Career Path > Navy:Getting In
ET vs. ELT
latenuke:
Hi, Im going to boot camp in February and was wondering which people on here think is better, being an ET or being an ELT. I scored well on the ASVAB and the NAPT (nuke test) and have alot of college behind me, so I think they will let me be an ET if that is what I request. But is it better to be an MM, study real hard, do real well and then hope to get picked up as an ELT?
By better I mean more challenging, more interesting or varied shipboard duties, better job oppurtunities if/when I decide to leave the Navy?
Thanks in advance for any input anyone here has.
Chelios:
The answer to this really depends on what you would rather do. If you like electronics, electrical theory, vector analysis, etc, then go for ET. If you like working with wrenches, valves, pumps, welding, etc., then go with MM. Of course, it may ot matter, the Navy is going to fill their needs first. I applied for ET and got EM. There is no guarantee that you will be picked for ELT school. If they don't perceive a need, they might not even have an ELT class when you graduate. Once you get out though, if you have been nuke trained, you can get a job as an HP no matter whether you're an ELT or not. It'll just take a little longer to make senior tech. If you want a job as a control room operator, being an ET/RO will probably open the door a little easier. Another thing they look at when you get out is whether you served in a supervisory position while in the Navy - LPO, ERS, EWS, EOOW, etc. Good Luck
LaFeet:
Hope for the choice, but be ready to do your best with your assignment. I elected for Mao Mao when I went in, and "trician" as my second choice. I retired as a Reactor Operator.
If you chose RO (ET) then I suggest you try to secure a billet at a RADCON tour in your later years- preferably at a TRF (Bangor or Kings Bay). This will give you the extra RADCON experience to round out your HP skills before you hit the streets.
Good advice about qualifying those Senioor Supervisory Watches. They help and allow you to demonstrate leadership skills.
I have been out for only 5 years now.. and the RADCON market is only gettng better... I may even try a few outages this year too boot... Good luck - Fair Winds and all that naval stuff
Already Gone:
Y'know what? Just do what you want to do. Okay? Just do the thing that looks like more fun. Being an ELT is not the be all and end all of nuclear power. My time as an ELT got me nothing more than a ton of duties that I was "allowed" to complete after finishing all my work for Machinery Division. It got me on the Preventive Maintenance Schedule for two divisions, rather than one. It got the AEF to wake me up with section one regardless of the fact that I was not in that watch section.
Did I hear someone say that it got me a job as an HP? I can't stop laughing. EVERY Navy nuke, and everyone else whom the Navy qualified to use a frisker, can get a job as an HP. Don't know why you'd want one - it pays $6 per hour less than a laborer and $12 an hour less than a Boilermaker. Operators START at more money than HP's make after ten years.
Anyone who is willing to admit to the truth will tell you that getting picked up for ELT school had one major determining factor - if you are a Machinist's Mate who displays no aptitude for handling tools, you will get into ELT school. ELT school is the Navy's way of correcting the mistake of letting people become MM's when they should have been ET's
Chimera:
Speaking (okay, writing . . . okay, key punching) as an ex ET/RO who is now a roadie HP Tech, I would reccommend both equally. You get more reactor theory and operational theory as an RO. You get more chemistry and radcon as an ELT. When I first started in civilian life as a road Tech, I was envious of the ex-ELT's scope of knowledge at HP Techs. It seemed that nothing I learned as an RO really prepared me for the type of work I was doing or the tests I had to take as an HP Tech. The only "advantage" I had was the ability to learn and learn quickly.
If your future goals are to go into Operations and Plant Management, stick with the ET/RO choice. That will help you the most in future civilian License Training classes. Use your Navy time to finish that degree . . . it gets harder the longer you put it off (too many other claims on your time).
Good luck and remember to always have fun with what you are doing . . . even when you don't feel like it's very much fun.
Michael
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