NukeWorker Forum

Career Path => Navy Nuke => Navy:Getting In => Topic started by: fridayfred3p on Oct 02, 2006, 10:42

Title: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: fridayfred3p on Oct 02, 2006, 10:42
I shipping out in a few days and was wondering how do you choose between the different types of nukes you want to be.  When my friend went through he said he chose to be an ET, but the people at MEPS told me the system has changed and you get assigned a rate after the first school. Is that true?
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Oct 02, 2006, 11:04
The hallmark of a good nuke is being able to research a topic and come up with the correct answer. This forum has roughly 825 bazillion threads on this very topic. Might I suggest looking for them?

Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: HydroDave63 on Oct 02, 2006, 11:25
karma to ya Mike!
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Marlin on Oct 03, 2006, 07:16
This is some of the abuse I mentioned on the other thread, but they are correct. Try this one;

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,1890.0.html
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Oct 03, 2006, 12:23
Vielin Dank Dave :)

Marlin it's not abuse if it's 100% true!!! Look at what I gave him as more sea fatherly advice. He might as well get used to lookups now.


Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Marlin on Oct 03, 2006, 12:41
Sounds like "Sea Child" abuse :) but then thats legal in the Navy, poor nub.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: BuddyThePug on Oct 03, 2006, 01:17
A good sea dad would teach the nub how to find information and be a useful member of the crew. I'm pretty sure Rickover didn't coddle anyone...
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Oct 03, 2006, 02:28
Nope, If Admiral Rick had a guy ask a question and there was a space readily marked as Search he would have told the guy he's not smart enough to be in his program then he would have booted him out!

Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: fridayfred3p on Oct 03, 2006, 07:07
Yes I am a little nub, and I do appreciate you guys trying to point me in the right direction.  I have worded my title wrong and I aplogize.  My friend who joined the nuke program about 2 years ago got to choose his specific rating while still in the dep pool.  At MEPS when I asked to be put down as an ET he told me they have change it and you know longer decide anymore, the navy does.  I was wanted to know more about how the navy decide to put you in what rate or was the guy a Meps misinformed.  Right now on my contract it says Nuclear Field (open), not an rating. I will search some more and thanks again.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: ChiefRocscooter on Oct 03, 2006, 07:28
When I got ET it was mostly based on scores from Asvab, nuc test, grades (but that may not be the case anymore).  One thing I can say for sure is if you want ET make sure you list your preferences as ET/EM/MM.  Or you will end up EM or MM as they are always happy to give your second choice of MM since they need tham at about 6 to 1 ET ratio, like wise if you put EM first they will make you "happy"since they need 3 to 1 ET ratio of them... If you get the picture put down ET/EM/MM!!! (not that any one of them is bad, it just depends on what you like to do)  And do not despair if you get one you do not like be the best at that and you will still excell in life!!

Rob
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Marlin on Oct 03, 2006, 07:35
   Try not to be thin skinned it will just get you more grief. When you get to your ship you will be working with a group of people with healthy IQs and when they get bored the "Nubs" or the new guys are frequantly the target of head games. If you start up first time every time like a Toro lawn mower you are the one whos cord will be pulled.
   "Needs of the Navy" will dictate a lot of your life for a while, but don't let that deter you from trying, when asked apply for what you want. There are advantages to each rating so I wouldn't worry to much about it if you do not get your first choice. Your top qualification will be Engineering Watch Supervisor which supervises all three ratings on watch in the engineering spaces. My NEC when I got out was a electrical supervisor and I was a mechanic.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Oct 03, 2006, 07:55
Your friend is FOS by the way. The fact he picked ET in DEP and happened to get it is unrelated to each other. They don't decide until sometime at bootcamp.

Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: fridayfred3p on Oct 03, 2006, 08:57
thanks guys, I appreciate it.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Oct 05, 2006, 11:55
In many cultures ELTs are treated on the level of Rock or Movie stars and are considered Uber Desirable Sex Gods.


Mike

Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: ChiefRocscooter on Oct 05, 2006, 01:07
Funny I always thought of ELT's as clean MM's (more radioactive!!, but cleaner).

Also have heard in the past the the L stood for Lightweight, and was a way of desiginating them as ET type of individual (light).  As most Elt's could have fit in with ET's. Hell they used to hang out together up at the sample sink in the AMR :)

Rob
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Marlin on Oct 05, 2006, 02:36
ET phooooone hooooome...... :)
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: bordway on Oct 19, 2006, 02:59
Go ET's!  Even though I'm still in the pipeline and don't count yet...

ELT= Electrician's Love Toy.  One of our instructor's told us that one.  I don't know what went down on his ship...
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Oct 19, 2006, 01:45
Go ET's!  Even though I'm still in the pipeline and don't count yet...

ELT= Electrician's Love Toy.  One of our instructor's told us that one.  I don't know what went down on his ship...


I'm not sure a NUB should be repeating anything about any rate or specialty.


Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: ChiefRocscooter on Oct 19, 2006, 03:59
Go ET's!  Even though I'm still in the pipeline and don't count yet...

ELT= Electrician's Love Toy.  One of our instructor's told us that one.  I don't know what went down on his ship...

Any time you have to use the "I heard," to talk about another rate it means you are not ready talk about it yet!!  "Children ahould be seen and not heard!!!" :-X

 :)
Rob
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: M1Ark on Oct 20, 2006, 06:52
ELT= Extremely Lazy Technician
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Oct 20, 2006, 04:31
Now M1Ark has earned the right to post a misguided opinion.

Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: ChiefRocscooter on Oct 20, 2006, 08:07
I always thought Techs were people who fixed broken things! 8)  While Mates were warm things you slept with!!! :o

Rob ;) 
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: KAMFRO on Nov 10, 2006, 02:26
ELT Squat to Pee...You want to be an RO.  power of the atom at your fingure tips. 
EOOW "ELT what is the hydrogen level?"
ELT "What do you want it to be?"

Never trust anyone who answers a question with a question
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Nov 10, 2006, 10:14
ELT Squat to Pee...You want to be an RO.  power of the atom at your fingure tips. 
EOOW "ELT what is the hydrogen level?"
ELT "What do you want it to be?"

Never trust anyone who answers a question with a question


You mean power of a start up source right? Don't sweat it, it's a common misconception.

Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Bighouz107501 on Nov 12, 2006, 01:42
hmm...all this talk makes me wish i had my chance now to try to become an ELT. People such as broadzilla made me want to take the MM path so I could chance at becoming an ELT...I am hoping I get it! I am not the greatest at the mechanical stuff. ha....i love that I chose MM as my top choice... the guys are great and they aren't all into the ET "types of entertainment"....them wire rates and world of warcraft walk as one....


dennis
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: KAMFRO on Nov 12, 2006, 03:56
I have never played warcraft, thank you very much.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Fermi2 on Nov 14, 2006, 01:20
When I was in it seemed the Machinists Mates were the ones who were into Dungeons And Dragons, the Warcraft of my era. My roommates at Nuke school would set up shop in the common area we shared with the other 3 rooms in our quad and have a game every Friday and Saturday night. I had weird room mates! I'm like, It's Orlando! There's stuff to do, gorgeous women, WHY are you inside playing a fantasy game after being in a class room all week? They said I'd never understand. They were right, I didn't.

Mike
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: DarkMesa8 on Nov 14, 2006, 01:24
My MM class had over 50% of the people addicted to World of Warcraft (myself NOT included).  We found out near the end of A school that we were actually kind of known around NFAS as that wierd mechanic class addicted to WOW. 
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: ChiefRocscooter on Nov 14, 2006, 03:53
You know Mike I was in the class behind you so I saw the same guys (geeks) playing and let me point out that it was not "A" game Fri and "A" game Sat!! Those fools played their game right thruogh the night and into the next day!!! I remember coming in for Rosies or JJ Wispers at about 3 or 4 in the morning (depending on my luck/skill factor that night I may not have come home on some occasions, but never mind that ;)) and the same guys were playing then that were playing when I headed out the night before. The sacrry thing was that when I got up at 11ish to head to the beach or one of the many other places where the fairer sex could be found in lesser attire these geeks were still at it, and when I got back to nap and get ready for Sat night they were still there!! and you wanna guess what they were doing wen I came in early Sunday morn???? You got it rolling dice and arguing about who had the magic cape or sword or ring!! HAHAHAHA Oh well I guess it made the odds better for us!! (not that there were that many geek seeking girls in the clubs that they could have taken from the more polished "players" ;)   

Rob
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: DJM75 on Dec 23, 2006, 07:18
If you want the easy life become a Surface Electrician.  Those guys have little to nothing to do and there are a ton of them. They have the best watch rotations and are the cleanest.  They don't have the MG's to keep clean like they do on the boats.  I think surface EM's are the only ones that do less work than the ELT's.  Dirty Smags!!!
  Don
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Roll Tide on Dec 24, 2006, 08:08
If you want the easy life become a Surface Electrician.  Those guys have little to nothing to do and there are a ton of them.

But does it provide for successful post Navy careers? (Yeah, I know it's a separate thread already...)


If you wanted the easy life, you would have stayed home and gone to the community college while flipping burgers. You joined for training and experience, and it is a great choice. Don't look for the easiest rating in a challenging field, but the one that will challenge you the most.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: DJM75 on Dec 24, 2006, 01:51
But does it provide for successful post Navy careers? (Yeah, I know it's a separate thread already...)


If you wanted the easy life, you would have stayed home and gone to the community college while flipping burgers. You joined for training and experience, and it is a great choice. Don't look for the easiest rating in a challenging field, but the one that will challenge you the most.

 Actually yes!  That is if you decide not to stay in power generation afterwords.  One of my best friends was an electrician and got out a month or so before I did and he had quite a few more opportunities than I did.  These were outside the power generation field and all in the NW.  So I don't know what it's like outside the NW or in power generation.
  Don
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: ender17 on Dec 27, 2006, 03:42
Simply put

ELT = S.M.A.G.
ET and EM = Smooth crotch
MM = GOD

There, I now leave you to your dreary lives.  :)
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Rifleman on Jan 04, 2007, 12:11
I certainly don't have enough time on this pond to really toss the BS flag on anyone, so I'm not throwin' down on anyone...

but I got to say...

the difference between submarine and "target" ELT's is night and day...

I've had the frickin cond and brine pump motor sitting on my chest while I lay in the salt/oil mung under the evap, waiting for them to rebuild the seals, cuz it's just too damn much trouble to worm my azz out from under the steam basket...  I've replaced the port main engine boot...  I stood MM watch stations up to ERS, in port and underway...  I did a butt load of valve repair on primary systems... simply because I could be both the mechanic and the rad con coverage at the same time  (fookin CD-81 leaked like a sieve)...  We had some lace underwear ELT's but most were extremely capable mechanics... maybe that's just because there weren’t any "extra" people on the tube for anyone to be a slacker.

I know the skimmer ELT's had life a bit more relaxed... but everyone in the silent service worked their azzes off... alright the radiomen were a bunch of slack dog, AC load, do-nodda's but they got you your family-grams so that made up for it.

Grass is always greener and what have you.  Choose your rate, choose your fate.  Just be prepaired to work if you are in engineering, first to show up, last to leave, and some material readyness bull cheeze is always on the board if the rack spits you out.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: M1Ark on Jan 04, 2007, 07:52
Cruiser ELT's on my ship ALL stood watch once a month all at the same time from Noon to 5 PM with specific instruction from the CO to not change the ordered bell.  They were allowed to stand ANY mechanical watchstation to satisfy their Senior in Rate Quals to get their supervisory Pro-Pay (That rule didn't apply to regular MM's).  We had to show them where the readings were prior to relief because they simply didn't know.   My EAOS was the day we pulled in from a patrol.  I stood watch 7am to Noon on my EAOS.  The ships policy was to turn in your TLD 1 week prior to EAOS but the faggot ELT's wouldn't take mine because we would have gone port and starboard in M-Div on 1 watchstation.  They were afraid that one of their guys would have been forced to (gulp) stand my watches for me.

I had $1100/quarter to spend on consumables for 34 guys.  ELT's had the same budget for 8 guys..... never mind.

Sorry guys.  I forgot I've been out 13 years.  A previous post reminded me of how I felt about my fellow surface ELT shipmates.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: Rifleman on Jan 04, 2007, 09:06
That would never fly on a pig boat.  Just aren't enough people to allow it...  We (all the MM's) were 3 section under way, with a midnight cowboy if we were lucky.  The underway ELT was pretty cush and kick back, if you knew what you were doing you could have everything done by 0600 and have the rest of the day to yourself.

but in port all the ELT's were on the watch bill.  We stood the shutdown watch AND did the samples and surveys.  We went to M-div training  (and then we got to hang around for another hour of RL-div training)...

maybe that is why I was attracted to subs, more of a team atmosphere then competion/friction...

as I said, a totally different world.

I always wondered why there was so much distaine for ELT's from guys on skimmers.  I had a bird farm MM working with me for 4 years... and he really had nothing good to say about ELT's the entire time we worked together... also didn't help that he would pull some bone head stuff and the two bubble heads he worked with (one an ELT) would call him on it...  He had a NAM from the Ship yard, he wasn't a slack dog ELT, so shut up...

it really bothered him... now I know why.
Title: Re: How do you decide which rate you are?
Post by: ender17 on Jan 06, 2007, 05:54
Well, most carriers now days (I believe all), have gone to having the ELTs qualify SIR for either primary or secondary side.  Then they stand proficiency watches once a quarter to maintain that.  When I was deployed with the Carl Vinson back in 2001, we had an ELT that stopped by the M-Div office every week requesting to be put on the watchbill.  He stood lower level for us.  I asked him why he did this when he didn't have too.  He said he liked standing M-div watches more than standing ELT.  I didn't argue that.  :)  Though, they still slack off (on carriers).