As a fellow pre-nave married guy, it was EASY. Also you get fat paychecks thanks to BAH and family sep every month. I think I made more than my RDC's. But I also lived in CA so I was getting like 1600 for BAH plus cost of living, plus family sep, plus E-3 (while every non-nuke got E-1). Once you get to school will be the defining moment. If you were bad at school because you were stupid, you will have problems. If you did bad because you're a lazy slacker who doesn't do home work you'll do fine, since the threat of captains mast is hanging over you at every second if you don't do the work, and you're forced to be there, so you might as well get it done during the study time. And don't be shy at prototype, harrass them, make them hate you. Make them want to sign the card just to get you to go away.