A question for dposborne

[Daithi]

I'm assuming that you are enlisted, or you would already have a degree, so I was curious as to what are your plans on once you get your degree?

The reason I ask is that when I was in my senior year of high school I wanted to join the Navy as a computer programmer. Unfortunately, the Navy could't guarantee me a position as a programmer, so I joined the Army because they would guarantee me the job I wanted. However, after taking the ASVAB the Navy did try to get me to join with a guarantee for schooling in the nuclear field, and made all kinds of promises to make it sound very tempting. It was very tempting. Truth is, I wanted to be in the Navy instead of the Army (I grew up as a Navy brat), but I ended up joining the Army (I don't regret it as I've been a civilian programmer for over 25 years now). Yet, I've wondered what my life would have been like had I taken that other path.

Have you been in long? Are you planning on becoming a maverick and going the officer route? Or are you hoping to get out and use your newly minted degree and years of experience to land a cushy civilian job in the nuclear field? Just idle curiosity on my part. How do you like the Navy? (After basic and schooling I spent my entire time at Ft. Gordon in Georgia. I missed not be able to explore the world.)

[sanantone]

I'm going to go off-topic. Sorry. If I were to join the military, I would join the Air Force. It seems like the right branch for nerds like myself.

[Daithi]

I'm going to go off-topic. Sorry. If I were to join the military, I would join the Air Force. It seems like the right branch for nerds like myself.

The Air Force is a pretty good branch. It would have been my second choice after the Navy, but they wouldn't guarantee jobs either. I think the Coast Guard is also a great choice, but they kind of suck for the first few years if you go in as enlisted. Unfortunately, promotion is a bit slower in both those branches from what I understand.

If I was just starting my life now, I'd definitely use one of the Big 3 to get my degree inexpensively, and then look at going into the military as an officer. The pay for officers is pretty decent, and retirement is real good. Even if you decide to not reenlist, the experience looks great on a resume, and you have networking opportunities with ex-military.

[Vandalet]

I agree, but I'm in the Air Force, so just a little biased.

[dposborne]

I'm assuming that you are enlisted, or you would already have a degree, so I was curious as to what are your plans on once you get your degree?

The reason I ask is that when I was in my senior year of high school I wanted to join the Navy as a computer programmer. Unfortunately, the Navy could't guarantee me a position as a programmer, so I joined the Army because they would guarantee me the job I wanted. However, after taking the ASVAB the Navy did try to get me to join with a guarantee for schooling in the nuclear field, and made all kinds of promises to make it sound very tempting. It was very tempting. Truth is, I wanted to be in the Navy instead of the Army (I grew up as a Navy brat), but I ended up joining the Army (I don't regret it as I've been a civilian programmer for over 25 years now). Yet, I've wondered what my life would have been like had I taken that other path.

Have you been in long? Are you planning on becoming a maverick and going the officer route? Or are you hoping to get out and use your newly minted degree and years of experience to land a cushy civilian job in the nuclear field? Just idle curiosity on my part. How do you like the Navy? (After basic and schooling I spent my entire time at Ft. Gordon in Georgia. I missed not be able to explore the world.)

Apologies for taking so long to reply to you Daithi. Answers to your questions:
The Nuclear Field is different. I really don't know how else to explain it. It is a very tough and demanding career. Maybe if I just said: It's like being a Navy SEAL only less physical and A LOT more intellectual. The attrition rate for the course pipeline when I went through was 80%, so only 2 out of every 10 candidates made it through the entire training process. Once you made it through the ~2 years of training you get to serve on a carrier or submarine. Very long hours of work, 12-14hr days usually and then you had days where you had to stay overnight every 3-4 days or so (especially on submarines). Very tough career in the Navy, but you do get extra pays for making it through the training and maintaining qualifications. Being a prior Navy Recruiter (another tough career field) I can pretty much say that out of all of the branches the Navy Nucs are the highest paid, higher bonuses plus special pays...

All of that being said, I was in for 16 years enlisted and got out as an E6. I did not do my full 20 because I was really tired of the longer deployments and I was missing my children grow up. I got out of the Navy back in 2008 to pursue a more rewarding career in a major Utilities company in PA as a Mechanical Maintenance Manager at one of their coal fired power plants. I started my BS in Nuclear Engineering Technology at TESC back in 2005 and sort of dropped the ball for a while. Over the past few years I have taken CLEP's and some distance classes through college partnerships the Navy has, along with a few online classes through TESC to get within a couple classes of completing my BS in Nuclear Energy Engineering Technology (which I recently switched to because of the new ABET accreditation it received last year).
My pursuit of degree completion is purely for self benefit since the career field I am in does not require a degree and obtaining one would not move me up any further (unless I decided to go corporate or switch fields within the company) I am blessed to be one of the rare examples of how one can obtain a 6 figure salary based on sheer military experience alone. Most utilities and industry based companies hire Nucs to be operators, supervisors and managers at different plants (Nuclear, Coal or Gas).

I do not regret joining the Navy and I can truly say that I had good and bad times (although the bad seem to severely outweigh the goods hehe), but if I knew what I know now, I probably would have joined the air force simply due to quality of life (they don't call them civilians in uniform for nothing...) I really went through a ton of misery, sacrifice and hell to get to where I am in life now and I probably wouldn't have gone through all of that had I went with a different branch or even picked a different job (of course who is to say I would have the job I have now making the money I do now if I had joined a different branch or selected a different job?) Anyways, I am happy where I am at now, not too overly excited about how I got here, but I am happy now which is what really counts I guess...

[Daithi]

dposborne,

I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. It looks like we took similar paths except that yours was in the Navy and the nuclear field, while mine was the Army and computer field. I also didn't stay in as long before transferring over to the civilian world, but similar to you, it was the training and experience I received in the military that allowed me to start a rewarding and high paying civilian career without a degree. I'm also looking at getting my degree more for personal satisfaction than anything else. Best of luck to you on finishing up your degree.

[taylor]

I'm going to go off-topic. Sorry. If I were to join the military, I would join the Air Force. It seems like the right branch for nerds like myself.

Me too. When I was young I preferred the Navy, Top Gun thing. Then later during my more machismo phase I said the Marines are the place to be. But now Air Force all the way baby!!!

[dposborne]

You are welcome Daithi, and thank you.