Navy Nuke Engineer Offer

[letrain]

I know this topic has probably be produced before, but still want to ask my question. I recently took the asvab and was offered a Navy Nuke Engineering option. I passed the asvab so well i don't have to take thier "Nuke test", i qualify enough. but i'm not sure if this is the route i should go. does anyone know anything about this, or have done it themselves? i'm really looking into as a good option to inlist and climb to the officer level. i know after my 2 years of schooling i'll be 3 classes away from a BA or something. I havn't had a chance to get all the information but i knew people on this forum would know more then me. i also don't want to attempt and fail out and get stuck somewhere remedial.
Thanks anyone who helps!!

[dav8]

letrain,

When you say Navy Nuke Engineer officer, do you mean you intend to enter the Navy as an officer, or enter enlisted then put in for an officer program?  Are you in high school now?  Who is telling you this information?  A little background info and we would be glad to help you out.

[letrain]

i would enlist in the navy and go through thier nuclear program and schools, then after that i would apparantly be 3 classes away from a BA, plus they give me money for school, so i could get those last classes and have a BA and put in for Officer and become an officer that way. the person giving me this information is my brother in-law, he's in the navy so he can get me the information without having a recruiter trying to sell my soul , he's just telling me whats available, it doesn't matter what branch i go to, i tested well enough to qualify for any job i want, in any branch. this nuke "road" seems like the best options as far as placement and moving up in the military, and becomming an officer,.

[20 Years Gone]

Heavy Sigh...
   letrain,  let me tell you as I see it, since I have a whole... 2 weeks left on active duty before retirement. 
1.  You will not finish school with 3 classes short of a degree... The best program out there is Thomas Edison Stste college, as they give a ton of credit for NPS, but that will still leave you with a bit to do... more on the line of 15 classes, though many can be clepped.  You can pick up your degree in about a year following completion of the nuclear pipeline, depending upon....How motivated you are to do it, and your post (subs vs surface vs operational schedule).  As motivation goes up, and operational free time increases, you should get the degree sooner.
2.  OCS...You will need more than a degree... and more than good asvab scores.  I had a 97 asvab... that counted for.... nothing, once i got in.  After that, it's all performance, against a bunch of guys who are just as smart as you are.  I met guys in the enlisted nuclear pipeline who were BRILLIANT.  Do you interview well?  Have good common sense?  are you a hard worker?  Will you put in 20 hours of extra study (no paid overtime in the Navy) to get a 3.6 GPA when you can put in 10 and get a 3.4?  Those are the guys they want... You better be willing to spend a year at sea studing your qualifications, cheerfully painting walls, and scrubbing toilets with a smile on your face..   That will get you good initial evals, and that, along with a college degree, will get you into OCS.  When you submit your application, it goes through your entire chain of command, and everyone gets to say what kind of a PERFORMER your are.  Then the captain will compare you with everyone else who's applying on the ship, and write a recommedation. 
   If you want challenges, a hard school, a good education, and a (chance) oportunity to be an officer, then OK.   But remember, Nuclear Officers work their tails off. 

   Good Luck

   20YG

[dav8]

20 Years Gone,

Excellent post.  I think you covered everything.  Letrain, this is a very accurate post.  Make sure you do your research before you are stuck doing something for 6 years minimum that you don't like.  How much do you enjoy being away from your home for long periods at a time?  The Navy is talking about shifting deployments from 6 months in length to up to 9 months.  Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

[rb5614]

I have to agree with this 20 YG for the most part.  Thomas Edison has a Nuke Eng Technologies degree.  Generally a few grand and a couple of classes at a local college will get you a degree.  There are other choices if you stay in long enough to go to a shore command.  I have been in Upstate NY for coming on three years now.  I will finish my degree in Nuke Eng and Engineering Physics (dual degree) in the fall.  RPI is a top fifteen engineering school in the country.  RPI gives about 90+ credits, so you can finish the degree in six semesters.  The programs are out there.  There are also many other non tech degrees.  Hope this helps.

[kwicslvr]

I have to agree with this 20 YG for the most part.  Thomas Edison has a Nuke Eng Technologies degree.  Generally a few grand and a couple of classes at a local college will get you a degree.  There are other choices if you stay in long enough to go to a shore command.  I have been in Upstate NY for coming on three years now.  I will finish my degree in Nuke Eng and Engineering Physics (dual degree) in the fall.  RPI is a top fifteen engineering school in the country.  RPI gives about 90+ credits, so you can finish the degree in six semesters.  The programs are out there.  There are also many other non tech degrees.  Hope this helps.

What plant you at.  I just seperated from there a little over a year ago.

[IPREGEN]

If you want to be a Naval Officer, join as an officer, not an enlisted person. Get you degree first as a civilian, do the ROTC thing and go Nuke that way.  Navy Nuke officers get more pay, respect and a slightly larger matress than the the enlisted guy who thought he would be an officer.

As an ex-Navy Nuke that also went to the Navy Career Counseling School (CIAC School) and can tell that Navy Nukes that are signed up count more for the recruiting quotas. It is absolutely true after all, you're making a 6 year deal, not 4.
Let me guess how the recruiting conversation went.
"Wow!! You did great on the test, we have a lot of college graduates that don't get scores anywhere near this. You could be whatever you want in the Navy. Have you ever considered the Nuclear Navy?
You could get all that training and be close to getting your degree and then become an officer."

You are not the only person to have heard anything like this. I still have the card that the recruiter gave me promising "Nucular Power School" Who cares if he couldn't spell, I was smarter than he was, or was I?

I'm not trying to rain on your parade but it's an old story. I joined in 1973 with the same sort of line. But the Navy needed me more as an enlisted Nuke than as an officer. It is and will always be the needs of the Navy first.

[krimax]

I am just finishing up my Navy Career and my Thomas Edison degree, so I can tell you what 20YG has postd is the truth.  You are much further from finishing the degree then just 3 classes.  If you want to be an Officer, then get your degree first!  Talk to the recruiters.  There is the CASH program in which they will pay you to finish your school.  Your chances o becoming an Officer are much slimmer than you think.  I applied 2 years ago.  I had great evals, highly recommended by my CO and other officers, and a 1400 on SAT, but still did not get accepted.  I hope this helps!  Good Luck!

[Already Gone]

I've heard a lot of talk on this board about the CASH program.  It sounds exactly like the old NESEP program, where they pay enlisted people to finish college.
When I was working in the recruiting ofice, one thing was made clear to me about this program - that is that it was strictly for minorities.  You could search forever, and never find that in writing, but it was the rule.  Of coures, there were a few exceptions just to make it look legit. 
Basically, a civilian who is still in thrid grade will get to be an officer years before any enlisted person who goes on active duty tomorrow.
Look at the number of people on this board who did 20 years as nukes.  They were among the best and brightest the Navy has, but they are ony now finishing their degrees after nearly 20 years.
The "Mustangs" - officers who were enlisted at one time - are rare.  Practically none of them were commissioned during a first enlistment.  Additionally, a nuke enlisted person who becomes an officer is no longer a nuke.  He has to start all over again if he wants to be a nuke officer, competing with people who graduated from some impressive schools.
You could go from being a nuke to being the junior ensign on an oiler.

[RCLCPO]

I can clear a few things up.

First, the CASH program is not a program to allow someone to finish their degree.  It is section 3U of the Enlisted Recruiting Manual, and its purpose is to provide those kids who enlist in the "advanced programs" (limited to Nuclear Field, SECF, MT, CTI, AECF, EW or STG ratings), facing up to a year of time in the delayed entry program, something to occupy their time while they wait.

If someone meets the program requirements, and they already have 3 years of school, then it is possible for them to finish their degree while in CASH, but that is not the typical case.  The BDCP is a better option for them.

While in the CASH program, the kid is processed onto active duty, including getting an ID card, full medical/dental care, Base Pay, Basic Allowance for Housing, and Basic Allowance for Subsistance, or about $2000 a month for an E1.  That's not too bad if you're 18, living at home and spending $500 a semester at the local community college.  They're also eligible for promotion to E2 or E3 like anyone else in the DEP.

The applicant must be in school full time (at least 12 credit hours), and continue to meet all elegibility requirements for their Navy job.  I, as the Advanced Programs Coordinator, get to approve the classes the applicant wants to take.  The basic idea is to allow the kid a chance to get some college credits, while the Navy gets a better educated sailor, and everybody wins.  The maximum time allowable in CASH is one year.

As for officer programs from the enlisted community, the best shot is from NNPS.  To meet the requirements to be an enlisted Navy Nuke satisfies most of the officer selection requirements.  My current CO used to be the XO of NNPTC, and has confirmed that of the kids who meet the officer selection criteria, 74% of them get picked up.  NR actively recruited me while I was on my last sea tour, and there is still the Navy's BDCP (Baccalaureate Degree Completion Program) for those who have completed 30 semester or 45 quarter hours already.  Once in the officer world, the carreer path options do include non-nuke positions, but being a nuke is the typical path.  A friend of mine, another ETC(SS) who I went to school with, went into the Supply Corps, but it was by choice, not by compromise.

Even someone in the CASH program, if they subsequently meet the officer selection criteria, can get picked up.  In my 18 months as the Advanced Programs guy, I've seen it happen twice (the only 2 times someone has applied for it).  The individual is given an administrative discharge from the enlisted community and becomes an officer candidate.

The best thing would be to speak to your local Advanced Programs Coordinator about BDCP, ROTC, and Enlisted to Officer program (STA-21) options.  Get the details, compare programs side-by-side, and make the best choice for yourself.

If you'd like info on who your point of contact is for your region of the country, I can provide it.

The more information you know, the better decision you can make.