New future nuke here as well =)
I signed up back in February, and have just about finished my waiting in the DEP pool to ship off to Great Lakes (tomorrow is when I leave, actually *laughs*). I'd thought about joining up with the nuke program out of high school (man, they hounded me every week to consider the nuke program by phone...got to the point that it was "Oh hey, it's the Navy guy again" whenever he called xD), since I was in a tight financial situation with my family and whatnot, but I decided that going to college first was more important, bit the student loan bullet while working, and got an "edumacation". Five years later, equipped with a BA International Studies, I'm going in and doing my service (a shame my college credit rank advancement's going to waste, but ah well. =D), and hopefully will do proud the memory of a long tradition of military service within my family, even if none of them were career military.
I'm looking forward to the challenge that the field will bring, and I'd wished I'd looked at this site earlier during all those months waiting in DEP instead of finding this gem on my last day of civilian life (go career military!). I can't say I have any illusions about the upcoming job beyond that it'll be hard, but eh, living overseas for a year in a country whose language I couldn't speak was incredibly difficult too, but I wouldn't trade that experience for the world. I expect the same out of being a nuke. =)
To the OP, I can't give any first-hand advice about the job we're going to have, but I echo your decision on refresher courses at the community college, as any extra studying you can get in *before* you ship out will help out tremendously, if for nothing else than to get you extra practice on study habits; I didn't waste my time in the DEP pool, but I certainly didn't make the most of it and wish I'd taken some extra math classes while getting my degree. Just more than anything, get your mind in the game ahead of time, make sure you've the mental preparation for what you're going to be doing before you ship out, and you'll be fine.
And with that...see you guys in two months. =D