Joining Navy Nukes?

[bic]

I couldn't think of a more original subject line.
I'm a 21-year-old senior in undergrad in Chicago studying Finance & Stats with a 3.9 GPA. I've had a few internships and have been bored out of my mind at all of them. I'm going to need to start looking for full-time jobs in a year and I still feel like a kid. I want to defer entering the adult world.

I'm also not totally sure as to what I want to do with my life. I'm pretty passionate about options and currencies trading, but I'm not sure that I want to do it for somebody else. But long story short: I just want to do something meaningful and useful with my life while having time to think.

I considered Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. I'm fairly set on the Navy just because I think that big ass warships are really cool. It sounds like a dumb reason, but I have to pick a branch, don't I? And Navy seemed like they have more interesting jobs.

So I went in to speak with a recruiter today. He gave me the practice ASVAB and I scored a 96, which is good apparently. I think that I can get it up to a 99 once I spend an hour remembering how all of the arithmetic that I haven't done since high school works on paper. Haven't had to do calculations by hand in a while.

I read about joining as an officer and how it offers better quality of life and compensation. But I also want a job that's challenging and has carry-over to the civilian world. I know nothing about nuclear power, but I've always been good with scientific subjects and I'm sure that I'll do fine if I apply myself. But it does sound like an interesting field that I may, and hopefully will, end up liking even more than finance.

Right, so I read about ROTC, but my recruiter told me that I don't qualify because I'm a senior. And I really do want to get this show on the road, but I'd be willing to wait a year and finish college if the benefits would be significant. And I do want to eventually get my undergrad degree.

Basically, I want to be able to get out with a respectable rank, transferable skills, and hopefully a degree and enter the public sector. And Nuke seems like a really good place to do that as enlisted right now.

I'd appreciate any advice and suggestions.

[cheme09]

I couldn't think of a more original subject line.
I'm a 21-year-old senior in undergrad in Chicago studying Finance & Stats with a 3.9 GPA. I've had a few internships and have been bored out of my mind at all of them. I'm going to need to start looking for full-time jobs in a year and I still feel like a kid. I want to defer entering the adult world.

I'm also not totally sure as to what I want to do with my life. I'm pretty passionate about options and currencies trading, but I'm not sure that I want to do it for somebody else. But long story short: I just want to do something meaningful and useful with my life while having time to think.

I considered Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. I'm fairly set on the Navy just because I think that big ass warships are really cool. It sounds like a dumb reason, but I have to pick a branch, don't I? And Navy seemed like they have more interesting jobs.

So I went in to speak with a recruiter today. He gave me the practice ASVAB and I scored a 96, which is good apparently. I think that I can get it up to a 99 once I spend an hour remembering how all of the arithmetic that I haven't done since high school works on paper. Haven't had to do calculations by hand in a while.

I read about joining as an officer and how it offers better quality of life and compensation. But I also want a job that's challenging and has carry-over to the civilian world. I know nothing about nuclear power, but I've always been good with scientific subjects and I'm sure that I'll do fine if I apply myself. But it does sound like an interesting field that I may, and hopefully will, end up liking even more than finance.

Right, so I read about ROTC, but my recruiter told me that I don't qualify because I'm a senior. And I really do want to get this show on the road, but I'd be willing to wait a year and finish college if the benefits would be significant. And I do want to eventually get my undergrad degree.

Basically, I want to be able to get out with a respectable rank, transferable skills, and hopefully a degree and enter the public sector. And Nuke seems like a really good place to do that as enlisted right now.

I'd appreciate any advice and suggestions.

Just because you are not eligible for ROTC, does not mean you cannot still become an officer.  If you still have questions and want to ask a recruiter about the officer route, you need to talk to an officer recruiter.  Enlisted recruiters will be focused on getting you to enlist and may not be that well versed (or interested) with the different officer options.

Have you looked into being a Supply Officer?  It's not as operational as the different unrestricted line officer jobs (SWO, SUB, NFO, NA).

If you say you're not ready for the adult world, though, I'm not sure you'd want to be an officer.  Many on this forum can talk to being an enlisted nuke and the pros and cons.  As far as transferable skills on the outside, the most obvious would be plant operator (nuclear or otherwise), or some type of mechanic or electrician depending on your rate, or systems/transmission operator (if you had that experience as an EM).

Another good transferable skill on the enlisted side outside of the nuclear industry would be air traffic controller.  I used to work with an old SRO whose wife was a civilian air traffic controller and apparently.  Apparently his wife was the bread maker of the two.

[Fermi2]

You can't just go " be" an air traffic controller. You have to take a test which isn't given very often. They only pick one person per region even if others have higher scores. The test is not easy. I know I went through the process and did not find out I was selected until after I joined the Navy. Also I know what an act makes and that SRO must be severely underpaid.

[spekkio]

What 'transferrable skills' are you looking for?

If you're looking for basic hands-on trade skills, then enlisting is the best option for you with a rating that ends in T (IT, ET, ST(G/S), etc), MM, AM, or EM. Engineering rates are more maintenance heavy and weapons/navigation rates are more operations heavy.

If you're looking for some basic management experience, then officer is better for you. Nuke, supply, and aviation have more specialized skillsets that are 'transferrable' than SWO.

Nuke will give you some operational experience that can be applied toward utilities (and maintenance on the enlisted end), but outside of that realm few people seem to know (or care) about what being a nuke entails. You tell them you're a nuke and they think you work with nuclear ballistic missiles. So if you're looking to nuke for transferrable skills, be sure you want a future career in that industry; otherwise, you're doing a lot of extra work just because you're masochistic.

What you do in the Navy as a 6-and-out commitment isn't likely to wow many future civilian employers, and outside of a select few industries a lot of prospective employers will stereotype you based on being in the military and nothing more no matter what you do.

I guess what I'm saying is that join the Navy if you want to serve your country and think you'll get good life experience from it, but if you're just looking for something to pad your resume for another career there are typically better ways to get that job experience.

You can't just go " be" an air traffic controller. You have to take a test which isn't given very often. They only pick one person per region even if others have higher scores. The test is not easy. I know I went through the process and did not find out I was selected until after I joined the Navy. Also I know what an act makes and that SRO must be severely underpaid.

Sounds like trying to be a cop on LI or a fireman in NYC.

[cheme09]

Of course one can't just "go and be" an ATC.  Much the same way one just can't "go and be" an SRO.

Also, according to the two websited below, the salaries of the two jobs are about the same.
http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/air-traffic-controller-salary-SRCH_KO0,22.htm
http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Senior-Reactor-Operator-l-United-States.html

[DSO]

Air Traffic Controllers and many NERC qualified System Operators make more than SROs because SROs don't receive overtime Pay per the hour ... They're salary plus bonuses etc. Google LADWP salaries and notice Senior Load Dispatchers and Load Dispatchers 2012 salaries with overtime somewhere between 170k and 320k ... Local SONGS SROs ( before shutdown) I assure you did not make a straight salary to compare

[Higgs]

I get paid OT by the hour..., but I don't get much OT because we're on an 8 hour schedule and there is no built in OT. I might average 16-24 hours/month of OT.

As cool as those LADPW pays sound, the problem is, you live in California...,

http://salaries.latimes.com/dwp/

There isn't enough money to get me to do that. But I'm happy for them.

One thing is for sure..., SROs are underpaid. However, what really drives pay? Replacement cost.

When you can get a navy nuke to take under 100K base..., what need is there for utilities to pay more?

Justin

[song of the south]

I just recently graduated bootcamp and I start NFAS tomorrow so I can't tell you what being a nuke is going to be like. I have heard that the school is very challenging. I have been in Indoctrination for two weeks and have already realized that I need to learn how to manage my time. You said you wanted to defer growing up basically, so I am to assume that you aren't very mature. If I were you I would think long and hard about the decision, because this school isn't going to be easy. Imaturity isn't going to get you far in life. Hardwork will take you far, though. I respect those who graduated the program back in the day because they had alot fewer advantages than we have now. Heck, I respect anybody who graduates from this program. If you do choose to do this I wish you the best and I hope you grow up a little bit.

[bic]

I just recently graduated bootcamp and I start NFAS tomorrow so I can't tell you what being a nuke is going to be like. I have heard that the school is very challenging. I have been in Indoctrination for two weeks and have already realized that I need to learn how to manage my time. You said you wanted to defer growing up basically, so I am to assume that you aren't very mature. If I were you I would think long and hard about the decision, because this school isn't going to be easy. Imaturity isn't going to get you far in life. Hardwork will take you far, though. I respect those who graduated the program back in the day because they had alot fewer advantages than we have now. Heck, I respect anybody who graduates from this program. If you do choose to do this I wish you the best and I hope you grow up a little bit.

I said that I wanted to defer adulthood. i.e. a full time civilian job
That doesn't mean that I'm immature.

[spekkio]

I said that I wanted to defer adulthood. i.e. a full time civilian job...

So you want to defer working 40 hours a week so you can work 60-80 hours a week as a nuke?

You want to defer typing budget data into spreadsheets and attending meetings where you're expected to be seen and not heard to ... do the same thing as a JO submarine officer when your job on deployment is to stand in the back of control and type semi-coherent sentences into the mission report for 6 hours at a time?

Does not compute.

[drayer54]

I want to defer entering the adult world.

You said you wanted to defer growing up basically, so I am to assume that you aren't very mature. If I were you I would think long and hard about the decision, because this school isn't going to be easy. Imaturity isn't going to get you far in life. Hardwork will take you far, though. I wish you the best and I hope you grow up a little bit.

Duty days in port spent sorting out the watch bill based on who was most sober.

Never traveling the plant without seeing at least a double digit number of inked in genitalia images that were heavily guarded by army men.

Insane amounts of booze.

Berthing antics that most have tried to forget.

The employer that has the origin of more weiner jokes than any other in the world.

Belonging to an organization that assumes the role of your parent. My favorite was when my division had to tell our LPO who always complained about his hooker issues how we were going to avoid getting a DUI that weekend...

A simple job where you just have to go and do what your told.

I think you landed the perfect job to pass some time until you have to grow up. Enjoy!

[DLGN25]

I said that I wanted to defer adulthood. i.e. a full time civilian job
That doesn't mean that I'm immature.

They Navy, whether as a Nuke or in other specialties is not a job.  It is a lifestyle.   Many immature men and women enter and soon they mature.  Whether as an officer of enlisted, you will be expected to do the minimum, which is more then you have ever done in your life.  Do not perform and your life will be miserable. 

I worked in corporate America in positions that demanded a lot of me, it was a piece of bs cake compared to becoming a Nuke, or for that matter, an outstanding sailor in any specialty.

Your undergraduate college education turns out people who are trained to learn.  Learning never stops, that is why CEOs do not come out of college.  The same as a Nuke, the learning and training never stops.   If you think this is just another job, ask anyone here what their impression was when they first looked at the downwind dispersement pattern a primary coolant rupture on a nuclear reactor would have on any port you visit.  It is not a game, it is not screwing the best secretary to impress your boss.  It is not being a junior financial analyst making your manager look good, or telling some poor old guy how to make more in the market, of which you have not idea.   It is real, and you will work your butt off to make sure the ships mission will be not be compromised by your failure to do your duty, and you will insure the genie stays in the bottle, your master, and does not kill thousands.

[SpaceJustice]

I said that I wanted to defer adulthood. i.e. a full time civilian job
That doesn't mean that I'm immature.

As a recently separated enlisted individual (ET1/SS) let me tell you that by joining as an officer you are not deferring adulthood.  While I cannot speak to the wardroom responsibilities, I can speak to the profound impact a division officer can have.  You will immediately become the approval authority on all divisional work that is not approved by the Engineer or CO.  As a watch officer in maneuvering, you drive all casualties and evolutions.  A bad watch officer can make or break a watch team, since there is no telling what the seniority of your panel watchstanders will be at all times.  A good division officer is not just a figurehead (even on subs), he is a very important source of backup to the Chief and LPO.  A bad division officer can complicate everything.  So I don't want to dissuade you from putting in for this, just understand that the level of responsibility you are assuming is very high.  Especially when you're driving the boat.  Also, you will put in long hours.

[Contract SRO]

Air Traffic Controllers and many NERC qualified System Operators make more than SROs because SROs don't receive overtime Pay per the hour ... They're salary plus bonuses etc. Google LADWP salaries and notice Senior Load Dispatchers and Load Dispatchers 2012 salaries with overtime somewhere between 170k and 320k ... Local SONGS SROs ( before shutdown) I assure you did not make a straight salary to compare

I do not know if the region of the country affects the payscales but, I worked with 5 ex ATC's that became SRO's and yes during the time they were working their way up thru the equipment operator ranks they were making much less than they did as ATC's.  But once they became Licensed Operators and then Licensed SRO's they were comperable in pay to what they made as ATC's.  I never heard any complaint from them about the pay after they reached the SRO level.