Navy Chief looking for advice.

[CPOgoose]

I am a Chief Electricians Mate with 12 years of service.  I am qualified EOOW, EWS and EDPO.  I am currently serving as a Material and Maintenance Management Coordinator, and I am new to this forum.
My EAOS is coming up in about a year and I am flirting with the idea of getting out.  Up until maybe 3 months ago that was not even a consideration.  I am considering a CRS/SRO position if I do get out.

My question:  What does the additional 8+ years of experience get me, if anything? (Assuming I follow the standard career path of qualifying EDMC, making Senior Chief, and then serving as an EDMC.)
Additionally, will those same 8 years due any damage with regards to the position I am looking for?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[drayer54]

I would make sure you can get hired on first as a CRS. It's pretty competitive. It could be a good go/ no go. Interview with some companies and make a more educated decision!

Good luck either way.

[Higgs]

Whether you do 8 more years or not, you'll still start as an SRO like everyone else. The 8 years buys you nothing more in that regard. The damage will be that you will be 8 years behind everyone else.

The benefit will be that you'll have more spending cash due to your retirement.

Justin

[DDMurray]

Assume you don't make rate and retire as an EMC at 20.  What is your retirement pay?

If you get out and stay nuclear and complete an SRO license program (about 2 years) which is not easy, your pay will be about $130,000.00 per year +/- depending on utility, area of the country, actual position you fill.

There's risk/reward for both decisions.  Will the extra pay make up for the retirement?  Do you like the Navy?  What does your family think?

Why are you a 3MC?

[withroaj]

I think you should only stay in if you like your job and want to continue.  When you start your follow-on career you'll have health insurance, and as long as you make it happen you'll have a retirement account or two (I hope you already have one beyond the GI pension).  I work alongside some 20+ year folks who are having trouble with their entry-level positions.  You've developed an extremely valuable skill set and some great professional habits, and you'll make a valuable asset to your next company.  If the call to service still beckons, stay Navy.  The organization needs folks in leadership positions who actually want to be there.  Either way, have fun with it.

[Laundry Man]

Either way you go, best of luck. If you do go commercial, just remember you will not be a Chief any more with all the perks associated with the rank.
LM

[HeavyD]

Just to add to what LM stated, your rank in the Navy means nothing once you get hired on.  You "may" get hired into a supervisor role, but that is extremely unlikely.  Supervisory roles at a utility require experience.  Yes you have experience operating the Navy's reactors, but is very different on the outside.  Also, ANSI standard 3.1 contains requirements for education and experience for different positions within a Nuclear plant.

One thing to toss out there.  As a Chief in the Navy, you are responsible for EVERYTHING, including what your sailors are doing on their own time.  Operations, maintenance, cleanliness, training, etc, etc, etc.  Out here, you work EITHER operations OR maintenance.  Also, unless you end up in a supervisor position, if Little Timmy doesn't show up to work on time or has a DUI, you don't have hours of paperwork and babysitting to do.  Even as a supervisor, you pretty much are just keeping management appraised of what is going on.  Where your experience as a leader can come into play is once you get into a NLO/Licensed Operator class.  Acting as a pseudo role model for those folks that are new to Nuclear.  Show them how to apply yourself, help them develop good study habits.  Show folks how integrity and strict compliance to standards works.

Start on a resume.  Don't attempt to make things sound more important or useful than they are.  There's a good chance the manager looking at your resume will have had some Navy Nuke experience and see right through the smoke screens that we try and throw up.  Just a little last minute advice.

Good luck and thank you for serving! 

[CPOgoose]

There's risk/reward for both decisions.  Will the extra pay make up for the retirement?  Do you like the Navy?  What does your family think?

Why are you a 3MC?

The extra pay should make up for retirement assuming that it is properly utilized.  As to liking the Navy, that is a tougher question.  There are things I love(Most importantly serving my country.), and things I do not.(The feeling of swimming upstream with my hands and feet bound every day.)  The family issue is where a lot of my desire to move on comes from.

As for the being a 3MC it is only a temporary fill for a boat that needed one.  I will be back to normalcy in a couple of months.

[DDMurray]

At my 12 year point in 1996 I was an EMC(SS) and was thinking about getting out.  I accepted a job at Intel but decided to stay in due to a combination of things, but mostly due to the guaranteed medical and retirement.  I accepted that I would never make E-8 which sounded nice but bothered me every April when the selection board results came out.  On my 8th time up for no apparent reason I made E-8.  I was at my 18 year point.  I made E-9 the first time up and ended up staying in 24 years. 

The points about going to an entry level position are true, to a point, IMHO.  The pay is nice, very nice, but there is lots of stress in my current position.