Anyone here enlisted/veteran of the Navy?

[Fenixgoon]

so the navy is giving a presentation at my college about becoming a nuclear propulsion officer/engineer. sounds like a pretty sweet deal, although the commitment is 5years after graduation of college.

my main concerns are twofold:

1) 5 years is a long time. then again, as far as my working years go, it isn't.


2) if it turns out that i hate the job/pay/benefits/whatever, i don't know that i have much recourse in leaving. also, see #1.

the nice part is they say if you're actually interested, they'll fly you to SC or another nuclear site to check things out.

obviously i'm not going to sign my soul off right away - but the option does have its perks: pay while in college, additional technical training out of college, and guaranteed employment.

cons - may end up being constantly on the move. initial pay may not be as good as a standard engineering job. commitment. (insert stuff i haven't thought of).

i'm a materials engineer and it certainly has its role in the construction/maintenance/operation of a nuclear ship (or any system in general).

i intend to talk this over with my dad and brother. the presentation is also not for another 2 weeks.

 

[Gilligansdingy]

My brother was a nuke in the navy. Spent 8 years on the same boat. He said that was pretty typical. I know he enjoyed his time in but was happy to be out after his commitment was over.

 

[Itchrelief]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
although the commitment is 5years after graduation of college.

I believe the minimum enlistment term is 8 years. Well, I botched that. You commit to 8 years, but you don't have to spend all eight on active duty. You can spend like 4 or whatever the rule is on the IRR (individual ready reserve? not sure, I'm not military, just repeating what I've happened to come across at some time in the past) and hope you don't get called back to duty in those 4 years, which unfortunately would likely be a given thing in the near future for army types, but maybe not so for navy.

So I kinda find it hard to believe that they would go to the trouble to train you to be a nuke engineer and only have to serve 5, maybe you just didn't mention the IRR component? Granted, this is a commission and not an enlisted position, but I would find it hard to believe an officer can sign up for a shorter period than an enlisted man.

 

[ProfJohn]

My brother just retired after 20+ years. Started as a nuke.

But being an officer is totally different than being an enlisted man.

A lot of guys in the Navy will tell you that it?s just like any other job, expect during those six month deployments. Otherwise you go to work, do your job, go home.

 

[Balt]

I'm not in the Navy (or any other branch), but I do know a little bit about NUPOC. This would be the program where they pay you through college and after you are out you go to OCS and then nuke school, right?

If you think you've got the right stuff, then it's a great program. OCS is tough, though, so don't overlook that even though it's only 12 weeks. You are going to need to be in great shape and you are going to need to be able to handle getting yelled at by a bunch of angry Marines. There is no dropping out of the program if you are BDCP, because the government has already invested a lot of money in you. If you can't make it through OCS you are going to spend the rest of your service contract scrubbing toilets and scraping barnacles (unless there is a medical problem that prevents you from getting through the program).

As I said, it's a great deal, but you need to be confident that you can handle it before you agree to take a bunch of money from the government. They will get their pound of flesh back from you one way or the other.

 

[FoBoT]

i was in 10 years, enlisted nuclear power program

it is a great program, it is hard. the officer side is obviously harder than what i went through as an enlisted guy

you can't quit. you have to decide to commit to doing the time or else just don't do it.

i don't regret my time at all, but i also am glad i got out when i did. one sea tour was enough for me.

i do recommend going submarines over air craft carrier, but it isn't for everyone

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Itchrelief

So I kinda find it hard to believe that they would go to the trouble to train you to be a nuke engineer and only have to serve 5

the program is different for officers than enlisted. what you describe is the enlisted program

 

[paulney]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i was in 10 years, enlisted nuclear power program

it is a great program, it is hard. the officer side is obviously harder than what i went through as an enlisted guy

you can't quit. you have to decide to commit to doing the time or else just don't do it.

i don't regret my time at all, but i also am glad i got out when i did. one sea tour was enough for me.

i do recommend going submarines over air craft carrier, but it isn't for everyone

I hope modern US nuke subs are safer than Soviet nuke subs.
My wife's grand-dad died from cancer. As well as all of his friends from the boat.

Remember that line about Reavers flying with a hot core? Yep.

 

[FoBoT]

we got less radiation exposure in a 2.5 month patrol that airline pilots
US Navy Nuclear power is very very safe

 

[lupi]

Originally posted by: Balt
OCS is tough, though, so don't overlook that even though it's only 12 weeks.

:laugh:

 

[Balt]

Originally posted by: lupi

Originally posted by: Balt
OCS is tough, though, so don't overlook that even though it's only 12 weeks.

:laugh:

What's funny? OCS is not boot camp, it's a lot harder.

 

[shortylickens]

9 years.
I go over my experiences only rarely here on AT. A recent thread got my goat up and I felt like sharing my feelings.

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=52&threadid=2084459

Been out a little while now and I'm a little less proud of my service every time I think about it.

EDIT:
Oh, and ol' boy was correct about enlistments.
EVERY enlistment, Army, Navy Air Force, Marines, regardless of special program or circumstances, is 8 years.
You may only do 2-6 as active duty on your first enlistment, but the remaining time will be spent in inactive reserve, which means you dont get paid, you dont drill, you dont have to do anything unless the government calls you up again. In case you havent been paying attention to the news since 2001, thats pretty much a guarantee nowadays.