Too Old?

[bgulizia]

Hello everyone,

After working in computers for the last 10 years and being laid off, I decided to make a career shift, into the Navy.  I've been looking at a few different jobs, but due to overmanning my options are becoming limited.  I had been looking at intelligence, cryptology, IT (oh joy, more computers) and more importantly, nuclear power.  I did fairly well on the asvab (96) and already have a bachelors degree in physics (not that my GPA was stellar, lets just say I passed....).  The biggest problem is my age at this point.  I'm 32 and I know I'll need an age waiver to get in.  How tough are they to get?  Almost all the jobs I've looked at are overmanned or adequately manned except nukes, which every job is undermanned.  Do you think that will increase my chances of getting in?  Because of my age, I'd like to go officer when I can as well, however the bonuses of staying enlisted are fairly enticing.

Thanks,

-bg

[ODiesel]

My advice would be to talk to a recruiter. They would be able to explain the Navy's current policies on age waivers.

EM2 O'D

[Roll Tide]

If you are not an ideal candidate (such as OLD), you need to align yourself towards a program that needs your skills. Nuke is the easiest way for you to get in.

[RCLCPO]

To be a Navy Nuke without an age waiver, you must not have reached your 25th birthday by your ship date to RTC.  You can turn 25 at boot camp, but not before then.  The highest age I've seen get a waiver is 28.  I do not know the real upper threshold of pain for age, but if I were your Advanced Programs Recruiter, I wouldn't give you good odds.

[ex-SSN585]

As a former Nuclear Field recruiter, I never, ever saw an age waiver granted for the Nuclear Field.

That was over 10 years ago and things may have changed, but in my opinion, the chances are nil.

I don't think the manning situation will have any effect.  When I joined (1979) the manning was low and I don't believe I would have gotten a waiver if I had been a year older (I was 24.)

I guess anything is possible and you won't know if you don't ask ...
Perhaps with your qualifications, there might be a Nuclear Instructor officer program you would qualify for.  When I went to NPS, they had officers who came directly from the civilian community to teach.

I have no idea about the enlisted bonuses these days (I hear you even get one for going into the Nuclear Field), but I would not think that would be a consideration between going officer or enlisted.

If you are going in for the nuclear training, I think it would be better going the officer route.  I was a chemistry major before going into the Navy, and, to tell the truth, the training at NPS isn't (or wasn't in 1980) very advanced, no matter how they describe it.  Sure, unless you had some nuclear engineering classes, you're going to see some things that are new, but not nearly on the level of a junior level quantum mechanics class (or even sophomore level general physics).

Off topic:  As a recruiter, I had an applicant who had graduated from UC Berkeley, GPA 4.0 in Physics, who wanted to be a cook.  Of course, as a Nuclear Field recruiter, my job was to convince him he wanted to be a nuke.  Being unwilling to use all the tactics normally associated with the typical recruiter, I was unsuccessful.  In fact I don't think I could even convince him to take the NFQT.  However, I did, eventually, convince him to take the DLAB (I don't think I was supposed to do that as part of my job description) and he went to boot camp with a CTI / Russian language program guarantee.

EDIT:  I've been reading more on these boards and apparently the Nuclear Field incentives and waivers are much different from my experience.  When I went to NPS in 1980 I knew of only 1 person above the age of 25, and he was former Army.  So, my information is dated and inaccurate for your situation, including the assessment of the difficulty of the program.  The periods I am describing are (1) after the draft, but before Reagan raised military pay, and before the time of enlistment bonuses, and (2) around the time of the first Gulf War with enlistment bonuses and a $25k cap on reenlistment bonuses.

[Fermi2]

When I was in Nuke School in class 8502 I was the youngest in my barracks room. I was 23 years old. My 3 room mates were all in under age waivers. One was 30.

When I was an instructor at prototype we had a Personnelman who cross rated at 33.

Mike