pekopsha:
Seems like you've taken some pretty heavy fire from the Nuke world! Do not be discouraged. You're 22 year oldness is showing through! Most of the folks here, including me, have kids 20 years older than you. You are not even close to understanding what you are asking. For what it's worth, I was an enlisted Nuke. My family could not afford to send me to collage, nor was I really interested in doing so at the time. I thought that a commission meant something more than what the reality is until I experienced real life in the the Navy. A commission is good for a career Navy person, but not worth much if you plan on getting an education, nuke experience, some wisdom, then going out into what is left of the Nuke industry (it's still there, but getting thin). There is only a marginal difference in pay between enlisted and officer and it evens out quickly once in the civilian world. As an example, I was enlisted, but I'm in Nuclear Management now, without a degree and without having a commission. In fact in the civilian world, ability and drive are worth far more than what your status in the Navy was or even if you have a degree (although I urge you to get the degree). I have people that work for me that were Naval Officers, including one that was on a ship with me as an LT. Being an officer, or having a self image of "too good to be an Enlisted" does not mean you are or have leadership ability. I worker for good officers and really bad officers, same as civilian life. My experience was that I got an education, got experienced, got out and then was able to really get a career. I made far more in civilian work than the Junior officers did in the Navy. So ask yourself what you really want, a high paying civilian job or a career in the Navy. I believe others told you, maybe not as gently as you have wished, what the best advice really is: Get in the navy, see if you can survive Nuke School, then see how you perform at sea. Your path is enlisted, see if you can cut it, decide if it's a career and if not, get ready to get out. A little gentle advice, you're 22. You have a lot of growing up to do, you just don't know it.