I am in between 9th and 10th grade ( it is summer now).
This is my plan now:
1.See if my school has a NJROTC program and join it if it does.
2.Go to college under a ROTC scholarship for engineering
3.Go into the navy for nuclear reactor engineering
4.Either stay in the navy or leave after paying off my dues depending on benefits and what not
Do this seem like a decent basic plan?
And I a question. My dad is an ex-nuke tech and I was discussing this with him and he said that most of the nuke engineers in the navy don't actually engineer any reactors, they just have that done by General Electric and other companies, and that the majority of them just watch over the tech and electricians, is this true?
Listen to your Dad. And, talk to all the O-Gangers here you can. I can't begin to name them all, so it's my hope they reach out too you instead. As a point of interest the poster above (and me as well) served th enlisted side of the house. So, what we know about Officers wouldn't fill a pint glass. Or maybe it would?!?!? :P
Quote from: Starkist on Jun 19, 2011, 12:29
Your father is correct concerning junior surface warfare officers. Send "gamecock" a message asking what the higher ups do at naval reactors; I imagine he will chime in here.
Good luck with your plans, I wish I was that well sorted at your age.
Today is Father's Day....I'm going to be busy with my kids....but if you send me a pm, I'll respond tomorrow.
Cheers,
GC
Quote from: Bitterguy on Jun 18, 2011, 10:33
I am in between 9th and 10th grade ( it is summer now).
This is my plan now:
1.See if my school has a NJROTC program and join it if it does.
Okay...could be a god idea, and could give you a leg up on getting an NROTC scholarship out of high school. Just completed your freshman year, so why don't you already know if your school has a NJROTC program?
Quote from: Bitterguy on Jun 18, 2011, 10:33
2.Go to college under a ROTC scholarship for engineering
NROTC scholarships are hard to come by right out of high school. I can tell you from experience though that if you go to school without a NROTC scholarship, but join the NROTC program, and do well in your first year of school as an engineering major, you'll likely to get a scholarship offer.
Quote from: Bitterguy on Jun 18, 2011, 10:33
3.Go into the navy for nuclear reactor engineering
Becoming a nuclear reactor engineer is not an easy endeavour, especially from NROTC. You want to work at Naval Reactors Headquarters (NRHQ) in DC. There are 22 different sections at NRHQ, and only a couple of them actually do reactor design work. However, every section does important work in support of our navy. You'll need greater then 3.9 college GPA to be competitive to get an interview for any position at NRHQ.
Quote from: Bitterguy on Jun 18, 2011, 10:33
4.Either stay in the navy or leave after paying off my dues depending on benefits and what not
Do this seem like a decent basic plan?
Seems like a decent plan for a rising high school sophomore. Its good to have an ideaq. I know I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself when I was your age!
Now that I'm staring at navy retirement, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up 8)
Quote from: Bitterguy on Jun 18, 2011, 10:33
And I a question. My dad is an ex-nuke tech and I was discussing this with him and he said that most of the nuke engineers in the navy don't actually engineer any reactors, they just have that done by General Electric and other companies, and that the majority of them just watch over the tech and electricians, is this true?
As i said, there are some chance to do the work you mention in the navy. However, there are other organizations that support the navy and its nuclear power program that also do reactor engineering, reactor design, etc. These companies are Knolls atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL), BETTIS atomic power laboratory, Electric Boat Corporation, and Northrup Grumman just to name a few. They hire good people also.
You're planning that far ahead?
Quote from: Gamecock on Jun 19, 2011, 05:05
Okay...could be a god idea, and could give you a leg up on getting an NROTC scholarship out of high school. Just completed your freshman year, so why don't you already know if your school has a NJROTC program?
My school system is weird and during your first year of high-school you are still in the junior high building. I emailed the guidance counselor and she says my school does not have one though.
Quote from: Gamecock on Jun 19, 2011, 05:05
NROTC scholarships are hard to come by right out of high school. I can tell you from experience though that if you go to school without a NROTC scholarship, but join the NROTC program, and do well in your first year of school as an engineering major, you'll likely to get a scholarship offer.
Would it matter what sort of engineering i majored in, because my back up plan, if this does happen to fail, is to either be a mechanical or aerospace engineer.
Quote from: Gamecock on Jun 19, 2011, 05:05
Becoming a nuclear reactor engineer is not an easy endeavour, especially from NROTC. You want to work at Naval Reactors Headquarters (NRHQ) in DC. There are 22 different sections at NRHQ, and only a couple of them actually do reactor design work. However, every section does important work in support of our navy. You'll need greater then 3.9 college GPA to be competitive to get an interview for any position at NRHQ. Seems like a decent plan for a rising high school sophomore. Its good to have an ideaq. I know I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself when I was your age!
Now that I'm staring at navy retirement, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up 8)
I learned about halfway through ninth grade that if i want to do anything outside of highschool in the engineering field that I would have to start working and studying so I am willing to do the work... if the rewards aren't crap.
Quote from: Bitterguy on Jun 19, 2011, 08:20
My school system is weird and during your first year of high-school you are still in the junior high building. I emailed the guidance counselor and she says my school does not have one though.Would it matter what sort of engineering i majored in, because my back up plan, if this does happen to fail, is to either be a mechanical or aerospace engineer.I learned about halfway through ninth grade that if i want to do anything outside of highschool in the engineering field that I would have to start working and studying so I am willing to do the work... if the rewards aren't crap.
I can't speak about anything concerning the navy as I was never in the service (thank you to all those who are, have served, or are planning), but I will add that as a graduated engineering student, I would suggest you take the route of mechanical rather than aerospace. Both are excellent programs, but mechanical is a vast field and will be able to offer you many opportunities rather than selecting more of a specialized type of engineering, like say nuclear or aerospace. I think any type of engineering degree is excellent, but if you don't want to work in just one field or in a specialized industry, I would suggest you stay with mechanical. Mechanical engineering is a broad discipline and offers many different types of career paths. Any way you look at it, by selecting engineering as your field of choice, you can't possibly go wrong! ;) And look at it this way, get your bachelors done and look forward to a graduate program with a more specialized route if that is what you choose. The options are out there.
I commend you on planning ahead and I wish you good luck in your future. The nuclear navy is an excellent route to take from all that I have gathered from others.