hey guys. first off this is my first post, but i have been able to learn a vast amount of knowledege from you all over the last few months. thanks for such a great resource. my question is, what is the command climate at NPTU charleston for staff? ELT sea returnies in particular if anyone knows more about that. i will be separating in a few weeks, and am planning on going to Trident in Charleston while i establish residency, then transferrring to USC. is it even possible to work on a degree while on the rotating shift work? i remember when i was a student back in 2001, i looked at how crappy the instructors were treated by the khaki and civilians, and i swore i would never go back there. and is the minimum tour there still 39 months? thanks.
The minimum tour is still 40 months. However, I did know a guy that held out and got a 2-3 year tour. He was an ELT and ELT manning was critical. He just kept telling his detailer that he wasn't going to extend to go to prototype. I worked on my MBA while I was at NPTU. I went two nights a week. My schedule only affected Swings. My first LCC gave me one of those days off as special liberty and I took the other as leave. Later, I had a LCC that would let me leave an hour before class and then come back for the last hour or two of shift. My last 16 months were on day staff, so it didn't really matter. It was tough but not unmanagable. I'm on terminal leave now and I've got two more classes, both online. I'm happy I did it.
I have a related question:
Is it possible to be an instructor at Charleston prototype even if you graduated from a New York prototype?
I was told I'd have to either extend my tour on my ship or go to prototype. I really don't want to go back to New York.
It doesn't matter either way which prototype you attended. You will have to completely requalify no matter where you go.