Hello! I'm new to this forum (as a registered user) but I have, however, read most of the posts in the wonderful collection that imthehoopa put together for us who are interested in joining the nuke program. I'll start off with a brief introduction of myself:
I'm 18 years old, I have never had a real job, I'm very math/science inclined as far as academics go, but I am also proficient in language and literature. I slacked in high school because I was too lazy and arrogant to foresee how the grades in my 9th and 10th year could impact my future. In my last two years, I had at most 1-2 B's in any one semester. I'm currently enrolled for my first semester of college, and am taking physics for engineers (or physics with calculus 1) and some general education courses, with a plan to eventually study astrophysics in graduate school. I never even CONSIDERED joining the US military until just recently, so I'm not going to pretend to know much about anything that pertains to the Navy, let alone the Nuclear Power stuff.
My local Navy recruiter called me a few days ago, and convinced me to go in for a face-to-face meeting, and to my surprise, I am actually considering "Nuke" school as a viable option for me. I do not know if this is a result of the recruiter doing his job very well, or my genuine interests in all that is science, especially physics, kicking in. I've done a lot of research on it, reading lots of material, and looking at different paths I can take towards getting what I desire, but yet I still feel so inadequately informed on the subject to make such a life-changing decision. In all of this thinking and research, I've also been inspired by the stories of those who have served, and those who are just beginning their service to our country. I thank you lots for what you're doing, did, or going to do.
So my questions are, primarily:
1.) When working as a navy nuke, despite the daily workload and labor, did you feel like you were part of something greater than just everyday life as someone like me, a civilian going to college? I mean, did you feel important? Or was it just another "job"? I really want to be part of something that would mean a lot to not only me, but my family and peers. Something that I could be proud of, as cheesy as this all sounds.
2.) I understand that this may not be the fastest way towards my ultimate goal of getting a PhD in Astrophysics, but I am quite honestly in no rush. I feel that people usually have this race-like attitude when it comes to getting their educations, but I am not like that. Sure, I can study and learn very quickly, but that's different. I don't feel that 6 years time is enough to put me at a total disadvantage if I want to study further after or even during my service in the Navy. So my question is, would being a nuke be worth the delayed studies? Is it something worth doing if I don't plan on staying in the Navy (as of this moment, anyway)?
It does sound interesting to me, but I'm not sure if it is worth delaying my university studies. Sorry for making this a huge wall of text, but I have a lot on my mind, as those of you who actually read the post already know.