Just a few questions, if you'd be so kind

[mynukeisaknight]

Hello, my name is Betty, and my boyfriend is looking to enlist within the next week or two, and be off to boot camp in October. I just have a few questions that I haven't seen answered (I might have missed them), and I'd love to hear from some Nukes. None of the recruiters at the local office are in the Nuclear field, so a lot of times, their answers have been somewhat vague.

1. Are there breaks during the Nuclear schools just as there are for regular colleges? (ie, spring break, winter break, summer break?)

2. Are there any leaves/breaks in between the schools themselves?

3. My boyfriend and I are looking to have me join him when I finish my Associates degree (in May of next year). Assuming my timing is correct, this would be right around or shortly before he finishes A school. Are there any procedures we'd have to take into mind for this? I understand that I can't live with him on base unless we are married (something we have discussed at great length, but are not sure about just yet), but is it possible for us to live together otherwise? What would you advise?

4. When he is living alone, what would be the best course of action? Should he look into a place off base, look into base housing, or is there a dorm-type set up while he's in school?

5. Is there rules about pets? (He has a big dog that he doesn't wanna take until I move in with him, because he doesn't want him to be alone.

Thank you so much, and I'd like to add that I love this website already. I found it a few nights ago, and it already has given me a sigh of relief for how much info I can access without having to have him contact a recruiter that can't promise an answer to our question anyway.

[HeavyD]

1. No

2. Yes, length depends on when the next part of the pipeline starts for him.

3. If you aren't married, you will not be given the opportunity to live together until he gets to prototype, typically around the year + mark in his training.

4. Until prototype, he wont be given an option of where to live.  Unless married, with dependents located at this duty station, he will be occupying the provided barracks.

5.  Yes there are rules.  This is the military.  I'm going to let you figure out the answer based solely on that.

These questions can ALL be answered by his recruiter.  Quite honestly, he should already be asking the recruiter these questions.  Even if they aren't in the Nuke field, there is a Nuke at MEPS that they can call and get answeres from.  Best of luck to both of you.

[BuddyThePug]

But that captain guy on Crimson Tide had a Jack Russell Terrier...what if I kept my small fluffy pug in a small dog crate in the torpedo room?

[mynukeisaknight]

Thank you, I appreciate the answers. I do understand that this is the military, and there are rules, thank you. I was just wondering the rules regarding his dog, that was all. Once more, Thank you.

[Samabby]

Young Miss,

I compliment you on trying to get a handle on your young man's adventure. My sincere suggestion to you would be for you to stay in school & complete your BA or BS degree while he completes his training.

Good luck!  

[HeavyD]

Young Miss,

I compliment you on trying to get a handle on your young man's adventure. My sincere suggestion to you would be for you to stay in school & complete your BA or BS degree while he completes his training.

Good luck! 

To add to this, please bear in mind that there always exists the possibility that he is not "the One" (no Matrix references  ).  Your education should not suffer nor be shorted because of a guy.  If things don't work out, you will still need to support yourself in life.  Even if things do work out, you will want your own identity outside of being a Nuke wife.

Again, best of luck and thanks for both of you for volunteering!

[mynukeisaknight]

Thank you to you both. I definitely understand that our relationship isn't written in stone, we haven't been together long enough to assume that. I aspire to work with children, so I plan to get an associates in education, which will permit me to work in preschools and daycare centers. He's in no way tying me down in the form of my career, I thank you for your advice.

I appreciate the well wishes, it's nice to be able to get some advice from people who have gone through this experience (or one similar) already.

[mynukeisaknight]

Sorry for the double post, but another question came to mind.

If my sailor and I get married, and he's filling out his dreamsheet or whatever, will I be moved with him to wherever that is? Like, for instance: If on the off-chance, he is chosen to have his permanent station be in Europe, would I be moved to Europe as well? Or would I stay here?

Once more, thank you for the advice and input!

[HeavyD]

If married, you will be moved to where he is during his first term.  Nukes get stationed on ships/boats during their first term, different than some other rates in the Navy.

Ships (i.e. carriers) his choices will be 1) Norfolk, VA 2) San Diego, CA 3) Everett, WA or 4) Yokosuka, Japan (the GEORGE WASHINGTON is stationed there).

Boats (subs) include the above (except Japan) plus 1) Kings Bay, GA 2) Groton, CT 3) Pearl Harbor, HI and lastly 4) Guam.

The important part is actually being married.  Engaged gets you moving yourself and that's about it.

[mynukeisaknight]

Wow, I thought there were more boats out than that 

After his first term, assuming he re-enlists, are there other places he can possibly be stationed?

Marriage is definitely something we're looking into while he's still in school. It is all dependent on the next year or so, but right now we have basically planned to get married when I get my degree (approx. when he's inbetween A school and Power School), and have the ceremony at a later date.

[drayer54]

Wow, I thought there were more boats out than that 

After his first term, assuming he re-enlists, are there other places he can possibly be stationed?

Marriage is definitely something we're looking into while he's still in school. It is all dependent on the next year or so, but right now we have basically planned to get married when I get my degree (approx. when he's inbetween A school and Power School), and have the ceremony at a later date.

Never heard it discussed like that before... 

[HeavyD]

Shore duty options are limited, as a Nuke.  By the way, get used to things being difficult or nonexistent as a Navy Nuke.  That "see the world" adventure crap doesn't apply, for the most part, to Nukes.

The detailer wants the best Nukes to go back and be instructors, whether it be at "A" School, Power School or prototype.  4 months to qualify as an instructor, 36 months after that.

Shore duty at one of the shore maintenance facilities in either Norfolk, Kings Bay, Groton, San Diego, or Pearl Harbor.  He can also try be a recruiter.  Those billets are considered to be "career killers" (except recruiter) and are challenging to get the Nuke detailer to release him to fill.

[Samabby]

" I aspire to work with children, so I plan to get an associates in education, which will permit me to work in preschools and daycare centers. "

This will never pay enough to support yourself. Consider getting your BA or BS degree and be a certified teacher.

You might want to try www.submarinewivesclub.org. This site, for and by women, can offer you some real world ( not fairy tale ) advice.

Good luck, Miss.

[bnc1659]

Wow, I thought there were more boats out than that 

After his first term, assuming he re-enlists, are there other places he can possibly be stationed?

Marriage is definitely something we're looking into while he's still in school. It is all dependent on the next year or so, but right now we have basically planned to get married when I get my degree (approx. when he's inbetween A school and Power School), and have the ceremony at a later date.

I just recently got out of the submarine service after 6 years, I was in Guam. Know this, if you do get married, it will definitely be put to the test when he is assigned to a sea going command. On average we spent about 82% of our year out at sea with little to no ports in between (budget cuts and the like). He might not have much choice but the most family friendly boat would be a boomer as they have a schedule that they can plan for.

Those 6 years will be the hardest part of both his and your life if you are still together. Lots of sea time and even being in port is no cake walk. It is not uncommon to work 14 hour days on top of having to spend the night on the ship every 3rd night for duty. 

But if him and you can stomach 6 years at least it will be well worth it in the end. There will be plenty of high paying jobs looking specifically for navy nukes. I just got recently hired a few months ago and life is great.

[bystander]

It would probably be wise to wait to get married. Wait a couple years, see what its like with him out at sea. The last thing you want to happen is to find out you can't handle it. If you're just dating a breakup isn't so bad.

[mynukeisaknight]

Never heard it discussed like that before... 

I may not be wording this very well. We're looking to get married while he's in school. That may have sounded like we didn't intend to stay married, or maybe it sounds like we're getting married for benefit, but I assure you that if we take that step, its to stay and be together as a united front.

[spekkio]

Apologies in advance if I come off terse... no offense meant.

Bottom line: Your plan is not good.

If you get married while he is in school then you will not get a honeymoon. You can feesibly get married during one of his 4 days off in prototype, but it will have to be local to him as he will not be granted leave for to travel (happens once a month ish).

If you wait till the boat you have two choices: get married in a drydock period or xmas standdown (SSN) or off-crew (SSBN). Both will most likely require waiting 18 months at least so he can be fully qualified. He might be able to do it sooner IF he's a hot runner AND the command supports it. Two very big ifs.

With an associates you can look forward to minimum wage employment if you can even find a job. If you want to contribute meaningfully financially, you'll need a 4 year degree. If you are serious about marriage I would be very careful of any profession that is certified on a state level with no reciprocity like teaching.

His first 3 years in the Navy will be his toughest with moves, qualifying, etc. It is a bad time to get married and is particularly strenuous on relationships (not that the rest of sea duty isn't).

Your best play is to stay put and finish school until he's on sea duty to avoid all the moving around and distractions in a rigorous training pipeline, and even then possibly wait until he's qualified. Visit when you can.

[MacGyver]

With an associates you can look forward to minimum wage employment if you can even find a job. If you want to contribute meaningfully financially, you'll need a 4 year degree.

Generally speaking this is bunk.  Regarding 'Teaching / Education' it may be true of NEA controlled Guberment run operations.  Outside of that,,, Bunk.

If you are serious about marriage I would be very careful of any profession that is certified on a state level with no reciprocity like teaching.

How does this have anything to do with marriage?  A job is a job.  Re-Training or Re-Certification is just that too.

Spekkio



Modified to add link (e.g. click on the photo if you are having trouble finding it)

[spekkio]

Yea listen to the guy who writes with 4 commas. Alternatively, you can look up earning statistics and realize that people with 4 years of college on average earn significantly more than those with a 2 year degree.

As far as my marriage comment: marriage to a Sailor requires moving. If you are state certified, that means studying and paying to retake exams. As a teacher (which often requires a masters btw), it also means you will move before or soon after getting tenure, significantly denting your earning potential and ability to get hired. I'm not saying its impossible to do, I am saying OP needs to go in with eyes wide open.

[MacGyver]

Yea listen to the guy who writes with 4 commas. Alternatively, you can look up earning statistics and realize that people with 4 years of college on average earn significantly more than those with a 2 year degree.

As far as my marriage comment: marriage to a Sailor requires moving. If you are state certified, that means studying and paying to retake exams. As a teacher (which often requires a masters btw), it also means you will move before or soon after getting tenure, significantly denting your earning potential and ability to get hired. I'm not saying its impossible to do, I am saying OP needs to go in with eyes wide open.

Obviously you can't count any better than you can read or write.  I only used three commas.

Opinion, untempered by fact, is ignorance at best and delusional at worst.  Your advice is bunk.

[Marlin]

Yea listen to the guy who writes with 4 commas. Alternatively, you can look up earning statistics and realize that people with 4 years of college on average earn significantly more than those with a 2 year degree.

As far as my marriage comment: marriage to a Sailor requires moving. If you are state certified, that means studying and paying to retake exams. As a teacher (which often requires a masters btw), it also means you will move before or soon after getting tenure, significantly denting your earning potential and ability to get hired. I'm not saying its impossible to do, I am saying OP needs to go in with eyes wide open.

Obviously you can't count any better than you can read or write.  I only used three commas.

Opinion, untempered by fact, is ignorance at best and delusional at worst.  Your advice is bunk.

Not helpful  

[mynukeisaknight]

To Spekkio and MacGyver, I thank you both for your comments and input.
I have to agree with MacGyver and the fact that I'm currently employed at a daycare at higher than minumum wage (with no associates), and have no desire to go any further into teaching than the pre-k/pre-school level. I want to encourage young minds to feel encouraged. I understand that a bachelors is something I will eventually want to look into, and maybe even a masters, but it is not something actually needed of me.
As for Marriage, I understand it will be difficult to arrange, and a very hard time for both of us, but with him officially enlisting next week, Navy's been our topic of conversation for the past month or so. And mutually, we've agreed that as hard as it would be to be together, it would take more out of both of us to be apart. I appreciate the concern towards our relationship, but the initial question was more geared towards my curiosity of any protocol we might need to consider, such as informing the navy of that, how moving would work, etc.
Once more, I thank everyone for their input, and I appreciate the time you are taking to give me a bit of a head's up.

[spekkio]

Young miss, I appreciate your heart in motivating young minds but it doesn't sound like you have thought everything through. The fact that you have a job now is germane to the discussion. If you move, you are going to be in a different state with different standards and levels of regulation. It would behoove you to find out the most restrictive standard and seek that level of education/certification prior to moving in with him. I don't know what that is, but my instinct tells me an associates would not provide you with the flexibility you need. I could be wrong but it sounds like you are assuming that the way things are in your hometown are the way things are everywhere.

Additionally, you will be applying for a new job requiring people to trust you with children with no local references and your plan is to have little or no formal education for being a pre-k/k teacher. His time spent moving around in the early pipeline is going to make it difficult for you to get employed because he will only be in Charleston for a maximum of a little over a year; this fact will also make it difficult for you to seek a degree, since there are no one-year programs. It can take as long as a year to even get invited to an interview depending on what the job market looks like in the place (and child-care is a very common military spouse profession, making it a competitive market for you in most places). Getting a more advanced degree also provides you with the flexibility to take employment elsewhere and earn money until a daycare position opens. If your relationship is strong enough to get married, it is strong enough for you both to pursue your respective educations until he gets assigned to his first sea tour.

Another thing to consider is that BAH as a married E-4/E-5 may or may not cover the rent of a 2 bedroom apartment; it depends on the duty station and where you are willing to concede to live. If you have children and want to rent a 2-3 BR house it most likely will not cover that cost. Many junior enlisted with children live in base housing, but I can't say that I have heard very good reviews about that arrangement from most Sailors, while the old salts will tell them they don't know how good they have it. If the plan is for him to do 6-and-out and wait on children, then that gives a lot more financial flexibility to you. But if he's thinking about the possibility of a career as a nuke, then finances are something you guys need to discuss.

As for the logistics of marrying your boyfriend post swearing in, I already told you that his training pipeline is rigid and will not give him time off to do it. The qual program for nukes is also rigid -- his CoC will not be able to extend his qual goals by 2 weeks to get married because they don't set the timeline, NR does. If they give him time off on the boat to get married then he will have to make up the time later as he will go dinq.

I'm not trying to make it sound like it's all gloom and doom; I am married myself. My CoC gave me a week off to go on a honeymoon in a drydock period. I wish I could tell you that was guaranteed, but it's not. On the employment front, my wife always happened to get a call right around the time we were ready to PCS, not at all helped by the fact my boat did a change of homeport mid-tour to go into an engineered overhaul. She was making a little over $20/hour in a hospital admin job before we got married and had offers in her home city for 1.5-2x that salary. Hospitals are everywhere so getting employment should be easy, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, the two local hospitals weren't hiring. When she looks at classifieds, the overwhelming amount of admin/clerical type jobs require a master's degree and 5 years of experience. She did some substitute teaching and considered daycare, but no one was hiring full-time positions; part-time at $10-15/hr is all that was available and not worth the cost of a babysitter.

Hopefully you have better luck than we did, but the reality is that flexibility is the name of the game if you wish to be a working military spouse. My wife has difficulty finding employment because outside of working a hospital admin job, she is ill-qualified to do much else. I knew this when I married her, though, and once my children get a little older it's likely she will go back to school. The reason I post this is so that you and your boyfriend consider these things before you jump into marriage; there are a LOT of divorces in the military and it typically stems from having misguided expectations from the beginning paired with financial troubles.

On the admin side, he routes a chit to notify his CoC that he's getting married. They can't order him not to tie the knot; this is to make sure his CoC is informed and can take action to support him. Once you are married he brings the certificate to PSD and updates his page 2 and SGLI beneficiaries if desired. Then he enrolls you in DEERs and if you desire Tricare prime he fills out a form for that. Once you two have a lease or mortgage, he brings it to PSD to get BAH. It's fairly simple and all this would take an hour of his time, not including time spent waiting in line.

The Navy will not pay for you to move in with him; they will pay for you to move in every subsequent accompanied PCS move.

[MacGyver]

It seems that my advice, offered for the last 25 years, has finally become a book.

William "Bill" Bennett - Is college worth it?

I doubt it will wake up the drones of folks that think you must go to college to make it / or be successful in life.  You can't help the closed minded.  Even with a book. 

[MMM]

Something to keep in mind is that you can register with the base Child Development Center to provide child care for military families. You could also try getting work as a nanny. I know people that have done both, it doesn't always pay well (although my wife was making more than me, an E-6 >8, as a nanny when we met), and there are a lot of restrictions for the CDC, but it is a job.

[hamsamich]

will has some advice for the college bound


http://videosift.com/video/good-will-hunting-bar-scene

[spekkio]

Something to keep in mind is that you can register with the base Child Development Center to provide child care for military families.

Again, it is possible but by no means is it guaranteed, and there might be a wait list. There are a lot of spouses who do this because it's one of those jobs you can do anywhere.

It seems that my advice, offered for the last 25 years, has finally become a book.

William "Bill" Bennett - Is college worth it?

I doubt it will wake up the drones of folks that think you must go to college to make it / or be successful in life.  You can't help the closed minded.  Even with a book. 

A bit OT but...

Mr. Bennett is a Harvard law grad who served in multiple Presidential cabinets. Without a Harvard education, I highly doubt he'd be appointed to those positions. Since the 80's, he has made a living from politics (including talk shows), books, and entrepreneur projects.

This man, esteemed and intelligent as he may be, has no credibility when he writes a book that's main thesis is that a college education isn't worth the cost. His Harvard education was worth every penny to him, and it would still be worth it if he had to pay 2013 tuition for it. More importantly, he hasn't applied for a job in the traditional manner in nearly 30 years; to say he is "out of touch" would be an understatement.

Rising tuition costs, lower admission standards, the economic impact of a rising number of 20-somethings with 6-figure debt, degrees that don't offer employability in today's environment, and schools that are more concerned about churning a profit than providing a valuable education are real issues. However, the overwhelming data still suggests that a college education yields professional benefits. If you look at unemployment rates and median incomes, you will find that people with 4 year degrees do far better than those with only a high school education.

People who agree with Mr. Bennett often point to a myriad of 20-somethings working in jobs that supposedly don't require a college education as evidence to support his claim. Well, everyone has to start somewhere, and while Mr. Bennett et al might think those entry-level jobs don't require college educations, their employers might have disagreed (for one example, the military requires its Officer corps to have a 4-year degree, but I can't say my education in biology has been useful in my time in the Navy). By the time people enter their 30s, the income disparity between those who have a 4-year degree and those who don't starts to grow exponentially. By the time people enter their 40s, the median income of a 4-year graduate is 3-4x that of a high school graduate.

If Mr. Bennett really thinks that employers will suddenly hire people with only high school or vocational education tomorrow just because tuition costs are too high, he is living in a fantasy land. Likewise, he is living in a fantasy land if he thinks federal subsidized loans are the only reason for rising tuition; employers have driven the demand for college education just as much. If you didn't need a 4 year degree and 3 years experience to sit in a cubicle, answer the phone and do data entry (aka an administrative assistant), more people would choose employment over college.

You want to end the college bubble? Get employers to actively recruit high school seniors with the $10-15/hour jobs they are paying college graduates with any liberal arts degree. But they won't because single, young people are the least reliable employees. They have nothing to lose if they lose their job, so they show up late, call in sick, or even quit at a much higher rate than older/married people. Amazingly, there is a strong correlation between age, median income level, and unemployment. People also have lost a lot of faith in our public education system, and the type of high school senior that will ditch college to start work is generally not going to be the person who was accepted into a top university.

To bring this somewhat back on topic: being a military spouse brings a lot of disadvantages for employment: you have to move every few years, your references are complete strangers to your future employers, and you will rack up a long list of prior employers. You may also live in an area where demand for your experience and expertise doesn't even exist. All of these are potential dings against you when applying for new jobs, so you don't need to pile on a lack of college education on top of it.

[hamsamich]

All kidding aside, I have been reading bunches about 4 years degrees.  Here is what I have taken away as most important IN GENERAL, NOT IN EVERY C'STANCE.

1. Most 4 year degrees are worth it if you pay next to nothing for it (state school, live  at home including 2 years at low cost comm. college).

2.  An expensive degree is worth it if you go to a select few schools.

3.  Certain degrees, one very near and dear to us (NucEng.) included, are good to get (as long as the price isn't exorbitant) from near any school.

[GLW]

For government, academia, and medical careers,....

The degree and certifications are check boxes on the eligibility criteria,...

Actual ability to implement the practical day to day requirements will or will not tell,...

[cedugger]

Betty ~ As you can see, there's no shortage of opinions here. So many of us have been in a similar situation and we all have slightly different experiences and outcomes. Had the internet been around when I was in your boyfriend's place, I likely would have looked here for answers too.

My girlfriend and I had the same concerns and discussions before I left for the Navy. We made it through the first 15 months of my training, and got married between power school and prototype. Looking back, not the best idea simply because of the 12-hour days in 7-day stretches left no time for a life. It would have worked out better had we waited another 6-9 months until I was finished with the training pipeline. What it's going to boil down to is, if you really want to get married while he's going through the schools, you'll do what you have to for school and a job, and you'll make it work if being together is what's most important.

There will be short breaks between schools, but maybe only a week or so. Holidays are not always days off, especially in prototype. The real break is between prototype and reporting to the ship/boat, which used to be a month, but not sure if that's the case anymore.

He'll live in gov't quarters through power school...no pets for sure. If he's still single in prototype, he'll have to room with friends to be able to afford it (whether in South Carolina or New York) and pets will be at the will of a landlord. If you're married in prototype, there should be housing, unless there's no vacancy...not sure about pets in Navy housing.

I respect that you've taken so much interest in what his next couple years of life will be like. He's about to have two stressful years, but there's room for fun in there too and he'll be able to have a life at times. Be his biggest supporter and it should work out fine.

[hamsamich]

I never had it better or had more time off than in the nuclear training pipeline for the first 6 years of my Navy time (fast attack) 88-95.  Above average student not stellar.  Everyone's time is different.

As far as GLWs comment, I agree with the exception of a few select schools, for instance some Ivys.

[Spacecowboy]

Hello, my name is Betty, and my boyfriend is looking to enlist within the next week or two, and be off to boot camp in October. I just have a few questions that I haven't seen answered (I might have missed them), and I'd love to hear from some Nukes. None of the recruiters at the local office are in the Nuclear field, so a lot of times, their answers have been somewhat vague.

1. Are there breaks during the Nuclear schools just as there are for regular colleges? (ie, spring break, winter break, summer break?)

2. Are there any leaves/breaks in between the schools themselves?

3. My boyfriend and I are looking to have me join him when I finish my Associates degree (in May of next year). Assuming my timing is correct, this would be right around or shortly before he finishes A school. Are there any procedures we'd have to take into mind for this? I understand that I can't live with him on base unless we are married (something we have discussed at great length, but are not sure about just yet), but is it possible for us to live together otherwise? What would you advise?

4. When he is living alone, what would be the best course of action? Should he look into a place off base, look into base housing, or is there a dorm-type set up while he's in school?

5. Is there rules about pets? (He has a big dog that he doesn't wanna take until I move in with him, because he doesn't want him to be alone.

Thank you so much, and I'd like to add that I love this website already. I found it a few nights ago, and it already has given me a sigh of relief for how much info I can access without having to have him contact a recruiter that can't promise an answer to our question anyway.

Just a few answers from my experience so far at NNPTC (Recently started Power School).

1. The command goes through "stand down" over the Christmas holidays and everyone is allowed 2 weeks of leave (you CAN go negative on leave days), you also have a few sparse holidays like a 4 day weekend for Memorial Day and 4th of July.

2. You get 10 days of leave (typically, not guaranteed) between "A" School and Power School and after Power School referred to as "Grad leave". Again, you can go negative on leave days with this but if you're unlucky (and I know people in this boat), you will class up for Power School immediately after "A" School with no leave between the two.

3. No. Unless you are married he will live on base and not collect BAH or BAS. No exceptions here.

4. You get lovely "dorm type" rooms while at NNPTC if you're a bachelor. If you are married you will collect BAH and BAS and can live off base or in on-base housing though the company that runs the on-base housing are notorious crooks and it's a better idea (base housing takes all BAH and charges utilities on top of it, and you can get nicer places in town for less) to live off base, though the commute sucks and traffic is quite horrendous in the mornings/evenings. In rare cases, due to overcrowding of grad holders (graduated power school) they allow some individuals to collect BAH and live off base via a request chit, and more commonly, you can request to live off-base but will not collect BAH. Finally, once you're sent to Prototype you collect E4 BAH and BAS and have to get your own place to live for your stay at Prototype.

5. At NNPTC no pets, no exceptions. In base housing I know you can have pets but I'm unsure of whether there's a size restriction.