Just Passed the Nuke Test. Questions About Money?

[Punnett]

I just went and took the Nuke Test and passed it. The thing is, I don't know whether I should trust anything anyone is telling me because I don't know their agendas. The two Navy Nuke guys who gave me the test told me that it's hard work but they like it and if they had to choose all over again, they'd do it every single time. Them and the other recruiters at the office made it seem like a really, really good deal so I got sort of skeptical.

I guess my largest concern is: how much do Navy Nukes actually get paid?

I hear that a lot of people sort in the Navy sort of dislike Navy Nukes because they get "paid" more and stuff but do they really? I know there's a large re-enlistment bonus and there are things like BAH and other bonuses you get outside of your base pay. How much would I make as a Navy Nuke compared to other people who enlist over time? How much do Navy Nukes make after they re-enlist?

My recruiter is E-6 and he tells me that, in total, he makes like 6000-7000 a month including all the bonuses and stuff. Is he BS-ing me? 'Cause that feels like it's a lot of money for being in the military if you like.. multiply it by 12..

Am I being tricked or something o.o?

Thanks for any advice. I did try to read other posts before posting my own! Also, I wasn't sure if I should post this on the Navy Nuke section or the Money Matters section.

Thanks!

[SpaceJustice]

Military pay charts are publicly available, so this is not a difficult thing to research.  That said, including all extra pay and the yearly bonus installment an E-6 can reasonably average that amount.

[HeavyD]

How much you will make will depend on your rank.  You rank will depend on your work performance, as well as how much effort you are willing to put into studying for the advancement exams.

http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/militarypaytables.html

There is the location of the current (as of 1 January 2013) military pay tables.

In addition to base pay, as a single Nuke on a carrier, you would also be eligible for Sea Pay, SDAP (Special Duty Assignment Pay - which varies if you are receiving regular rate or supervisor rate) and that's it.

Once you make E-5, you can request Single BAH (Basic Allowance for Quarters). 

Also, don't forget taxes.  Federal, FICA, SS,a nd state (if applicable).

When I retired as an E-6 in December 2011, I was bringing home around $2800 per paycheck, for comparison.

The biggest difference between you and a non-Nuke is the rapid advancement (which they see as having not been earned) and the incredibly huge (relative to other rates) bonus you will be eligible for.

As with everything, your mileage may vary, so do some research on your own and then think about what goals you have and want to accomplish in the next 6 years.  You will be committing yourself to an organization, via a legally binding contract, for 6 years.  READ IT!  Don't be one of these whiners that comes here or talks to their friends saying "My recruiter lied to me!". 

Educate yourself and best of luck!

[spekkio]

You start as an E-3. Graduate A-school and keep your nose clean and you get promoted to E-4. You will report to your first ship/sub as an E-4 unless there is a significant training hold.

If you STAR reenlist at 2 years (adds 2 years of commitment onto your service), you instantly make E-5. Otherwise, you have to pass the rating exam and get good evals.

That puts you reasonably able to make E-6 by the time your first commitment is up, provided you are SIR qualified and do your job at an average level. Other ratings start as an E-1 in boot camp and don't promote nearly as fast -- the rockstars end their first tours as an E-5 and the average Sailors can end at an E-4. This is where the bulk of your higher pay comes from. Nuke pro-pay is not a whole lot.

As a nuke, if you go to your 2nd sea tour (~10-11 yrs of service) as an E-6 vice E-7 you are viewed as a dirtbag who couldn't be trusted to qualify EWS. Other ratings still have an E-6 "LPO at sea" tour in their pipelines and generally don't make chief until 12-16 years (as always there are exceptions).

Promotions were easiest for ET's (if you have a pulse you make E-6) and hardest for EM's (very hard to get E-5 without STAR reenlisting). YMMV and this might not be accurate by the time you hit the fleet.

[Punnett]

Thanks for the answers!

Do any Navy Nukes regret going that path? I mean, the quick promotions are very enticing to me but the complete lack of shore duty and constantly being at sea seems to be very rough in terms of family life and stuff like that. I mean, I understand that, if you join the Navy, you shouldn't complain about being on a boat, but how do you feel about being at sea so often? While I really want to make money fast and be successful, I can't help but feel like there's a very large price to pay. Right now, I have a contract for MC. I know it's generally an overmanned rating and that it'd be tough to raise ranks but I think I'd actually enjoy that rating. I'm sure my woes seem very petty and stupid, but we don't have too many decades in our lifetimes to sign away. I just want to make a decision that's as educated as possible and I appreciate any help or advice anyone who's been there has to give.

As far as I can tell, the school is hard, the work is hard, you've got little to no chance for shore duty, you get fairly insignificant bonuses, but you rank up faster than everyone else. Right now, I can still change my mind. I can go take a D-LAB and maybe go for CTI, I can stick with MC, I can do a number of different things as well as go with being a Navy Nuke.

For anyone who's been there, any opinions as to what I should do? I know everyone is different and that it's ultimately my decision, but I'd like to get some different perspectives on the matter. Thanks!

[Hilariousity]

I'm in Power School right now and from what I have seen, the only people who regret choosing this path are spoiled brats who don't want to work for a living. I've been in for 6 months and never been stationed on a ship so I won't give you my opinion on that!

As for MC vs nuke.... That's a pretty tough decision and I suppose it should be based upon what you want to do with your life. If I were in your shoes I would choose MC if I wanted to stay in the navy as a career as its an easy job that lots of people want and that not many people get, but you don't get any marketable job skills that you can put on a resume if you want to get out and find another job. Nuke on the other hand is a lot harder but you learn so much more and have so many more skills that make you marketable outside the military.

As for life in general it is pretty awesome. Charleston is a pretty nice area and I really wish I could just spend my entire time in the navy here

[spekkio]

Sea rotation is the same regardless of rate -- your first tour is around 50 months. After that is shore duty followed by 36 month sea rotations.

Marketability is iffy. If your long term plan involves wearing slacks and a collared shirt to work outside of utility companies, then your college education and post Navy experience will matter more than what you do in the Navy. If you're looking to become a technician, plumber, mechanic, etc or work at a shipyard/naval support activity then nuke will give you the skills you seek, as will a variety of non-nuclear rates.

Most people don't mind being at sea. It's the 3 section inport rotation (every third day you are stuck onboard the ship for 24  hrs) and long workdays on non duty days not at all helped by endless red tape from NR, nub JOs standing duty figuring out how to read a waf, and the good idea fairy from Eng/CO/ISIC.

Bottom line is that it's a great deal if you are interested in being a nuke. If you aren't then no amount of early promotions and bonuses will ever make up for the long hours and associated 6 years of misery.

Be careful about overmanned rates. I've seen competent Sailors in overmanned rates become terminal E3 or E4s. FYI the Navy kicks you out after a certain amount of time if you don't make rate, so if you wanted to make it a career and couldn't  selected by the time higher tenure hits you will be looking for new employment.

[retired nuke]

OP - you have a contract for MC - that is a "social" type rating - you work with people, it will give you experience in the PR type stuff. Very different from the "techy" ratings.
With 4 yrs of MC, and the GI bill (many colleges have great communications degrees) you will be able to go into anything from sports journalism (ESPN or local) to corporate communications. Believe it or not, many of those jobs, to people with the right skillset, pay better than commercial Nuke (6 yr ex Nav, AO / RO / SRO - 12-15 yrs from now min...). Either way, it'll be 8-10 years before you are starting to move up the civilian ladder - same as the Nuke kids...

MC doesn't field day the engineering spaces, they take pictures of the guys doing it...
MC doesn't stay aboard until shore power is connected, and then shut down the reactor - they are taking pictures of the airdales Luau ashore.

Unless you are dying to be a nuke, enjoy 4 years as an MC, go to college, and say hi to us from a TV somewhere in 15 yrs.
 

[spekkio]

Whoa. Before OP gets delusions of grandeur, journalism is a flooded field that is being slowly and surely destroyed by freedom of information available on the internet. For every guy who gets paid an exorbitant amount of money to spoon-feed opinions on CNN or FoxNews, there are 100s who write OP-EDs/blogs for free so that they have a published work to show someone. Photography is no better, except the equipment cost 10s of thousands of dollars every few years. It's a tough business where the vast majoriy of people struggle for a long time, IF they ever make it. Four years as an MC and a bachelor's degree in communications isn't going to make OP an automatic ESPN sports caster or Super Bowl photographer.

[vtor]

I just did 6 years as nuke (sub) Electrician and  got out recently. here's my 2 cents
will say pay wise, the only noticeable difference is through quicker promotion ( even faster if you re-enlist but not all people do ofc). But the real money is the huge option of engineering/technical jobs for which you qualify for AFTER the fact, you WILL HATE your time in, but if you bear the tons of BS and stick with it it can set you up toward post navy. As for me I would say i will not regret joining, as the stuff that you get exposed to puts you far ahead of others that go to college your age, lots of college kids that cannot find work these days because many companies want EXP. (But i probably would of regretted re-enlisment if i did).   Along with the post 9/11 gi bill you can get an education coupled with training from your time in to get an even better job if you wish to wait.

Something to think about though, DOD received large budget cuts, more might be to come, a lot of educational benefits might go away, i do not keep current with these as i am not in anymore.  So please do your research. Do pick nuke if you choose to join imo, you will feel more educated then a lot of peers you encounter. Now.... whether or not choose submarine or not is another story  .

Sorry not too good at writing! They don't teach GrammAr in the nuke pipeline hah! ( only tons of acronyms and nomaclatures)

[Punnett]

Thanks a lot for the advice. I've decided to switch over to Nuke from MC. Hopefully I can get that sorted out over the next few days or weeks or however long that process actually takes.

One last question, is the rating you get after the program determined by how well you do in school? Is it like, if I want to be an ET, for example, I need to have a certain GPA or be at a top percentage of my class?

[Lip2303]

Unless things have changed in the past few years, they will determine your rate in boot camp and let you know. I believe it is determined by ASVAB scores (the individual ones not composite) and something you will hear a lot "needs of the Navy." You do get to fill out a "dream sheet" and rank the rates in order of preference. I was 1) ET 2) MM 3) EM and I was placed as a MM. This does give you the option of Welding and ELT school (which is based somewhat on how well you do in the pipeline).


I probably dont have to say this, but anyone is free to correct me on anything that is false!

[MacGyver]

I'm in Power School right now and from what I have seen, the only people who regret choosing this path are spoiled brats who don't want to work for a living. I've been in for 6 months and never been stationed on a ship so I won't give you my opinion on that!

As for MC vs nuke.... That's a pretty tough decision and I suppose it should be based upon what you want to do with your life. If I were in your shoes I would choose MC if I wanted to stay in the navy as a career as its an easy job that lots of people want and that not many people get, but you don't get any marketable job skills that you can put on a resume if you want to get out and find another job. Nuke on the other hand is a lot harder but you learn so much more and have so many more skills that make you marketable outside the military.

As for life in general it is pretty awesome. Charleston is a pretty nice area and I really wish I could just spend my entire time in the navy here

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