College in the fleet

[jlloyd]

I'm currently in DEP and ship out in August as a nuke. I got through most of college as a child development major but didn't want to have to take out anymore loans and also wanted to create another career path for myself ( can't be to safe in this economy) so I inquired about joining the NAVY, liked what I heard, made a 93 on the ASVAB and ended up joining as a NUC. My only concern is am I going to be able to finish up my child development degree when I hit the fleet and get shore duty or take classes online at sea, or will being a NUC be too time consuming and force me to wait until my six years are up? Also any information about life at school and in the fleet from people who aren't definatively negative on the the NUC program would be helpful.

[JsonD13]

Don't plan on getting any shore duty in which you can work on courses in your first six years.  After your first three years or so, you might be allowed to take online courses, depending on what your chain of command thinks.

There is a reason why most people are definitively negative on the nuclear program.  It's a pretty valid one at that too.  I would pay attention to why you find most people are like that rather than just dismissing their thoughts and looking for someone that has a bright shiny outlook on the Navy because otherwise you will sell yourself short in trying to predict what is coming ahead in your life.

Oh yeah, take the bonus, do not take the Navy College Program.

Jason

[jlloyd]

Thanks for the insight. I should have researched a lot more before I signed that first contract because I really don't plan on re-enlisting or pursuing an nuclear engineering job just wanted the option if I needed it. And I just wanted people who were going to give the good and the bad not just the good some people are just totally negative but I understand exactly what you're saying and agree. 

[MMM]

You should be able to use TA after you've been on your first ship for about a year. I don't know if you can use it for child development, though. I know they "encourage" you to get a rating related degree, but I don't know if it's actually mandatory, but you will have to file a degree plan with the ESO or navy college office. You can also use NCPACE when it's available, which is usually on deployments. If you go to a carrier, you will also be able to take online courses, even when underway. I recommend you sign up for the GI Bill, then you'll have college money available when you get out if you need to finish your degree or want to start working on a Master's degree.

[jlloyd]

I thought they would "encourage" me to get a degree that was related to the nuc field that's what my recruiter keeps stressing as far as finishing college. It would be a good field to go in but my only motivation for doing that would be the money and/or no good jobs being available in the Child Dev. field. Thanks for the advice.

[co60slr]

I thought they would "encourage" me to get a degree that was related to the nuc field that's what my recruiter keeps stressing as far as finishing college. It would be a good field to go in but my only motivation for doing that would be the money and/or no good jobs being available in the Child Dev. field. Thanks for the advice.

TA Process: http://www.military.com/education/content/money-for-school/tuition-assistance/navy-tuition-assistance.html

You'll likely have to dedicate your academic pursuits to strictly Nuclear Training for the first 2-3 years.  Most people start this when they get through training, then senior in-rate quals on their first ship/boat, and finally settle into a work routine (aka, "find the time").   

You risk failing the nuclear training pipeline if you're overly distracted with long-range goals and unrelated pursuits.   Then, you're back to square one.

Co60

[co60slr]

You can take pretty much any class up to #3 or 4, then you're supposed to show a degree evaluation or roadmap showing what you're pursuing.  I personally never had to provide that...the TA thing has been quite fluid recently, so it may have changed.  If you're on a sub you will have about zero chance of getting it done. 

I took Calculus I during a sub underway, but only after I was qualified EWS/EDPO.   Uphill battle to get the degree over the next...oh...15 years or so.   However, I could have been more aggressive.

[SA82]

You can take pretty much any class up to #3 or 4, then you're supposed to show a degree evaluation or roadmap showing what you're pursuing.  I personally never had to provide that...the TA thing has been quite fluid recently, so it may have changed.  If you're on a sub you will have about zero chance of getting it done. 

This has changed recently. In order to receive tuition assistance, you must have a degree plan on file from the start. However, you can pursue any degree that you choose. You can also change degree plans later on.