Is it really as hard as people say??

[usedwolf]

     Hey guys! I'm sure this topic has been discussed before, but I would rather create a new one so it's up-to-date and personalized to me. I've been thinking about joining the military for quite some time. I've never studied a day in my life and made it through high school easily with a 3.7 GPA. I took all honors classes, but never really put much effort into anything I did. I half-assed all of my school work. What carried me through school was my ability to test well. While in high school I scored a 91 one the ASVAB. I ultimately decided that I didn't want to go into the military and wanted to go to school. I went to college and decided that I hated it. Thinking back, I realize that the reason why I hated it was because I went to a community college; it was exactly like high school. After a year of college, I decided it wasn't for me and went to work with one of my friends.

     Since then, I've become more focused and motivated. I've decided on joining the Navy and becoming a Nuke. Because of the gap in time between now and the first time I took the ASVAB, I had to retake it. This time around I scored a 91 on it again. Work prevented me from studing for it (I work 80 hours a week currently). The only studing I had time to do was to relearn how to do basic math by hand. I scored a 252 on the NUC and auto-qualified for the Nuke program. I do not have to take the NFQT.

     Even though my scores are above average, I do not feel like I am that smart. I have always felt that my greatest skill is my ability to learn. While taking the test, I notice patterns with the question and only solve the problems enough to get the correct answer in interest of saving time. I feel like I learned how to take the test; not that I was being tested on things I have learned.

     My main concern with becoming a Nuke is with how hard everyone says it is. People tell me that half of everyone who tries fails. I don't feel like I am gifted in Physics or Chemistry, but I'm not the same kid that I was in high school. I understand the importance of dedication. The whole reason why I want to join the Navy is because of the Nuclear Program. I've been interested in science my entire life and I feel like it would be a good fit for me. I don't want to fail out of nuke school and get stuck doing some other job for the next six years of my life. Am I worried over nothing?

[spekkio]

My main concern with becoming a Nuke is with how hard everyone says it is...

The material is not conceptually difficult. You said that you have good grades despite not studying much, so you probably won't have an issue with grasping the material.

What can be difficult is the pace of the coursework, which will require you to put in extra study hours no matter how smart you are. You will either do this yourself or the leadership at NNPTC/NPTU will 'help' you do it. Passing the pipeline is as simple as showing up on time, focusing, and memorizing the material that you are told to memorize.

I don't know what the current attrition rate is, but I would be very surprised if the average was anywhere near 50%. I would also guess that a large portion of the attrition is due to non-academic factors (e.g., popping positive on a drug test).

[MMM]

To give you an idea on attrition, I was the Training Coordinator for almost three years at NPTU. That covers about 20 classes, around 350-450 students. I think I might have had 5 of them kicked out of the program for academic issues. The vast majority were medical, very few were alcohol/drug related (except when we had a couple mass busts for underage drinking last year). I can't speak for NNPTC, but at NPTU if you put forth the effort, the staff will help you get through. If you don't put in the effort, the staff will provide you with very clear goals and deadlines to get you to put forth the effort.

[Utavon]

If you're working 80 hours a week now and you qualified for nuke, you should be fine. The program requires a work ethic, integrity (honesty), and a certain baseline level of knowledge.

Most of the guys I saw kicked out or re rated were alcohol busts, integrity violations, and medical conditions, in that order. I know 3 people who were honestly kicked out for lack of knowledge, and they got decent jobs in the navy afterwards. Well, one of them is still awaiting re rating, the other two did though.

This is coming from a qualified student at prototype, awaiting graduation.