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cave_dog42

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is nuke worth it?
« on: Nov 12, 2004, 11:50 »
I am currently in the DEP program as an AECF. I recently took and passes the nuke test and my asvab line scores all met nuke criteria. i was supposed to go down to meps today to reclass but my recruiter forgot my high school transcripts and didnt submit an DAR. I have been reading the posts here and have begun to question whether or not i am cut out to be a nuke. i have never had great study habits but i am able to learn quickly. I know that there are good career oppurtunities and the advancement/bonuses are very nice but i dont know how much i would enjoy the actual work(not that work is supposed to be fun). Ive been thinking about just staying AECF but im not sure.. Thanks for any responses. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #1 on: Nov 13, 2004, 08:21 »
Let me welcome you, and offer my expertise as a former Navy Nuke (and current Commercial Nuke).

In the enlisted armed forces, there is no other program as academically challenging as nuclear power school. The Navy wants you to be successful, so they will give you the assistance to succeed if you meet the academic entrance requirements and put forth effort. It will be tough, but you WILL pass the courses if you choose to do so.

Many companies specifically target ex-Navy Nukes for their programs. Not only commercial nuclear plants (especially for operators!) but also maintenance of assembly lines (tire manufacturers come to mind as one I have interviewed with.)

After 6 years in the Navy, you can get out and have a B.S. in hand (you only need a couple of credits besides those in the Nuke pipeline for A.S.!) or you can stay in for 20 and still have a commercial career afterwards!

As far as work not being fun, wouldn't life be sad if what you spend 1/3 of your time was a drudgery? The challenges of a nuclear career keep many happy and boredom limited. (In summary, my answer is "YES" but I am just stating my opinion.)
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CheeseheadNuke

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #2 on: Nov 13, 2004, 03:05 »
Well, here's my two cents worth:
As an 8 year ex-nuke MM/ELT subs and a radcon tour as RCSS on an AD,(back in the Carter/Reagan years) I'd have to say there are other navy career fields that are easier on the home life, easier on the mind and body, and offer just as good employment opportunities when you and the Navy part ways. Other career fields offer the exact same benefits as nukes both in and after service.Don't be swayed too much by stories of bonuses, pro-pay etc. There's a reason they pay those things, and I can tell you that if you think a little (and I mean a little) extra money will make it worth it-think again. I can only say that it has worked out OK for me after getting out. I know some guys who get out and never want to see a nuclear plant again in their lives. They are happy too. To sum it up: "I'm glad I did it-but I wouldn't take a million bucks to do it all over again today."

jeepgirl1

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #3 on: Nov 13, 2004, 03:55 »
I'd have to say there are other navy career fields that are easier on the home life, easier on the mind and body, and offer just as good employment opportunities when you and the Navy part ways. Other career fields offer the exact same benefits as nukes both in and after service.

What other career fields?

Gball

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #4 on: Nov 21, 2004, 09:54 »
ex-8year MM/ELT:

Yes, well worth it. You work hard, party hard, make a lot of friends, and life zips by. When you get out of the USN and start it all over again, but with better pay. ;D

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #5 on: Nov 21, 2004, 06:16 »
Y'see?  It all depends on what you want out of life.  The Navy doesn't really care what you do when you get out, and maybe you shouldn't either.  Before you start thinking about what it will get you later, think about what it will mean to you while you are in.
If you are already in AECF, you already have a lot of the advantages of being a nuke. You'll get the automatic advancement and the money that comes with it.  And the stripes may actually mean something outside the nuke world.  Mine didn't get me nuthin' but a bigger check.  I was once on a division of only seven men.  I was an MM1 and STILL only the 4th senior man.  Being a Petty Officer on a submarine is a lot like being a Kentucky Colonel.  You get the title, and that's it.  After all, there's about eight or nine non-PO's on the boat out of over 100 men.  None of them are nukes.  So, guess who gets to scrub the bilges in the engineroom.

For me, it was worth it.  I now have the confidence that lets me take on any job without worrying that I can't do it.  If you can be a Navy Nuke, you can be anything.  To our coworkers, we all seem a little arrogant, and it's hard not to be.

Don't worry about the bad study habits, you'll learn new ones.  What's more important is that you have to be able to understand and apply new concepts.  Studying is about strengthening your memory, but understanding makes memory unnecessary.
"To be content with little is hard; to be content with much, impossible." - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

cave_dog42

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #6 on: Nov 22, 2004, 01:20 »
thank you all for your input.Ii have thought long and hard about this and i have decided that the pro's outweigh the con's so i'm going to do it. Now I just have to wait for my DAR to go through so i can reclass. Right now i'm thinking that i would like to go EM. If anyone has any info on this rating then please let me know the basics about it; what ill do in an average day, what the job entails, etc. Thank you all again

Fermi2

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #7 on: Nov 23, 2004, 05:06 »
I've been a Nuke for 20 years. First Navy, then Commercial. BEST damn 20 years of my life. Everyday at the plant is a thrill!

It's like driving your daddy's 5 billion dollar Lincoln on a first date!

Mike

ETNuclearSailor

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #8 on: Nov 23, 2004, 06:01 »
I think it might be best not to go into the different ratings since there is no guarantee you'll get the one you want. The only rating you can guarantee is MM. Personally, I'm an ET and I wouldn't want it any differently.

Flooznie

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #9 on: Nov 24, 2004, 05:47 »
Trust me, if you can help it, you DO NOT want to be an EM.  Those guys work their balls off on the submarine.  On the submarine, there are no conventional EM, so the nuc- EM's own EVERYTHING!!  Be prepared to dive into motor generators and breathe carbon dust (alot).  EM's definitely earn their pay, that is for damn sure.  I would recommend ELT path (if you get MM) or ET (what I am).  Yes, I think it is worth it.  It is truly a humbling experience and rite of passage. 

ET1 (SS)
NPS class 9802-E

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #10 on: Nov 24, 2004, 08:45 »
But then again, an EM will have a trade that is marketable both inside and outside the nuclear industry.  An electrician can be an electrician anywhere he wants.  An electrician with Navy nuke training can do lots of things that do not depend on an industry which has been steadily shrinking since 1979.
"To be content with little is hard; to be content with much, impossible." - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

Chimera

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #11 on: Nov 25, 2004, 09:10 »
All the ratings that make up the Navy nuclear program have direct, good-paying, civilian job counterparts outside of the nuclear industry.  You do have to be careful, though, because some menial level job hirers will consider you to be over qualified (yep, that actually happened in my younger days).

The military will only train you to do what THEY want you to do.  Your future after the military will depend on what you learn on your own in addition to what they have taught you.

My opinion of the job in the Navy (even if you didn't ask):  There were enough bad times to convince me that I didn't want to stay in for retirement.  There were enough good times that, on the whole, I enjoyed my time with the Navy.  Let's face it, you get out of anything what you put into it.  This (no matter what "this" is) is only your job - not your life.

damad1

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #12 on: Nov 25, 2004, 01:37 »
Keep in mind that being a nuke doesn't limit you to being a nuke when you get out! Nor does what rate you choose, necessarily!
 I was an 8 year MM1, and now I have a solid federal job as a Hydro-Electric plant operator in Colorado. I bitched alot when I was in, but I have to say my training paid off big time!

I get to work in a less political environment than a nuke, retained my 8 years seniority, and live in the exact geographic region where I want! LIFE IS GOOD!

cave_dog42

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #13 on: Nov 26, 2004, 07:16 »
well its official. i am now in the nuke program. i went down on wednesday and got reclassed. i managed to get $12,000 as an enlistment bonus, i could have gotten $16,000 if i had decided to ship 7 days earlier, oh well. i was wondering if anyone knew when i recieved that bonus, is it after boot camp or "a" school? i am very excited about join the nuclear navy. thanks for any responses.

jeepgirl1

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #14 on: Nov 26, 2004, 09:26 »
$16K?  I thought the bonuses were $8K/$10K/$12K depending on when you leave ...  Did the Navy increase the amounts?

cave_dog42

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #15 on: Nov 26, 2004, 09:53 »
i got the $8000 bonus plus $4000 in college credit bonuses for 2 years of college.

jeepgirl1

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #16 on: Nov 26, 2004, 10:22 »
Okay, good deal.  When are you headed to RTC? 

cave_dog42

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #17 on: Nov 26, 2004, 10:48 »
im shipping out on june 6th. im gonna finish out this year in school to get the extra 4 grand then im shipping. what about you, when are you shipping?

latenuke

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #18 on: Nov 27, 2004, 03:01 »
i was wondering if anyone knew when i recieved that bonus, is it after boot camp or "a" school? i am very excited about join the nuclear navy. thanks for any responses.

My contract says the bonus comes after graduating Nuke school. "I understand the Enlistment Bonus will not be paid until I successfully complete nuclear prototype training and become designated with a nuclear plant operator series 335X or 338X as appropriate. (Item 5 of the Nuclear Field Enlistment Bonus Statement of Understanding form)

I believe I read somewhere her on another topic or on some other website that they give you a check on graduation day, minus taxes.

jeepgirl1

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #19 on: Nov 27, 2004, 09:13 »
im shipping out on june 6th. im gonna finish out this year in school to get the extra 4 grand then im shipping. what about you, when are you shipping?

Still awaiting a waiver, but my Nuke recruiter says to not worry, that it will most likely be approved so my fingers are crossed on that one ;)  Anyhoot, ideally I'd like to leave end of spring, early summer but it is "needs of the Navy" so I'll take whatever is given to me.

Are you applying for the CASH program? Sounds like an awesome opportunity :).
http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/blnavycash.htm 

Oh yes, as for how the bonuses will be paid, here's how it was explained to me:

College bonus money will be received in a lump sum minus taxes once RTC is completed.  Nuke bonus will be split up, with 1/3 being received after Nuclear Power School and the remaining 2/3 after Prototype (the last school in the Nuke pipeline) is completed.

There is a really awesome thread that was posted a few months back that spells everything out: http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,2150.0.html
« Last Edit: Nov 27, 2004, 09:26 by jeepgirl1 »

cave_dog42

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #20 on: Nov 27, 2004, 11:11 »
Are you applying for the CASH program? Sounds like an awesome opportunity :).

That does sound like a good deal  but unfortunately my GPA is not good enough ( i prob should have done a lottle more work my first year.)

As for your ship date, I went down to Meps on wednesday to reclass and they still had quite a few seats open for my ship date and those around it so you should be able to get late spring/early summer with no problem.

Thanks for the info on the bonus money, I thought I heard that you get some money after "a" school but im probably mistaken.

Stix

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #21 on: Nov 27, 2004, 08:47 »
When I went in (1982), the enlistment bonus was only $2000.00, paid upon completion of prototype.  Reinlisting for 2 years was another $20,000.00 (very tempting in 1984).  I had an associate degree, and no job to make payments on my loans.  Looking back on my situation today, I would have done the same thing again now.  I knew what I wanted when I went in, and stuck with that.  I went in for the training and got out after the minimum of 6 years (I understand that it is now 8 years???).  Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like had I put in the 20 years.  I would be getting a monthly check and living a lot easier now financially, but my family would have suffered.  That is water under the bridge for me, but something for you to consider while you have the opportunity.

The comment about EM rate and working their #$% off in carbon dust is correct.  In my opinion, the choice of rate would be the ET, followed by the MM, only if you can also get ELT, and then EM.  If you put MM anywhere other than 3rd choice, you will most likely be an MM. I put ET, MM, EM, and my associate degree is in electrical power.  I became a MM.  I have poor study habits, but good retention once I see or hear something.  My grades were good enough to get the ELT school without adding 2 years, so good grades can pay off.  ELT school has done more for me than any of the other nuke power school stuff in the outside world.  Being a petty officer in the nuke navy is standard (I saw only 1 who wasn't in my 6 years, and that was a reduction in rank issue).  But if you happen to wash out of the nuke program for some reason, you will be ahead of the others in the conventional fleet.

Navy life for a family person is not easy.  I have seen many marriages broken up due to the frequent and long deployments.  If you want to see the world, when you get to the fleet, a carrier or a fast attack boat are the best choice, but if you have a family, a boomer is typically better with a 90- 120 day out/in cycle.

Good luck in you carreer.

cave_dog42

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #22 on: Nov 30, 2004, 12:35 »
I have a question about becoming an officer. What options would be open to me to become an officer. I know about STA-21 but im not familiar with any other programs. I already have 2 years of college done and i know i can get some credits with nuke power school and prototype. My GPA in college is not as good as it should be (a 2.5 I think.) is that going to disqualify me from becoming an officer? Any input is greatly appreciated.

ETNuclearSailor

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #23 on: Nov 30, 2004, 07:13 »
My college GPA was a 2.0 with something like a third of all my attempted classes were failed (towards the end of my time in college). My prototype graduation date is Dec 3, but I won't be graduating, because I'm on hold. I start NSI in February as part of the STA 21 program. The only other commissioning paths are the Naval Academy (must be no older than 22) or OCS (must have a completed degree already). While STA 21 and the Academy are annual, OCS is more often. I've only known one person that actually got into OCS while enlisted, and he was a sea returnee.  The best bet is the Academy if you qualify, although STA 21 is the best deal.

nadus9

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Re: is nuke worth it?
« Reply #24 on: Mar 01, 2005, 04:19 »
bonus pays one third after you get out of power school and the other two thirds after prototype and a quarter of all of that goes to uncle sam even though hes the one giving it to you.....

 


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