Nuke VS SEALS

[00_retro]

Okay so this is kind of a weird situation but I'll try to make it brief.

I've always wanted to become a SEAL, I know it sounds cliche but it's the whole reason I decided to join the Navy in the first place. I just went through MEPS today and took the ASVAB, medical the whole nine yards, and while at the Navy liaison to work out my contract I found out I made a 90 on the ASVAB and did pretty well on all of the other test. They obviously started beating me over the head with the idea of going into NF and all the benefits that come along with it (even the Special Warfare counselor I was talking too pushed me to consider it). Honestly it caught me off guard, this was my first time taking the ASVAB other than the practice test with the recruiter (which I only scored a 72 on) so I never really looked into it because I didn't think I would even qualify. But apparently I qualify for both and don't really know what to do. On one hand I'm fully aware of what an amazing opportunity this is and don't want to rush turning it down without giving it proper thought but on the other I don't want to pass on my dream just because some other field pays more. I'm in DEP while I finish up this semester of college and my ship date isn't until December so I have some time to decide but I was wondering anyone could offer some advice on the matter.

[fiveeleven]

I would say it has to be a decision that only you can make. Both options are excellent with the main differences between the two really not needing much explanation I wouldnt think. Learning how to utilize the energy of fission to make steam vs. learning how to keep the U.S. and the world a safer place. I think the subject has been discussed on here somewhere before, so before you get told how dumb you are for not searching it - yeah-search it. The only drawback I see is the one option may not have need for you to take the POSS test, so this may preclude you from interfacing with the smartest man on earth. Whichever you decide on good luck. In closing I would have to say that it would be way cooler being a SEAL than a nuke !!

[GLW]

Navy Nuke breaks people mentally,...

Navy SEAL breaks people mentally and physically,...

in the event you fail out in either one the Navy still owns you and the fleet always needs more A gang and Deck division,...

so, you may to want to be a SEAL, can you really do it?!?!?

your currently verified aptitude is for Navy Nuke - ergo good possibility of success,...

what is your aptitude for Navy SEAL?!?!?!?!

failure has real world consequences,....

plan for the consequences of failure, because unlike the civilian world, you cannot just walk away and pick up a different band instrument,...

not for four to six years anyways,....

or maybe you can - it is a different Navy than it used to be,...

NAVY!!! It's not just a job, it's an internship!!!!


 

[ipregen]

Navy Nuke breaks people mentally,...

I must have missed that day, nothing broke

[Marlin]

   Wash out rate may be something you may consider. Both were very high long ago, I understand that the Nuke pipeline has lowered it's attrition rate today maybe someone with more current experience can comment.

[GLW]

   Wash out rate may be something you may consider. Both were very high long ago, I understand that the Nuke pipeline has lowered it's attrition rate today maybe someone with more current experience can comment.

AIUI:

Navy Nuke pipeline is now a pump, not a filter,...

BUD/S is still a filter,....

...The six-month course at the Naval Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, California, has three phases designed to push prospective SEALs to their breaking point. With an attrition rate of 75 to 80%, it’s clearly effective.....


https://taskandpurpose.com/a-navy-seals-guide-to-surviving-buds


look for an SO contract if they still exist and talk to a recruiter above all else, we're nukes here,....

[fiveeleven]

Well, yeah it is still the Navy. The one we all know/knew and dont/didnt necessarily love. When the going gets tough and the tough get going - kinda like SEAL stuff - you can rest assured that the Navys got your back. Just ask Chief Eddie Gallagher.

[MMM]

I can't speak to NNPTC, but NPTU isn't really a pump, nor is it a filter, it's more like just a pipe (maybe a downhill directed pipe). Most losses when I was TC a few years ago were for medical (psych), although we lost several due to alcohol (underage drinking) right before I left. I think during my four years I had fewer than 5 kicked out due to lack of ability and only a couple for lack of effort.

[Marlin]

   I am not sure that a drop in the attrition rate is all bad, yes I am expecting incoming fire but from the perspective of the change in times I think comparisons are apples to oranges. Reading many posts about having to get waivers for some of the entry criteria that did not exist when I went through the pipeline hints of a more stringent filter up front than I experienced. I enlisted when we were in the middle of the Cold War with a 600 ship Navy. The bottom third of my A school class was dropped whether they passed or not. Academic drops in NPS were common but not so much at prototype, I assume at that point the Navy had invested more than they wanted to lose. There was plenty of room for washouts to go to the conventional fleet.

   Now with a less than 300 ship Navy there is not the same need to fill billets so I suspect that if you are through the initial filter the Nuke pipeline may it be a better choice for success. The SEALs still have a large dropout rate and it may not be as glamorous as you imagine (nor is Nuke).