New to NF

[ReadynWilling]

I was at a recruiters today and took a practice test. Scored an 83 and the recruiter was already telling that a NUC would suit me best. I'd really like to get into the NF field. Couple of questions (yes, I did search)... What kind of classes should I have completed to get into the NF program? I have only completed up to Calc II with Calc I and II being shabby grades. I'd like to get into the NF with the Navy. What would you recommend at the moment?

Oh, and what can I already prepare for before getting into the NF.

[Rod Puller]

As far as I can recall there weren't any specific classes you had to take to get into the naval nuclear community.  However, if you scored poorly in the math classes you did take (and maybe science classes as well) then you'd have to have some waivers processed.  Poorly, I believe, is less than a C.  Waivers aren't that big of a deal either.  I had several waivers processed including failing Trigonometry once and I made it into and through the pipeline just fine.  In any case completing Calculus II is more than you need to prepare for the pipeline.  Everything you need to know they will teach you.  Your best bet to prepare will be to start doing lots of pushups, situps, and running 1.5 miles a day.  Get used to doing at least 55 pushups in 2 minutes without resting your body on the floor and at least 65 situps in 2 minutes.  You should shoot for 1.5 miles in 12 minutes or less.   Otherwise, work to improve your study skills.  The material isn't too terribly difficult to grasp; it's just a matter of effectively using your time to commit it to memory in the timeframe you're afforded.  Pace is everything in the pipeline.  Hope this helps and good luck!

[ReadynWilling]

Thanks Rod. I'll start doing push ups. Seems like everyone is shooting for NUPOC. Not sure; but, will I be able to get into the Nuclear Power School or is that reserved for NUPOC?

[HeavyD]

It sounds like you are confusing two different things.

NUPOC is an officer ascension program.  It stands for Nuclear Program (Prospective?) Officer Candidate.  It is a program, if I recall correctly, that college students can apply for during sophomore year (maybe Junior?).

Unless you were talking to an officer recruiter, the testing you did was with an enlisted recruiter.  Enlisted and officer personnel are two different sides, hopefully you realize that before venturing into the military.

As for waivers, discussions with friends still on active duty and some responses on here from guys and gals at the training commands indicates a strong reluctance to granting numerous waivers to individuals.  This is due, in no small part, to a back log of permanent security clearances being held up due to waivers.  The Navy needs you in the fleet, earning your paycheck, not on hold for 6+ months because of waivers impacting a security clearance.

I realize this all may not be what you want to hear.  However, keeping people informed is of the utmost importance in this community.  Honesty is often brutal, but is the only path to take.

Best of luck to you. 

[ReadynWilling]

Thanks for all the info and pointing that out HeavyD. Last thing, do you think this is the best way to go about:
Enter as enlisted, go into an area that offers as many transferable units as possible (what area would this be?). Finish active duty, then go and finish an Engi degree or Nuc degree, depending on whats more viable, and then reenlist as a nuc officer with prior enlisted experience and a degree under the belt?

Sounds all nice and dandy; but, just wondering.

[HeavyD]

A few points first:

Enlisted personnel are the "workers".  We stand watch, opeate the equipment, perform the maintenance, keep everything clean (there is no janitor service in the Navy). 

Officers are generally the program managers.  They are "in charge", for what that phrase is worth.  Officers have the administrative power, are responsible for the actions of their subordinate sailors, and, in the case of the Commanding Officer, are responsible for the actions of every single sailor under their command, as well as the safe operation of their multi-billion dollar warship.

Enlisted pay is lower than an officer's pay, given equal amounts of time of service and educational background.  Higher ranked enlisted personnel with longer tenure on active duty make more than recently commissioned junior officers (JO's), as they should.  For example, referencing the current payscale, http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers.html , gives you this info, which is before taxes 

E-5 (Petty Officer Second Class), 3 years service, $2375.40/month
E-7 (Chief Petty Officer), 10 years service, $3611.70/month
E-9 (Master Chief Petty Officer), 20 years, $ 5523.60/month

O-1 (Ensign), 2 years , $2943.90/month
O-3 (Lieutenant), 4 years, $5031.00/month
O-4 (Lt. Commander), 10 years, $6418.50/month
O-6 (Captain), 24 years, $9866.70/month

These ranks and times are typical at that given point in a career.  What YOU need to decide is what YOU want to do.  Do you want to operate the plant?  Enlisted is probably for you.  Do you want to be in a leadership role?  Then officer may be more what you want.  If you want to be employed in an operating plant outside of the Navy, you'll need a technical degree or some time actually operating a plant or supervising others operating a plant in the Navy.  The decision, however, is something only YOU can decide on.  Nothing any of us say here is going to answer that question for you.

Planning out long term goals is easier for some than others.  This is a HUGE step in your life, talk it over with family and important others in your life.  Think about, pray about it, meditate about, whatever works for YOU.

Hopefully you caught on to the emphasis in this post.  Also, don't let money be the only deciding factor for you.  As a nuke officer, you get opportunities to do other things in the Navy besides being a nuke.  As an enlisted nuke, the only other viable option for you, that isn't potentially career killing, is being a recruiter.  Otherwise, your career rotation goes ship – training command – ship – training command, etc.

Again, best of luck to you. 

[HighOctane23]

Just like HeavyD said, it's definitely something you'll need to decide for yourself as far as going officer or not.

From what I understand, you can't just "reenlist" as an officer when your time is done. You've got to apply for an officer program and if you accepted into one then they will offer you a new contract. There are several officer programs like STA-21 and ROTC (STA-21 if you're already in the service and ROTC if you're still a civilian) for those who don't have a 4 year degree yet, and OCS for those that already do. I'm more familiar with ROTC because I did it for two years while working on my bachelor's degree at SDSU. With that program, you can apply for a full scholarship (where the navy pays for all your school and housing costs) or whats called "college program" (paying your own way thru college). Either way, once you graduate college, you get a full commission as an O-1/Ensign and start your training for whatever field you chose (SWO, Aviation, Subs, Spec Warfare, etc...). STA-21 works similar to that with the exception that you've already enlisted, meaning you've been active duty are most times are already an E-4 to E-6. The STA-21 guys would muster and drill with us in the same battalion when I was in ROTC. Prior service kind of makes things more complicated for the recruiters if you go to reenlist later on after you've already been discharged for awhile and from what I've read doesn't always work out so well. I'm no expert and I'm sure there's other people on here who've been through it themselves (I'm waiting in DEP right now to see if my age waiver gets accepted for the nuke program or not), but I would recommend doing one of two things if you want to go officer. Either apply for ROTC, let the NAVY pay for your degree, and enter the NAVY as an commissioned officer, making about twice as much in base pay right off the bat, or enlist with as high of an ASVAB score as possible, maybe get into the nuke program (that's your choice), be in the top 10% of your class all through "A" school and whatever other training you have depending on what rate you get, work you're butt off and stand out, and apply for an officer program while you're still in. From what I've been told, you can apply as early as "A" school. The biggest thing is that you have to apply, and sometimes more than once if you don't get accepted right away. No one will just offer it to you.  

[ReadynWilling]

So, I've been thinking this through and looking over a lot of other topics. I might have jumped the gun with it. Two main points for me joining are the following:

1. Serving my country.
2. Financial stability, not looking for millions. Just a life without too much pain not pleasure; however, some pain would be good to remind me I'm alive.
3.  Main point: Getting accredited courses under my belt while in the NF to latter get a degree. As far as this point goes I haven't seen too many colleges accepting accredited courses as an MM, ET, EM, ELM, which sucks. Any suggestions? Why aren't schools like UCLA accrediting them?

[HeavyD]

Well, if accredited courses for a degree are your goal, the Navy is NOT the best or most efficient way to go about accomplishing that.

Most major four year universities are going to give you some credit for lower level and general courses.  The reason for not granting credit for more comes down to several reasons, two of which are fairly big.

1.  What we get presented and learn in Power School is a microcosm of what would be taught in an actual college classroom.  We get what we need to understand how things work, big picture, and what we need to do our job, period.  As an example, I was an ELT (Engineering Laboratory Technician - chemistry and radiological controls tech) for 10 years.  While I was an instructor at NPTU, I got an associates degree.  I took CHEM I and II.  What we were taught in ELT school we covered in the first day of Chem I.  After that, it was ALL new stuff, expanding on those basics.

2.  Money.  Colleges don;t operate simply out of the goodness of their hearts.  Engineering departments are one of, if not THE most expensive department to run at a college.  If the college goes and grants you credit for something you did elsewhere, that is money out of their pockets.  This is a major reason that virtually every college has a minimum number of credit hours that you must do through them.  Disclaimer - This 2nd point will probably be argued by some.  It is simply facts based on economics, plus my 2 cents
If you want to persue a degree, look into programs to get you into and through college.  If you want to serve, then serve.  Just realize that the Nuke program will only serve as a small starting point for your future college education.  Plus, if you can take what the Navy crams down your throat in the six months of Power School and pass, then college wont be a problem for ya.

Best of luck!

[MMM]

If you're looking for an engineering degree, most colleges/universities will grant you very few credits, and usually for things like PE and some random general ed classes. If you're looking for an engineering technology degree, you can usually get more. What we as nukes do is more geared toward eng tech. Like HeavyD said though, if you can get through the nuclear pipeline, college won't be a problem. It's not because it's a lot harder than anything at college (it may or may not be), but you'll learn the discipline you need to succeed.