Did/do you regret getting out

[Fermi2]

LaFeet,

I had a great time in the Navy and I'm not denying it was a good experience. My three best friends were guys I met in the Navy and I make it a point to get together with them at least once a year. Saying that, I've had an incredible time outside the Navy too. Given both have been great experiences why wouldn't I choose the one where I made more money?

You pay 460 a year for insurance. I pay a bit over 500. So to me it's a wash.

Mike

[LaFeet]

Thanks for the info Mike..... I am enjoying my time out now.  Even making new friends to boot!

Hopefully our paths will cross and I can pay you that beer I owe your.

[Fermi2]

Thank you sir, anytime you're within driving distance of Sequoyah let me know!.

I certainly do not look down on anyone who makes the military a career. It's their choice and I commend anyone for doing what they really want to do. The USN is the worlds finest military unit  and our sailors should be proud to be a part of it. Anything you do in life is what you choose to make of it, the military included. I worked for some crappy people but not once did that ever cloud my attitude towards it, I went in believing I'd have a great time and ended up having an even better time than I could possibly imagine. And trust me, anyone who knew me then will tell you I was far from a diggit.  But those who are doing a career because they believe there is nothing else out there or are simply afraid to get out, I simply do not understand it. For instance, NaVLi4, I've met him, it's obvious he did a career because he enjoyed it, liked it, and felt he could make a positive difference in the Navy and those around him. I'm 100% convinced he did make a difference. He could have gotten out after 6 and been an outstanding commercial Nuke. If anyone recalls Chief Rob, it's the same thing. IIRC I talked with War Eagle on the phone, same thing, they are all outstanding and chose the Navy career because they believed it was a good way for them, I commend them for it and am very grateful they have done so. Again, in any industry or organization the cream rises to the top eventually and it was people like these who made my Navy time a total blast and again I was fortunate enough to work with three of the nicest and funnest guys I could imagine when I met DW, Taz and Tack who are closer to me then my brothers are. When deciding on a Navy career please do not just look at the money. Look at the intangibles too, and the people you'll meet in a 6, 8, 10 or even 20 year career are the most blessed intangible of all. Same if you choose the commercial route.

Mike

[G-reg]

I can't help but wonder am I going to kick my self in 10 years because I passed up on a pension and medical benefits for life.

Do not stay in the Navy for the pension and medical benefits.  Period.  Stay in the Navy because you enjoy it.  Stay in the Navy because you're proud of your service and that pride is deeply important to you.  Stay in the Navy because you're up for shore duty, and you really really want to qualify EOOW at Prototype.  Stay in the Navy because you want to be in the Navy.

From your original post, it sounds to me like you are less-than-enthusiastic about spending the next ten years in the Navy.  Brother, life is too short to put up with any particular occupation if you aren't enjoying it.  As long as you've got a decent work ethic and a good head on your shoulders, companies from coast to coast will be willing to pay you - so find one out there that you're happy with.  Check out some companies, and go to some job interviews.  Call up your Detailer and have him make you the very best offer that he can make.  You can even PM me if you'd like, and together we just might possibly find you a job in the Navy that you would actually enjoy.  I'm sure others in this forum with more time in the civilian world would do the same for you on the commercial side.  And then at the end of the day, YOU pick out the one job that will make YOU the happiest.

Peace, and best wishes to you!

 - Greg

P.S.  I went 20+ in the Navy, but "retirement benefits" were not a driving force behind my decision.  Although the pension & medical are OK, they aren't worth the years of misery that I've seen some people endure simply for the sole purpose of getting them.  If the Navy isn't working out for you, then it's time to start looking somewhere else - you don't have to sacrifice your present life for a carrot on the end of a stick 10 years from now.

[Preciousblue1965]

I agree with BZ.  I worked for NavLi4 in Charleston and he was a great person to work for.  He understood that some of BS that was going on was rediculous and did his best to dilute it down to edible portions.  Same went for his predecessor.  Unfortunately there aren't enough of his kind in the NNPP anymore.  I wish I could say that his enlisted roots helped him in that aspect, but I have worked for some other "former blueshirts" that were tyrants. 

I have to agree that life is too short to do something that you hate for so long.  I had good times and I had bad times.  In the end I am glad I did what I did and got out.  I feel blessed to have worked with some of the greatest people in the military, and have friends that I will never be able to replace. 

[nuketarded]

Haven't regretted it for one second.  Do miss the friends.  I found the environment stifling. Some don't.  I'm impressed by those who can tolerate it.  I have to have at least the illusion of control.  Being woken form a dead sleep to come sign a log, which will be on the boat with me for the next three months, does not present that illusion.  Of course the command you have makes a significant difference.

[anthonyalsup]

I am not who your question was targeted to, but I will give you some facts just to show the potential.

I was a Nuclear MM who did 6 and out.  No EWS.  Finished the Thomas Edison Bachelors.

I got a job as a NLO at one of the lower paying utilities in the country.

I made $129K last year and saw my wife and kid every day. (also have a 401K and pension)

For me, it is a no-brainer....

[Roll Tide]

This question is primarily directed to those who got out of the Navy after 9+ years and went into civilian work. Around the time you would have reached 20 and retired from the Navy did you regret getting out?

I spent 11 1/2 years in the Navy. I have been out for 12 1/2 years. I think that makes me the target of this question (never thought I would refer to myself as a target after 12 boomer patrols, but I digress).

When I first started running into the people that went in around the time I did, and they were now retired, it was quite a jolt. But I have to realize that I earned twice what they did for the years in between, and if I am going to have regrets, it is that I didn't save 25% of my gross income for that 8 1/2 year stretch.

From a personal point of view, it was great getting out. I got to spend time with my wife and sons that can never be taken away. My wife and I were able to care for her parents (still caring for one), and that would not have been possible on my Navy pay.

I know the benefits are nice. Dad is retired US Navy Reserve; but I won't choose commissary priveleges and flu shots over the time with my family.

Fortunately, there are patriots who are willing to sacrifice for my freedom, and I owe them a debt. I pray that I live my life in such a manner that our active and disabled military know how much I appreciate their sacrifices.

[nukeET1]

I do not miss:
1. The amount of unpaid hours I worked in the Navy.  The "standby and wait for something to happen attitude"  At my current position I recieve overtime anytime I am working.
2.  The time away from family.  Going to a movie theatre, seeing a trailer that looks like a great movie, then realizing I would be at sea during the movie.
3.  The pay.  I make 2-3 times navy salary even after taxes breaks.
4.  All the military BS, including: getting yelled at for not seeing an officer in the rain and saluting, Not knowing there was a nice shiny floor on a surface boat you couldnt walk on (Who would have thunk?), and some "leaders" attitude, because they had rank... they were always right... sigh...
5.  Wearing the stupid white had that got dirty all the time!  Or having "dress dungaree" or "dress poopie suit" uniform.  What the heck is that LOL.

I miss:
1.  Pulling into ports, running up Hooters bills in HA to 1K with just 8 of us.....
2.  The view of a sunrise of a submarine in the middle of the ocean.
3.  The drills we ran on the actual reactor plant.  The captain coming back in the middle of the night and scramming the reactor while tripping a feed pump, on his way back up forward.... and laughing all the way!
4.  The pride of wearing my dress uniform out in town.
5.  Military discounts.


A good friend of mine retired after 28 years in the military, he gets paid the same plus retirement.... rollling in the dough!
I did not want to subject myself to another 10 years of the military and do not ever regret the decision to get out.  I figure life offered me another path and I took it!

[PapaBear765]

I do not miss:
1. The amount of unpaid hours I worked in the Navy.  The "standby and wait for something to happen attitude"  At my current position I recieve overtime anytime I am working.
2.  The time away from family.  Going to a movie theatre, seeing a trailer that looks like a great movie, then realizing I would be at sea during the movie.
3.  The pay.  I make 2-3 times navy salary even after taxes breaks.
4.  All the military BS, including: getting yelled at for not seeing an officer in the rain and saluting, Not knowing there was a nice shiny floor on a surface boat you couldnt walk on (Who would have thunk?), and some "leaders" attitude, because they had rank... they were always right... sigh...
5.  Wearing the stupid white had that got dirty all the time!  Or having "dress dungaree" or "dress poopie suit" uniform.  What the heck is that LOL.

I miss:
1.  Pulling into ports, running up Hooters bills in HA to 1K with just 8 of us.....
2.  The view of a sunrise of a submarine in the middle of the ocean.
3.  The drills we ran on the actual reactor plant.  The captain coming back in the middle of the night and scramming the reactor while tripping a feed pump, on his way back up forward.... and laughing all the way!
4.  The pride of wearing my dress uniform out in town.
5.  Military discounts.


A good friend of mine retired after 28 years in the military, he gets paid the same plus retirement.... rollling in the dough!
I did not want to subject myself to another 10 years of the military and do not ever regret the decision to get out.  I figure life offered me another path and I took it!

Well put.

[Fermi2]

nukeET1 why did your friend wrk for 8 years at half pay?

[Whipple]

I don't regret getting out.  I also don't regret staying in. 

I came from a very poor family on the Gulf coast of Texas, and if it wasn't for the Navy, I would probably be dead or maimed by now.  There are very very few 45 yr old people still in good health working in the seafood industry.

When I joined, I had every intention of doing my 6, getting the money for college and doing what I really wanted to do, become a teacher.  Well, then I met my wife, and opportunities came up that I wanted to be a part of, and lo and behold it was 1996 and I only had 5 years left for retirement.

My wife and I actually considered calling an end to it and getting out because my oldest child had just turned 8 the others were 6 and 4 and it was time to head back to sea duty.  Needless to say, I didn't want to miss anymore of them growing up.

Fortunately, another opportunity opened up and I was able to retire a month past my 20 year point. 

Life is what happens when you are planning for the future.  (To slightly modify John Lennon).  When I look back on my time in the Navy, I feel that is exactly what I experienced.  I do know that I would not be the person today I am if it wasn't for the Navy in general and the NNPP in specific.  I met some of the best people in the world and was honored to learn from them everything I did.  I was a hick kid from a town of 300 who never would have seen the world without the opportunities the Navy presented.

Sure there were bad times and there are memories I don't cherish.  I did miss the birth of my first child, for instance.  But overall, and here is what I think is most important:  It was the right decision for my family and I to do my 20 and then leave.

I walked away from the pressure and politics of reactor plants and haven't once considered getting into the civilian nuclear sector.  Remember when I said what I wanted to do with my life back at the start of this post? 

Well after a couple of years getting things squared away so I could start college, I graduated this May with my degree in secondary education and will be teaching high school science at the start of the next school year.  (Gotta love the educational assistance test program - section 901)

I definitely didn't have the self discipline to go to college straight out of high school, not to mention the monitary means.  College was a breeze after the academics of the NNPP.

Whipple

[Fermi2]

Whipple,

Well said, I have a few questions.

1: What do you teach?

2: What level do you teach?

I'm looking to make an exit (eventually) from the industry and teaching is one of the things on the table.

Mike

[Whipple]

Whipple,

Well said, I have a few questions.

1: What do you teach?

2: What level do you teach?

I'm looking to make an exit (eventually) from the industry and teaching is one of the things on the table.

Mike

Thank you Mike.

I will be able to teach 7th thru 12th grade earth sciences.  Because of my educational background from the NNPP, I also intend to become certified to teach physics and chemistry, which is done by passing a certification test in those subjects.

I had planned to become a high school physics teacher when I started; however, a trip to SW Utah chaged all that.  Once I went to Zion National Park and hiked up to a place called angels landing and was able to look out upon the time machine that erosion is, well I was hooked.

If I can be of any assistance to you in any way, please never hesitate to ask.

Whipple

[rlbinc]

I didn't spend +9 years there - but I did spend 8.5 years.

No, I never regretted getting out.
The work was extreme, the pay was minimal, and the accommodations were substandard to the federal prison system.

It's a different life - when  you are paid for your work and set your own standard of living.

The cause of Freedom is what you served. There's nothing wrong with having the things that accompany Freedom pay you back.

[Fermi2]

Whipple can you teach without a degree providing you have the certification?
I ask this because I was approached by a school district about teaching.

rlbinc, weren't you former NRC?

Mike

[rlbinc]

Yes.

There is no license quite as nice as "formerly" licensed.

You get all the credibility with none of the blame.

[Whipple]

Whipple can you teach without a degree providing you have the certification?
I ask this because I was approached by a school district about teaching.

rlbinc, weren't you former NRC?

Mike

Mike:

The details are different depending in which state you will be teaching, but the gist of it goes like this:  You can be "emergency certified" in a subject which allows you to teach in the classroom.  This certification is normally good for 1-3 years, depending on the state.  During this time frame you would be required to pass the knowledge test for the subject you are teaching as well as take the education courses required to receive a BA or BS in education if it was a long term position.

Various caveats such as:  is this a temp position, does the district even want you to come back next year, are you basically going to be a long term sub, etc will impact how the emergency certification can play out.

Sorry I can't be more specific, but with so much emphasis on "highly qualified teachers" as part of NCLB that are numerous requirements on how, when and where emergency certification can be used.  If you goggle "emergency certification" and add your state after it, you will most likely find a link to the state board of education for your location and you can get the details from there.

Whipple

[wlrun3@aol.com]

   ...mr. broadzilla, sir...

   ...the bachelor of science degree in applied science and technology, through the challenge process of the thomas edison state college examination program, is easily and rapidly attained by those familiar with the experience of intense effort...

   ...If the U.S. Government decides to stick a tracking device up your ass…You say, “Thank You…And God bless America!” ...

   ...wow...

[Roll Tide]

   ...mr. broadzilla, sir...




   ...wow...

Should I assume you were quoting from a PM he sent? Cause you lost me at "sir".

[wlrun3@aol.com]

Should I assume you were quoting from a PM he sent? Cause you lost me at "sir".

   ...the poster in question has answered, directly and clearly, many questions that I have asked on this site over the years...

   ...he has earned my respect and admiration and has, from an ex-marine who does not lightly use the word 'sir', more than earned that title...

   ...i asked recently if there was a 'wow' moment any where in the process of adding a freshly refueled reactor's power to the grid since i have, in over two decades of living in these concrete dungeons, most of them, wondered...

   ...read the short paragraph under his postings...

   ...the reference to the degree was in response to the mention of teaching...

   ..how do you fit in all this...

[Fermi2]

Why thank you, you tend to ask very good questions. Roll Tide knows me and how I run things, I'm as Un Sir like as it gets.

I guess I can clarify one thing, after a transient when the adrenaline is dying down and you realize you did well exactly as trained then I will give a Wow wasn't that a rush.

rlbinc, how did you like working for the NRC?

Mike

[wlrun3@aol.com]

   ...'Wow wasn't that a rush'...

   ...i think i knew this all along...i just needed to hear it...

[Fermi2]

But only after transients or something similar. Moving the plant for a startup and shutdown is fun but doesn't give me that wow feeling.

Mike

[withroaj]

Way off topic here and I'm sorry, but how do transients work in commercial plants?  Does it happen when "Gray's Anatomy" comes on, or do other transient conditions take place?  You all know the NNPP transients I am familiar with, and I just wonder how transients work in a big kids' plant.  Seasonal?  Time of day?  Do you feel it when a plant has to trip a generator 100 miles away?