Should I Do Nuke?

[martinz]

I've recently passed the Navy Nuclear test with a 64 after completing my ASVAB with a 90. Before going in to test, I was (and still am) interested in the medical field. I'd like to become either a physician, nurse, or a dentist, undecided at the moment. My recruiter though is all excited I'm qualified to go to the nuclear pipeline and he keeps pushing it, but I don't know if it's right for me. I was thinking more corpsman but he's saying after a year and a half at nuke school that I could have a huge number of credits which could transfer over to colleges. Plus, I hear the schooling is very vigorous and if it's not going to help me along the road of getting into a doctoral program then why spend the time? That's my thought. I know lots of corpsman already exist, but I just feel like it'd be a better route for me even though my recruiter says it won't be in the long run. Do I do the nuke program or go corpsman? Can someone please help with any information they have that's credible. I swear in in one week so the sooner I know the better. Thank You.

[GLW]

read here;

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,33202.0.html

and here;

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,13093.0.html

and here;

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,37392.0.html

and here;

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,36371.0.html

and here;

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,35243.0.html

and here;

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,33549.0.html

just to get started,..

[mars88]

Don't do it.  Stick with your instincts, or you'll be locked into a 6-yr commitment vice a 4-yr one and will be crying the entire final 2 years.

[Marlin]

I've recently passed the Navy Nuclear test with a 64 after completing my ASVAB with a 90. Before going in to test, I was (and still am) interested in the medical field. I'd like to become either a physician, nurse, or a dentist, undecided at the moment. My recruiter though is all excited I'm qualified to go to the nuclear pipeline and he keeps pushing it, but I don't know if it's right for me. I was thinking more corpsman but he's saying after a year and a half at nuke school that I could have a huge number of credits which could transfer over to colleges. Plus, I hear the schooling is very vigorous and if it's not going to help me along the road of getting into a doctoral program then why spend the time? That's my thought. I know lots of corpsman already exist, but I just feel like it'd be a better route for me even though my recruiter says it won't be in the long run. Do I do the nuke program or go corpsman? Can someone please help with any information they have that's credible. I swear in in one week so the sooner I know the better. Thank You.

   Can't tell you what to do that is for you to decide but I can tell you I had a lot of respect for the Corpsmen I met in the Navy especially the independent duty Corpsmen that served on Subs. You can do a lot worse than following your heart in opposition to filling a recruiters quota. Nuke was very good for me but that was me not you.

[Content1]

I've recently passed the Navy Nuclear test with a 64 after completing my ASVAB with a 90. Before going in to test, I was (and still am) interested in the medical field. I'd like to become either a physician, nurse, or a dentist, undecided at the moment. My recruiter though is all excited I'm qualified to go to the nuclear pipeline and he keeps pushing it, but I don't know if it's right for me. I was thinking more corpsman but he's saying after a year and a half at nuke school that I could have a huge number of credits which could transfer over to colleges. Plus, I hear the schooling is very vigorous and if it's not going to help me along the road of getting into a doctoral program then why spend the time? That's my thought. I know lots of corpsman already exist, but I just feel like it'd be a better route for me even though my recruiter says it won't be in the long run. Do I do the nuke program or go corpsman? Can someone please help with any information they have that's credible. I swear in in one week so the sooner I know the better. Thank You.

If you plan to go Nuke, beware of the warnings on the bathroom stalls, "Abandon all hope all ye who enter herein."  If you desire to go medical, do what you enjoy, not something you will eventually loathe.

[MMM]

Also keep in mind, if you go medical and decide you want to do something else but stay navy, it's difficult, but possible. If you go nuke, short of being disqualified nuke, you're not getting out of it.

[Starkist]

Your recruiter is both correct and incorrect. On my SMART transcript, I think I'm recommended for something silly like 96 credits. Thats 3/4ths of a bachelors degree! The problem is that most of those credits aren't accepted, and most of them won't really apply to a technical degree (certainly not anything medical). I wound up received 42 credits or something like towards my engineering degree, and a whopping 12 of them were useful. I basically started from square one honestly.

As far as being a nuke. Yeah it sucks, but it opens more doors than you can imagine. I hated it, but I don't regret it. BUT(!), if you really don't think its "for you", then don't do it. Its not the only thing to open doors in this world, and its certainly NOT the least stressful...

[Hilariousity]

The fact of the matter is that a significant majority of universities think they are too good to accept military training as college credit. You also might find out someday that universities have a way of trying to screw you out of as many transfer credits as possible when trying to transfer from one university to another. All so that you can pay them additional CASH MONEY! Who would have thought that universities would be so self serving? Your are already going to be in college forever if you really want to become a doctor. Why add on to that by signing a six year contract? If I were you I would only sign the nuke contract if you can't find a better offer from another branch.

[HeavyD]

The fact of the matter is that a significant majority of universities think they are too good to accept military training as college credit.

This is incorrect.  The reason that most colleges don't award credit for the military training is because what we get trained on and what is taught in an actual college course in the same subject is completely different.  The pipeline teaches Navy nukes what they need to know to understand the basic workings, system functions and system interoperability to allow they to safely startup, operate and shutdown the plant on a sub or carrier.  Not design it, not rework it to improve efficiency, not re-engineer it, etc.

As a single example, while doing my instructor duty at NPTU I took Chem I and Chem II at Trident Tech in Charelston.  As an ELT I had this ignorant idea that I had a head start on Chem I.  We covered everything we learned in ELT school in the first 2 classes; everything from there forward was new and built on the simple concepts we learned.

As for Nuke or not, only 1 person can make that call for you.  Having said that, however, do NOT do something for 6 years that you seem to have reservations about.  What you will basically be doing is putting your entire life on hold for those 6 years; then you'll get out and resent having been a Nuke and the time you spent in the Navy.

Best of luck!   

[Starkist]

The fact of the matter is that a significant majority of universities think they are too good to accept military training as college credit. You also might find out someday that universities have a way of trying to screw you out of as many transfer credits as possible when trying to transfer from one university to another. All so that you can pay them additional CASH MONEY! Who would have thought that universities would be so self serving? Your are already going to be in college forever if you really want to become a doctor. Why add on to that by signing a six year contract? If I were you I would only sign the nuke contract if you can't find a better offer from another branch.

Im six semesters into my engineering degree. Nuke school prepared me for 10-15 credit hours of the 90ish credits I have. I don't think it was unfair at all honestly, and IF they had given me "all the credits", I would be significantly behind in other areas of study. Nuke program is unique and focused, the rest of the collegiate world is not...

[Hilariousity]

Fine, either way the idea that military training results in college credits is pretty much a blatant lie. If I were you I would look into an ROTC program, its probably the best way to be able to go to college without having to pay for it

[Starkist]

Fine, either way the idea that military training results in college credits is pretty much a blatant lie. If I were you I would look into an ROTC program, its probably the best way to be able to go to college without having to pay for it

Its not a "blatant lie". If I did a TESC degree (Which is ABET accredited now btw), you can get almost 70 credits towards a bachelors (depending on rating and time in service, among other things). Couple that with doing college while still in the navy, you can have a degree before you even leave (ask any of the multitudes of nukes that have accomplished this)... Even 5 credits is 5 credits you don't have to pay for.

I really don't understand your cynicism to this, and you sound really bitter towards it. Your idea of "Free" is also a bit skewed, because that "free education" comes with a 5 year obligation to serve in the armed forces (not a bad thing, but certainly its own "cost"), as well as training and drills while you're actually in college. Going nuke also puts you at an advantage with colleges. I was a poor student, and I was unable to get into any university after highschool. After the navy, every college I applied to accepted me, and I'm pretty sure the nuke program had a little bit to do with that.

 
You also seem to be forgetting that "GI Bill" thing... I personally am enjoying getting PAID to go to school for free... and my housing allowance... and my book stipends... etc etc. Theres more than one way to skin this cat, but your negativity towards it is really kind of strange.(?)

[spekkio]

I really don't understand your cynicism to this, and you sound really bitter towards it. Your idea of "Free" is also a bit skewed, because that "free education" comes with a 5 year obligation to serve in the armed forces (not a bad thing, but certainly its own "cost"), as well as training and drills while you're actually in college. Going nuke also puts you at an advantage with colleges. I was a poor student, and I was unable to get into any university after highschool. After the navy, every college I applied to accepted me, and I'm pretty sure the nuke program had a little bit to do with that.

I think the Nuke program allowed you to bear down and learn what you needed to learn to be successful. I don't think that the Navy nuke program is widely renowned in academia writ large.

As far as college credits go, you nailed it. It's mostly a carrot on the stick. If you plan on utilizing them, ask yourself if you want to obtain the TESC degree. If your college plans entail something else, then the credits will not help you -- not because of a vast conspiracy, but because there is a lot more to basic principles in a subject besides what the Navy drills into your head.