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

[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.