I may lose my Nuke contract. Help or advise appreciated!

[Propagansus]

Hello. I recently received my Navy Nuke contract with a ship date for February 18th, 2015.

Here were my qualifications:

GED
58 hours of college credit hours towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering
94 on asvab
262 nuke score
69/80 on NAPT

No financial debt or run ins with the law.

Originally, I had to chose a secondary while I waited for my academic waiver. I decided to go with MT just for the advancement and SSBI clearance.

Over a month after being approved and signing my new Nuke contract, I got a text from my recruiter about the 2 year period between when I dropped out of high school and when I began college. Confused, I told him I worked a few jobs over that time to pay rent until I decided to attend my nearby university. I then asked if this was an issue. He responded with a vague "not sure". After speaking with my nuke coordinator, I was told that my contract was in the process of being pulled because that 2 year gap sent a red flag up for someone somewhere. They needed all the info from the jobs I worked. In total, there were six. A couple were 2 jobs at once to make ends meet. Since then I have become much more financially stable. They said they would submit the info and see what they can do to save it.

My question is this: is this something that anyone else has dealt with or heard of and does anyone know if this obstacle can be overcome?

My main fear (besides losing my precious nuke contract)  is that I will be in this "limbo" of not knowing until after next year begins due to all the recruiting departments shutting down starting dec 18th

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[HeavyD]

The short answer is "Yes, it could be a problem."

The long answer is "Yes, it could be a problem."

An no, this isn't meant as a smart @$$ response.  The waiver package has been submitted, according to your recruiter.  The chances are 50/50.  What it will most likely boil down to is if the Navy needs another Nuke during that timeframe.

Keep this in mind; if you are not 100% OK being a MT, then DON'T go in as a MT.  Hating your job and regretting joining for the next 4 - 6 years are what you'll be staring in the face if you can't say you are certain you'll at least be able to live without regret as a MT.

Best of luck and thank you for volunteering to serve!

[Propagansus]

I understand. Thank you for the info, it was surprisingly helpful. I guess I'll just hold on and hope the CREO listing and sign on bonus means they are more short handed than they want to be.

I've thought about it a lot and MT was a back up back up back up decision. When I went to meps, AECF and Sub AE were locked due to new fiscal year or whatnot. I'll probable retry to get my AECF contract if nuke doesn't work.

Unless anyone else has any info or advise, I'll just leave this topic alone until I recieve word from my recruiter. I'll be sure to post how it is resolved in case it may help someone else here.

[Propagansus]

I have not received any indication as to whether my contract will be re-approved, but the chief at my recruiting station did shed a bit of light on what happened.

Supposedly one of the sailors who approves the nukes said yes and I recieved my contract. Then, a few weeks later, it was double-checked by a second sailor and he/she noticed to lack of 2 years work history and gave it a No-go. My nuclear coordinator only used the background information when he was entering my work history so it was missing that 2 year chunk. Thus, I needed to resubmit my information with the updated work history.

Not a big update but it was nice to know what happened and why it was so suddenly pulled. Again, I will update this topic when I know more.

[jwill.navynuke]

yea man, i wouldnt worry about it at all, remember no matter what others may say the navy will always need nukes.  And as a sub guy i wouldnt recommend MT because of "advancement".  For nuke MM's with the new change in advancement exams making E6 is no problem (seen several guys show up as E4 re-up to E5 and then make E6 during there first tour). Making chief is another game to play, but you'll have plenty of time for that. Im currently MM1/LELT/EWS and was an instructor if you have any more questions im willing to help.

[spekkio]

yea man, i wouldnt worry about it at all, remember no matter what others may say the navy will always need nukes.  And as a sub guy i wouldnt recommend MT because of "advancement".  For nuke MM's with the new change in advancement exams making E6 is no problem (seen several guys show up as E4 re-up to E5 and then make E6 during there first tour). Making chief is another game to play, but you'll have plenty of time for that. Im currently MM1/LELT/EWS and was an instructor if you have any more questions im willing to help.

Another poster pointed out in another thread that without the reenlistment, it's very difficult to make E-5 right now. These things change with the wind, but your advice assumes that the OP will be willing to commit an extra 2 years to the Nuclear Navy.

[Propagansus]

My hope is that I will enjoy my time in the Nuclear Navy to the effect that I would want to complete my degree and become a nuke officer.

also, still no news on the nuke contract. Limbo is a scary place to be.

[Propagansus]

I just recieved word from my recruiter. The contract has been permanently revoked and I'm now going for AECF and my new ship date is 03/03/15.

I have no idea why it was rejected but I do know that 15 of my nuke coordinator's waivers were rejected almost simultaneously.

With a heavy heart I bid this forum farewell. I wish the best of luck to all seeking to join the Nuclear Navy and safe voyage to those currently serving.