Considering Nuke, Some Thoughts and Questions

[JDemarest]

Hey guys, I have a few questions about the Nuclear Field and was hoping I could get some feedback. Sorry if these questions have already been answered in other threads, I've been doing some research and know most of what I'm getting in to, but there are just a couple more things. Let me give you some background info first:

I just graduated high school 3 weeks ago, and made the decision to enlist in the Navy. Scoring a 96 on my ASVAB, my recruiter highly recommended becoming a Nuke. I still had to take the NAPT, scored a 65, and completed my physical at MEPS last week. Right now I'm about 80% positive I want to be a Nuke, but I want to get all of my inquiries out of the way before swearing in.



1. I understand that you don't get to choose your rating, with the whole "needs of the Navy" thing. My preference is ET, EM, MM. Mostly because I was told that ET has the best civilian career opportunities after I get out. Is there any truth to this? I know all three ratings give good job opportunities afterwards, but does one rating have a higher demand in the civilian world than the other two?

2. I also understand that you don't get to choose your orders after Nuke school, but you do get to fill out your "dream sheet" in Prototype. Personally, I would love to be stationed on the USS George Washington (CVN-73), living in Japan for the time I serve in the Navy. It is the only carrier I would really want to be on (I do not want to be on a submarine). I heard that I would have good chances to get stationed there because most people would prefer to be stationed in the US. Does anyone know if I actually do have a good chance of being stationed there, or should I not get my hopes up?

3. My recruiter told me about a site online for Navy personnel to apply for orders posted nine months in advance. Is this your "dream sheet", or something else? And if it is something else, does it impact your order any more than your dream sheet does?

4. I have been told that by the time I finish Prototype, I will be close to getting my BS degree. But in a booklet I read about NF, it says I will be a few credits short of an Associates degree. Which one is it?

5. Pertaining to Nuke's paygrade, I was told that I start as an E-3 (which I know to be true), become an E-4 after A-school, and an E-5 after prototype. But the same booklet says I only make it to E-4. Can anyone clarify?

6. Lastly, I was wondering if there are other ratings in the Navy that are just as beneficial as the Nuclear Field. By beneficial, I mean in and after the Navy. If so, then what ratings might they be?



Again, sorry if these questions have already been answered. I do not mean to waste your time. I have been doing research, mostly via search engine, and just recently started exploring this site. I've been exploring around a couple of hours each day. Also, sorry for asking questions about things that I half-know. I discovered a couple of things that my recruiter told me were actually lies, so I just feel like I need clarification from other voices. If you guys could help me out, that would be great. Thanks 

[Fermi2]

All these have been answered many times over.

[Lip2303]

 I will let you know what I know from my experiences:


1) No matter what rate you go, if you qualify as Engineering Watch Supervisor (or the surface equivalent) then you will be just fine. It also depends on what you want to do. If you want to go into Ops at a NPP and avoid the NLO/EO level then get your degree and qualify EWS.

2) I would never assume you can get the orders you want. I was told Hawaii was easy to get for subs, but that turned out to not be true. They will put you wherever is best for the Navy.

3) This was not true for me at all...we filled out our dream sheet a month or two before we graduated. The orders nine months out sounds like what you do after your first command when you negotiate new orders.

4) You can get a Bachelors in Nuclear Engineering Technology from a few different online colleges, but you will have most basics to take and a few specific courses. Research the schools that take Navy Power School credits.

5) You will be paid as an E-3 from the moment you enlist. As long as you don't screw up you get E-4 out of A-school. At your two year point you can STAR re-enlist and add two years on to your contract for a nice bonus and E-5. Depends on how long you want to stay in. If you don't re-enlist, E-5 isn't too hard to get.

6) I really don't know of another rate that offers the civilian opportunities outside the Navy, but that might just be my lack of knowledge.

[DSO]

1. no

2. no hope

3. no

4. neither little credits--qualify first and quit worrying about college NUB

5.no ---changes since I was in possibly

6.no

[spekkio]

4. I have been told that by the time I finish Prototype, I will be close to getting my BS degree. But in a booklet I read about NF, it says I will be a few credits short of an Associates degree. Which one is it?

It depends on the university, but generally an Associate's of Applied Science or Engineering Technology. You should call the registrar of whatever schools you are thinking of attending and ask if they take military service school credits. Those credits usually come in very strange/applied types of classes or just unspecified service school credits, and nukes aren't the only ones who can get them. The associate's is useful for getting you out of taking core classes when going for a bachelor's, which can be particularly annoying if you are a math/science/eng major when you get a professor who thinks his African Studies 101 class is more important than your upper level major sequence, and most core requirements are liberal arts classes that don't fit into a math/science/eng course load. It also saves you 3-4 semesters worth of tuition and time. But beyond that, not much else.

6. Lastly, I was wondering if there are other ratings in the Navy that are just as beneficial as the Nuclear Field. By beneficial, I mean in and after the Navy. If so, then what ratings might they be?

You didn't post what your post-Navy career goals were. On top of that, you came to a message board solely dedicated to nuclear power to ask about non-nuclear power related careers. That's kinda like going to a steak house and ordering the chicken.

For subs, Nav ET if you want to get into electronics technical stuff without doing nuclear work. They maintain all the electronics and interior communications gear forward of the RC bulkhead not maintainted by Sonar or Fire Control divisions. As a bonus you can qualify quartermaster toward the end of your first tour and navigate the ship, which some people would find cool. Disclaimer: It's computerized, so navigation is not nearly as involved as it used to be.

I'm not sure how surface ships work it if you are solely interested in the surface Navy. I still think they use QMs for navigation and ETs for maintenance, but maybe not.

A-gang if you want to get into a plethora of mechanical/maintenance type jobs and QA work, but again without nuclear. Disclaimer: You are also the ship's plumbers.

The IT ratings and CTMs also can translate well to careers outside the Navy -- IT/ITS maintain ship and ashore computer networks, CT(M) maintains cryptological equipment, which are essentially big server stacks inside the ship's radio room/comms center. I can't speak for the surface Navy, but the sub force is still trying to find its way in this field. Up until last year or so, the ITs on a submarine were guys who wanted it as a collateral duty. They got very little formal training and it lead to a lot of frustration.

I will say this though: When a mission critical circuit card broke in radio and we found out someone borked the spare inventory, it was an RC diver who fixed it. Say what you will about nuke admin and 'red tape,' they instill a robust, systematic troubleshooting process and an ability to navigate technical manuals that will serve you well anywhere. There is gear forward that was permamently broken because it seemed like not a soul in the submarine force was able to figure out why it needed to be reset every 2 hours or fully understand how it interacted with other equipment. That will never happen in the nuclear world; the manuals are better, the design is simpler, everyone is trained to fully understand their systems, and your Chiefs are smarter.

[walrusrampage]

2. You say you don't want to be on a submarine and only want to go one carrier? Good luck. I put San Diego, Bremerton, Everett, Japan, Norfolk, and I am on the Enterprise. My friend tried for west coast subs and if not subs anywhere, and he is here with me. You are at least guaranteed to stay out of the submarine force if you don't volunteer, since it is much more restrictive, but odds are you are going to end up in Norfolk (50% chance roughly). Learn to love Virginia!

3. Never heard of it. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but it did not come into play for us being given orders, we filled out a dream sheet in month 4 of prototype and you could fill in extenuating circumstances so they could be promptly ignored.

4. I am enrolled in Thomas Edison College, which is regionally accredited (the good kind). It and Excelsior offer good BS in Nuclear Energy Engineering Technology degrees with VERY generous credits for your time in the pipeline. However, you will not be able to pursue this without command support. That being said, you have to be qualified senior in rate, and you almost assuredly won't get the go ahead if you are on deployment or are going on one in the near future (most of the ships in the fleet). Therefore, your best bet is at a shore command, which isn't going to happen until after your 3 or 4 1/2 year sea duty.

5. You will get E-4 if you don't mess around after A - school, meaning don't go to mast. It's alot easier to get in trouble at training command than out in the fleet for small infractions. Missing study hours can get you sent to mast, for instance. E-5 is generally going to happen in your first year or 2 if you don't re-enlist. First class will generally require good evals or staying in for 8 years. Obviously, there are exceptions.