having second thoughts

[zackthespartan]

I'm two weeks into nuke school (ET by the way). But I'm starting to have 'second thoughts' about whether or not I should have chosen to go nuke. I DO NOT regret joining the Navy at all; probably the best decision I've ever made in my life, aside from getting my bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

However, this tedious life at nuke school has me wondering if all the challenges I have ahead of me for the upcoming months is worth it? I didn't select nuke because of the big bonus. In fact, my folks are always telling me that I chose the navy, the navy 'chose me' for nuclear. I went nuclear because I wanted a rating that would make me exercise skills I'm good at, that's why we all take the ASVAB, so the service can see what our strengths are.

But all in all, is being a nuke worth it? I'm not talking about in terms of big bucks, I mean in terms of job enjoyment, sense of belonging, stuff like that.

[SpaceJustice]

I'm two weeks into nuke school (ET by the way). But I'm starting to have 'second thoughts' about whether or not I should have chosen to go nuke. I DO NOT regret joining the Navy at all; probably the best decision I've ever made in my life, aside from getting my bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

However, this tedious life at nuke school has me wondering if all the challenges I have ahead of me for the upcoming months is worth it? I didn't select nuke because of the big bonus. In fact, my folks are always telling me that I chose the navy, the navy 'chose me' for nuclear. I went nuclear because I wanted a rating that would make me exercise skills I'm good at, that's why we all take the ASVAB, so the service can see what our strengths are.

But all in all, is being a nuke worth it? I'm not talking about in terms of big bucks, I mean in terms of job enjoyment, sense of belonging, stuff like that.

So I will preface this saying that what I say might seem harsh, but given the rash of terrible new people coming to our boat I feel it is necessary.

You joined the Navy and you chose to be a nuke, regardless of what your parents say.  Period.  Is it possible that you weren't entirely sure of all being a nuke would entail?  Absolutely.  I would wager that very few nukes had much of an idea of what they were getting into when they signed up.  Since this is not a job that allows you to quit, I can only assume that you are asking us to give you a reason not to make them drop you (either going sad or purposefully failing out).  If you are the kind of person who is going to quit on me just because we have to go into shift work to get a nuclear instrument replaced so that we can go on a patrol, then I don't want you to finish the pipeline because I can't count on you.  You shouldn't be a nuke.  It might sound like two different things, but it really isn't when it comes to commitment and having a work ethic.  I don't know if you're two weeks into A-School or Power School, but either way you are in for a long road.  It only gets progressively more difficult.  You will put in long hours and still be expected to adhere to all of your military obligations as well.  Once you finish the pipeline (including qualifying Reactor Operator at prototype), you will go to a boat.  On the Submarine side:  You will get to the boat as a completely unqualified nub.  Coners will probably give you crap for it, even though there's nothing you can do about it.  The nukes won't bother you too much as long as you are studying, working on qualifications, and NOT going dinq (Delinquent in Qualifications).  As a potential RC Div member, everything your division does is under the scrutiny of everyone important because your maintenance and paperwork are directly related to reactor safety.  Forgot a decimal place?  Critique.  Missed a small step in the procedure?  Critique.  Manipulate the incorrect switch?  Critique.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  Being a nuke does not get easy, the material and amount of responsibility you are handed grows with you (unless you prove yourself unreliable).

Now for the hugging part.

For the most part, nukes have a great sense of community and I really enjoy 95% of the people I work with.  Do we bicker over stupid things sometimes?  Sure, but at the end of the day there is a mutual respect for what we do (at least on my boat).  Being a Reactor Operator is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things I've done in my life.  While there are times life really sucks, it is sucking for everyone.  So there is that sense of camaraderie that is built from everyone's shared experiences in that climate.  You will also develop a closer working relationship with the officers (on Submarines) because they are nukes first.  They are also trained by enlisted nukes when they are junior and standing EOOW.  As for the pay, even without re-enlisting my wife and I have had more than enough to afford anything we'd want (within reason) and still save money.

In closing, I can't tell you what to do.  I would be lying if I said I never thought about quitting during the pipeline (prototype), but I am very happy I didn't.  Also, a word of advice: If you get to a boat, no one expects you to be a superstar.  By all mean be a superstar if you can be, but when you see some of the new people you work with you will realize that doing your job and not going dinq is like having a superpower.  If you have any questions, feel free to pm me.

ET1 (SS)

[Higgs]

 Yes it's worth it.  Now stop your whining and get back to studying.

Justin

[GLW]

But all in all, is being a nuke worth it? I'm not talking about in terms of big bucks, I mean in terms of job enjoyment, sense of belonging, stuff like that.

Nah, it's never worth it, get out while the getting's good, cross rate to corpsman or CTE or even just grab the general discharge under honorable conditions, go back to school again, rack up some more college debt and get a job on the economy so you can pay back those loans until you're 35YO and quit being part of the military welfare system,...

tedious life at nuke school?!?!?!

please, I'll accept that boot camp was tedious,...

A school, nuke school and prototype will be the best and easiest years of your 6YO,...

you've got a bachelors degree and your folks are still telling you how to perceive the world?!?!?!?

do you ask their perception before you play horizontal bop with the cutie from tonight's party?!?!?!?

grow up already and just do your dam job, you know, the one you signed on the line for and promised you were gonna do,...

[SA82]

The two best career decisions I have made in my life:

   1) Enlisting in the Navy as a nuke.

   2) Getting out of the navy and taking a good paying civilian job.

In between those decisions and milestones in my working career is the hard work and time sacrificed in order to succeed in the world. Was it easy to finish your degree? Probably not. You have to put hard work forward in order to get any reward in life.

You will not regret joining the navy nuke program. There is a good chance that you will only serve six years and get out because you do not like the job or the long hours. I realized that I did not enjoy going to sea on board a submarine nor did I enjoy the long nights in port when I got married. Therefore I separated and found a good job that I would not have gotten without being a nuke. In the meantime, I worked hard on quals, got good reviews, and finished my degree.

Remember that you signed a contract  of employment for six years, get the most training out of those six years, and THEN decide if you want to stay in or move on (do not STAR re-enlist).

[MacGyver]

I'm two weeks into nuke school (ET by the way). But I'm starting to have 'second thoughts' about whether or not I should have chosen to go nuke. I DO NOT regret joining the Navy at all; probably the best decision I've ever made in my life, aside from getting my bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

However, this tedious life at nuke school has me wondering if all the challenges I have ahead of me for the upcoming months is worth it? I didn't select nuke because of the big bonus. In fact, my folks are always telling me that I chose the navy, the navy 'chose me' for nuclear. I went nuclear because I wanted a rating that would make me exercise skills I'm good at, that's why we all take the ASVAB, so the service can see what our strengths are.

But all in all, is being a nuke worth it? I'm not talking about in terms of big bucks, I mean in terms of job enjoyment, sense of belonging, stuff like that.

If you can't motivate yourself to honor your word and oath then maybe it isn't for you.  Get out now and beat the rush ... 

OR ........

You could do what everyone else in your shoes has done.  Do your BEST everyday and when you get to EOAS you can then beat feet with your head held high.

Your call.

Mac

[Chimera]

I'm two weeks into nuke school (ET by the way). But I'm starting to have 'second thoughts' about whether or not I should have chosen to go nuke. I DO NOT regret joining the Navy at all; probably the best decision I've ever made in my life, aside from getting my bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

However, this tedious life at nuke school has me wondering if all the challenges I have ahead of me for the upcoming months is worth it? I didn't select nuke because of the big bonus. In fact, my folks are always telling me that I chose the navy, the navy 'chose me' for nuclear. I went nuclear because I wanted a rating that would make me exercise skills I'm good at, that's why we all take the ASVAB, so the service can see what our strengths are.

But all in all, is being a nuke worth it? I'm not talking about in terms of big bucks, I mean in terms of job enjoyment, sense of belonging, stuff like that.

I ran into the same thought process when I was going through nuclear power "basic" school back in 1969.  I wanted out of the program.  That attitude started changing after I arrived at prototype.  Once you get through all the school-house stuff and start applying that knowledge to your job as a "nuke", it becomes much more interesting.  You'll never get away from all the theory as long as you're a "nuke" but it does make more sense when you start applying it to your day-to-day functions - whether it's just watch-standing or working on the gear.  I don't regret staying in the program . . . nor, as SA82 said, have I ever regretted getting out of the Navy and using that skill set out here in the real world.

Mike

[HydroDave63]

But all in all, is being a nuke worth it? I'm not talking about in terms of big bucks, I mean in terms of job enjoyment, sense of belonging, stuff like that.

Perhaps there is a therapist there to talk to...

[GLW]

I ran into the same thought process when I was going through nuclear power "basic" school back in 1969.  I wanted out of the program.  That attitude started changing after I arrived at prototype.....

Oh come on Mike stop with the fuzzy bunny stuff, that attitude started changing after they told you nuke drop outs get a one way ticket to the swift boats,...

[HydroDave63]

Oh come on Mike stop with the fuzzy bunny stuff, that attitude started changing after they told you nuke drop outs get a one way ticket to the swift boats,...

Swift boats and 3 medals almost got a guy elected President 

[93-383]

Is it worth it? That is difficult to answer. The Nuclear Navy was probably the worst experience of my life. There's no other way to say it than that. However I gained many useful skills. I'll never know if things would have worked out better or worse had I went to college instead.

That being said you are already in and unless the nuke CREO rank has dropped below 1 (highly unlikely), the only "honourable" way out of the nuclear community is to try for an officer program.

[Chimera]

Oh come on Mike stop with the fuzzy bunny stuff, that attitude started changing after they told you nuke drop outs get a one way ticket to the swift boats,...

Actually, I was stupid enough to volunteer for "patrol boat - river" when I was still in ET school.  However, my designation as a "baby nuke" kept them from accepting me . . . thank God for protecting me from my own stupidity.  It was the year in the fleet between A school and Nuke School that made me want out of the program but I couldn't figure out a way to do it without hurting myself for the rest of the time I had left in the Navy.  Looking back, I'm glad I stayed.

[GLW]

Actually, I was stupid enough to volunteer for "patrol boat - river" when I was still in ET school.  However, my designation as a "baby nuke" kept them from accepting me . . . thank God for protecting me from my own stupidity.  It was the year in the fleet between A school and Nuke School that made me want out of the program but I couldn't figure out a way to do it without hurting myself for the rest of the time I had left in the Navy.  Looking back, I'm glad I stayed.

Well, we're always glad we stayed because of CIVLANT employment enhancement,...

However, if you knew from the get go the USN was going to be your career for 20 years or more,...

NNPP is the last thing I would suggest to anybody,...

There are so many better 20 year options in the USN than NNPP,...

[Gamecock]

..

However, if you knew from the get go the USN was going to be your career for 20 years or more,...

NNPP is the last thing I would suggest to anybody,...

There are so many better 20 year options in the USN than NNPP,...

Sadly, there once was a time when I would have disagreed with you

[Chimera]

Well, we're always glad we stayed because of CIVLANT employment enhancement,...

However, if you knew from the get go the USN was going to be your career for 20 years or more,...

NNPP is the last thing I would suggest to anybody,...

There are so many better 20 year options in the USN than NNPP,...

20 years!!!  I had no intention of staying for 20 years.  I was "career designated", not career motivated.  I did my time and left.  I had achieved my basic goals from when I enlisted: Dolphins, electronics, and this new thing called nuclear power.  I'd look at those poor guys in the Goat Locker and wonder how they could do it.  Besides, the Navy was about to change the uniform into something that wouldn't fit into the standart Navy locker so I had to get out.

I don't regret my time in the Navy or the Nuke program but I had to get out while the blush was still on the rose petals being ground beneath those khaki-clad shoes on the quarterdeck.

[Higgs]

20 years!!!  I had no intention of staying for 20 years.  I was "career designated", not career motivated.  I did my time and left.  I had achieved my basic goals from when I enlisted: Dolphins, electronics, and this new thing called nuclear power.  I'd look at those poor guys in the Goat Locker and wonder how they could do it.  Besides, the Navy was about to change the uniform into something that wouldn't fit into the standart Navy locker so I had to get out.

I don't regret my time in the Navy or the Nuke program but I had to get out while the blush was still on the rose petals being ground beneath those khaki-clad shoes on the quarterdeck.

Same. My disgust for the Navy while I was in, is well document here, under another username. However, I most certainly do not regret my time, and I have the Navy to thank for giving me the tools needed to get to where I am today.

I have no idea what I'd be doing today had I not joined the Navy, but I'm certain it would be nothing compared to what I am doing.

Justin

[GLW]

20 years!!!  I had no intention of staying for 20 years.  I was "career designated", not career motivated.  I did my time and left.....

Same......

I suspect many nukes choose nuke to have a viable employment option should the USN not work out,...

Others are just twinkled up by their recruiters by all the "best of the best of the best" BS that nerds rarely hear in their lives,...

Unfortunately for both, the NNPP has a self fulfilling, ever perpetuating dynamic of malaise in the NNPP which has been digested at unfathomable length in other threads (does unfathomable qualify as an absolute? I'm not fond of absolutes),...

I tend to believe the first enlisted nukes had a much better paradigm, and the Vietnam era nukes right after them had a slightly different motivator which is reflected in their level of perceived malaise,...

Now, as for those bozos who were conventional Navy first and then went NNPP well, those freaks should be MMPI'd every chance there is, something definitely different in the brain case there <-------