....not the career itself.   What do you want to do in the military, what do you want to get out of it, and what do you want to put on a resume after your enlistment/contract in that service is completed?  (Where do you want to be in 5-10 years and how can the Navy help you get there?)

Regardless of the path you choose, keep in mind that a typical Navy Recruiter is looking for people to enlist, and is not looking to help them fill out an application to a Commissioning Program.  The pathway to an ROTC program will review your SAT/ACT scores as an indicator of your chances of succeeding in the program, along with your current GPA.   (Hint: the military doesn't typically pay people who are coasting with mediocre GPAs to go to college).

There is a wealth of information within these walls, along with "Googling" "officer programs" (e.g., ROTC, ECP, etc).   If you need a break from your current "life", then enlisting, getting the GI Bill and resuming your education in five years (at the current benefit of about $1000/month) isn't unheard of, as many people here will tell you their story perhaps.

Good Luck.

Co60

[JustinHEMI05]

If you have no direction or any ideas on what you want to do, then I would suggest that enlisting in the nuclear program is an excellent choice. It will certainly give you some direction and even if you don't want to stay Navyh or stay nuclear, a world of opportunities will be open for you.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Justin

[greenbean]

Justin is right on this one. If you have no direction I think it would be better to serve your country now while you are still young and unattached and get some real experience under your belt. Go see the world, build a network of friends, and learn extremely valuable skills in a growing industry.

Too many people today have bachelors degrees with crummy GPA's. Students change majors 2-3 times on average and then once they graduate something like 80% of people get jobs that aren't even related to their major!

College isn't for everyone and you don't need a degree to make a good income. I've realized several people here have gotten out of the Navy Nuke program and gone straight to industry making excellent salaries.

The universities will always be there if you want a degree to help you pursue a particular career. The important thing to focus on is networking and learning usable skills as soon as possible so you can take care of yourself and any future family you intend on having.

(I did the 4 years of aimless college, got a job, and floated around for a few years before I really found my way into engineering. I'm getting a Nuclear Engineering Degree now and making A's in almost every class. My intention is to earn a commission as a Navy Nuke Officer. I'm focused today, but man I wish I had those early years back.) Go Navy.

[playswithairplanes]

The first thing you need to ask yourself is "why am I bored at College?"  Is it because you feel you are too smart for the classes? Or just don't like the subjects?  Things change once you actually get into a real major. The first two years of College ARE boreing, deal with it.

NNPS is not an easy way to enlist. The academics are tough, but the SELF DISCIPLINE to learn how to study is even more important. If you don't have good study habits now, the Navy will enforce some on you.  Don't like to study? Tough CHT. Deal with it.

Uncool people?  Dude, let me tell you what.  EVERYBODY is uncool. Deal with it.  People in Boot will be uncool, your classmates at NNPS will be uncool, you shipmates will be uncool. It's all whether or not you can deal with it.

The real question you need to ask yourself is what the heck do you want to do with your life?  Does going into the Navy fit into that? Or are you just flailing around for something and hit on this idea as opposed to going to Ft. Lauderdale and getting snittfaced? You want to serve your country, fine. You just want to get away from the 'rents?  Well, go get a job and an appartment. You want to join the Navy you are making a committment of a number of years of your life. Once you are in, you can't just quit because you are bored, or the people aren't cool. You could get kicked out, but that would make YOU uncool, and have severe repercussions on your later life.

As for going to college while in... well... depends on you and how much you like sleep.  For a Nuke, for the first 3 or so years, Fergeddaboutit. You will NOT be approved for classes by your command while in the pipeline, you won't have time anyway. When you get to your boat, you won't be approved until you are qualified, which depending on how much of a hard charger or dirtbag you are can be anywhere from 6 months to 18 months. It also depends on your ships schedule, if you are on a boat, its very very hard to take any kind of real classes when you are under water.  Targets, well they have some classes on board, but generally not higher level courses. Mostly it's all the stuff you consider "boreing" right now.

First thing you need to do is figure out where you want to go. Free your mind, and your A$$ will follow.

[IPREGEN]

Maybe you should pump gas. College or Nuclear Power School, you're kidding

[JustinHEMI05]

What? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Because someone is unsure of what they want to do in life, they should just throw in the towel? As if every nuke on this board knew exactly where they were going when they were 20 years old.... BS! I sure as hell didn't figure out where I was going when I was 20. In fact, it wasn't until 23 when I saw the light. It sounds to me that this young one is like the majority of nukes out there, probably even including you. If that is the type of advice you have to offer our wayward youth, perhaps you should just keep it to yourself.

Justin

[greenbean]

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=011008&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=10525284&referralPlaylistId=b895e6943a20a5ba0d5beadb011b18b7ea0a1398

Food for thought.