Hey, its been quite a while since i posted anything on this site, but thought it was worth while to check it out again. I was in the Navy for 9 years as a Nuclear Machinist Mate. I got out as a First Class and haven't looked back since. My time in the Navy was rough to be honest, but I made some life long friends, and had some great times in places most people never dream of going (and I do mean "never dream of going", you probably wouldn't want to go there). My last three years in the Navy, I was a recruiter, and actually a pretty successful one at that. I was stationed in Houston, and was ranked as the #4 recruiter my last two years. That is saying something. What that means to you guys is this, I put lots of people in the Navy, more than most. I say all of this to give some background to the advice I am about to lay out for you here. Here are some things potential Navy Nukes need to know before getting in:
1. Recruiters have a goal to make each month. That means, they have a certain number of people to sign up each month, regardless of jobs. What this means to you, the future Nukes, is that because typically it is harder to get you into the Nuke program, I as the recruiter need and want you to join as fast as possible as any other job first, and then will change your contract when a Nuke seat comes available.
2. Meps sucks. These people most of which are not in the military, hate their jobs. They hate getting up very earlier in the morning and staying late at night for a bunch of ungratefull teenage kids. That is the reality of it all, however, they will be very kind and nice to you and help you out as much as they can if you just do what they ask you to do, come to the office when you are called, and don't cause problems with the other services you are not signing up with.
3. Bootcamp sucks. For most of you, (teenagers I am assuming) this will be your first real time away from mom and dad. If you played any kind of organized sports in high school, this will be easy for you. Just do what you are told, the first time you are told, and the worst thing you will have to worry about is everyone else messing up. I knew a couple of nukes in my time that didn't have any common sense, so bootcamp might have been hard for them. For the rest of us, the highlight of your day will be ensuring you t-shirt is folded the right way and showing the other 90 something people how to do it.
4. Navy Nuke school sucks. Well, to be honest, I had a 3.5 GPA, so it was fairly easy for me. I got put on mandatory hours in power school after week 20 because I was voluntold to tutor my shipmates. I might have logged 20 hours of study time prior to that. What you need to know is this, the better you do on your test's, the easier your life will be. Some people don't have to study as much as others, just do what you need to do to enjoy your time. Charleston was a very fun place to be, and if you are old enough, has a great night life (i.e. 21 years old). Myrtle Beach is an easy weekend trip to take, and if you get the chance you definitely should at least once do so. Also, a lot of great beach things happening down there, so enjoy your time while you can, because once you get to your ship, life will change.
5. Ship life sucks. Now, to be fair, I was a submariner, and as such this doesn't really apply to the female recruits just yet, (sure to change shortly). Submarine life is hard. You work an 18 hour schedule underway, most of which in your first years is spent qualifying and studying. The rest of time you are on watch, doing maintenance or running drills. The faster you qualify, the faster you get some time to yourself. (well sort of, you are never alone). Showers are small and few, it is hot as hell in the engine room, you will stink for a few days when you come ashore, and your clothes will stink forever. I did both fast attacks and SSBN (now they are going away all together) and the differences are many. Go fast attacks if you want to see the world. You won't see the united states, but you will see everything else. You will be gone about 9 to 10 months out of the year. Some time spent doing just quick ops in and out of port, some on west pack (or if your are on the east coast you will be running off the coast of Iraq), and some just doing run ops and other ops. You will run drills all the time, and I do mean all the time. There is no such thing as a "roll over drill" as a Nuke. All the other rates (other navy people, non nukes) onboard will quietly hate you. A lot of them are nuke waste, people who didn't make it through the pipeline for one reason or another. Now, if you go carriers, I have no idea what that life is like, but I bet it sucks.
6. Life after the Navy is great. Here is why, you paid your dues, and got through all that training, and spent all that time in your field. Now, people that work for HR in various industries and companies across the globe want what you have got. They want a person that has these things: Training, intelligence, experience, learning ability, team players, management experience, and so on. You have all of those things, and possibly more depending on how long you stay in, and how many positions you qualify while in the Navy. I for one, got out of the power generation business all together. My first job out of the Navy, which I still do part time, was a Boiler Inspector. I was, and still am, a National Board Commisioned Inspector for Pressure Vessels. I made about $60,000 my first year out. Believe it or not, that was a pay cut of about $10,000. I did that for two years, now I am a Quality Control/Assurance manager for a fabrication and repair company. I make just short of six figures. I could make more, but I hate shift work and don't want to go to a plant if I don't have to. The opportunities are endless if you apply yourself when you can.
Now, I can thoroughly expound on the recruiting aspects of all of this if you like, and not all recruiters lie, but most do. I am not however going to do that at this time. Just message me and I will tell you straight up how it is, because I have been there. If you want something better in life, you have to pay a price for it at some point, whether that is going to college or going into the military, this was and still is a great option, and can take you to great places in life. Good luck on making your decision, and hopefully you will come out on the other side a different and better person.
